The Contribution of Tamil Composers to the Musical Form Gīta

The plentiful musical forms like gīta, svarajati, varṇa, kṛti, jāvaḷi, tillāna, etc and the composers of these musical forms which constitute the repertoire of South Indian music is highly overwhelming and is the highlight of our rich musical heritage.The musical form gīta serves as an illustrative form for a basic structured and refined understanding of any given rāga. The contribution of various composers to this musical form from the days of Purandaradāsa (15th century A.D.) till date not only bear testimony to the antiquity of this form but also its popularity. Some popular composers of this musical form include Veṅkaṭamakhi, Gōvinda, Paiḍāla Gurumūrty Śāstri, Vīṇa Vijaya Varadayya,Tenmaṭham brothers, etc. These composers have composed gīta-s in languages like Bhāṇḍīrabhāśa, Kannaḍa, Samskṛt, Marāṭhi and Telugu.

The contribution of Tamil composers to this musical form is equally noteworthy. The aim of this article is to acknowledge and understand the contribution of some prominent and some
lesser-known Tamil composers of 19th and 20th centuries to this musical form gīta. These composers have composed a great number of gīta-s that are rich and unique in content and
style.