D?KSHITAR, MUTTUSV?MI

D?KSHITAR, MUTTUSV?MI (1775–1835), South Indian poet and composer Muttusv?mi D?kshitar was the youngest of three nineteenth-century poet-composers (v?gg?yak?ra) hailing from Tiruv?r?r, reverentially called the "Trinity" of South Indian music. He used the mudr? (signature) "Guruguha" in his lyrics, and he contributed more than four hundred songs to the concert repertoire of Karn?tak music. Compared with the lively and emotional style of Ty?gar?ja, many of D?kshitar's songs are more tranquil, though they conclude with a distinct feature called madhyama k?la sanch?ra (phrases in a faster tempo). His songs are based on the kriti format (the principal compositional form of Karn?tak art music) and have Sanskrit lyrics, except for some in Telugu.

In his kriti "B?lag?p?la" (r?ga Bhairavi), D?kshitar refers to himself as vainika g?yaka, a "singer and player of the long-necked lute" (v?n?, the principal instrument of Karn?tak art music). Interestingly, several embellishments (gamaka) of Karn?tak music are reminiscent of the playing of a vina, and through D?kshitar's songs both vocalists and instrumentalists stay sensitized to the aesthetic value of intricate gamakas.

D?kshitar was initiated into Sr? vidy?up?sana, the T?ntric D?v? cult, followed by five years of studies in North India (Varanasi). To modern listeners, his Sanskrit lyrics may be reminiscent of a remote past, as they describe specific images and stories of deities associated with the temples he visited. Yet he also subscribed to Ved?nta philosophy, which postulates an impersonal Absolute (parabrahma) behind all phenomena, including the various deities he praised in his lyrics. It is evident that frequent pilgrimages and exposure to diverse cultural traditions left their mark on his personality and music. Several of his famous songs are based on Hindustani r?gas. His progressive outlook is corroborated by the rapid integration of the violin in South Indian music: his brother B?lusv?mi D?kshitar and V?div?lu, one of his famous disciples, became the first South Indian violin exponents to become known by their names. At the request of the Collector (the British chief administrator of district), he even wrote Sanskrit lyrics for about fifty English tunes (n?ttusvara s?hitya, or note-lyrics).

Through his compositions he defined the melodic "shapes" (r?ga r?pa) of several rare r?gas for the first time, particularly those derived from the m?lakarta r?ga paddhati (scheme of 72 scale types). In contrast to Ty?gar?ja, he did not embrace a later version of the m?lakarta r?ga scheme, one that is entirely based on heptatonic scale types (samp?rna paddhati). D?kshitar adhered to the earlier scheme known as asamp?rna paddhati (nonheptatonic arrangement), and the r?ga nomenclature is therefore peculiar to his compositions. This difference is ascribed to the fact that through his father, the composer R?masv?mi D?kshitar, he belongs to the parampara (musical lineage) of Venkatamakh?. This influential theorist had outlined his innovative m?lakarta scheme in a treatise titled Chaturdand? Prak?shik? (Four-fold explanation) as early as 1660.

Through his disciples, notably the four brothers known as the Tanjore Quartet, D?kshitar also contributed to the field of dance music. Being leading figures in the fields of dance and music, the Tanjore Quartet succeeded in redefining and enriching the repertoire of temple and court dance. As demonstrated by T. B?lasarasvati, the legendary dancer, this program format continues to inspire Bharata Natya dancers and their accompanists.

Ludwig Pesch

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Govinda Rao, T. K. Compositions of Muddusv?mi D?kshitar. Madras: Ganamandir Publications, 1997.

Raghavan, V. Muttuswami Dikshitar. Mumbai: National Centre for the Performing Arts, 1975.

Seetha, S. Tanjore as a Seat of Music. Chennai: University of Madras, 1981.

Srivatsa, V. V. Monograph on Muttuswami Dikshitar. 54th Annual Festival of Music and Dance. Tirupati: Sri Tyagaraja Festival Committee, 1996.

Srivatsa, V. V., ed. Bhava Raga Tala Modini: Monograph cum Index of Muttuswami Dikshitar's Compositions. Chennai: V. V. Srivatsa, 1996–1998.

Venkatarama Aiyer, T. L. "Muthusw?my D?kshitar." In Composers, edited by V. Raghavan. New Delhi: Publications Division, 1979.