 Patnam's household comprised his sister, his wife and himself. The couple was childless and, therefore, lavished affection on all of Patnam's disciples. The following is a selective list of those disciples:
1. Ramanathapuram Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar (1860-1919):
We have already written about this great composer and vocalist in
this article. Please view:
http://www.sangeetham.com/others/focus_13nov.php3
for his life history.
2. Kakinada C S Krishnaswamy
Iyer:
Not many details are available on this disciple. But he was a composer as well as a musicologist. He composed parakela nannu in Kedaragaula and Shriganalola, a ragamalika in nine ragas. He also published Sangita Pratama Siksha Prakaranam in 1913 and Tyagaraja Sata Kirtana Swaravali in 1911. Credit goes to him for releasing the first compilation of Patnam Subramanya Iyer's varnams, under the title Sri Venkatesa Tana
Varnangal.
The book was published by Graves Cookson and Co, in the Scottish Press, Madras, and released on March 1, 1917. The publication was funded by Rao Saheb C S Ramachandra Iyer of Kanjapalli, then assistant registrar of the High Court of Madras, appellate side. The title was decided on the basis of Patnam's mudras which were based on the word
Venkateswara.
The book has Adi tala varnams of Patnam in ragas Nata, Shri, Devamanohari, Mukhari, Abhogi, Hamsadhvani and Navaragamalika. It also has his Ata tala varnams in ragas Nattakuranji, Saveri, Purnacandrika, Yadukula Kamboji, Sahana, Cakravakam and Atana. Krishnaswamy Iyer, in his foreword, says he also had the manuscripts of five more varnams of Patnam, of which two were in Balahamsa, two in Ahiri and one in Malayamarutam. He says that he had misplaced them.
3. M S Ramaswamy Iyer (1872?-1947):
He was a great musicologist in the early part of the last century. The early years of the Music Academy witnessed his active participation and in 1928 (year of inception), he was one of the three presidents in the lecture sessions along with T V Subba Rao and B Subba Rao. On his death at Chittoor, on February 10, 1947, the Music Academy, in its journal No. XVIII, parts 1 to 4, carried the following obituary notice:
"M S Ramaswamy Aiyer, BA BLT. Aiyer left off his profession of education and later worked exclusively in the field of music till his death. He was a member of the Board of Studies in Music of the Madras University and of the experts committee of the Music Academy. He had delivered university lectures on music at Annamalainagar and
Mysore.
"He was for some time a research Fellow in music at the Madras University. He was the first to write a full biographical account of Tyagaraja in English. Besides several articles, he produced the following books: Editions of the Svaramelakalanidhi of Ramamatya, the Ragavibhoda of Somanatha, lifes of Tyagaraja, Gopalakrishna Bharati and T Lakshmana Pillai, and an account on kalakshepam. He produced also some music compositions. He had taken part in many music conferences in different parts of the country and had taken part in the Academy's activities since its inception to his very last days."
M S Ramaswamy Iyer was a caustic critic of the Tamizh isai movement, especially the Chidambaram resolution that only Tamizh works be performed in Madras Presidency. He was present at Annamalai University on the day the resolution was passed and opposed it tooth and nail.
4. Mysore Vasudevachar (1863-1961):
 The last in a long line of Patnam's disciples, he joined Patnam's gurukula in 1882. He was in the thick of the Sangraham controversy which is chronicled elsewhere. He, of course, is too famous to warrant a detailed account here.
In brief, Vasudevachar, after his training under Patnam, returned to his native place, Mysore, where he became the Palace Vidwan. He composed over 200 songs, of which about 150 were published by him. He used the mudra Vasudeva. He was extremely popular in music circles for the depth of his knowledge, the quality of his songs and, above all, his wonderful nature, which a lifetime of tragedies could not embitter.
He spent his last years at Kalakshetra, Madras. He left behind an account of his encounters with great musicians of his time, titled 'Na Kanda Kalavidaru', which was translated into English as 'With Masters of Melody'. This is a wonderful book, for its simplicity, wit and
humour.
5. Tiger Varadachariar (1876-1950):
The great non-conformist in Carnatic Music. Much has been written about him and yet there is not sufficient space in this article to put in all that has been left unwritten. Cursed with an uncooperative voice, but with boundless imagination, Tiger overcame all hurdles to effectively put forth his music. He was a child in worldly matters and yet in matters musical, he was a genius. Tiger served the Music Academy and also the Music Department of Annamalai University. His last years, like Vasudevachar's, were spent at
Kalakshetra.
It is now universally accepted that Tiger was Patnam's student. But was he really one? The following points raise doubts:
 a. In his chapter on Tiger, in 'With Masters of Melody', Vasudevachar gives the name of Kaladipet Masilamani Mudaliar as the person who initiated Tiger into music. He also says Tachur Singalachar taught Tiger and during that time, when Patnam visited Singalachar, Tiger did "shishyavritti" under him and "enriched his knowledge of music". He also says Neelakantha Sastry taught Tiger the basics of music.
b. In a talk on AIR Trichy (c 1940s) Tiger himself gave further details. This talk was transcribed by Tiger's student Savitri Rajan and appears in the Tiger Varadacharya Birth Centenary Commemoration Volume released by a committee formed to celebrate the centenary. The talk is in Tamizh and the relevant section has been freely translated by me:
"In 1885, I went to a concert in the Corner House in Triplicane. There I had the good fortune to meet Patnam Subramanya Iyer, whose music has been praised by vidwans in so many words. I was awed and attracted by his music. In his rendition of well-known songs, I was amazed to see many new 'namunas' (prayogams?). Swarabath Kittuswamy Rao had also come. That very day, I went to him and having been recommended, followed him. I got a few songs. I was wonderstruck by Subramanya Iyer's raga, tala and swara images and also his achievements in the mandra sthayi. Some said he was unbeatable in singing tAna, others that he was the expert in singing songs in that authentic way and yet others that his knowledge of rare ragas was unequalled. He was the one who created the vakra shuddha avarOham of kathanakutUhalam. He was a tiger in bEgaDa, sAvEri was his property, according to some."
That was a genius talking about another mastermind. From these two references it is evident that Tiger spent but a short period of time with Patnam. Tiger was thus the product of many influences and a mind blessed with brilliance and not only Patnam's student.
6. Enadi Sisters:
(Lakshminarayani and Rangaiya):
Most probably Patnam would have taught these two when he resided at George Town, Madras. In the souvenir of the Music Academy Conference of 1968, Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer has written an article on famous women artistes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in Tamizh. There he has devoted a section to the Enadi sisters and this is a free translation:
"They lived in Madras. They would sing songs very beautifully together. It would sound like one person singing. It was said they were direct disciples of Patnam Subramanya Iyer. They knew a number of songs, but would not sing swaras. They could sing for over three hours with a fare comprising major kritis such as giripai, nAjIvAdhAra, sundari nI telusukONTi and others. They would not sing pallavis, but would sing the works of great composers and javalis in particular. The tempo would never be dull. In those days the other famed pair was the Dhanakoti Sisters."
It was said the Enadi sisters had no disciples, so particular were they in not parting with their treasures. Dhanammal was a great fan of their javali singing and after a lot of persuasion, the young sister, Rangaiya, taught Dhanammal's older daughters, Rajalakshmi and Lakshmiratnam, a few pieces from her repertoire.
7. Other disciples:
In the chapter on Patnam in his book 'Great Musicians', Prof P Sambamoorthy lists a few more disciples such as Salem Pappa and Radha (at the invitation of whose mother, Salem Meenakshi, Subramanya Iyer stayed at George Town, Madras, for 12 years and acquired the prefix, Patnam), Muthialpet Sesha Iyer, Guruswamy Iyer and Tiruvadi Narayanaswamy Iyer. Ellarvi's biography of Ariyakkudi, states that when Poochi Iyengar did gurukula vasam, other students were Tirupalaikkudi Subramanya Iyer and Kanchipuram Seshayyangar.
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Jungle Book - From Poochi to
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