The Tamil Trinity commonly refers to the three Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

 composers of early Carnatic music

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

. They were Muthu Thandavar

Muthu Thandavar

Muthu Thandavar was composer of Carnatic music. He was an early architect of the present day Carnatic kriti format, which consists of the pallavi , anupallavi and charanam. He lived in the town of Sirkazhi in Tamil Nadu. His contributions to Carnatic music have been largely forgotten and not many...

 (?1560 - ?1640 CE), Arunachala Kavi

Arunachala Kavi

Arunachala Kavi was a Tamil poet and a composer of Carnatic music. He was born in Tillaiyadi in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu. The three Tamil composers Arunachala Kavi, Muthu Thandavar and Marimutthu Pillai are considered the Tamil Trinity, who contributed to the evolution of Carnatic...

 (1712–1779) and Marimutthu Pillai

Marimutthu Pillai

Marimutthu Pillai was a composer of Carnatic music and along with Arunachala Kavi and Muthu Thandavar was one of the pioneering Tamil Trinity of Carnatic music. He was a contemporary of Arunachala Kavi....

 (1717–1787), and lived five decades before the Tiruvarur Trinity or Trinity of Carnatic Music

Trinity of Carnatic music

The outstanding group of composer-musicians of Carnatic music which included Tyāgarāja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, are commonly referred to as the Trinity of Carnatic music....

. They introduced several innovations that led to the evolution of the Carnatic Kriti (song).

Other Tamil Trinity

Also sometimes referred to as the Tamil Trinity was the earliest Trinity associated with Indian Music. They were the peerless Tevaram

Tevaram

The Tevaram denotes the first seven volumes of the Tirumurai, the twelve-volume collection of Tamil Saivite devotional poetry. All seven volumes are dedicated to the works of the three most prominent Tamil poets - Campantar , Appar and Cuntarar...

 Trinity - Thirunavukkarasar, Sundarar

Sundaramoorthy Nayanar

Suntarar , also known as Sundaramurti, was one of the most prominent among the Nayanars, the Shaiva bhakti poets of Tamil Nadu. He was a contemporary of Cheraman Perumal and Kotpuli Nayanar who also figure in the 63 Nayanmars...

 and Gnanasambandar, who were well known for their language and devotion.