Tyagaraja and the Renewal of Tradition

by William J. Jackson

Tyagaraja 1767-1947 is the most celebrated of South Indian musician saints. This book explores some of the growth processes, the transmission patterns and the cultural creativity involved in South Indian bhakti traditions, using examples of Tyagaraja`s life story, songs and social signigicance as case studies. William J. Jackson was born in 1943 in Rock Island, Illinois USA.He received his B.A. from Lyndon (Vermont) Statte College in 1975 and his M.T.S. 1975 his M.A. 1979 and Ph.D. 1984 from Harvard university.He is the author of Tyagaraja Life and Lyrics Oxford University Press 1991 and many articles which have appeared in leading journals. He is an Associate Professor of Relifious Studies at Indian University Purdue University at Indianapolis.