Tributes

Karnatic music has been widely acclaimed as the richest system of music in the world and a major aspect of this richness is the huge number of compositions in the system.

A composition is mainly a crystallized form of a raga which again is the staple food for karnatic music. There is a rich variety of compositions and the kritis enjoy a special status.

The form of kritis was consolidated by the immortal contributions of the musical Trinity -Thyagaraja, Dikshitar and Syama Shastri of 18th and 19th Centuries.

The reputation as composer was so deep rooted that many conservatives are convinced that the art of creating, composition reached the peak in the hands of the Trinity and no body of the subsequent generation should ever attempt to create a new compositions of their own, and there was a time when the senior musicians considered it as sacrilegious for any person to attempt a new composition of his/her own, as if to announce that he or she is an artist of greater creativity than the invincible trinity.

Karnatic music is an art of oceanic depths, it always remain greater than the greatest artist and a houseful of composers can never exhaust all the possibilities in it and there is always room and space for the creative abilities of new entrant. The unkind attitude towards new composers has since eased in the latter half of the 20th Century, which was the emergence of highly reputed composers like Papanasam Sivan and Muthiah Bhagavathar. The period produced a number of efficient composers of both sexes among whom the Tamil compositions of Smt. D. Pattammal Dhandapani gained wide attention. Her compositions were rich in RAGHBHAVA and lyrical creativity and deservedly earned a prominent place in the concert repertoire.

The success of her efforts encouraged Smt. D. Pattammal to try her hands with kritis in all the 72 melakartas. For a long period in the history, the Karnatic music field was dominated by male artists and the fair sex was not given its due. The emergence of female composers like D. Pattammal in their environment in all the more conspicuous.

Books containing the compositions of D.Pattmmal were produced by admirers and received well by students and performers. Many of her kritis were sung and taught in foreign countries also. It is appropriate move to create a web site on this female composer of high merit worthy of enlightened patronage, received well by students and performers. Many of her kritis were sung and taught in foreign countries also. It is appropriate move to create a web site on this female composer of high merit worthy of enlightened patronage.