Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi

Oothukkaadu Venkata Kavi (c. 1700-1765) or Oottukkaadu Venkata Subramanyar was one of the pioneering composers in Indian classical Carnatic music. He lived in South India in the present-day state of Tamil Nadu. Also known by the name Oothukkaadu Venkatasubramaniya Iyer, he composed hundreds of compositions in Sanskrit and Tamil of which over 500 are available. These were handed down from generation to generation by the descendants of the composer's brother's family.

Venkata Kavi's compositions reveal that he was a complete master of the science and art of music in all senses of the term – melody, rhythm, and lyrics. He was fluent in Sanskrit and Tamil. Renowned for his rare depth, scholarship and sublime appeal, he was proficient in a variety of musical forms such as the kriti, tillana and kaavadicchindu. He used taalas and themes that many other Carnatic composers had or have not. His compositions are a blend of a high degree of scholarship on a variety of subjects and inspired expression. During a lecture demonstration on the composer by Needamangalam Krishnamurthy Bhaagavatar in December 1955, The Music Academy Madras Experts' Committee noted that "Venkata Kavi's compositions filled a gap between Purandara Dasa (1484-1564) and the Carnatic Music Trinity of Tyaagaraaja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri, who lived around 1760s-1840s."

While he has rightfully been acknowledged as one of the greatest composers on Krishna, Venkata Kavi composed hundreds of pieces on other deities too. Several pieces also reveal his humility, reverence for the great personalities before his times, and the high state of bliss that he probably experienced almost ceaselessly. His works scarcely contain autobiographical notes but show that he had reached great spiritual and philosophical heights. Deeper studies have dispelled myths about some of his compositions such as, for example, "Alaipaayude kannaa" (raaga: Kaanada) being autobiographical. They have also shown that this and numerous other pieces on Krishna in lilting Tamil were parts of an opera based on the Bhaagavatam. His works also reveal the proximity and deep devotion that he felt towards Krishna.

Read more about this composer on Wikipedia.