Carnatic Music

Carnatic Music

Recently, S. Sowmya, a leading classical vocalist of the present times was conferred with Sangita Kalanidhi Award for her contribution to Carnatic music.

Origin of Carnatic Music

Carnatic music owes its name to the Sanskrit term Karnâtaka Sangîtam which denotes "traditional" or "codified" music. In ancient times, and particularly in the pre-Christian era, music was used as a form of communication and entertainment during festivals, gatherings, and public events.

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with Southern India. Composed of a system of Ragam (Raga) and Thalam (Tala), it has a rich history and tradition. A lot of Carnatic music is not only sung, but also played on instruments like the Veena, Flute., etc.

Carnatic Sangeet has developed in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. These states are known for their strong presentation of Dravidian culture.

Renaissance of Carnatic Music

There has been a lot of debate on the origins of Indian music itself and both the systems have their own demi-gods. A long investigative research can be carried out to examine if Hindustani music system was developed from Carnatic music system or it emerged out independently, but this is another subject altogether.

The history of Carnatic music nearly equates to that of its parent system, the classical music of India. The development of Carnatic music has largely followed the same line as that of Hindustani music. In a sense, there is only one system, Sanskritised and regionalized at two ends.

Purandardas (1484-1564), a prolific poet-composer and mystic of Vijayanagar, is considered to be the father of Carnatic music (Carnatic Sangeeta Pitamaha).

Venkatamakhi is regarded as the grand theorist of Carnatic music. In 17th century AD, he developed “Melakarta”, the system for classifying south Indian ragas. There are 72 Melakartas at present.

Tyagaraja (1767-1847), his contemporaries Syama Sastri and Muttusvami Dikshitar are together known as the “Trinity” of Carnatic music.

Musical forms of Carnatic Music

Carnatic music has its own set of musical forms. The Musical forms of Carnatic Music are

• Gitam:It is the simplest type of composition with an easy and melodious flow of raga.
• Suladi:The Suladi is a talamalika, the sections being in different talas.
• Svarajati:It consists of three sections, called Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam. The theme is either devotional, heroic or amorous.
• Jatisavaram:It is noted for the use of rhythmical excellence and the Jati pattern.
• Varnam:It is the only form which does not find a counterpart in Hindustani music. This form is called a Varnam because many of the Svara group patterns called ‘Varnas’ in ancient music are interwoven in its texture.
• Kirtanam:It is valued for the devotional content or Bhakti Bhava of the Sahitya.
• Kriti:It developed from the Kirtanam. It is a highly evolved musical form.
• Pallavi:This is the most important branch of creative music. It allows improvisation.

Difference between Carnatic and Hindustani Music

It is said that Hindustani music originated in North India and Carnatic music in South India. This difference between Hindustani and Carnatic music can also be identified by the origin of the compositions, musical instruments used, as well as, the type of rhythmic cycles being followed.

It is believed that the music of India was more or less uniform before the 13th century. Hindustani synthesises with Vedic, Islamic and Persian traditions. Carnatic is comparatively untouched and developed on the original lines.

Carnatic is homogenous in nature since it mainly draws its source from the compositions of the ancient Carnatic music composers. On the other hand, Hindustani draws its source from the compositions of various composers belonging to different regions.

Carnatic music has a restrained and intellectual character as compared with the more secular Hindustani traditions.

The major vocal forms of Hindustani music are Dhrupad, Khayal, Tarana, Thumri, Dadra and Gazals. While Carnatic music has several varieties of improvisation such as Alapana, Niraval, Kalpnaswaram and Ragam Thana Pallavi.

Hindustani music has various gharanas like Lucknow, Jaipur, Kirana, Agra etc., wherein Carnatic music no such gharanas found.