Shyama Shastri

Shyama Shastri
Born	Venkata Subrahmanya (1762-04-26)26 April 1762 Tiruvarur, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu
Died	1827
Other names	Shyama Krishna
Occupation	Carnatic music composer

Carnatic music
Tanjavur-style Tambura
Concepts
Śruti Svara Rāga Tāḷa Mēḷakarta Asaṃpūrṇa Mēḷakarta
Compositions
Gītaṃ Svarajati Varṇaṃ Kriti Kirtana Rāgaṃ Tānaṃ Pallavi Tillana
Instruments
Melody Sarasvati Vīṇa Veṇu Nāgasvaraṃ Gottuvadhyam (Citra Vīṇa) Violin Percussion Mr̥daṅgaṃ Ghatam Morsing Kanjira Thavil Drone Tambura Shruti box
Composers Glossary

Shyama Shastri (IAST: Śyāma Śāstri; 26 April 1762–1827) or Syama Sastri was a musician and composer of Carnatic music. He was the oldest among the Trinity of Carnatic music, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar being the other two.

Early life and career

Shyama Shastri was born on 26 April 1762 in a Brahmin family in Tiruvarur in what is now the state of Tamil Nadu. He received his instruction in the vedas, astrology, and other traditional subjects early on and learned music from his maternal uncle. He was later trained in music by Adiappayya, a noted durbar musician of Thanjavur.

Although Śyāma Śastri did not compose as so many kritis as his two prolific contemporaries, his compositions are still well known due to the literary, melodic and rhythmic proficiency observed in them. It is said that he composed about three hundred pieces in all.

He did not have many disciples to propagate his compositions, nor was the printing press widely accessible during his time. More importantly, the scholarly nature of his compositions made them more appealing to the learned than to the lay. His compositions are far fewer in number than Tyagaraja or Dikshita. Additionally, they feature a more formal form of Telugu which borrows heavily from Sanskrit. In contrast, Tyagaraja composes in this form of Telugu but also resorts to a more colloquial dialect to which Shyama Shastri does not.

There are also a number of krithis in Tamil attributed to him. Most of his compositions propitiate the goddess Kamakshi.

He composed kritis, varṇa(s) and svarajati(s) with the ankita or mudra (signature) Śyāma Krishna. He was probably the first to compose in a new form of the svarajati musical genre, where the compositions could be rendered solely in a singing or instrumental manner. Prior to this, the svarajati was primarily a dance form, and was close in structure to the dance Varṇaṃ (padavarṇaṃ).

His set of three famous svarajati(s) are intended to be sung in concert rather than danced, and are sometimes referred to as "Ratnatrayam" (Three jewels). They are Kāmākṣhī Anudinamu, Kāmākṣhī Padayugamē, and Rāvē himagiri kumāri, composed in the ragas Bhairavi, Yadukula kambhoji and Todi respectively. The former two are set to Miśra Cāpu Tāḷa, while the third is set to Ādi Tāḷa.

He was known for his ability to compose in the most complex of tāḷas. He was also widely revered for his voice and singing ability during his time.

Death and legacy

Shyama Shastri died in Thanjavur in 1827. He had two sons, Panju Shastri and Subbaraya Shastri. Panju was a devoted worshipper of the deity, Bangaru Kamakshi. Subbaraya was trained in music by his father and became a gifted composer as well as a noted player of the veena. At his father's behest, he was also trained by Tyagaraja, Shyama Shastri's renowned contemporary. Shyama Shastri's adopted grandson, Annasvami Shastri (1827–1900), was also a fine composer.

Shastri had a number of disciples who excelled at the art. Alasur Krishna Iyer became a musician at the royal durbar in Mysore. Porambur Krishna Iyer popularised many of his guru's works. Another disciple, Talagambadi Panchanada Iyer also made his mark as a composer. Another disciple named Dasari gained fame as a noted nāgaswaram player.

Compositions

The below sections mention some of his compositions.

Svara Jati

Composition	Raga	Tāḷa	Language	Description
Kāmākṣhī anudinamu maruvakanē కామాక్షీ అనుదినము మరువకనే	Bhairavi	Miśra Cāpu	Telugu
Kāmākṣhī padayugame sthiramaninē	Yadukulakamboji	Miśra Cāpu	Telugu
Rāvē himagiri kumāri రావే హిమగిరి కుమారీ	Todi	Ādi	Telugu

Kriti

Composition	Raga	Tāḷa	Language	Description
Śaṅkari Śaṃkuru candra mukhī Sanskrit: शङ्करि शंकुरु चन्द्र मुखी Telugu Script: శఙ్కరి శంకురు చన్ద్ర ముఖీ	Sāvēri	Ādi – Tiśra Gati	Sanskrit
pAlayAshu mAM paradEvatE	Arabhi		Sanskrit
kanaka śaila vihāriṇī Sanskrit: कनक शैल विहारिणी Telugu Script: కనక శైల విహారిణీ	Punnāga Varāḷi	Ādi	Sanskrit
Birāna varālicci brōvave బిరాన వరాలిచ్చి బ్రోవవె	Kaḷyāṇi	Ādi – Tiśra Gati	Telugu
Dēvī brōva samayamu దేవీ బ్రోవ సమయము	Cintāmaṇi		Telugu
kAmAkSi lOka sAkSiNi	madhyamAvati		Sanskrit
Himādri sutē pāhimāṃ హిమాద్రి సుతే పాహిమాం	Kaḷyāṇi	Ādi	Sanskrit
Māyammā yani nē pilacite మాయమ్మా యని నే పిలచితె	Ahiri	Ādi	Telugu
Mari vērē gati evvarammā మరి వేరే గతి ఎవరమ్మా	Anandabhairavi	Miśra Cāpu	Telugu
Nannu brōvu lalitā నన్ను బ్రోవు లలితా	Lalita	Miśra Cāpu	Telugu
O jagadambā nannu ఓ జగదమ్బా నన్ను	Anandabhairavi	Ādi	Telugu
Pārvati ninu nē nera nammiti పార్వతీ నిను నే నెర నమ్మితి	kalkaḍa		Telugu
Sarōja daḷa nētri himagiri putrī సరోజ దళ నేత్రి హిమగిరి పుత్రీ	śaṃkarābharaṇaṃ	Ādi	Telugu
Tallī ninnu nera namminānu vinavē తల్లీ నిన్ను నెర నమ్మినాను వినవే	Kaḷyāṇi	Miśra Cāpu	Telugu
Pāhi Srī Girirājasutē Karuṇākalitē	Anandabhairavī	Rūpakaṃ	Telugu-Sanskrit
Devī Mīna Nētrī Brōva	Shankarabharanam	Adi	Telugu
Ennēramum un Nāmam என்னேரமும் உன் நாமம்	Pūrvikalyāni	Misra caapu	Tamil
Ennēramum un Pāda Kamalam என்னேரமும் உன் பாத கமலம்	Punnāgavarāḷi	Miśra Cāpu	Tamil

See also

• List of Carnatic composers

Sources

• Śyāma Śāstri, The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India. Oxford University Press. 2011. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195650983.001.0001. ISBN 9780195650983. Retrieved 20 September 2018. (Subscription required (help)).
• Fuller, C. J.; Narasimhan, Haripriya (11 November 2014). Tamil Brahmans: The Making of a Middle-Class Caste. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-15288-2.

External links

• Compositions of Shyama Shastri