Carnatic / South Indian Classical Music

Carnatic music is the great classical music art form of South India. With its ancient origins, it is the oldest musical form that is still in practice. It is also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music ( Karnataka sangitam in India) which is one of the two styles of Indian classical music, the other being Hindustani music.

Its classical tradition is from the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, and its area roughly corresponds to the four modern Indian states; Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

In Carnatic music, the main emphasis 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.

Carnatic music is practised and presented today by musicians in concerts or recordings, either vocally or through instruments. Carnatic music itself developed around musical works or compositions of phenomenal composers.

Like all art forms in Indian culture, Carnatic music is believed to have a divine origin - it is believed to have input from the Devas and Devis. However, it is also generally accepted that the natural origins of music were an important factor in the development of Carnatic music. Ancient treatises describe the connection of the origin of the swaras, or notes, to the sounds of animals and birds, and man's keen sense of observation and perception that tried simulating these sounds - after hearing and distinguishing between the different sounds that emanated from bamboo reed when air passes through its hollows, man designed the first flute. In this way, music is venerated as an aspect of the supreme (nāda brāhmam). Folk music is also said to have been a natural origin of Carnatic music, with many folk tunes corresponding to certain Carnatic ragas.

The Vedas are generally accepted as the main probable source of Indian music. The Sama Veda is said to have laid the foundation for Indian music, and consists mainly of hymns of Rigveda, set to musical tunes which would be sung using three to seven musical notes during Vedic sacrifices. The Yajur-Veda, which mainly consists of sacrificial formulae, mentions the veena as an accompaniment to vocal recitations during the sacrifices.

Carnatic / South Indian Classical Music

Compositions

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.

Varnam

This is a special item which highlights everything important about a raga, known as the sanchaaraas of a raga - this includes which notes to stress, how to approach a certain note, classical and characteristic phrases of a raga, the scale of the raga, and so on. Though there are a few different types of varnams, in essence, they all have a pallavi, an anupallavi, muktayi swaras, a charanam, and chittaswaras. They are sung in multiple speeds, and are very good for practice. In concerts, varnams are often sung at the beginning as they are fast and grab the audience's attention.

Kriti

Carnatic songs (kritis) are varied in structure and style, but generally consist of three units:

Pallavi. This is the equivalent of a refrain in Western music. One or two lines.

Anupallavi. The second verse. Also two lines.

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. Chittaswara consists only of notes, and has no words. Still others, have a verse at the end of the charana, called the madhyamakala. It is sung immediately after the charana, but at double speed.

Mallari

Mallari is an ancient temple music form. All temple rituals were accompanied by distinct musical compositions which are completely unlike the stage performance music compositions. There are distinct passages that are played at abhishekams or naivedhyams, different passages for each vahanam, in fact for each ritual for the Gods from dawn to close of day, and people would recognise these pieces of music - played by the nadhaswara vidwans and their accompanists - and know the rituals that were underway.

But this art is almost lost to us. Only one temple - Chidambaram - still has Mallari being played, and the last of the vidwans, Radhakrishnan Pillai was in his eighties.

Bhajans

Bhajans are simple songs in soulful language expressing the many-splendored emotions of love for God, a complete submission or self-surrender to him through singing.