Muthuswamy Dikshitar (1775 - 1835) was the youngest of the great Classic Trinity of Karnatic music. Almost all his compositions are in Sanskrit, a language he handled with ease to give his songs a rare depth of meaning yet a deceptive simplicity, and a harmonious blend of words and music.

A versatile composer, Dikshitar's legacy to music ranges from kritis to dance compositions and light tunes based on Western band airs. But his music and the veena are inseparable; and because of his mastery over that instrument, Dikshitar enriched his compositions with profusion of gamakas (graces) as no other South Indian composer has done. To him, a raga was not just a group of swaras, but a divine form, beautiful and adorable. His compositions therefore present the raga comprehensively, incorporating the alap tradition of which he was a master, and giving the listener a totality both precise and rich.

This series of Music Today cassettes includes some of the masterpieces of Dikshitar carefully selected and rendered by well-known musicians of the younger generation.