Tripassur Venkata Subba Rao, the author of Studies in Indian Music was an outstanding muscicologist. Little is known about his early life, except that he belonged to the illustrious family of Aska, in Ganjam District of the former Madras Presidency, India. He was probably born in the year 1891 and was sent to Madras for his studies. There is evidence to suggest that studied Law in the Law College at Madras, and settled down to practice the legal profession in Madras. Along with Professor V Raghavan and Justice L Venkata Raman he was instrumental in setting up the Music Academy and was awarded the title sangitakalanidhi in the sadas held in the year 1938.
I have been able to meet his granddaughter recently and learnt from her that Shri T V Subba Rao's fathers's name was Sunder Rao and that he was born on May 16th 1891.Though he belonged to an aristocratic landed family, Shri T V Subba Rao left Aska early in his life and lived in Chennai, then called Madras most of his life. Here he learnt music and emerged as a rasikawith a refined sense of understanding of the ragas of South Indian music.