Tyagaraja was born in 1767 in Tiruvarur, a small town in the Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, to Kakarla Ramabrahmam and Sitamma in a Telugu Brahmin family of the Mulukanadu subsect. He was named Tyagaraja, after Lord Tyagaraja, the presiding deity of the temple at Tiruvarur. Tyagaraja was born at his maternal grandfather, Giriraja Kavi's house. Giriraja Kavi was a poet - composer in the court of the king of Thanjavur.

Tyagaraja was married at a young age to Parvatamma, who died after he sang Kanchi Kamakshi Krithis because he was shot with a poison arrow by one of his enemies.

Tyagaraja began his musical training under Sonti Venkataramanayya, a noted music scholar, at an early age. He regarded music as a way to experience God's love. His objective while practising music was purely devotional, as opposed to focusing on the technicalities of classical music. He also showed a flair for composing music, and, in his teens, composed his first song Namo Namo Raghavayya in the Desika Todi ragam, and inscribed it on the walls of the house.

A few years later, Sonti Venkataramanayya invited Tyagaraja to perform at his house in Thanjavur. On that occasion, Tyagaraja sang Endaro Mahaanubhavulu, the fifth of the Pancharatna Krithis. Pleased with Tyagaraja's composition, Sonti Venkataramanayya informed the King of Thanajavur about Tyagaraja's genius. The king sent an invitation, along with many rich gifts, inviting Tyagaraja to attend the royal court. Tyagaraja, however was not inclined towards a career at the court, and rejected the invitation outright, composing another gem of a kriti, Nidhi Chala Sukhama (English: "Does wealth bring happiness?") on this occasion. Angered at Tyagaraja's rejection of the royal offer, his brother threw the statues of Rama, Tyagaraja used in his prayers into the nearby Kaveri river. Tyagaraja, unable to bear the separation with his Lord, went on pilgrimages to all the major temples in South India and composed many songs in praise of the deities of those temples.

Tyagaraja, who was toally immersed in his devotion to Lord Rama and led the most Spartan way of life without least bothering for the comforts of the world, did not take any steps to systematically codify his vast musical output. The late Shri Ranga Ramanuja Iyengar, a leading researcher on Carnatic music in his work Kriti Manimalai has described the situation prevailing at the time of death of Tyagaraja. It is said that the major portion of his incomaparable musical work was lost to the world by natural and man made calamities. Generally he used to sing his compositions sitting before Lord Rama and his disciples noted down the details of his compositions in palm leaves. After his death these palm leaves came under the possession of the disciples and down to several families who came after the disciples. Thus a definitive edition of Thyagaraja's songs did not exist. However the singing of his songs was wide spread. Great musical experts like Kancheepuram Nayana Pillai, Simizhi Sundaram Iyer and Veenai Dhanammal saw the infinite possibilities for imaginative music inherent in the compositions of Thyagaraja and systematically notated the songs available to them. Subsequently indifatigable researchers like Shri K.V. Srinivasa Iyengar and Shri Rangaramanuja Iyengar took enormous pains to contact various teachers and families who had the possession of the palm leaves . Shri K.V. Srinivasa Iyengar brought out Adi Sangeetha Rathnavali and Adi Thyagaraja Hridhayam (In three volumes). Shri Rangaramanuja Iyengar published Kriti Mani Malai in two volumes. Kriti Mani Malai is a monumental research effort. Further Shri Musiri Subramania Iyer, the doyen of Bhava Sangeetham, had a vast collection of books in his library. Shri T.K. Govinda Rao, his disciple has brought out an excellently researched volume of the songs of Thyagaraja in English and Deva Nagari script. Shri T.S. Parthasarathy, a leading scholar on Tyagaraja, has published the text and meaning of Tyagaraja's songs which is very popular among teachers and students alike. There are many publications in Telugu also which are not as comprehensive as the works of Rangaramanuja Iyengar and Shri T.K. Govida Rao. Thus due to the painstaking labours of these musicians and researchers there now exists a stable and definitive edition of Thyagaraja's music. Out of 24,000 thousand songs said to be composed by Tyagaraja, around 700 songs have survived.

In addition to nearly 700 compositions (kritis), Tyagaraja composed two musical plays in Telugu, the Prahalada Bhakti Vijayam and the Nauka Charitam. Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam is in five acts with 45 kritis set in 28 ragas and 138 verses, in different metres in Telugu. Nauka Charitam is a shorter play in one act with 21 kritis set in 13 ragas and 43 verses. The latter is the most popular of Tyagaraja's operas, and is a creation of the composer's own imagination and has no basis in the Bhagavata Purana.

Often overlooked is the fact that Tyagaraja's works are some of the best and most beautiful literary expressions in Telugu language. Valmiki composed the Ramayana, the story of Rama, with 24,000 verses and incidentally Tyagaraja also composed 24,000 kritis in praise of the lord.

K.V. Ramachandran, a well known 20th century Indian music critic, wrote: "Thyagaraja is an indefatigable interpreter of the past... but if with one eye he looks backward, with the other he looks forward as well. Like Prajapati, he creates his own media and adores his Rama not alone with jewel words newly fashioned, but also with jewel [like] music newly created. It is this facet of Thyagaraja that distinguishes him from his illustrious contemporaries." In other words, while Tyagaraja's contemporaries were primarily concerned with bringing to audiences the music of the past, Tyagaraja did the same, whilst pioneering new musical concepts at the same time. Sarvalaghu is the heart of Tyagarja's music. Tyagaraja's music is melody and rhythm personified.It is easy for the children, a challenge for the learned and a wonder for the genius.

In the publication "The Hindu speaks on music" tribute is given to the greatest carnatic music composer. "In his universality he is like Shakespeare...... Behind that magnificent achievement was a soul that had found itself. Unfashionable as it is to talk of such things, we must insist that who would ignore the mainspring of Tyagaraja's inspiration, the mystic's love of God, can never hope to understand him or feel a fraction of his haunting charm. A sublime certitude marked the march through life of this humble man who could look with unerring insight into the heart of the peasant and the prince, the footpad and the fashionable roue. He was tempted neither by the pomp or power nor by the vanity of wealth. He strove with none, his heart was full of compassion. He yearned to bring to his fellowmen the peace that passeth understanding.In the company of dedicated spirits of all time, Prahlada, Narada and Sukha, his immortal genius ministers to our need for sweetness and light."

Tyagaraja Aradhana, the commemorative music festival is held every year at Thiruvaiyaru in the months of January to February in Tyagaraja's honour. This is a week long festival of music where various Carnatic musicians from all over the world converge at his resting place. On the Pushya Bahula Panchami, thousands of people and hundreds of Carnatic musicians sing the five Pancharatna Kritis in unison, with the accompaniment of a large bank of accompanists on veenas, violins, flutes, nagasvarams, mridangams and ghatams.