List of Carnatic composers

The Carnatic classical music tradition gained impetus in the 15th century through the works of Purandara Dasa, one of the foremost Haridasa Saints of the Vijayanagara Empire, and is also regarded as "Karnataka Sangeetha Sampradaya Pitamaha" (Patriarch of the Carnatic Music Tradition). This tradition has grown since and has produced numerous renowned and revered composers. The list below names the most notable composers in chronological order starting with Purandara Dasa.

* Annamacharya (1408 - 1503 CE)
* Purandaradasa (1484 - 1564 CE)
* Muthu Thandavar (1525-1625)
* Kshetragna (1600 - 1680 )
* Bhadrachala Ramdas (1620 - 1688)
* Papanasa Mudaliar (1650-1725)
* Sarangapani (17th century)
* Paidala Gurumurti Sastri (17th century)
* Arunachala Kavi (1711 - 1788)
* Marimutthu Pillai (?1717 - ?1787 CE)
* Pacchimiriam Adiyappa (18th century)
* Sadasiva Brahmendra (18th century)
* Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi (18th century)
* Tyagaraja (1767 - 1847)
* Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775 - 1835)
* Syama Sastri (1762 - 1827)
* Thanjavur Quartet (18th century)
* Iraiyamman Tampi (1782-1856)
* Ghanam Krishna Iyer (1790 - 1854)
* Veena Kuppayyar (1798 - 1860)
* Gopalakrishna Bharathi (1811 - 1896)
* Swati Tirunal (1813 - 1847)
* Anai Ayya brothers (19th century)
* Kavi Kunjara Bharati (1810-1896)
* Subbaraya Sastri (1803-1862)
* Subbarama Dikshitar (1839 - 1906)
* Neelakanta Sivan (1839 - 1900)
* Pallavi Seshayyar (1842-1905)
* Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer (1844 - 1893)
* Patnam Subramania Iyer (1845 - 1902)
* Tiruvottriyur Tyagayyar (1845 - 1917)
* Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbayyar (19th century)
* Dharmapuri Subbarayar (19th century)
* Pattabhiramayya(19th century)
* Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar (1860 - 1919)
* Annamalai Reddiyar (1865 - 1891)
* Koteeswara Iyer (1870 - 1940)
* Papanasam Sivan (1890 - 1973)
* Mayuram Viswanatha Sastri (1893 - 1958)
* Dandapani Desikar (1908 - 1972)
* Periyasaamy Thooran (1908 - 1987)
* K.M.Soundaryavalli (July 22, 1914 — October 8, 1994)
* S. Ramanathan (1917 - 1988)
* Prof. Mysore Sri V._Ramarathnam (1917 - )
* M. D. Ramanathan (1923 - 1984)
* Mangalam Ganapathy
* N. S. Ramachandran
* Tanjavur Sankara Iyer
* M Balamuralikrishna
* K. R. Kumaraswamy Iyer
* K. R. Kedaranathan (1925 - 2007)
* Lalgudi Jayaraman
* N. Ravikiran
* Tanjavur S.Kalyanaraman
* Tirupati Narayanaswami Naidu
* Kadaloor M Subramaniam

Composers in Mysore Kingdom

* Vaikunta Dasaru (1680)
* Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1799 - 1868)
* Mysore Sadashiva Rao (1790)
* Veena Venkata Subbiah (1750)
* Shunti Venkataramaniah (1780)
* Aliya Lingaraja Urs (1823 - 1874)
* Chinniah (1902)
* Krishnappa
* Veena Chikka Lakshminaranappa
* Veene Krishnappa
* Piteelu Seenappa
* Bhairavi Lakshminaranappa 1878 - 1934
* Pedda Lakshminaranappa
* Devalapurada Nanjunda
* Veena Shamanna (1832 - 1908)
* Veena Padmanabiah (1842 - 1900)
* Veene Sheshanna (1852 - 1926)
* Mysore Karigiri Rao (1853 - 1927)
* Veena Subbanna (1861 - 1939)
* Mysore Vasudevachar (1865-1961)
* Bidaram Krishnappa (1866 - 1931)
* Tiruppunandal Pattabhiramiah (1863)
* Sosale Ayya Shastry (1854 - 1934)
* Jayarayacharya (died 1910)
* Giribhattara Tammayya (1865 - 1920)
* Nanjangud Subba Shastry (1834 - 1906)
* Chandrashekara Shastry
* Veena Subramanya Iyer (1864 - 1919)
* Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavatar (1877 - 1945)
* Veena Shivaramiah (1886 - 1946)
* Veena Venkatagiriappa (1887 - 1952)
* Belakawadi Srinivasa Iyengar (1888 - 1952)
* Chikka Ramarao (1891 - 1945)
* Mysore T. Chowdiah (1894 - 1967)
* Jayachamaraja Wodeyar (1919 - 1974)
* Dr. B. Devendrappa (1899 - 1986)
* Gotuvadyam Narayana Iyengar (1903 - 1959)
* Tiruvayyar Subramanya Iyer
* Anavatti Rama Rao (1860)
* Tiger Varadachariar (1876 - 1950)
* Chennakeshaviah (1895 - 1986)
* Titte Krishna Iyengar (1902 - 1997)
* S.N. Mariappa (1914 - 1986)
* Chintalapalli Ramachandra Rao (1916 - 1985)
* R.N.Doreswamy (1916 - 2002)
* Prof. Mysore Sri V. Ramarathnam (1917 - )
* H.M. Vaidyalinga Bhagavatar (1924 - 1999)

Bhakti Saints

In addition to the above composers, various "Bhakti" saints of medieval India also composed devotional hymns, verses and songs. These compositions, though strictly not of "Carnatic" or classical character, have contributed to the gradual evolution of the Carnatic musical tradition over the centuries.

* Karaikkal Ammeiyar (5th century)
* Thirunavukkarasar (7th century)
* Thirugnana Sambanthar (7th century)
* Sundaramurti (7th century)
* Andal (9th century)
* Manikkavasagar (10th century)
* Jayadeva (12th century)
* Basavanna (12th century)
* Akka Mahadevi (12th century)
* Allama Prabhu (12th century)
* Muthu Thandavar (14th century)
* Arunagirinathar (15th century)
* Sripadaraya (1404 - 1502)
* Vyasatirtha (1460-1539)
* Vadirajatirtha (1480 - 1600)
* Narayana Teertha (1580 - 1660)
* Annamacharya (1424 - 1503)
* Kanakadasa (1509 - 1609)
* Mahipathidasa (1611-1681)
* Vijaya Dasa (1682-1755)
* Prasanna Venkatadasa (1680-1752)
* Gopaladasa (1722-1762)
* Jagannathadasa (1727-1809)
* Praneshadasa (1736-1822)
* Venugopaladasa (1728-1751)
* Mohanadasa (1728-1751)
* Helevanakatte Giriamma (18th century)
* Harapanhalli Bhimavva (1822-1903)
* Guru Jagananatha Dasa (1837-1918)

External links

* [http://musicinfoguide.blogspot.com/2007/07/list-of-carnatic-composers.html Exhaustive List Of Carnatic Composers of All time with their Ankitha nama (Pen name) and life period for most of them.]