Ghanam Krishna Iyer (1790–1854) was a composer of
Carnatic music
Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha.
It is o ...
and was famous for his ''padams''. ''Padams'' are expressive songs of three or more stanzas, used generally as an accompaniment to classical dance. Krishna Iyer was a student of the famous composer,
Pacchimiriam Adiyappa
Pacchimiriam Adiappayya was a famous court musician at the Maratha kingdom of Thanjavur in the 18th century. He belongs to Kannada Madhwa Brahmin community. Famous musicians Veena Venkatamaramana Das of Vijayanagaram and Veena Seshanna of Mysore a ...
. He was also influenced by
Saint Tyagaraja and
Gopalakrishna Bharathi
Gopalakrishna Bharathi () (1811–1881) was a Tamil poet and a composer of Carnatic music. He composed the ''Kathakalakshepam'' () Nandanar Charitram, two other works in this genre, and many independent ''kritis''.
Bharathi was a contemporary ...
. The title ''Ghanam'', which associated with music means 'deep' or 'grand', relates to his style of singing.
He met
Tyagaraja
Sadguru Tyagaraja Swami ( Telugu: సద్గురు త్యాగరాజ స్వామి; 4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Tyagayya, and in full as Kakarla Tyagabrahmam ( Telugu: కాకర్ల త్యాగబ ...
and composed and sang his composition, ''Summa Summa Varuguma Sugam'' in
Raga
A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...
Atana. His
Mudra
A mudra (; , , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers.
As well as being spiritual ges ...
s included ''Muttukumaara'' and ''Velar''.
See also
*
List of Carnatic composers
List of composers of Carnatic music, a subgenre of Indian classical music. Chronologically they can be grouped into 4 different Eras: Pre-Trinity Era, Trinity Era, Post Trinity Era and Modern Era. Composers are listed here based on this classif ...
References
*
Carnatic composers
Musicians from British India
1854 deaths
1790 births
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