26 Facts About Muthuswami Dikshitar

Muthuswami Dikshitar, mononymously Dikshitar, was a South Indian poet, singer and veena player, and a composer of Indian classical music, who is considered one of the musical trinity of Carnatic music.

Muthuswami Dikshitar is known by his signature name of Guruguha which is his mudra.

Muthuswami Dikshitar's compositions are sung and played in classical concerts of Carnatic music.

Muthuswami Dikshitar composed some of his Kritis in Manipravalam.

Muthuswami Dikshitar is a common Tamil name and is derived from Selvamuthukumaraswamy, a deity of the famed Vaideeswaran temple in Myladuthurai.

The eldest son of the composer, Ramaswami Muthuswami Dikshitar, he received instruction in a number of subjects including the vedas, poetry, music, and astronomy.

Muthuswami Dikshitar had two brothers, Chinnaswami and Balaswami, and a sister,.

Muthuswami Dikshitar moved to the town of Manali, near Madras at the behest of Venkatakrishna Mudaliar, a local zamindar.

The Muthuswami Dikshitar brothers accompanied the zamindar to Fort St George nearby where they were introduced to Western orchestral music and the violin.

Muthuswami Dikshitar was exposed to Hindustani classical music, particularly the Dhrupad style, which some scholars believe, influenced his later compositions.

Muthuswami Dikshitar later composed Kritis in all the eight declensions on the Lord.

Muthuswami Dikshitar then went on a pilgrimage visiting and composing at the temples at Kanchi, Tiruvannamalai, Chidambaram, Tirupathi and Kalahasthi, Srirangam, before returning to Tiruvarur.

Muthuswami Dikshitar attained proficiency over the veena, and the influence of veena playing is evident in his compositions, particularly the gamakas.

Muthuswami Dikshitar experimented with the violin, and among his disciples, Vadivelu of the Thanjavur Quartet, and his brother Balaswami Dikshitar pioneered the use of violin in Carnatic music, now an integral part of most Carnatic ensembles.

Muthuswami Dikshitar continued to display his prowess by composing the Navagraha Kritis in praise of the nine planets.

Muthuswami Dikshitar's disciples included a number of artists who carried forward his tradition.

Muthuswami Dikshitar is credited with approximately 450 to 500 compositions, many of which are still performed in contemporary Carnatic music concerts.

Muthuswami Dikshitar's compositions cover a remarkably broad range of deities, more than most composers in the Carnatic tradition.

Muthuswami Dikshitar's works are noted for their depth, melody, and refined structure.

Muthuswami Dikshitar composed Krithis in all 72 Melakartha ragas, under his unique Asampurna Mela scheme, thereby preserving and showcasing several rare and nearly forgotten ragas.

Muthuswami Dikshitar was a master of Tala and is the only composer to have Krithis in all the seven basic Talas of the Carnatic scheme.

Muthuswami Dikshitar is said to have composed a Rama Ashtapathi along with Upanishad Brahmendral at Kanchipuram.

At a young age, Muthuswami Dikshitar was exposed to the music of the Western bands at Fort St George.

At a later stage, Muthuswami Dikshitar composed some forty songs to several tunes loosely adopted to ragas such as Shankarabharanam.

However, this is unlikely, as historical records indicate that Muthuswami Dikshitar had left Madras by 1799, while Brown only arrived in 1817.

Muthuswami Dikshitar learned Telugu in 1820 and moved to Cuddappah the same year.