Syama Sastri
Born	Venkata Subrahmanya Iyer (1762-04-26)26 April 1762 Thiruvarur,[1]Thanjavur Maratha kingdom
Died	1827 (aged 64–65)
Other names	Syama Krishna
Occupation	Carnatic music composer

Syama Sastri (Telugu: శ్యామ శాస్త్రి;Tamil: ஷ்யாமா சாஸ்திரி;IAST:Śyāma Śāstri; 26 April 1762 – 1827) orShyama Shastri was a musician and composer ofCarnatic music. He was the oldest among theTrinity of Carnatic music,Tyagaraja andMuthuswami Dikshitar being the other two.^[2]

Syama Sastri, whose birth name was Venkata Subrahmanya Iyer, was born on 26 April 1762 in a MulukanaduTelugu Brahmin family to Visvanatha Iyer and Vengalakshmi.^[3] He was also known as one of the trinity of carnatic music.^[4][5] To later generations, he is better known by his adopted name Syama Sastri or by his musical mudra (signature)Syama Krishna.^[6] He was born inTiruvarur, in what is now the state ofTamil Nadu. He received his instruction in the vedas, astrology, and other traditional subjects early on and learned music from his maternal uncle. He was later trained in music byAdiappayya, a noted durbar musician ofThanjavur.^[7]

Although Śyāma Śastri did not compose as manykritis 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.^[8]

He did not have many disciples to propagate his compositions, nor was theprinting 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. Additionally, they feature a more formal form of Telugu which borrows heavily from Sanskrit. In contrast, Tyagaraja composes in generally more colloquial dialect of Telugu.^{[citation needed]}

There are also a number of krithis inTamil attributed to him. Most of his compositions propitiate the GoddessKamakshi.^[8][9][10]

He composedkritis,varṇa(s) andsvarajati(s) with theankita ormudra (signature)Śyāma Krishna. He was probably the first to compose in a new form of thesvarajati musical genre, where the compositions could be rendered solely in a singing or instrumental manner. Prior to this, thesvarajati was primarily a dance form, and was close in structure to the danceVarṇaṃ (padavarṇaṃ).^[11]

His set of three famoussvarajati(s) are intended to be sung in concert rather than danced, and are sometimes referred to as "Ratnatrayam" (Three jewels). They areKāmākṣhī Anudinamu,Kāmākṣhī Padayugamē, andRāvē himagiri kumāri, composed in theragasBhairavi,Yadukula kambhoji andTodi respectively. The former two are set toMiśra Cāpu Tāḷa, while the third is set toĀdi Tāḷa.^{[citation needed]}

He is known for his ability to compose in the most complex of tāḷas.^[12]

Sastri had a number of disciples who excelled at the art. Alasur Krishna Iyer became a musician at the royal durbar inMysore. Porambur Krishna Iyer popularised many of his guru's works. Another disciple, Tarangambadi Panchanada Iyer also made his mark as a composer. Another disciple named Dasari gained fame as a notednāgaswaram player.^[7] His son, namedSubbaraya Sastri, was also a notable composer.^[13]

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Some of his better known compositions are listed below.

• List of Carnatic composers

• "Śyāma Śāstri".The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India. Oxford University Press. 2011.ISBN 9780195650983. Retrieved20 September 2018.
• Fuller, C. J.; Narasimhan, Haripriya (11 November 2014).Tamil Brahmans: The Making of a Middle-Class Caste. University of Chicago Press.ISBN 978-0-226-15288-2.

• Compositions of Syama Sastri

• Carnatic composers
• Telugu people
• Performers of Hindu music
• 1762 births
• 1827 deaths
• People from Tiruvarur district

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