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Carnaticmusic
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Carnaticmusic,KarnakasagtaorKarnaka
sagtamisasystemofmusiccommonlyassociated
withthesouthernpartoftheIndiansubcontinent,with
itsarearoughlyconfinedtofourmodernstatesof
India:AndhraPradesh,Karnataka,Kerala,andTamil
Nadu.ItisoneoftwomainsubgenresofIndian
classicalmusicthatevolvedfromancientHindu
traditions,theothersubgenrebeingHindustanimusic,
whichemergedasadistinctformbecauseofPersian
andIslamicinfluencesinnorthernIndia.Themain
emphasisinCarnaticmusicisonvocalmusicmost
compositionsarewrittentobesung,andevenwhen
playedoninstruments,theyaremeanttobeperformed
ingyaki(singing)style.
Althoughtherearestylisticdifferences,thebasic
elementsofruti(therelativemusicalpitch),swara
(themusicalsoundofasinglenote),rga(themode
ormelodicformul),andtala(therhythmiccycles)
formthefoundationofimprovisationandcomposition
inbothCarnaticandHindustanimusic.Although
improvisationplaysanimportantrole,Carnaticmusic
ismainlysungthroughcompositions,especiallythe
kriti(orkirtanam)aformdevelopedbetweenthe
14thand20thcenturiesbycomposerssuchas
PurandaraDasaandtheTrinityofCarnaticmusic.
Carnaticmusicisalsousuallytaughtandlearned
throughcompositions.
Carnaticmusicisusuallyperformedbyasmall
ensembleofmusicians,consistingofaprincipal
performer(usuallyavocalist),amelodic
accompaniment(usuallyaviolin),arhythm
accompaniment(usuallyamridangam),anda
tambura,whichactsasadronethroughoutthe
performance.Othertypicalinstrumentsusedin
performancesmayincludetheghatam,kanjira,
morsing,venuflute,veena,andchitraveena.Themost
outstandingperformances,andthegreatest
concentrationofCarnaticmusicians,aretobefound
inthecityofChennai.[1]Variousfestivalsareheld
throughoutIndiaandabroadwhichmainlyconsistof
Carnaticmusicperformances,suchastheMadras
MusicSeason,whichhasbeenconsideredtobeoneof
theworld'slargestculturalevents.[2][3]

MusicofIndia

ALadyPlayingtheTanpura,ca.1735(Rajasthan)
Genres
Traditional
Classical(CarnaticHindustani)FolkBaul
BhajanRabindraSangeetThumriDadra
GhazalQawwaliChaitiKajariSufi
Modern
BhangraFilmiPopRock(BengaliRaga)
BluesJazzTrance
Mediaandperformance
Music FilmfareAwardsPunjabiMusicAwards
awards SangeetNatakAkademiAward
Music SaptakFestivalofMusicChennai
festivals MusicSeasonDoverLanemusic
festivalTyagarajaAradhana
Music
media

SrutiTheRecordMusicMagazine
Nationalisticandpatrioticsongs

National JanaGanaMana
anthem
Regionalmusic

Contents

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Contents
1Origins,sourcesandhistory
2NatureofCarnaticmusic
3ImportantelementsofCarnaticmusic
3.1ruti
3.2Swara
3.3Ragasystem
3.4Talasystem
4Improvisation
4.1RagaAlapana
4.2Niraval
4.3Kalpanaswaram
4.4Tanam
4.5RagamTanamPallavi
4.6TaniAvartanam
5Compositions
5.1Varnam
5.2Kriti
6Prominentcomposers
7LearningCarnaticmusic
7.1Notations
7.1.1Melody
7.1.2Rhythm
8PerformancesofCarnaticmusic
8.1Instrumentation
8.2Contemporaryconcertcontent
8.3Audience
8.4Festivals
8.5Artists
9TherapeuticEffect
10Seealso
11Notes
12References
13Bibliography
14Externallinks

AndamanandNicobarIslandsAndhraPradesh
ArunachalPradeshAssamBiharChhattisgarh
GoaGujaratHaryanaHimachalPradesh
Kashmir,JammuandLadakhJharkhand
KarnatakaKeralaMadhyaPradesh
MaharashtraManipurMeghalayaMizoram
NagalandOdisha(Classical)PunjabRajasthan
SikkimTamilNadu(Ancient)TripuraUttar
PradeshUttarakhandWestBengal

Origins,sourcesandhistory
LikeallartformsinIndianculture,Indianclassicalmusicisbelievedtobeadivineartformwhich
originatedfromtheDevasandDevis(HinduGodsandGoddesses),[4][5]andisveneratedassymbolicof
ndabrhman.[6]Ancienttreatisesalsodescribetheconnectionoftheoriginoftheswaras,ornotes,to
thesoundsofanimalsandbirdsandman'sefforttosimulatethesesoundsthroughakeensenseof
observationandperception.TheSamaVeda,whichisbelievedtohavelaidthefoundationforIndian
classicalmusic,consistsofhymnsfromtheRigveda,settomusicaltuneswhichwouldbesungusing
threetosevenmusicalnotesduringVedicyajnas.[5]TheYajurVeda,whichmainlyconsistsof
sacrificialformulae,mentionstheveenaasanaccompanimenttovocalrecitations.[7]Referencesto
Indianclassicalmusicaremadeinmanyancienttexts,includingepicsliketheRamayanaand
Mahabharata.TheYajnavalkyaSmritimentionsvvdanatattvajarutijtivirada
tlajacpraysenamokamrganiyacchati("Theonewhoiswellversedinveena,onewhohasthe
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knowledgeofsrutisandonewhoisadeptintala,attainssalvationwithoutdoubt").[8]Carnaticmusicis
basedasitistodayonmusicalconcepts(includingswara,raga,andtala)thatweredescribedindetailin
severalancientworks,particularlytheBharata'sNatyaShastraandSilappadhikarambyIlango
Adigal.[9]
OwingtoPersianandIslamicinfluencesinNorthIndiafromthe12thcenturyonwards,Indianclassical
musicbegantodivergeintotwodistinctstyles,beingHindustanimusicandCarnaticmusic.[1]
Commentariesandotherworks,suchasSharngadeva'sSangitaRatnakara,furtherelaboratedonthe
musicalconceptsfoundinIndianclassicalmusic.[10]Bythe16thand17thcenturies,therewasaclear
demarcationbetweenCarnaticandHindustanimusic[11]Carnaticmusicremainedrelativelyunaffected
byPersianandArabicinfluences.ItwasatthistimethatCarnaticmusicflourishedinVijayanagara,
whiletheVijayanagarEmpirereacheditsgreatestextent.[12]
PurandaraDasa,whoisknownasthefather(Pitamaha)ofCarnatic
Music,formulatedthesystemthatiscommonlyusedforthe
teachingofCarnaticmusic.[5][13]Venkatamakhininventedand
authoredtheformulaforthemelakartasystemofragaclassification
inhisSanskritwork,theChaturdandiPrakasika(1660AD).[11]
Govindacharyaisknownforexpandingthemelakartasysteminto
thesampoornaragaschemethesystemthatisincommonuse
today.
Carnaticmusicwasmainlypatronizedbythelocalkingsofthe
KingdomofMysoreandKingdomofTravancoreinthe18th
through20thcenturies.Someoftheroyaltyofthekingdomsof
MysoreandTravancorewerethemselvesnotedcomposersand
proficientinplayingmusicalinstruments,suchastheveena,rudra
veena,violin,ghatam,flute,mridangam,nagaswaraand
swarabhat.[14]Somefamouscourtmusiciansproficientinmusic
wereVeeneSheshanna(18521926)[15]andVeeneSubbanna
(18611939),[16]amongothers.

Saraswati,theHindugoddessof
allknowledge,music,artsand
science,withherinstrument,the
veena.

WiththedissolutionoftheerstwhileprincelystatesandtheIndianindependencemovementreachingits
conclusionin1947,Carnaticmusicwentthrougharadicalshiftinpatronageintoanartofthemasses
withticketedperformancesorganizedbyprivateinstitutionscalledsabhs.Duringthe19thcentury,the
cityofChennai(thenknownasMadras)emergedasthelocusforCarnaticmusic.[17]

NatureofCarnaticmusic
ThemainemphasisinCarnaticmusicisonvocalmusicmostcompositionsarewrittentobesung,and
evenwhenplayedoninstruments,theyaremeanttobeperformedinasingingstyle(knownas
gyaki).[18]LikeHindustanimusic,Carnaticmusicrestsontwomainelements:rga,themodesor
melodicformul,andta,therhythmiccycles.[18]
Today,Carnaticmusicispresentedbymusiciansinconcertsorrecordings,eithervocallyorthrough
instruments.Carnaticmusicitselfdevelopedaroundmusicalworksorcompositionsofphenomenal
composers(seebelow).

ImportantelementsofCarnaticmusic
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ruti
Mainarticle:ruti(music)
ruticommonlyreferstomusicalpitch.[19]Itistheapproximateequivalentofatonic(orlesspreciselya
key)inWesternmusicitisthenotefromwhichalltheothersarederived.Itisalsousedinthesenseof
gradedpitchesinanoctave.Whilethereareaninfinitenumberofsoundsfallingwithinascale(orraga)
inCarnaticmusic,thenumberthatcanbedistinguishedbyauditoryperceptionistwentytwo(although
overtheyears,severalofthemhaveconverged).Inthissense,whilesrutiisdeterminedbyauditory
perception,itisalsoanexpressioninthelistener'smind.[20]

Swara
Mainarticle:Swara
Swarareferstoatypeofmusicalsoundthatisasinglenote,whichdefinesarelative(higherorlower)
positionofanote,ratherthanadefinedfrequency.[19]SwarasalsorefertothesolfegeofCarnaticmusic,
whichconsistofsevennotes,"sarigamapadani"(comparewiththeHindustanisargam:sarega
mapadhaniorWesterndoremifasolati).Thesenamesareabbreviationsofthelongernames
shadja,rishabha,gandhara,madhyama,panchama,dhaivataandnishada.Unlikeothermusicsystems,
everymemberofthesolfege(calledaswara)hasthreevariants.Theexceptionsarethedronenotes,
shadjaandpanchama(alsoknownasthetonicandthedominant),whichhaveonlyoneformand
madhyama(thesubdominant),whichhastwoforms.A7thcenturystoneinscriptioninKudumiyan
Malai[21]inTamilNadushowsvowelchangestosolfegesymbolswithra,ri,ruetc.todenotethehigher
quartertones.Inonescale,orraga,thereisusuallyonlyonevariantofeachnotepresent.Theexceptions
existin"light"ragas,inwhich,forartisticeffect,theremaybetwo,oneascending(inthearohanam)
andanotherdescending(intheavarohanam).

Ragasystem
Mainarticle:Raga
AragainCarnaticmusicprescribesasetofrulesforbuildingamelodyverysimilartotheWestern
conceptofmode.[22]Itspecifiesrulesformovementsup(aarohanam)anddown(avarohanam),the
scaleofwhichnotesshouldfiguremoreandwhichnotesshouldbeusedmoresparingly,whichnotes
maybesungwithgamaka(ornamentation),whichphrasesshouldbeusedoravoided,andsoon.In
effect,itisaseriesofobligatorymusicaleventswhichmustbeobserved,eitherabsolutelyorwitha
particularfrequency.[23]
InCarnaticmusic,thesampoornaragas(thosewithallsevennotesintheirscales)areclassifiedintoa
systemcalledthemelakarta,whichgroupsthemaccordingtothekindsofnotesthattheyhave.There
areseventytwomelakartaragas,thirtysixofwhosemadhyama(subdominant)issadharana(perfect
fourthfromthetonic),theremainingthirtysixofwhosemadhyama(subdominant)isprati(an
augmentedfourthfromthetonic).Theragasaregroupedintosetsofsix,calledchakras("wheels",
thoughactuallysegmentsintheconventionalrepresentation)groupedaccordingtothesupertonicand
mediantscaledegrees.Thereisasystemknownasthekatapayadisankhyatodeterminethenamesof
melakartaragas.

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Ragasmaybedividedintotwoclasses:janakaragas(i.e.melakartaorparentragas)andjanyaragas
(descendantragasofaparticularjanakaraga).Janyaragasarethemselvessubclassifiedintovarious
categories.

Talasystem
Mainarticle:Tala(music)
Talareferstoafixedtimecycleormetre,setforaparticularcomposition,whichisbuiltfromgroupings
ofbeats.Talashavecyclesofadefinednumberofbeatsandrarelychangewithinasong.Theyhave
specificcomponents,whichincombinationscangiverisetothevarietytoexist(over108),allowing
differentcompositionstohavedifferentrhythms.[24]
Carnaticmusicsingersusuallykeepthebeatbymovingtheirhandsupanddowninspecifiedpatterns,
andusingtheirfingerssimultaneouslytokeeptime.Talaisformedwiththreebasicparts(calledangas)
whicharelaghu,dhrtam,andanudhrtam,thoughcomplextalasmayhaveotherpartslikeplutam,guru,
andkaakapaadam.Therearesevenbasictalagroupswhichcanbeformedfromthelaghu,dhrtam,and
anudhrtam:
Atatala
Dhruvatala
Ekatala
Jhampatala
Matyatala
Rupakatala
Triputatala
Alaghuhasfivevariants(calledjaathis)basedonthecountingpattern.Fivejaathistimesseventala
groupsgivesthirtyfivebasictalas,althoughuseofotherangasresultsinatotalof108talas.

Improvisation
ImprovisationinragaisthesoulofIndianclassicalmusic[25]anessentialaspect.[26]"Manodharma
Sangeetam"or"kalpanaSangeetam"("musicofimagination")asitisknowninCarnaticmusic,
embracesseveralvarietiesofimprovisation.[26][27]
ThemaintraditionalformsofimprovisationinCarnaticmusicconsistofthefollowing[28][29]
Alapana
Niraval
Pallavi
Ragam
Swarakalpana
Tanam
TaniAvartanam

RagaAlapana
Mainarticle:Alapana

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Analapana,sometimesalsocalledragam,[30]istheexpositionofaragaortoneaslowimprovisation
withnorhythm,[31]wheretheragaactsasthebasisofembellishment.[23]Inperformingalapana,
performersconsidereachragaasanobjectthathasbeginningsandendingsandconsistssomehowof
sequencesofthought.[23]
Theperformerwillexploretheragamandtouchonitsvariousnuances,[30]singingintheloweroctaves
first,thengraduallymovinguptohigheroctaves,whilegivingahintofthesongtobeperformed.[31]
Theoretically,thisoughttobetheeasiesttypeofimprovisation,sincetherulesaresofew,butinfact,it
takesmuchskilltosingapleasing,comprehensive(inthesenseofgivinga"feelfortheragam")and,
mostimportantly,originalragaalapana.

Niraval
Mainarticle:Niraval
Niraval,usuallyperformedbythemoreadvancedperformers,consistsofsingingoneortwolinesoftext
ofasongrepeatedly,butwithaseriesofmelodicimprovisedelaborations.[32]Althoughniravalconsists
ofextemporemelodicvariations,generally,theoriginalpatternsofdurationaremaintained[33]each
wordinthelinesoftextstaysetwithintheiroriginalplace(idam)inthetalacycle.[34]Thelinesarethen
alsoplayedatdifferentlevelsofspeedwhichcanincludedoublespeed,triplespeed,quadruplespeed
andevensextuplespeed.[35]Theimprovisedelaborationsaremadewithaviewofoutliningtheraga,the
tempo,andthethemeofthecomposition.

Kalpanaswaram
Mainarticle:Kalpanaswaram
Kalpanaswaram,alsoknownasswarakalpana,consistsofimprovisingmelodicandrhythmicpassages
usingswaras(solfasyllables).[36]Likeniraval,[37]kalpanaswarasaresungtoendonaparticularswarain
theragaofthemelodyandataspecificplace(idam)inthetalacycle.[38]
Kalpanaswarashaveasomewhatpredictablerhythmicalstructure[39]theswarasaresungtoendonthe
samam(thefirstbeatoftherhythmicalcycle).[35]Theswarascanalsobesungatthesamespeedor
doublethespeedofthemelodythatisbeingsung,thoughsomeartistssingtriplespeedphrasestoo.[35]
Kalpanaswaramisthemostelementarytypeofimprovisation,usuallytaughtbeforeanyotherformof
improvisation.

Tanam
Tanamisoneofthemostimportantformsofimprovisation,andisintegraltoRagamTanamPallavi.[40]
Originallydevelopedfortheveena,itconsistsofexpandingtheragawithsyllablesliketha,nam,thom,
aa,nom,na,etc.

RagamTanamPallavi
Mainarticle:RagamTanamPallavi
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Ragam,Tanam,andPallaviaretheprincipallongforminconcerts,[40]andisacompositeformof
improvisation.Asthenamesuggests,itconsistsofragaalapana,tanam,andapallaviline.Settoaslow
pacedtala,thepallavilineisoftencomposedbytheperformer.Throughniraval,theperformer
manipulatesthepallavilineincomplexmelodicandrhythmicways.[30]Theniravalisfollowedby
kalpanaswarams.

TaniAvartanam
TaniAvartanamreferstotheextendedsolothatisplayedbythepercussionistsinaconcert,[41]andis
usuallyplayedafterthemaincompositioninaconcert.[34]Thepercussionistdisplaysthefullrangeof
hisskillsandrhythmicimaginationduringthesolo,whichmaytakefromtwototwentyminutes.[41]

Compositions
IncontrasttoHindustanimusicofthenorthernpartofIndia,Carnaticmusicistaughtandlearned
throughcompositions,whichencodemanyintricatemusicaldetails,alsoprovidingscopeforfree
improvisation.NearlyeveryrenditionofaCarnaticmusiccompositionisdifferentanduniqueasit
embodieselementsofthecomposer'svision,aswellasthemusician'sinterpretation.
ACarnaticcompositionreallyhastwoelements,onebeingthemusicalelement,theotherbeingwhatis
conveyedinthecomposition.ItisprobablybecauseofthisfactthatmostCarnaticmusiccompositions
arecomposedforsinging.Inadditiontotherichmusicalexperience,eachcompositionbringsoutthe
knowledgeandpersonalityofthecomposer,andhencethewordsareasimportantasthemusical
elementitself.Thisposesaspecialchallengeforthemusiciansbecauserenderingthismusicdoesnot
involvejustplayingorsingingthecorrectmusicalnotesthemusiciansareexpectedtounderstandwhat
wasconveyedbythecomposerinvariouslanguages,andsingmusicalphrasesthatacttocreatethe
effectthatwasintendedbythecomposerinhis/hercomposition.
Therearemanytypes/formsofcompositions.
Geethamsandswarajatis(whichhavetheirownpeculiarcompositionstructures)areprincipallymeant
toserveasbasiclearningexercises.
CompositionsmorecommonlyassociatedwithIndianclassicaldanceandIndiandevotionalmusichave
alsobeenincreasinglyusedintheCarnaticmusicrepertoire.TheperformanceoftheSanskritsloka,
TamilviruttamandTelugupadyamuorsisapadyaformsareparticularlyunique.Thoughtheseforms
consistoflyricbasedverses,musiciansimproviseragaphrasesinfreerhythm,likeanalapana,[32]so
boththesoundvalue,andthemeaningofthetext,guidethemusicianthroughelaboratemelodic
improvisations.[42]Formssuchasthedivyaprabandham,thevaramandugabhogaareoftenperformed
similarly,however,theseformscanalsohaveasetmelodyandrhythmlikethedevaranama,javali,
padam,thillanaandthiruppugazhforms.
ThemostcommonandsignificantformsinCarnaticmusicarethevarnamandthekriti(orkirtanam).

Varnam
Mainarticle:Varnam

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Varnamsareshortmetricpieceswhichencapsulatethemainfeaturesandrequirementsofaraga.[43]The
featuresandrulesoftheraga(alsoknownasthesanchaaraasofaraga)includehoweachnoteofthe
ragashouldbestressed,thescaleoftheraga,andsoon.[44]Allvarnamsconsistoflyrics,[45]aswellas
swarapassages,includingapallavi,ananupallavi,muktayiswaras,acharanam,andchittaswaras.[44]
Knownfortheircomplexstructure,varnamsareafundamentalforminCarnaticmusic.[45]Varnamsare
practisedasvocalexercisesinmultiplespeedsbyperformersofCarnaticmusic,tohelpdevelopvoice
culture,andmaintainproperpitchandcontrolofrhythm.InCarnaticmusicconcerts,varnamsareoften
performedbymusiciansastheopeningitemactingasawarmupforthemusicians,[46]andasameans
ofgrabbingtheattentionoftheaudience.[44]

Kriti
Mainarticle:Kriti
Carnaticsongs(kritis)arevariedinstructureandstyle,butgenerallyconsistofthreeunits:
1. Pallavi.ThisistheequivalentofarefraininWesternmusic,with1or2lines.
2. Anupallavi.Thisisthesecondverse,alsoas2lines.
3. Charana.Thefinal(andlongest)versethatwrapsupthesong.TheCharanamusuallyborrows
patternsfromtheAnupallavi.Therecanbemultiplecharanas.
Thiskindofsongiscalledakeerthanamorakriti.Thereareotherpossiblestructuresforakriti,which
mayinadditionincludeswarapassagesnamedchittaswara.Achittaswaraconsistsonlyofnotes,and
hasnowords.Stillothershaveaverseattheendofthecharana,calledthemadhyamakla.Itissung
immediatelyafterthecharana,butatdoublespeed.

Prominentcomposers
Seealso:ListofCarnaticcomposersandMusiciansoftheKingdomof
Mysore
TherearemanycomposersinCarnaticmusic.PurandaraDasa(14801564)
isreferredtoasthePitamaha(thefatherorgrandfather)ofCarnaticmusic
asheformulatedthebasiclessonsinteachingCarnaticmusic,andinhonour
ofhissignificantcontributiontoCarnaticmusic.Hestructuredgraded
exercisesknownasSwaravalisandAlankaras,andatthesametime,
introducedtheRagaMayamalavagowlaasthefirstscaletobelearntby
beginners.HealsocomposedGitas(simplesongs)fornovicestudents.
ThecontemporariesTyagaraja(1759?1847),MuthuswamiDikshitar,
(17761827)andSyamaSastri,(17621827)areregardedastheTrinityof
CarnaticmusicbecauseofthequalityofSyamaSastri'scompositions,the
varietiesofcompositionsofMuthuswamiDikshitar,andTyagaraja'sprolific
outputincomposingkritis.[47]

AportraitofTyagaraja
oneamongthecelebrated
Carnatictrinity

ProminentcomposerspriortotheTrinityofCarnaticmusicinclude
ArunachalaKavi,Annamacharya,NarayanaTheertha,VijayaDasa,JagannathaDasa,GopalaDasa,
BhadrachalaRamadas,SadasivaBrahmendraandOottukkaduVenkataKavi.Othercomposersare

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SwathiThirunal,GopalakrishnaBharathi,NeelakantaSivan,PatnamSubramaniaIyer,Mysore
Vasudevachar,KoteeswaraIyer,MuthiahBhagavathar,SubramaniaBharathiyarandPapanasamSivan.
Thecompositionsofthesecomposersarerenderedfrequentlybyartistsoftoday.
ComposersofCarnaticmusicwereofteninspiredbyreligiousdevotionandwereusuallyscholars
proficientinoneormoreofthelanguagesKannada,Malayalam,Sanskrit,Tamil,orTelugu.They
usuallyincludedasignature,calledamudra,intheircompositions.Forexample,allsongsbyTyagaraja
(whocomposedinTelugu)havethewordTyagarajainthem,allsongsbyMuthuswamiDikshitar(who
composedinSanskrit)havethewordsGuruguhainthemsongsbySyamaSastri(whocomposedin
Telugu)havethewordsSyamaKrishnainthemallsongsbyPurandaradasa(whocomposedin
Kannada)havethewordsPurandaraVittalawhileGopalakrishnaBharathi(whocomposedinTamil)
usedthesignatureGopalakrishnaninhiscompositions.PapanasamSivan,whohasbeenhailedasthe
TamilTyagarajaofCarnaticmusic,[48]composedinTamilandSanskrit,[48]andusedthesignature
Ramadasaninhiscompositions.

LearningCarnaticmusic
CarnaticmusicistraditionallytaughtaccordingtothesystemformulatedbyPurandaraDasa.This
involvesvarisais(gradedexercises),alankaras(exercisesbasedontheseventalas),geetamsorsimple
songs,andSwarajatis.Afterthestudenthasreachedacertainstandard,varnamsaretaughtandlater,the
studentlearnskritis.Ittypicallytakesseveralyearsoflearningbeforeastudentisadeptenoughto
performataconcert.
ThelearningtextsandexercisesaremoreorlessuniformacrossalltheSouthIndianstates.Thelearning
structureisarrangedinincreasingorderofcomplexity.Thelessonsstartwiththelearningofthesarali
varisai(solfegesettoaparticularraga).
Carnaticmusicwastraditionallytaughtinthegurukulasystem,wherethestudentlivedwithandlearnt
theartfromhisguru(perceptor).Fromthelate20thcenturyonwards,withchangesinlifestylesand
needforyoungmusicaspirantstosimultaneouslypursueaparallelacademiccareer,thissystemhas
foundfewtakers.
MusiciansoftentakegreatprideinlettingpeopleknowabouttheirGuruParampara,orthehierarchyof
disciplesfromsomeprominentancientmusicianorcomposer,towhichtheybelong.Peoplewhose
disciplehierarchiesareoftenreferredtoareTyagaraja,MuthuswamiDikshitar,SyamaSastri,Swathi
ThirunalandPapanasamSivan,amongothers.
Inmoderntimes,itiscommonforstudentstovisittheirgurusdailyorweeklytolearnmusic.Though
newtechnologyhasmadelearningeasierwiththeavailabilityofquicklearnmediasuchaslearning
exercisesrecordedonaudiocassettesandCDs,thesearediscouragedbymostguruswhoemphasizethat
facetofacelearningisbestforstudents.

Notations
NotationisnotanewconceptinIndianmusic.However,Carnaticmusiccontinuedtobetransmitted
orallyforcenturieswithoutbeingwrittendown.Thedisadvantagewiththissystemwasthatifone
wantedtolearnaboutakriticomposed,forexample,byPurandaraDasa,itinvolvedthedifficulttaskof
findingapersonfromPurandaraDasa'slineageofstudents.

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WrittennotationofCarnaticmusicwasrevivedinthelate17thcenturyandearly18thcentury,which
coincidedwithruleofShahajiIIinTanjore.CopiesofShahaji'smusicalmanuscriptsarestillavailableat
theSaraswatiMahalLibraryinTanjoreandtheygiveusanideaofthemusicanditsform.Theycontain
snippetsofsolfegetobeusedwhenperformingthementionedragas.
Melody
UnlikeclassicalWesternmusic,Carnaticmusicisnotatedalmost
exclusivelyintonicsolfanotationusingeitheraRomanorIndicscriptto
representthesolfanames.Pastattemptstousethestaffnotationhave
mostlyfailed.Indianmusicmakesuseofhundredsofragas,manymore
thanthechurchmodesinWesternmusic.Itbecomesdifficulttowrite
Carnaticmusicusingthestaffnotationwithouttheuseoftoomany
accidentals.Furthermore,thestaffnotationrequiresthatthesongbeplayed
inacertainkey.Thenotionsofkeyandabsolutepitcharedeeplyrootedin
Westernmusic,whereastheCarnaticnotationdoesnotspecifythekeyand
preferstousescaledegrees(relativepitch)todenotenotes.Thesingeris
freetochoosetheactualpitchofthetonicnote.Inthemorepreciseformsof
Carnaticnotation,therearesymbolsplacedabovethenotesindicatinghow
thenotesshouldbeplayedorsunghowever,informallythispracticeisnot
followed.

Aportraitof
MuthuswamyDikshitar
oneofthecelebrated
Carnatictrinity.

Toshowthelengthofanote,severaldevicesareused.Ifthedurationof
noteistobedoubled,theletteriseithercapitalized(ifusingRomanscript)
orlengthenedbyadiacritic(inIndianlanguages).Foradurationofthree,theletteriscapitalized(or
diacriticized)andfollowedbyacomma.Foralengthoffour,theletteriscapitalized(ordiacriticized)
andthenfollowedbyasemicolon.Inthiswayanydurationcanbeindicatedusingaseriesofsemicolons
andcommas.
However,asimplernotationhasevolvedwhichdoesnotusesemicolonsandcapitalization,butrather
indicatesallextensionsofnotesusingacorrespondingnumberofcommas.Thus,Squadrupledin
lengthwouldbedenotedas"S,,,".
Rhythm
Thenotationisdividedintocolumns,dependingonthestructureoftheta.Thedivisionbetweena
laghuandadhrutamisindicatedbya,calledaa,andsoisthedivisionbetweentwodhrutamsora
dhrutamandananudhrutam.Theendofacycleismarkedbya,calledadoublea,andlookslike
acaesura.

PerformancesofCarnaticmusic
Mainarticle:PerformancesofCarnaticmusic
Carnaticmusicisusuallyperformedbyasmallensembleofmusicians,whositonanelevatedstage.
Thisusuallyconsistsof,atleast,aprincipalperformer,amelodicaccompaniment,arhythm
accompaniment,andadrone.[49]

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Performancescanbemusicalormusicaldramatic.Musicalrecitalsareeithervocal,orpurely
instrumentalinnature,whilemusicaldramaticrecitalsrefertoHarikatha.[49]Butirrespectiveofwhat
typeofrecitalitis,whatisfeaturedarecompositionswhichformthecoreofthisgenreofmusic.

Instrumentation
Seealso:Indianmusicalinstruments
Thetamburaisthetraditionaldroneinstrumentusedinconcerts.However,tamburasareincreasingly
beingreplacedbyrutiboxes,andnowmorecommonly,theelectronictambura.Thedroneitselfisan
integralpartofperformancesandfurnishesstabilitytheequivalentofharmonyinWesternmusic.[50]
Inavocalrecital,aconcertteammayhaveoneormorevocalistsastheprincipalperformer(s).
Instruments,suchastheSaraswativeenaand/orvenuflute,canbeoccasionallyfoundasarhythmic
accompaniment,butusually,avocalistissupportedbyaviolinplayer(whositsonhis/herleft).The
rhythmaccompanistisusuallyamridangamplayer(whositsontheotherside,facingtheviolinplayer).
However,otherpercussioninstrumentssuchastheghatam,kanjiraandmorsingfrequentlyalso
accompanythemainpercussioninstrumentandplayinanalmostcontrapuntalfashionalongwiththe
beats.
Theobjectiveoftheaccompanyinginstrumentsisfarmorethanfollowingthemelodyandkeepingthe
beats.Theaccompanimentsformanintegralpartofeverycompositionpresented,andtheyclosely
followandaugmentthemelodicphrasesoutlinedbytheleadsinger.Thevocalistandtheviolinisttake
turnswhileelaboratingorwhileexhibitingcreativityinsectionslikeraga,niravalandkalpanaswaram.
UnlikeHindustanimusicconcerts,whereanaccompanyingtablaplayercankeepbeatswithout
followingthemusicalphrasesattimes,inCarnaticmusic,theaccompanistshavetofollowthe
intricaciesofthecompositionsincetherearepercussionelementssuchaseduppuinseveral
compositions.
Someconcertsfeatureagoodbitofinteractionwiththeleadmusiciansandaccompanistsexchanging
notes,andaccompanyingmusicianspredictingtheleadmusician'smusicalphrases.

Contemporaryconcertcontent
AcontemporaryCarnaticmusicconcert(calledakutcheri)usuallylastsaboutthreehours,and
comprisesanumberofvariedcompositions.Carnaticsongsarecomposedinaparticularraga,which
meansthattheydonotdeviatefromthenotesintheraga.Eachcompositionissetwithspecificnotes
andbeats,butperformersimproviseextensively.Improvisationoccursinthemelodyofthecomposition
aswellasinusingthenotestoexpoundthebeautyoftheraga.
Concertsusuallybeginwithavarnamoraninvocatoryitemwhichwillactastheopeningpiece.The
varnamiscomposedwithanemphasisonswarasoftheraga,butwillalsohavelyrics,thesaahityam.It
islivelyandfasttogettheaudience'sattention.Aninvocatoryitemmayusuallyfollowthevarnam.
Afterthevarnamand/orinvocatoryitem,theartistsingslongercompositionscalledkirtanas(commonly
referredtoaskritis).Eachkritistickstoonespecificraga,althoughsomearecomposedwithmorethan
oneragatheseareknownasragamalika(agarlandofragas).
Aftersingingtheopeningkriti,usually,theperformersingsthekalpanaswaramoftheragatothebeat.
Theperformermustimproviseastringofswarasinanyoctaveaccordingtotherulesoftheragaand
returntobeginningofthecycleofbeatssmoothly,joiningtheswaraswithaphraseselectedfromthe
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kriti.Theviolinperformsthesealternatelywiththemainperformer.Inverylongstringsofswara,the
performersmustcalculatetheirnotesaccuratelytoensurethattheysticktotheraga,havenoawkward
pausesorlapsesinthebeatofthesong,andcreateacomplexpatternofnotesthataknowledgeable
audiencecanfollow.
Performersthenbeginthemaincompositionswithasectioncalledragaalapanaexploringtheraga.In
this,theyusethesoundsaa,ri,na,ta,etc.insteadofswarastoslowlyelaboratethenotesandflowof
theraga.Thisbeginsslowlyandbuildstoacrescendo,andfinallyestablishesacomplicatedexposition
oftheragathatshowstheperformer'sskill.Allofthisisdonewithoutanyrhythmicaccompaniment,or
beat.Thenthemelodicaccompaniment(violinorveena),expoundstheraga.Experiencedlistenerscan
identifymanyragasaftertheyhearjustafewnotes.Withtheragathusestablished,thesongbegins,
usuallywithlyrics.Inthis,theaccompaniment(usuallyviolin,sometimesveena)performsalongwith
themainperformerandthepercussion(suchasamridangam).Inthenextstageofthesong,theymay
singniravalorkalpanaswaramagain.
Inmostconcerts,themainitemwillatleasthaveasectionattheendoftheitem,forthepercussionto
performsolo(calledthetaniavartanam).Thepercussionartistsperformcomplexpatternsofrhythmand
displaytheirskill.Ifmultiplepercussioninstrumentsareemployed,theyengageinarhythmicdialogue
untilthemainperformerpicksupthemelodyonceagain.Someexperiencedartistsmayfollowthemain
piecewitharagamthanampallavimidconcert,iftheydonotuseitasthemainitem.
Followingthemaincomposition,theconcertcontinueswithshorterandlightersongs.Someofthetypes
ofsongsperformedtowardstheendoftheconcertsaretillanasandthukkadasbitsofpopularkritisor
compositionsrequestedbytheaudience.Everyconcertthatisthelastofthedayendswithamangalam,
athankfulprayerandconclusiontothemusicalevent.

Audience
TheaudienceofatypicalconcertwillhavesomeunderstandingofCarnaticmusic.Itisalsotypicalto
seetheaudiencetappingoutthetalainsyncwiththeartist'sperformance.Asandwhentheartist
exhibitscreativity,theaudienceacknowledgeitbyclappingtheirhands.Withexperiencedartists,
towardsthemiddleoftheconcert,requestsstartflowingin.Theartistusuallysingstherequests,andit
helpsinexhibitingtheartist'sbroadknowledgeoftheseveralthousandkritisthatareinexistence.

Festivals
Mainarticles:ListofCarnaticmusicfestivalsandMadrasMusicSeason
VariousmusicfestivalsfeaturingCarnaticmusicperformancesareheldinIndia,andthroughoutthe
world.
WiththecityofChennai(thenknownasMadras)emergingasthelocusforCarnaticmusicduringthe
19thcentury,[17]itsmusiciansfoundedtheTyagarajaAradhanafestivalin1846.TheAradhanafestival
isanannualdeathanniversarycelebrationoftheprolificCarnaticmusiccomposer,Tyagaraja.Heldin
thecityofThiruvayaru,thousandsofmusiciansattendthefestivaltoperformhiscompositions.Sinceits
inception,otherfestivalswerestartedinasimilarmannerthroughoutIndiaandabroad,suchasthe
ChembaiSangeetholsavamintheIndiancityofGuruvayur,andtheAradhanaintheUScityof
Cleveland.

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ThecityofChennaialsoholdsasixweeklonggrand"MusicSeason",whichhasbeendescribedasthe
world'slargestculturalevent.[51]TheMusicSeasonwasstartedin1927,tomarktheopeningofthe
MadrasMusicAcademy.ItusedtobeatraditionalmonthlongCarnaticmusicfestival,butsincethenit
hasalsodiversifiedintodanceanddrama,aswellasnonCarnaticartforms.Someconcertorganisers
alsofeaturetheirownCarnaticmusicfestivalsduringtheseason.Thousandsofperformancesareheld
byhundredsofmusiciansacrossvariousvenuesinthecity.

Artists
Mainarticle:ListofprominentCarnaticartists
Carnaticmusicartistsoftenhavetohavehadseveralyearsofintensetrainingandpracticebeforebeing
qualifiedasmusicianswhocanperformonstage.

TherapeuticEffect
ResearchshowsthatchildrenreceivingCarnaticclassicalmusicaltrainingwereinadvantagefor
phonologicalawareness(PA)andverbalworkingmemory(VWM)alongwithenhancedpitch
perceptionabilities.Itwasalsofoundthatthechildrenwhohadundergonelongerdurationoftraining
showedbetterperformanceintheseareas.[52]Postoperativepatientscaneasetheirpainandreducetheir
dependenceonpainkillersbylisteningtooneofthefamousRagasofCarnaticmusic,Anandha
Bhairavi.[53]

Seealso
ListofCarnaticcomposers
ListofCarnaticinstrumentalists
ListofCarnaticmusicians

Notes
1. Carnaticmusic.(2007).InEncyclopdiaBritannica.RetrievedApril12,2007,fromEncyclopdiaBritannica
Online
2. TheMusicAcademy(https://indianfolklore.org/journals/index.php/Music/article/view/22/26)Writtenby
MalathiRangaswamy,SecretaryofMusicAcademy
3. Nettl(2005),p38
4. Moorthy(2001),p17
5. "HistoryofMusic,Origins".TheCarnaticaGroup.Carnatica.net.Retrieved20070703.
6. "TheHindu:SciTech/SpeakingOfScience:Themusicofweprimates:NadaBrahmam".hindu.com.
7. "VeenainYajurveda".
8. YjS3.115."YajnavalkyaonMusic".
9. Singer,M.(1958)."TheGreatTraditioninaMetropolitanCenter:Madras".TheJournalofAmerican
Folklore(AmericanFolkloreSociety)71(281):347388.doi:10.2307/538567.JSTOR538567.
10. Moorthy(2001),p18
11. Subramaniam,L.(1999)."Thereinventionofatradition:Nationalism,CarnaticmusicandtheMadrasMusic
Academy,19001947".IndianEconomic&SocialHistoryReview36(2):131163.
doi:10.1177/001946469903600201.
12. Ries,R.E.(1969)."TheCulturalSettingofSouthIndianMusic".AsianMusic(UniversityofTexasPress)1
(2):2231.doi:10.2307/833909.JSTOR833909.
13. TheoryofMusic,VasanthamadhaviP.183
14. Pranesh(2003),p5455,p92,p162163,p225226
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15. Pranesh(2003),p108
16. Pranesh(2003),p128
17. Hughes,S.P.(2002)."The'MusicBoom'inTamilSouthIndia:gramophone,radioandthemakingofmass
culture".HistoricalJournalofFilm,RadioandTelevision22(4):445473.
doi:10.1080/0143968022000012129.
18. Breyer,Barbara(1972)."ComposersandTraditioninKarnatikMusic".AsianMusic(UniversityofTexas
Press)3(2):4251.doi:10.2307/833958.JSTOR833958.
19. "RoyalCarpet:GlossaryofCarnaticTermsS".karnatik.com.
20. SoundofIndia(http://www.soundofindia.com/showarticle.asp?in_article_id=952096767)
21. S.Santhanlingam,KudumiyanMalai,TamilNaduGovernmentArcheologyDepartmentpublication,1981
22. "RoyalCarpet:GlossaryofCarnaticTermsM".karnatik.com.
23. Nettl,Bruno(1974)."ThoughtsOnImprovisation:AComparativeApproach".MusicalQuarterlyLX:912.
doi:10.1093/mq/LX.1.1.
24. "RoyalCarpet:GlossaryofCarnaticTermsT".karnatik.com.
25. MacCarthy,M.(1912)."SomeIndianConceptionsofMusic".ProceedingsoftheMusicalAssociation.38th
Sess:4165.doi:10.1093/jrma/38.1.41.
26. Kassebaum,G.R.(1987)."ImprovisationinAlapanaPerformance:AComparativeViewofRaga
Shankarabharana".YearbookforTraditionalMusic(InternationalCouncilforTraditionalMusic)19:4564.
doi:10.2307/767877.JSTOR767877.
27. Kassebaum(2000),p17
28. Higgins,J.B.(1973)."untitled".AsianMusic4(2):2735.
29. Viswanathan&Cormack(1998),pp.219220.
30. Wolf,R.(1999)."untitled".AsianMusic30(1):199203.
31. "RoyalCarpet:GlossaryofCarnaticTermsR".karnatik.com.
32. Higgins,J.B.(1987)."PerformingArtsinIndia:EssaysonMusic,Dance,andDrama".AsianMusic18(2):
103118.doi:10.2307/833942.
33. Randel(2003),p562
34. Viswanathan&Cormack(1998),p232
35. Henry,E.O.(2002)."TheRationalizationofIntensityinIndianMusic".Ethnomusicology(Societyfor
Ethnomusicology)46(1):3335.doi:10.2307/852807.JSTOR852807.
36. Viswanathan&Cormack(1998),p219
37. Viswanathan&Cormack(1998),p232
38. Viswanathan&Cormack(1998),p221
39. Solis&Nettl(2009),p188
40. Palackal,J.J.(1998)."untitled".YearbookforTraditionalMusic30:207207.doi:10.2307/768616.
41. Kassebaum(2000),158
42. Higgins,J.B.(1985)."India".Ethnomusicology(SocietyforEthnomusicology)29(1):162166.
doi:10.2307/852348.JSTOR852348.
43. Nettl(2005),p189
44. "RoyalCarpet:GlossaryofCarnaticTermsV".karnatik.com.
45. Bradnock(1992),p631
46. Gupta(2006),p68
47. "Thegoldenera".TheHindu.
48. "TheHindu:Focusonveena'sexaltedstatus".hindu.com.
49. L'Armand,A.K.L'armand,Adrian(1983)."OneHundredYearsofMusicinMadras:ACaseStudyin
SecondaryUrbanization".Ethnomusicology(SocietyforEthnomusicology)27(3):411438.
doi:10.2307/850653.
50. Rosenthal,E.(1931)."Tyagaraja:AGreatSouthIndianComposer".MusicalQuarterlyXVII:1424.
doi:10.1093/mq/XVII.1.14.
51. "MusicalMusings".Chennai,India:TheHindu.20050203.Retrieved20070113.
52. Shrilekha,B(2012)."PhonologicalAwarenessandVerbalWorkingMemorySkillsinChildrenwithMusic
Training".KIITCollegeofEngineering,Gurgaon.
53. "Musictotheearsforpostoperativepatients".TheTimesOfIndia.

References
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Kassebaum,GayatriRajapur.Karnatakraga(2000).InArnold,Alison.TheGarland
EncyclopediaofWorldMusic.NewYork&London:Taylor&Francis.
Moorthy,Vijaya(2001).RomanceoftheRaga.NewDelhi:AbhinavPublications.
Nettl,B.(2009).InSolis,GabrielNettl,Bruno(2009).MusicalImprovisation:Art,Education,
andSociety.UniversityofIllinoisPress.
Pranesh,MeeraRajaram(2003).MusicalComposersduringWodeyarDynasty(16381947A.D.).
Bangalore:VeeEmmPublications.
Randel,DonMichael(2003).TheHarvardDictionaryofMusic.UnitedStatesofAmerica:
HarvardUniversityPress.
Viswanathan,T.&Cormack,Jody(1998).InNettl,BrunoRussell,Melinda.IntheCourseof
Performance:StudiesintheWorldofMusicalImprovisation.Chicago&London:Universityof
ChicagoPress.ISBN0226574113.

Bibliography
CharlesRusselDay(1891).TheMusicandMusicalInstrumentsofsouthernIndiaandthe
Deccan.WilliamGibb(lllus.).Novello,Ewer&Co.,London.
"Carnaticmusic".EncyclopdiaBritannica(15ed.).2005.Externallinkin|chapter=(help)
PanchapakesaIyer,A.S.(2003).GnmrutaVarnaMlik.GnmrutaPrachuram.

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