Chinniah was the eldest son of a family known as the "Tanjore quartet", a quartet of brothers who were singers and composers. Before his arrival in Mysore, Chinniah served at the court of the Tanjore kings Sarabhoji II and Shivaji II. He had learnt music from Muthuswamy Dikshitar. At the court of the king of Mysore, Chinniah created several compositions in praise of his patron king and the local deity Chamundeshwari. Famous among these compositions are "Ninnu koriyunna", "Vanajalochana", "Nivanti", "Chakkani na mohanaguni", "Manavigai konarada" and several "javali".