Carnatic Music - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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Carnatic music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carnatic music (Sanskrit: See
TfdKarnaka sagta,
Tamil: See Tfdpaicai
[1]
,
Telugu: Karnakasagta
or stryasagta
[2]
) 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. It is
one of two main sub-genres of
Indian classical music that
evolved from ancient Hindu
traditions; the other sub-genre
being Hindustani music, which
emerged as a distinct form
because of Persian and Islamic
influences in North India. In
contrast to Hindustani music,
the main emphasis in Carnatic
music is on vocal music; most
compositions are written to be
sung, and even when played on
instruments, they are meant to
be performed in gyaki
(singing) style.
Although there are stylistic
differences, the basic elements
of See Tfdruti (the relative
musical pitch), See Tfdswara
(the musical sound of a single
note), See Tfdrga (the mode
or melodic formul), and See
Tfdtala (the rhythmic cycles)
form the foundation of
improvisation and composition
in both Carnatic and Hindustani
music. Although improvisation
plays an important role,
Carnatic music is mainly sung
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam
Bihar Chhattisgarh Goa Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh
Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Odisha Punjab
Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu (Ancient) Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand
West Bengal (Bengali Rabindra Sangeet)
V T E (//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Indian_music&action=edit)
through compositions, especially
the kriti (or kirtanam) a form
developed between the 14th
and 20th centuries by
composers such as Purandara
Dasa and the Trinity of Carnatic
music. Carnatic music is also
usually taught and learnt through
compositions.
Carnatic music is usually performed by a small ensemble of musicians, consisting of a principal performer (usually a
vocalist), a melodic accompaniment (usually a violin), a rhythm accompaniment (usually a mridangam), and a
tambura, which acts as a drone throughout the performance. Other typical instruments used in performances may
include the ghatam, kanjira, morsing, venu flute, veena, and chitraveena. The most outstanding performances, and
the greatest concentration of Carnatic musicians, are found in the city of Chennai.
[3]
Various festivals are held
throughout India and abroad which mainly consist of Carnatic music performances, like the Madras Music Season,
which has been considered as one of the world's largest cultural events.
[4][5]
Contents
1 Origins, sources and history
2 Nature of Carnatic music
3 Important elements of Carnatic music
3.1 ruti
3.2 Swara
3.3 Raga system
3.4 Tala system
4 Improvisation
4.1 Raga Alapana
4.2 Niraval
4.3 Kalpanaswaram
4.4 Tanam
4.5 Ragam Tanam Pallavi
4.6 Tani Avartanam
[44]
5 Compositions
5.1 Varnam
5.2 Kriti
6 Prominent composers
7 Learning Carnatic music
7.1 Notations
7.1.1 Melody
7.1.2 Rhythm
8 Performances of Carnatic music
8.1 Instrumentation
8.2 Concert content
Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of
all knowledge, music, arts and
science, with her instrument, the
veena.
8.3 Audience
8.4 Modern performances
8.5 Artists
9 Therapeutic Effect
10 See also
11 Notes
12 References
13 External links
14 Bibliography
Origins, sources and history
Like all art forms in Indian culture, Indian classical music is believed to be a
divine art form which originated from the Devas and Devis (Hindu Gods and
Goddesses),
[6][7]
and is venerated as symbolic of See Tfdnda
brhman.
[8]
Ancient treatises also describe the connection of the origin of
the swaras, or notes, to the sounds of animals and birds and man's effort to
simulate these sounds through a keen sense of observation and perception.
The Sama Veda, which is believed to have laid the foundation for Indian
classical music, consists of hymns from the Rigveda, set to musical tunes
which would be sung using three to seven musical notes during Vedic
yajnas.
[7]
The Yajur-Veda, which mainly consists of sacrificial formulae,
mentions the veena as an accompaniment to vocal recitations.
[9]
References
to Indian classical music are made in many ancient texts, including epics like
the Ramayana and Mahabharata.All ancient sangam literature songs had
been set to complex musical notes
[10]
. The Yajnavalkya Smriti mentions
vvdana tattvaja rutijtivirada tlajacpraysena
mokamrga niyacchati ("The one who is well versed in veena, one
who has the knowledge of srutis and one who is adept in tala, attains
salvation without doubt").
[11]
Carnatic music is based as it is today on
musical concepts (including swara, raga, and tala) that were described in
detail in several ancient works, particularly the Silappadhikaram by Ilango
Adigal, and Bharata's Natya Shastra.
[12]
Owing to Persian and Islamic influences in North India from the 12th century onwards, Indian classical music began
to diverge into two distinct styles, being Hindustani music and Carnatic music.
[3]
Commentaries and other works,
such as Sharngadeva's Sangita Ratnakara, further elaborated on the musical concepts found in Indian classical
music.
[13]
By the 16th and 17th centuries, there was a clear demarcation between Carnatic and Hindustani
music;
[14]
Carnatic music remained relatively unaffected by Persian and Arabic influences. It was at this time that
Carnatic music flourished in Thanjavur, while the Vijayanagar Empire reached its greatest extent.
[15]
Purandara
Dasa, who is known as the father (Pitamaha) of Carnatic Music, formulated the system that is commonly used for
the teaching of Carnatic music.
[7][16]
Venkatamakhin invented and authored the formula for the melakarta system of
raga classification in his Sanskrit work, the Chaturdandi Prakasika (1660 AD).
[14]
Govindacharya is known for
expanding the melakarta system into the sampoorna raga scheme the system that is in common use today.
Carnatic music was mainly patronized by the local kings of the Kingdom of Mysore and Kingdom of Travancore in
the 18th through 20th centuries. The royalty of the kingdoms of Mysore and Travancore were noted composers
and proficient in playing musical instruments, such as the veena, rudra veena, violin, ghatam, flute, mridangam,
nagaswara and swarabhat.
[17]
Some famous court-musicians and royalty proficient in music were Veene Sheshanna
(18521926)
[18]
and Veene Subbanna (18611939),
[19]
among others.
With the dissolution of the erstwhile princely states and the Indian independence movement reaching its conclusion
in 1947, Carnatic music went through a radical shift in patronage into an art of the masses with ticketed
performances organized by private institutions called sabhs. During the 19th century, the city of Chennai (then
known as Madras) emerged as the locus for Carnatic music.
[20]
Nature of Carnatic music
The main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when
played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in a singing style (known as gyaki).
[21]
Like Hindustani
music, Carnatic music rests on two main elements: See Tfdrga, the modes or melodic formul, and See Tfdta,
the rhythmic cycles.
[21]
Today, Carnatic music is presented by musicians in concerts or recordings, either vocally or through instruments.
Carnatic music itself developed around musical works or compositions of phenomenal composers (see below).
Important elements of Carnatic music
ruti
Main article: ruti (music)
ruti commonly refers to musical pitch.
[22]
It is the approximate equivalent of a tonic (or less precisely a key) in
Western music; it is the note from which all the others are derived. It is also used in the sense of graded pitches in
an octave. While there are an infinite number of sounds falling within a scale (or raga) in Carnatic music, the number
that can be distinguished by auditory perception is twenty-two (although over the years, several of them have
converged). In this sense, while sruti is determined by auditory perception, it is also an expression in the listener's
mind.
[23]
Swara
Main article: Swara
Swara refers to a type of musical sound that is a single note, which defines a relative (higher or lower) position of a
note, rather than a defined frequency.
[22]
Swaras also refer to the solfege of Carnatic music, which consist of seven
notes, "sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-da-ni" (compare with the Hindustani sargam: sa-re-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni or Western do-re-
mi-fa-so-la-ti). These names are abbreviations of the longer names shadja, rishabha, gandhara, madhyama,
panchama, dhaivata and nishada. Unlike other music systems, every member of the solfege (called a swara) has
three variants. The exceptions are the drone notes, shadja and panchama (also known as the tonic and the
dominant), which have only one form; and madhyama (the subdominant), which has two forms. A 7th century
stone inscription in Kudumiyan Malai
[24]
in Tamil Nadu shows vowel changes to solfege symbols with ra, ri, ru etc.
to denote the higher quarter-tones. In one scale, or raga, there is usually only one variant of each note present. The
exceptions exist in "light" ragas, in which, for artistic effect, there may be two, one ascending (in the arohanam) and
another descending (in the avarohanam).
Raga system
Main article: Raga
A raga in Carnatic music prescribes a set of rules for building a melody very similar to the Western concept of
mode.
[25]
It specifies rules for movements up (aarohanam) and down (avarohanam), the scale of which notes
should figure more and which notes should be used more sparingly, which notes may be sung with gamaka
(ornamentation), which phrases should be used or avoided, and so on. In effect, it is a series of obligatory musical
events which must be observed, either absolutely or with a particular frequency.
[26]
In Carnatic music, the sampoorna ragas (those with all seven notes in their scales) are classified into a system
called the melakarta, which groups them according to the kinds of notes that they have. There are seventy-two
melakarta ragas, thirty six of whose madhyama (subdominant) is sadharana (perfect fourth from the tonic), the
remaining thirty-six of whose madhyama (subdominant) is prati (an augmented fourth from the tonic). The ragas are
grouped into sets of six, called chakras ("wheels", though actually segments in the conventional representation)
grouped according to the supertonic and mediant scale degrees. There is a system known as the katapayadi
sankhya to determine the names of melakarta ragas.
Ragas may be divided into two classes: janaka ragas (i.e. melakarta or parent ragas) and janya ragas
(descendant ragas of a particular janaka raga). Janya ragas are themselves subclassified into various categories.
Tala system
Main article: Tala (music)
Tala refers to a fixed time cycle or metre, set for a particular composition, which is built from groupings of
beats.
[citation needed]
Talas have cycles of a defined number of beats and rarely change within a song. They have
specific components, which in combinations can give rise to the variety to exist (over 108), allowing different
compositions to have different rhythms.
[27]
Carnatic music singers usually keep the beat by moving their hands up and down in specified patterns, and using
their fingers simultaneously to keep time. Tala is formed with three basic parts (called angas) which are laghu,
dhrtam, and anudhrtam, though complex talas may have other parts like plutam, guru, and kaakapaadam.
There are seven basic tala groups which can be formed from the laghu, dhrtam, and anudhrtam:
Dhruva tala
Matya tala
[citation needed]
Rupaka tala
Jhampa tala
Triputa tala
Ata tala
Eka tala
A laghu has five variants (called jaathis) based on the counting pattern. Five jaathis times seven tala groups gives
thirty-five basic talas, although use of other angas results in a total of 108 talas.
Improvisation
Improvisation in raga is the soul of Indian classical music
[28]
an essential aspect.
[29]
"Manodharma Sangeetam"
or "kalpana Sangeetam" ("music of imagination") as it is known in Carnatic music, embraces several varieties of
improvisation.
[29][30]
The main traditional forms of improvisation in Carnatic music consist of the following
[31][32]
Alapana
Niraval
Swarakalpana
Ragam
Tanam
Pallavi
Tani Avartanam
Raga Alapana
Main article: Alapana
An alapana, sometimes also called ragam,
[33]
is the exposition of a raga or tone a slow improvisation with no
rhythm,
[34]
where the raga acts as the basis of embellishment.
[26]
In performing alapana, performers consider each
raga as an object that has beginnings and endings and consists somehow of sequences of thought.
[26]
The performer will explore the ragam and touch on its various nuances,
[33]
singing in the lower octaves first, then
gradually moving up to higher octaves, while giving a hint of the song to be performed.
[34]
Theoretically, this ought to be the easiest type of improvisation, since the rules are so few, but in fact, it takes much
skill to sing a pleasing, comprehensive (in the sense of giving a "feel for the ragam") and, most importantly, original
raga alapana.
Niraval
Main article: Niraval
Niraval, usually performed by the more advanced performers, consists of singing one or two lines of text of a song
repeatedly, but with a series of melodic improvised elaborations.
[35]
Although niraval consists of extempore melodic
variations, generally, the original patterns of duration are maintained;
[36]
each word in the lines of text stay set within
their original place (idam) in the tala cycle.
[37]
The lines are then also played at different levels of speed which can
include double speed, triple speed, quadruple speed and even sextuple speed.
[38]
The improvised elaborations are
made with a view of outlining the raga, the tempo, and the theme of the composition.
[citation needed]
Kalpanaswaram
Main article: Kalpanaswaram
Kalpanaswaram, also known as swarakalpana, consists of improvising melodic and rhythmic passages using
swaras (solfa syllables).
[39]
Like niraval,
[40]
kalpanaswaras are sung to end on a particular swara in the raga of the
melody and at a specific place (idam) in the tala cycle.
[41]
Kalpanaswaras have a somewhat predictable rhythmical structure;
[42]
the swaras are sung to end on the samam
(the first beat of the rhythmical cycle).
[38]
The swaras can also be sung at the same speed or double the speed of
the melody that is being sung, though some artists sing triple-speed phrases too.
[38]
Kalpanaswaram is the most elementary type of improvisation, usually taught before any other form of improvisation.
Tanam
Tanam is one of the most important forms of improvisation, and is integral to Ragam Tanam Pallavi.
[43]
Originally
developed for the veena, it consists of expanding the raga with syllables like tha, nam, thom, aa, nom, na, etc.
Ragam Tanam Pallavi
Main article: Ragam Tanam Pallavi
Ragam, Tanam, and Pallavi are the principal long form in concerts,
[43]
and is a composite form of improvisation. As
the name suggests, it consists of raga alapana, tanam, and a pallavi line. Set to a slow-paced tala, the pallavi line is
often composed by the performer. Through niraval, the performer manipulates the pallavi line in complex melodic
and rhythmic ways.
[33]
The niraval is followed by kalpanaswarams.
Tani Avartanam
[44]
Tani Avartanam refers to the extended solo that is played by the percussionists in a concert,
[44]
and is usually
played after the main composition in a concert.
[37]
The percussionist displays the full range of his skills and rhythmic
imagination during the solo, which may take from two to twenty minutes.
[44]
Compositions
In contrast to Hindustani music of the northern part of India, Carnatic music is taught and learned through
compositions, which encode many intricate musical details, also providing scope for free improvisation. Nearly
every rendition of a Carnatic music composition is different and unique as it embodies elements of the composer's
vision, as well as the musician's interpretation.
A Carnatic composition really has two elements, one being the musical element, the other being what is conveyed in
the composition. It is probably because of this fact that most Carnatic music compositions are composed for
singing. In addition to the rich musical experience, each composition brings out the knowledge and personality of
the composer, and hence the words are as important as the musical element itself. This poses a special challenge for
the musicians because rendering this music does not involve just playing or singing the correct musical notes; the
musicians are expected to understand what was conveyed by the composer in various languages, and sing musical
phrases that act to create the effect that was intended by the composer in his/her composition.
There are many types/forms of compositions.
Geethams and swarajatis (which have their own peculiar composition structures) are principally meant to serve as
basic learning exercises.
Compositions more commonly associated with Indian classical dance and Indian devotional music have also been
increasingly used in the Carnatic music repertoire. The performance of the Sanskrit sloka, Tamil viruttam and
Telegu padyamu or sisapadya forms are particularly unique. Though these forms consist of lyric-based verses,
musicians improvise raga phrases in free rhythm, like an alapana,
[35]
so both the sound value, and the meaning of
the text, guide the musician through elaborate melodic improvisations.
[45]
Forms such as the divya prabandham,
thevaram and ugabhoga are often performed similarly, however, these forms can also have a set melody and
rhythm like the devaranama, javali, padam, thillana and thiruppugazh forms.
The most common and significant forms in Carnatic music are the varnam and the kriti (or kirtanam).
Varnam
Main article: Varnam
Varnams are short metric pieces which encapsulate the main features and requirements of a raga.
[46]
The features
and rules of the raga (also known as the sanchaaraas of a raga) include how each note of the raga should be
stressed, the scale of the raga, and so on.
[47]
All varnams consist of lyrics,
[48]
as well as swara passages, including
a pallavi, an anupallavi, muktayi swaras, a charanam, and chittaswaras.
[47]
Known for their complex structure, varnams are a fundamental form in Carnatic music.
[48]
Varnams are practised
as vocal exercises in multiple speeds by performers of Carnatic music, to help develop voice culture, and maintain
proper pitch and control of rhythm. In Carnatic music concerts, varnams are often performed by musicians as the
opening item acting as a warm up for the musicians,
[49]
and as a means of grabbing the attention of the
audience.
[47]
Kriti
Main article: Kriti
Carnatic songs (kritis) are varied in structure and style, but generally consist of three units:
1. Pallavi. This is the equivalent of a refrain in Western music, with 1 or 2 lines.
2. Anupallavi. This is the second verse, also as 2 lines.
3. Charana. The final (and longest) verse that wraps up the song. The Charanam usually borrows patterns from
the Anupallavi. There can be multiple charanas.
This kind of song is called a keerthanam or a kriti. There are other possible structures for a kriti, which may in
addition include swara passages named chittaswara. A chittaswara consists only of notes, and has no words. Still
others have a verse at the end of the charana, called the madhyamakla. It is sung immediately after the charana,
but at double speed.
Prominent composers
A portrait of Tyagaraja
one of the celebrated
Carnatic trinity
See also: List of Carnatic composers
There are many composers in Carnatic music. Purandara Dasa (14801564) is
renowned as the father (Pitamaha) of Carnatic music for formulating the basic
lessons of, and his contributions to Carnatic music. He structured graded exercises
known as Swaravalis and Alankaras, and at the same time, introduced the Raga
Mayamalavagowla as the first scale to be learnt by beginners. He also composed
Gitas (simple songs) for novice students.
The contemporaries Tyagaraja (1759? 1847), Muthuswami Dikshitar, (1776
1827) and Syama Sastri, (17621827) are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music
because of the quality of Syama Sastri's compositions, the varieties of compositions
of Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Tyagaraja's prolific output in composing kritis.
[50]
Prominent composers prior to the Trinity of Carnatic music include Arunachala Kavi,
Annamacharya, Narayana Theertha, Vijaya Dasa, Bhadrachala Ramadas, Sadasiva
Brahmendra and Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi. Other composers are Swathi Thirunal,
Gopalakrishna Bharathi, Neelakanta Sivan, Patnam Subramania Iyer, Mysore
Vasudevachar, Koteeswara Iyer, Muthiah Bhagavathar, Subramania Bharathiyar and
Papanasam Sivan. The compositions of these composers are rendered frequently by artists of today.
Composers of Carnatic music were often inspired by religious devotion and were usually scholars proficient in one
or more of the languages Kannada, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil, or Telugu. They usually included a signature, called
a mudra, in their compositions. For example, all songs by Tyagaraja (who composed in Telugu) have the word
Tyagaraja in them, all songs by Muthuswami Dikshitar (who composed in Sanskrit) have the words Guruguha in
them; songs by Syama Sastri (who composed in Telugu) have the words Syama Krishna in them; while
Purandaradasa, who composed in Kannada, used the signature Purandara Vittala. Gopalakrishna Bharathi used
the signature Gopalakrishnan and composed in Tamil. Papanasam Sivan, who has been hailed as the Tamil
Tyagaraja of Carnatic music,
[51]
also composed in this language, as well as Sanskrit,
[51]
used the signature
Ramadasan.
Learning Carnatic music
Carnatic music is traditionally taught according to the system formulated by Purandara Dasa. This involves varisais
(graded exercises), alankaras (exercises based on the seven talas), geetams or simple songs, and Swarajatis.
After the student has reached a certain standard, varnams are taught and later, the student learns kritis. It typically
takes several years of learning before a student is adept enough to perform at a concert.
The learning texts and exercises are more or less uniform across all the South Indian states. The learning structure is
arranged in increasing order of complexity. The lessons start with the learning of the sarali varisai (solfege set to a
particular raga).
Carnatic music was traditionally taught in the gurukula system, where the student lived with and learnt the art from
his guru (perceptor). From the late 20th century onwards, with changes in lifestyles and need for young music
aspirants to simultaneously pursue a parallel academic career, this system has found few takers.
A portrait of
Muthuswamy Dikshitar
one of the celebrated
Carnatic trinity.
Musicians often take great pride in letting people know about their Guru Parampara, or the hierarchy of disciples
from some prominent ancient musician or composer, to which they belong. People whose disciple-hierarchies are
often referred to are Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri, Swathi Thirunal and Papanasam Sivan,
among others.
In modern times, it is common for students to visit their gurus daily or weekly to learn music. Though new
technology has made learning easier with the availability of quick-learn media such as learning exercises recorded
on audio cassettes and CDs, these are discouraged by most gurus who emphasize that face-to-face learning is best
for students.
Notations
Notation is not a new concept in Indian music. However, Carnatic music continued
to be transmitted orally for centuries without being written down. The disadvantage
with this system was that if one wanted to learn about a kriti composed, for example,
by Purandara Dasa, it involved the difficult task of finding a person from Purandara
Dasa's lineage of students.
Written notation of Carnatic music was revived in the late 17th century and early
18th century, which coincided with rule of Shahaji II in Tanjore. Copies of Shahaji's
musical manuscripts are still available at the Saraswati Mahal Library in Tanjore and
they give us an idea of the music and its form. They contain snippets of solfege to be
used when performing the mentioned ragas.
Melody
Unlike classical Western music, Carnatic music is notated almost exclusively in tonic
sol-fa notation using either a Roman or Indic script to represent the solfa names. Past
attempts to use the staff notation have mostly failed. Indian music makes use of
hundreds of ragas, many more than the church modes in Western music. It becomes
difficult to write Carnatic music using the staff notation without the use of too many accidentals. Furthermore, the
staff notation requires that the song be played in a certain key. The notions of key and absolute pitch are deeply
rooted in Western music, whereas the Carnatic notation does not specify the key and prefers to use scale degrees
(relative pitch) to denote notes. The singer is free to choose the actual pitch of the tonic note. In the more precise
forms of Carnatic notation, there are symbols placed above the notes indicating how the notes should be played or
sung; however, informally this practice is not followed.
To show the length of a note, several devices are used. If the duration of note is to be doubled, the letter is either
capitalized (if using Roman script) or lengthened by a diacritic (in Indian languages). For a duration of three, the
letter is capitalized (or diacriticized) and followed by a comma. For a length of four, the letter is capitalized (or
diacriticized) and then followed by a semicolon. In this way any duration can be indicated using a series of
semicolons and commas.
However, a simpler notation has evolved which does not use semicolons and capitalization, but rather indicates all
extensions of notes using a corresponding number of commas. Thus, S quadrupled in length would be denoted as
"S,,,".
Rhythm
The notation is divided into columns, depending on the structure of the ta. The division between a laghu and a
dhrutam is indicated by a , called a a, and so is the division between two dhrutams or a dhrutam and an
anudhrutam. The end of a cycle is marked by a , called a double a, and looks like a caesura.
Performances of Carnatic music
Main article: Performances of Carnatic music
Carnatic music is usually performed by a small ensemble of musicians, who sit on an elevated stage. This usually
consists of, at least, a principal performer, a melodic accompaniment, a rhythm accompaniment, and a drone.
[52]
Instrumentation
This usually consists of, at least, a principal performer, a melodic accompaniment, a rhythm accompaniment, and a
drone.
[52]
The tambura is the traditional drone instrument used in concerts. However, tamburas are increasingly being
replaced by ruti boxes, and now more commonly, the electronic tambura. The drone itself is an integral part of
performances and furnishes stability the equivalent of harmony in Western music.
[53]
Performances can be musical or musical-dramatic. Musical recitals are either vocal, or purely instrumental in nature,
while musical-dramatic recitals refer to Harikatha.
[52]
But irrespective of what type of recital it is, what is featured
are compositions which form the core of this genre of music.
In a vocal recital, a concert team may have one or more vocalists as the principal performer(s). Instruments, such as
the Saraswati veena and/or venu flute, can be occasionally found as a rhythmic accompaniment, but usually, a
vocalist is supported by a violin player (who sits on his/her left). The rhythm accompanist is usually a mridangam
player (who sits on the other side, facing the violin player). However, other percussion instruments such as the
ghatam, kanjira and morsing frequently also accompany the main percussion instrument and play in an almost
contrapuntal fashion along with the beats. The objective of the accompanying instruments is far more than following
the melody and keeping the beats. The accompaniments form an integral part of every composition presented, and
they closely follow and augment the melodic phrases outlined by the lead singer. The vocalist and the violinist take
turns while elaborating or while exhibiting creativity in sections like raga, niraval and kalpanaswaram. Unlike
Hindustani music concerts, where an accompanying tabla player can keep beats without following the musical
phrases at times, in Carnatic music, the accompanists have to follow the intricacies of the composition since there
are percussion elements such as eduppu in several compositions. Some concerts feature a good bit of interaction
with the lead musicians and accompanists exchanging notes, and accompanying musicians predicting the lead
singer's musical phrases.
See also: Indian musical instruments
Concert content
A contemporary Carnatic music concert (called a kutcheri) usually lasts about three hours, and comprises a
number of varied compositions. Carnatic songs are composed in a particular raga, which means that they do not
deviate from the notes in the raga. Each composition is set with specific notes and beats, but performers improvise
extensively. Improvisation occurs in the melody of the composition as well as in using the notes to expound the
beauty of the raga.
Concerts usually begin with a varnam or an invocatory item which will act as the opening piece. The varnam is
composed with an emphasis on swaras of the raga, but will also have lyrics, the saahityam. It is lively and fast to
get the audience's attention. An invocatory item may usually follow the varnam.
After the varnam and/or invocatory item, the artist sings longer compositions called kirtanas (commonly referred
to as kritis). Each kriti sticks to one specific raga, although some are composed with more than one raga; these
are known as ragamalika (a garland of ragas).
After singing the opening kriti, usually, the performer sings the kalpanaswaram of the raga to the beat. The
performer must improvise a string of swaras in any octave according to the rules of the raga and return to beginning
of the cycle of beats smoothly, joining the swaras with a phrase selected from the kriti. The violin performs these
alternately with the main performer. In very long strings of swara, the performers must calculate their notes
accurately to ensure that they stick to the raga, have no awkward pauses or lapses in the beat of the song, and
create a complex pattern of notes that a knowledgeable audience can follow.
Performers then begin the main compositions with a section called raga alapana exploring the raga. In this, they
use the sounds aa, ri, na, ta, etc. instead of swaras to slowly elaborate the notes and flow of the raga. This begins
slowly and builds to a crescendo, and finally establishes a complicated exposition of the raga that shows the
performer's skill. All of this is done without any rhythmic accompaniment, or beat. Then the melodic
accompaniment (violin or veena), expounds the raga. Experienced listeners can identify many ragas after they hear
just a few notes. With the raga thus established, the song begins, usually with lyrics. In this, the accompaniment
(usually violin, sometimes veena) performs along with the main performer and the percussion (such as a
mridangam). In the next stage of the song, they may sing niraval or kalpanaswaram again.
In most concerts, the main item will at least have a section at the end of the item, for the percussion to perform solo
(called the tani avartanam). The percussion artists perform complex patterns of rhythm and display their skill. If
multiple percussion instruments are employed, they engage in a rhythmic dialogue until the main performer picks up
the melody once again. Some experienced artists may follow the main piece with a ragam thanam pallavi mid-
concert, if they do not use it as the main item.
Following the main composition, the concert continues with shorter and lighter songs. Some of the types of songs
performed towards the end of the concerts are tillanas and thukkadas bits of popular kritis or compositions
requested by the audience. Every concert that is the last of the day ends with a mangalam, a thankful prayer and
conclusion to the musical event.
Audience
The audience of a typical concert has a reasonable understanding of Carnatic music. It is also typical to see the
audience tapping out the tala in sync with the artist's performance. As and when the artist exhibits creativity, the
audience acknowledge it by clapping their hands. With experienced artists, towards the middle of the concert,
requests start flowing in. The artist usually sings the requests, and it helps in exhibiting the artist's broad knowledge
of the several thousand kritis that are in existence.
Modern performances
Main article: Madras Music Season
Every December, the city of Chennai in India has its six week-long Music Season, which has been described as the
world's largest cultural event.
[54]
The Music Season was started in 1927, to mark the opening of the Madras Music
Academy. It used to be a traditional month-long Carnatic music festival, but since then it has also diversified into
dance and drama, as well as non-Carnatic art forms.
Artists
Main article: List of prominent Carnatic artists
Carnatic music artists often have to have had several years of intense training and practice before being qualified as
musicians who can perform on stage.
Therapeutic Effect
Research shows that children receiving Carnatic classical musical training were in advantage for phonological
awareness (PA) and verbal working memory (VWM) along with enhanced pitch perception abilities. It was also
found that the children who had undergone longer duration of training showed better performance in these areas.
[55]
Post-operative patients can ease their pain and reduce their dependence on pain-killers by listening to One of the
famous Ragas of Carnatic music, Anandha Bhairavi.
[56]
See also
List of Carnatic composers
List of Carnatic musicians
List of Carnatic instrumentalists
Notes
1. ^ Rajagopal, Geetha (2009). Music rituals in the temples of South India, Volume 1
(http://books.google.co.uk/books?
id=SgVPAQAAIAAJ&q=pannisai&dq=pannisai&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fG2NUamsAaWX1AXg2YEg&ved=0CDUQ6AE
wAQ). D. K. Printworld. p. 111-112. ISBN 978-81-246-0538-7.
2. ^ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/music-by-meter-sans-
sensitivity/article2052370.ece
3. ^
a

b
Carnatic music. (2007). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from Encyclopedia Britannica
Online
4. ^ The Music Academy (https://indianfolklore.org/journals/index.php/Music/article/view/22/26) Written by Malathi
Rangaswamy, Secretary of Music Academy
5. ^ Nettl (2005), p38
6. ^ Moorthy (2001), p17
7. ^
a

b

c
"History of Music, Origins" (http://www.carnatica.net/origin.htm). The Carnatica Group. Carnatica.net.
Retrieved 2007-07-03.
8. ^ The Hindu : Sci Tech / Speaking Of Science : The music of we primates: Nada Brahmam
(http://www.hindu.com/seta/2005/01/13/stories/2005011300111500.htm)
9. ^ "Veena in Yajurveda" (http://trumpet.sdsu.edu/m151/Music_of_India1.html).
10. ^ http://www.tamilnation.org TamilNation]
11. ^ YjS 3.115. "Yajnavalkya on Music" (http://www.sanathanadharma.com/articles/sangeet.htm).
12. ^ Singer, M. (1958). "The Great Tradition in a Metropolitan Center: Madras". The Journal of American Folklore
(American Folklore Society) 71 (281): 347388. doi:10.2307/538567 (http://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F538567).
JSTOR 538567 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/538567).
13. ^ Moorthy (2001), p18
14. ^
a

b
Subramaniam, L. (1999). "The reinvention of a tradition: Nationalism, Carnatic music and the Madras Music
Academy, 19001947". Indian Economic & Social History Review 36 (2): 131163.
doi:10.1177/001946469903600201 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F001946469903600201).
15. ^ Ries, R. E. (1969). "The Cultural Setting of South Indian Music". Asian Music (University of Texas Press) 1 (2):
2231. doi:10.2307/833909 (http://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F833909). JSTOR 833909
(http://www.jstor.org/stable/833909).
16. ^ Theory of Music , Vasanthamadhavi P.183
17. ^ Pranesh (2003), p54-55, p92, p162-163, p225-226
18. ^ Pranesh (2003), p108
19. ^ Pranesh (2003), p128
20. ^ Hughes, S. P. (2002). "The 'Music Boom' in Tamil South India: gramophone, radio and the making of mass
culture". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television 22 (4): 445473. doi:10.1080/0143968022000012129
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1080%2F0143968022000012129).
21. ^
a

b
Breyer, Barbara (1972). "Composers and Tradition in Karnatik Music". Asian Music (University of Texas
Press) 3 (2): 4251. doi:10.2307/833958 (http://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F833958). JSTOR 833958
22. ^
a

b
Royal Carpet: Glossary of Carnatic Terms (http://www.karnatik.com/glosss.shtml)
23. ^ Sound of India (http://www.soundofindia.com/showarticle.asp?in_article_id=952096767)
24. ^ S. Santhanlingam, Kudumiyan Malai, Tamil Nadu Government Archeology Department publication, 1981
25. ^ Royal Carpet: Glossary of Carnatic Terms M (http://www.karnatik.com/glossm.shtml)
26. ^
a

b

c
Nettl, Bruno (1974). "Thoughts On Improvisation: A Comparative Approach". Musical Quarterly LX: 912.
doi:10.1093/mq/LX.1.1 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1093%2Fmq%2FLX.1.1).
27. ^ Royal Carpet: Glossary of Carnatic Terms T (http://www.karnatik.com/glosst.shtml)
28. ^ MacCarthy, M. (1912). "Some Indian Conceptions of Music". Proceedings of the Musical Association. 38th
Sess: 4165.
29. ^
a

b
Kassebaum, G. R. (1987). "Improvisation in Alapana Performance: A Comparative View of Raga
Shankarabharana". Yearbook for Traditional Music (International Council for Traditional Music) 19: 4564.
doi:10.2307/767877 (http://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F767877). JSTOR 767877 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/767877).
30. ^ Kassebaum (2000), p17
31. ^ Higgins, J. B. (1973). "untitled". Asian Music 4 (2): 2735.
32. ^ Viswanathan & Cormack (1998), pp. 219220.
33. ^
a

b

c
Wolf, R. (1999). "untitled". Asian Music 30 (1): 199203.
34. ^
a

b
Royal Carpet: Glossary of Carnatic Terms R (http://www.karnatik.com/glossr.shtml)
35. ^
a

b
Higgins, J. B. (1987). "Performing Arts in India: Essays on Music, Dance, and Drama". Asian Music 18 (2):
103118.
36. ^ Randel (2003), p562
37. ^
a

b
Viswanathan & Cormack (1998), p232
38. ^
a

b

c
Henry, E. O. (2002). "The Rationalization of Intensity in Indian Music". Ethnomusicology (Society for
Ethnomusicology) 46 (1): 3335. doi:10.2307/852807 (http://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F852807). JSTOR 852807
39. ^ Viswanathan & Cormack (1998), p219
42. ^ Solis & Nettl (2009), p188
43. ^
a

b
Palackal, J. J. (1998). "untitled". Yearbook for Traditional Music 30: 207207.
44. ^
a

b

c
Kassebaum (2000), 158
45. ^ Higgins, J. B. (1985). "India". Ethnomusicology (Society for Ethnomusicology) 29 (1): 162166.
doi:10.2307/852348 (http://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F852348). JSTOR 852348 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/852348).
46. ^ Nettl (2005), p189
47. ^
a

b

c
Royal Carpet: Glossary of Carnatic Terms V (http://www.karnatik.com/glossv.shtml)
48. ^
a

b
Bradnock (1992), p631
49. ^ Gupta (2006), p68
50. ^ The Hindu : Friday Review Chennai / Tribute : The golden era
(http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/03/31/stories/2006033100510300.htm)
51. ^
a

b
The Hindu : Focus on veena's exalted status
(http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2002/01/04/stories/2002010401120600.htm)
52. ^
a

b

c
L'Armand, A. K.; L'armand, Adrian (1983). "One Hundred Years of Music in Madras: A Case Study in
Secondary Urbanization" (http://jstor.org/stable/850653). Ethnomusicology (Society for Ethnomusicology) 27 (3):
411438. doi:10.2307/850653 (http://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F850653).
53. ^ Rosenthal, E. (1931). "Tyagaraja: A Great South Indian Composer". Musical Quarterly XVII: 1424.
doi:10.1093/mq/XVII.1.14 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1093%2Fmq%2FXVII.1.14).
54. ^ "Musical Musings" (http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/03/stories/2005020301281000.htm). Chennai, India: The
Hindu. 2005-02-03. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
55. ^ "Phonological Awareness and Verbal Working Memory Skills in Children with Music Training". KIIT College of
Engineering, Gurgaon. Missing or empty |url= (help)
56. ^ "Music to the ears for post-operative patients" (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-09-
19/coimbatore/33951997_1_carnatic-music-classical-music-raga).
References
Kassebaum, Gayatri Rajapur. Karnatak raga (2000). In Arnold, Alison. The Garland Encyclopedia of
World Music. New York & London: Taylor & Francis.
Moorthy, Vijaya (2001). Romance of the Raga. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications.
Nettl, B. (2009). In Solis, Gabriel; Nettl, Bruno (2009). Musical Improvisation: Art, Education, and
Society. University of Illinois Press.
Pranesh, Meera Rajaram (2003). Musical Composers during Wodeyar Dynasty (16381947 A.D.).
Bangalore: Vee Emm Publications.
Randel, Don Michael (2003). The Harvard Dictionary of Music. United States of America: Harvard
University Press.
Viswanathan, T. & Cormack, Jody (1998). In Nettl, Bruno; Russell, Melinda. In the Course of
Performance: Studies in the World of Musical Improvisation. Chicago & London: University of Chicago
Press. ISBN 0-226-57411-3.
External links
Carnatic music (http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Styles/C/Classical_Indian/Carnatic/) at the Open
Directory Project
Carnatic video Hindola Ragam & Pallavi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAZ_2JxG44c)
Bibliography
"Carnatic music (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=20710)". Encyclopdia Britannica (15 ed.).
2005.
Panchapakesa Iyer, A. S. (2003). Gnmruta Varna Mlik. Gnmruta Prachuram.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carnatic_music&oldid=571853006"
Categories: Carnatic music Indian styles of music South India
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