Thyagaraja

Like science, music is a lofty expression of the human spirit. In the Indic tradition, music is as ancient as the Sama Veda which goes back to the second millennium before the Common Era.
Thyagaraja (1767 - 1847) is a star of the first magnitude in the firmament of carnatic music.The songs that flowed from Thyagaraja's heart were not contrived constructions of a calculating composer, but the powerful outpouring of love and longing for the Divine. What Milton Cross wrote about Johann Sebastian Bach is just as true of Thyagaraja: "He lived but to worship god and to write music." We cannot fathom by what magic music becomes God's instrument to give us a taste of mystical rapture.
In the traditional framework, action (karma), knowledge (jnana), and devotion (bhakti) are the recognized paths (margas) to God-realization.
Thyagaraja adopted music as another marga. For him, joyous bhajan songs were not just prayers in tunes, but powerful means for attaining spiritual fulfillment. His divyanama sankirtanams and utsava sampradaya kirtanams were meant explicitly for this purpose.
At least 400 of Thyagaraja's songs are still sung. His music has inspired many to both singing and creativity. His name has become synonymous with Carnatic music. Thyagaraja was a saint who not only experienced the highest order of spiritual fulfillment for himself, but also helped many generations to have a taste of the same.