

Webb and eight of his catechists spent a couple months learning the songs from Vedanayakam They were first published for broad use among the Protestant denominations and mission societies in 1853 by the American Congregational (ABCFM) missionary Edward Webb, in the hymn book titled Christian Lyrics for Public and Social Worship. These hymns were written in the early stages of Protestant Christianity in India by composers such as Vedanayakam Sastriar who worked under the German Lutheran missionaries in the Tanjore area (likely the 1780s on). Some of these ragas and talas are followed in Church practice, while from the 1940s, other kīrttaṉai were adapted to simpler Western style tunes in major scale that more easily facilitated the accompaniment of organ. They use the kīrttaṉai form that includes theĬlassical karnatak raga (mode) and tala (rhythmic cycle) designations for each song. A few of them are translations of Christian hymnsįrom other languages. These are mostly a collection of indigenous hymns written by Protestant Tamil Christian poets. Santiago, John Palmer, Mariyaan Ubidasiyar, G. Other well-known composers from the early 20th century are

Vedanayagam Sastriar of Tanjore, ], and ]. Three lyricists who formed the Triumvirate of Tamil Christian poets: Referred to as "lyrics" (a genre term) by Tamils in English.Ī century ago, this term would have immediately conjured up the names of

Of Praise) are devotional Christian songs in Tamil.
