Syama Sastri

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Syama Sastri (also commonly

transliterated as Shyama Shastri) (1762–
1827) was a musician and composer of
the Carnatic music tradition. He is the
oldest among the Trinity of Carnatic
music, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami
Dikshitar being the other two.[1]
 Syama Sastri

Born Venkata Subrahmanya

1762
Tiruvarur, Thanjavur
district, Tamil Nadu
Died 1827
Occupation Composer
Nationality Indian
Genre Carnatic music
 Music of India

A Lady Playing the Tanpura, c. 1735 (Rajasthan)

Genres

Traditional
Classical (Carnatic · Hindustani) · Folk · Baul ·
Bhajan · Odissi · Rabindra Sangeet · Thumri ·
Dadra · Chaiti · Kajari · Sufi (Ghazal · Qawwali)
Modern
Bhangra (Bhangragga) · Blues · Filmi
(Bollywood · Ghazal · Qawwali) · Goa trance ·

( )
 Dance · Indi-pop (Asian Underground) · Jazz ·
Rock (Bengali · Raga)
Media and performance

Music awards Filmfare Awards ·

Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award
Music festivals Saptak Festival of
Music · Chennai Music
Season · Dover Lane
music festival ·
Tyagaraja Aradhana ·
Harivallabh Sangeet
Sammelan
Music media Sruti · The Record Music
Magazine

Nationalistic and patriotic songs

National anthem Jana Gana Mana

Regional music
 Regional music

Andaman and Nicobar Islands · Andhra Pradesh ·

Arunachal Pradesh · Assam · Bihar · Chhattisgarh
· Goa · Gujarat · Haryana · Himachal Pradesh ·
Jammu and Kashmir · Jharkhand · Karnataka ·
Kerala · Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Manipur
· Meghalaya · Mizoram · Nagaland · Odisha ·
Punjab · Rajasthan · Sikkim · Tamil Nadu
(Ancient) · Tripura · Uttar Pradesh · Uttarakhand
· West Bengal
v· t· e

Early life and career

Syama Sastri was born to Visvanathayya
and Vengalakshmi on April 2, 1762.[2] in a
Telugu speaking Auttara Vadama
Brahmin[3][4]. Visvanathayya and his
forefathers were archakas (appointed
ritual priests) in the temple of Goddess
Bangaru Kamakshi, Thanjavur. Syama
Sastri's actual name was Venkata
Subrahmanya.

Although Śyāma Śastri did not compose

as so many krithis 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 Syama
Sastri 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 Tāḷa(s).[5] He was
also widely revered for his voice and
singing ability during his time.

Descendants
Syama Sastri had a son named Subbaraya
Sastri (1803–1862), who reportedly learnt
music under each of the Carnatic music
Trinity; this was considered, a rare
privilege. His kritis, with the signature
'Kumara', are treated as dispositive
references for those ragas in which they
were composed. Syama Sastri's adopted
grandson, Annasvami Shastri (1827–
1900), was also a fine composer.

Compositions
The below sections mention some of his
compositions.

Svara Jati
 Composition Raga Tāḷa Language Description

Kāmākṣhī anudinamu maruvakanē

Bhairavi Miśra Cāpu Telugu
అను నము మరువక

Kāmākṣhī padayugame sthiramaninē Yadukulakamboji Miśra Cāpu Telugu

Rāvē himagiri kumāri

Todi Ādi Telugu
మ కు

Kriti
 Composition Raga Tāḷa Language Description

Śaṅkari Śaṃkuru candra mukhī

Sanskrit: शङ् क र शंकु च मुखी Ādi – Tiśra
Sāvēri Sanskrit
Telugu Script: శఙ శంకురు చన Gati
ము

pAlayAshu mAM paradEvatE Arabhi Sanskrit

kanaka śaila vihāriṇī

Sanskrit: कनक शैल वहा रणी Punnāga Varāḷi Ādi Sanskrit
Telugu Script: కనక ల

Birāna varālicci brōvave Ādi – Tiśra

Kaḷyāṇi Telugu
నవ వ Gati

Dēvī brōva samayamu

Cintāmaṇi Telugu
వ సమయము

kAmAkSi lOka sAkSiNi madhyamAvati Sanskrit

Himādri sutē pāhimāṃ

Kaḷyāṇi Ādi Sanskrit
సు ం

Māyammā yani nē pilacite

Ahiri Ādi Telugu
య య ల

Mari vērē gati evvarammā

Anandabhairavi Miśra Cāpu Telugu
మ గ ఎవర

Nannu brōvu lalitā

Lalita Miśra Cāpu Telugu
నను ల

O jagadambā nannu
Anandabhairavi Ādi Telugu
ఓ జగద నను

Pārvati ninu nē nera nammiti

kalkaḍa Telugu
ర ను రన

Sarōja daḷa nētri himagiri putrī

śaṃkarābharaṇaṃ Ādi Telugu
స జ దళ మ

Tallī ninnu nera namminānu

vinavē Kaḷyāṇi Miśra Cāpu Telugu
త ను రన ను న

Pāhi Srī Girirājasutē Karuṇākalitē Anandabhairavī Rūpakaṃ Telugu-

 Sanskrit

Devī Nī Mīna Nētrī Brōva Shankarabharanam Adi Telugu

Ennēramum un Nāmam
Pūrvikalyāni Tripūṭa Tamil
எ ேனர உ நாம

Ennēramum un Pāda Kamalam

எ ேனர உ பாத Punnāgavarāḷi Miśra Cāpu Tamil
கமல

See also
List of Carnatic composers

References
1. P. Sambamoorthy, Great Composers,
pp69–94. (Madras: The Indian Music
Publishing House)
2.
http://www.carnaticcorner.com/articles/shy
ama.html
3.
http://www.andhraportal.org/personalities-
syama-sastri/
4. C. J. Fuller; Haripriya Narasimhan (11
November 2014). Tamil Brahmans: The
Making of a Middle-Class Caste . University
of Chicago Press. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-226-
15288-2.
5. Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam, ed.
India through the ages. Publication Division,
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,
Government of India. p. 231.

External links
Website dedicated to Shyama Shastri
 Shyama Sastri’s descendants live in
penury

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