Question

Who is considered the Father of Carnatic Music?
A. Tyagaraja
B. Tansen
C. Meerabai
D. Purandaradasa

Answer 1

Hint: He was a Haridasa (servant of Lord Krishna), and a huge devotee. He was interestingly enough, primarily a philosopher and poet.

Complete answer: Primary instruments used in this school of music are Mridangam, violin, Nadaswaram and Ghatam.
-Tyagaraja; he was a reputed Carnatic composer (1767-1847) and born in what is present-day Tamil Nadu. His most famous work is a collection of five hymns called the ‘PanchaRatna kritis’ which translates to five gems. His hymns were usually in Telugu and devotional in nature. This is, however, not the right option. He did not serve any king, even though he lived through four different Maratha rulers.
-Tansen; also known as Ramtanu, he was a famous Hindi classical musician in Madhya Pradesh known for his ragas. Due to belonging to a different school of music, this answer is incorrect. He was in the court of Akbar, who gave him the title of Mian (learned one) and counted him in with the Navratnas (nine gems).
-Meerabai; she was a mystic poet in Rajasthan in the 1$6^{th}$ century who devoted her life to Krishna and became a Bhakti saint. She was not originally an ascetic and left royal life behind to follow this path. Her character is often mentioned in the ‘dohas’ of Kabir.
- Purandaradasa; He was named Srinivasa Nayaka at birth. His guru was Vyasatirtha (a Brahmin) and was considered the patron saint of the empire of Vijayanagara. He was a Vaishnavite who also stood up for social reform.
Therefore, option d is correct.

Note: They were in the courts in Vijayanagara (in the Deccan plateau), when Indian classical music had started splitting into two distinct styles, one with heavy Persian influence and one without.