Tirukkodikaval Krishna Iyer
Tirukodikaval Krishna Iyer was a Carnatic violinist in the latter half of the 19th century.
Early years
Krishna Iyer had his training first from his father Kuppuswamy Iyer, and later under Kottavasal Venkatarama Iyer, a composer of Tana Varnams. Krishna Iyer inherited his musical talents from his father Kuppuswamy Bhagavatar, a Harikatha performer. He did not have a good voice and so he was persuaded to take up violin playing. He, along with Veena Dhanammal and nagaswaram vidwan Tirupamburam Nataraja Sundaram Pillai, also studied under Sathanoor Panju Iyer of the sishya parampara of Muthuswami Dikshitar.Musical experiences
His violin recitals were marked with masterly touches, full of masculine grandeur. A prodigy, he could play complicated pieces on a single string. Known for his hard work, he was responsible for ushering in many new techniques to the art of violin playing. He could produce ascending and descending glides with remarkable effect. His was a musician among peers that included Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer, Patnam Subramania Iyer and Sarabha Sastri. His stature and musicianship were such that he could dominate the performance while being an accompanist. He had an awe inspiring and intimidating stature among the musicians of his day.He is said to have developed a bowing style and fingering technique suitable for Carnatic music. Despite being a successful concert musician and a sought accompanist, it is said that he would practice for four hours every morning. The routine is said to have included the "sarali varisais", beginning with fast bowing and ending with very slow bowing. This ensured control over the bow specifically and mastery over the instrument generally. Four Varnams viz., Kalyani & Bhairavi Ata Thaala Varnams and Saveri & Begada Adhi Thaala Varnams were also part of this rigorous practice schedule.