Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi

Venkata Kavi had a vast knowledge of music and musical nuances. He used a wide variety of raagas ranging from the well known such as Todi, Kalyani, Kharaharapriya, Sahana, through minor ones like Kannadagowla, Jayantashri, Maalavi, Umaabharanam and a few that are seldom used today such as Balahamsa and Rasamanjari. In some instances, his works are the first or only ones to be available in a given raaga such as Sri Shivanayike in Lalitagandharvam and Paadasevanam in Deeparam. His approach to even common raagas like Sahaana, Pharas, Naadanaamakriya, and Aarabhi are distinctive and refreshing.[14]

His vision of the raaga and melody as a whole is considerable and can be seen in the number of different styles in which he composed various krtis in the same raaga. For instance, his krtis in Madhyamavathi – Shankari Sri Raajaraajeshwari, Sundara nandakumaaraa and Aadaadu ashangaadu vaa Kannaa - bring out different facets of this beautiful raga. He also employed attractive swaraaksharas – a technique where the lyrics match the solfa notes of the tunes. He has also incorporated raaga mudra (mentioning the names of raagas of the compositions) in several krtis. Examples: Shuddha Saveri, Navarasakannada.

Venkata Kavi ventured into scarcely attempted taalas like Khanda Dhruvam (17 units per cycle), Sankeerna Madhyamam (20 units per cycle) and Mishra Atam (18 units per cycle). He effortlessly employed complex eduppus (take-off or landing points of various sections of a composition) without affecting the flow of the music or the lyrics. He could change the gati (gait) with ease, . He was probably the only composer to have not only handled chaturashra (4/4) time-signatures but also tishram (3/4 or 6/4) as well as khandam (5/4 or 5/8) etc. in his compositions; for example: Neerada-sama (Jayantashree), Natavara-taruni (Kannadagowla), Vitasama-vara (Vasantaa), and Urugaada manam (Todi).[15]

Sangatis are pre-composed variations in a composition and rendered in a disciplined manner (as opposed to variations born from free improvisation). Usually, variations are melodic in nature while the lyrics remain constant. Several of Venkata Kavi’s pieces have such sangatis but he also demonstrated a rarely seen concept of lyrical variations. For instance, in the pallavi of his Aabhogi kriti, Mahashaya hrdaya, he has composed three variations in the madhyamakaala passage as given below:[16]

1. madhukara champaka vana vihaara manamohana Madhusoodana navabhooshana
2. madhukara champaka vana vihaara nava pallava padakara madana gambheera
3. madhukara champaka vana vihaara govardhana dhara bhujaga nartana charana

Similar examples can be seen in pieces like Aganita mahima (Gowla).[17] In this composition, he has also used innovative structuring by inserting medium-fast passages between two slower cycles, investing the section with .

Venkata Kavi was a master of finishes. In several songs, his endings are in interesting rhythmic patterns. For example, Bhuvanamoha in Dhanyasi, where he has capped off the charanam with a pattern of 6 repeated 11 times, which is a wonderful way to get to half a beat landing (which is the commencing point of the pallavi) from the beat after 2 cycles of Adi tala. The words are superbly woven in lilting Sanskrit:

atinootana kusumaakara vrjamohana saraseeruha dalalochana mamamanasa patuchorasu- swarageetasu- muraleedhara suramodita bhavamochana

There are many other instances of similar endings in krtis such as Alavadennalo in Pharas (5th charanam) and Mummada vezhamugattu Vinayakan in Nattai.

• Krtis of various types - Slow paced, medium fast, songs with samashti charanam, songs with jatis (rhythmic syllables), songs set with gati bhedam (gait/pulse) change,[23][24] songs with Kalai change [25]
• Tillanas
• Shlokas/Free verses
• Natangam - a form that has lyrics and rhythmic syllables with and without melody in various sections
• Javali
• Tiruppugazh style composition (à la Arunagirinathar)

His Saptaratnas (seven gems = seven songs) are dazzling creations, consisting of the main refrain (pallavi), a contrasting section (anupallavi) and a series of other sections (charanas) in medium tempo (madhyama kala) that can be rendered as swara and sahitya. These songs resemble the Pancharatna kritis of Tyagaraja, though Venkata Kavi is said to have lived much before Tyagaraja. The compositions are all in Adi tala, but the differences in melody, rhythm, and brilliant lyrical themes make each composition stand out. For instance, ‘Bhajanamruta’ in Nattai, pays tributes to great philosophers and spiritualists and cites numerous mythological and historical devotees of Vishnu (examples: Prahlada, Sanaka, Narada, Anjaneya, Guha, Sabari, Sugreeva) as well as Shiva (such as Nandi, Matanga, Vyagrapada, Manickavachagar and Sundarar) and Subramanya (such as Arunagirinathar).[29] The saptaratnas are:

1. Bhajanamrta – Nattai
2. Aganita mahima – Gowla
3. Madhava hrdi khelini – Kalyani
4. Balasarasa murali – Keeravani
5. Jatadara – Todi
6. Alavadennalo – Paras
7. Sundara nandakumara – Madhyamavathi

Though Venkata Kavi has composed a few more songs in the same style, they are not part of his Saptaratna set since they were composed as parts of other operatic works of his such as Bhagavatam.[30]

The Anjaneya Saptaratna krtis, eulogize Hanuman and all seven pieces are in Sanskrit. These are:

1. Pavana kumara - Vasantha
2. Veekshitoham - Kedaragowla
3. Anjanaananda ambodhi chandra - Todi
4. Shree raghavadhootam - Suruti
5. Bhaktabhagadheya - Madhyamavathi
6. Satvaguna virachitanga - Rasamanjari
7. Vahini tata - Malayamarutam

Of these, the last two were not published which led to a wrong categorization in some quarters.[31] However, these have been subsequently located in the possession of the Needamangalam Krishnamurthy Bhagavatar's (descendant of the poet's brother) family and disciples.

Venkata Kavi also composed Navavarnams (nine avarnams) on the goddess Srividya to be sung during Dasara. Venkata kavi’s collection of Kamakshi Navavarana kritis on goddess Srividya is a masterpiece.[32] Apart from the main nine songs for the nine nights, he has also composed Vinayaka stuti, Dhyana stuti and a Phala stuti. There are several similarities (and differences) between his Navavaranams and that of Muthuswami Dikshitar but both reveal the composers’ scholarship in the various aspects of Devi worship.[33] These are:

1. Sri Ganeshwara – Shanmukhapriya – Adi – Vinayaka stuti
2. Vanchasi yadi kushalam – Kalyani – Adi – Dhyana stuti
3. Santatam aham seve – Deshakshi – Adi - (1st avaranam)
4. Bhajaswa sri tripura sundari – Nadanamakriya – Adi - (2nd avaranam)
5. Sarvajeeva dayakari – Shuddha Saveri – Mishra Chapu - (3rd avaranam)
6. Yoga yogeshwari – Anandabhairavi – Khanda Triputa (2 kalais) - (4th avaranam)
7. Neelalohita ramani – Balahamsa – Khanda Dhruvam (2 kalais) - (5th avaranam)
8. Sadanandamayi chinmayi – Hindolam – Sankeerna Matyam - (6th avaranam)
9. Sakala loka nayike – Arabhi – Adi - (7th avaranam)
10. Shankari Shri Rajarajeshwari – Madhyamavathi – Adi - (8th avaranam)
11. Natajana kalpavalli – Punnagavarali – Adi - (9th avaranam)
12. Sri haladharanujam praptum - Manirangu - Adi - Phala shruti

While the pieces showcase the composer's high caliber approach to melody, lyric, poetry and culture, they stand out for his masterly handling of intricate time measures of 9, 17 and 20 units per cycle in the 4th, 5th and 6th avarana kris respectively. This 8th avaranam has been set in alternate time-signatures within the same tala – chaturashram (4/4) and tishram (3/4).

Venkata Kavi composed at least 14-15 pieces extolling the greatness of his Guru, Krishna. A few of them suggest that he may also have had another human guru, at least for spiritual purposes. According to sources from that area, this guru was Bhaskara Raya, the acclaimed authority of Devi worship of his times.[34] This is further augmented by the immense scholarship seen in Venkata Kavi's Kamakshi Navavarana krtis dealing with the intricate details of avarana pooja (Srividya worship).