Indian Music and Swati Tirunal

Contents: Swati Tirunal a versatile composer. 1. Introduction. 2. His childhood and court association with musicians. 3. Swati as a patron of musicians. 4. Swati as a composer. 5. Significant contribution of Swati to music. 6. Swati\'s contribution to dance musical forms. 7. General appraisal of Swati\'s works. Conclusion.

"Sri Swati Tirunal was Maharaja of Travancore in Kerala. Hailing from a royal family known for the artistic knowledge and patronage of fine arts. He lived during the same period of the music trinity of Carnatic music who lived and enriched the art with their enchanting and appealing compositions. Though he lived for short period of 34 years.

(1813-1847), he acquired mastery over the several languages including Persian, Hindi, and proficiency in music. He has composed more than 300 songs in various languages which are considered to be equal to those of the Trinity of music. Besides administering the state admirable he patronized all art forms. His contribution to the literature on the subject of music are worthy of note." (jacket)