These are my notes from a lecture at Vani Mahal, Thyagaraya Nagar in December 2017.
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Marvelous lighting at the mini hall in Vani Mahal, such that the speaker Sriram Venkatakrishnan was well lit, without shining on the large the screen displaying his PowerPoint and pictures. There were some projector hiccups halfway but overcome.
From an early move out of Vellore because of a power struggle in the fort, to the expertise of Ramaswami Deekshitar, in Jayadeva's Ashtapathi, to the travels, career and musical virtuosity of his son, Muthuswamy, born by the blessing of the eponymous God in Vaideesvaran temple, it was a comprehensive lecture, as profuse in scholarship as it was delightful in diction and delivery, in not one but three languages.
One could write a twenty page book just from the lecture. I'll list some highlights.
A background of Tanjavur Mahratta politics including Amarasimha, Tulaji, saraboji, Father Schwartz.
Early life in Govindapuram.
Sonti Venkataramana, guru of Thyagayya, was impressed by Deekshitars teaching skills.
Venkatamakhin and his Chatur Dandika Prakasika, containing the melakartas, whose rare copy Muthuswamy had the good fortune of receiving.
Patronage by Manali Muthukrishna Mudali, the Dubash of Madras, and by his son. Songs lauding them, which contrast with other accounts of their lives.
The band in Fort st George, which inspired the nottu swarams, and the adoption of the violin in carnatic music.
Two wives.
A deep knowledge of Tevaram songs, which reflected in several compositions in Sanskrit.
Later settlement in Kanchipuram and encounter with Upanishad Brahmendra, whose mutt survives. Songs on the Somaskanda of Ekamreshvara, with poetic description of the sthala purana, and word play on ma skanda and moola skanda.
A tour of several nearby temples including Kalahasti, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupati. Perhaps a reference to laddu!
A reference to Gnanasambanda as Uttamavipra in his song on Arunachala and his legend of sighting the hill from a distance, and how this episode repeated later in the life of Ramana.
A voyage to Kashi with all its perils, almost surely, entirely by foot. The episode of Ganga gifting a veenai to Baluswamy Deekshitar his brother. Let's just say he came back with a veena, quipped Sriram. A very small veena, perhaps three feet long, which the family preserved and showcased at the Music academy in 1975, the 200th anniversary of Deekshitar.
Life in Tiruvarur, famous also for the life of Nayanmar Sundaramoorthy. The mysteries of the Thyagesa idol, eternally covered from the neck down,which inspired a superb song by another composer. A mysterious closed shrine perhaps of Vishnu behind it, and the oft ignored Valmikinatha, the real moolavar. More on Kamalambal, Katyayani both more celebrated than Neelotpalambal, the primary consort. Katyayani is the Lord's concubine or main Rudra ganika, and the model for all devadasis. In fact it is believe that the devadasi tradition began at this temple. And the erotic sculpture of Uchishta Ganapathi, and it's tantric worship, which Muthuswamy must have practiced as a Sri Vidya upasaka.
The variety and range of his disciples from different communities, including devadasis and the Tanjavur quartet.
Muthuswamy composed music for Rama Ashtapathi, composed by someone else, but unfortunately these haven't survived. Or else we would have known how he set others composition to music, as musician Sriram Parasuram (present at the lecture) observed elsewhere, the speaker adds. (Another singer Ramakrishna Murthy was also in the audience).
Songs on several temples around the Kaveri built including Tayumanavar whom he calls Matrubutha, and various navagraha shrines. Waxing eloquent at Tirukannamangai, where bhkatas believe the devas reside as bees, and the Thayar shrine still has a beehive perhaps two centuries old, that the archaka shows to visitors. Tirumangai Alwar has a mischevous passuram here, where he advises not just Vaishnavas but also Vishnu himself that singing his ten songs will benefit the singer.
Ratnagiri temple, populated by monkeys, where the devotees fill a large copper vessel from the Kaveri, eight km away, and then take it up the thousand steps for abishekam. They did it during his times, as recorded in his song, and they do it today.
Songs on navagraha shrines in the hinterland. Travel to Madurai and Ettayapuram , famous for its betrayal of Kattabommu, but whose king Deekshitar praised. The court appreciated the novelty of the violin as a carnatic instrument. Songs on Meenakshi and Azhagar.
We should recognize that Deekshitar was human, needed patrons, was practical, and not just cover him in saintliness, said Sriram. Final samadhi there. Now, there is a memorial mandapam, which a collector recently wanted to demolish as an illegal structure. Fortunately, it survives.
Originally posted to Facebook on 29 December 2017. Dedicated to Rajagopalan Venkatraman who could not be there, who otherwise would have provided marvelous slide by slide coverage.
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