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	This kind of song is called a ''keerthana'' or a '']''. There are other possible structure for a ''Kriti''. Some such as ''Sārasamuki sakala bhāgyadē'', have a verse between the ''anupallavi'' and the ''charaṇa'', called the ''chiṭṭaswara''. This verse consists only of notes, and has no words. Still others, such as ''Rāmacandram bhāvayāmi'' have a verse at the end of the ''charaṇa'', called the ''madhyamakāla''. It is sung immediately after the ''charaṇa'', but at double speed.		This kind of song is called a ''keerthana'' or a '']''. There are other possible structure for a ''Kriti''. Some such as ''Sārasamuki sakala bhāgyadē'', have a verse between the ''anupallavi'' and the ''charaṇa'', called the ''chiṭṭaswara''. This verse consists only of notes, and has no words. Still others, such as ''Rāmacandram bhāvayāmi'' have a verse at the end of the ''charaṇa'', called the ''madhyamakāla''. It is sung immediately after the ''charaṇa'', but at double speed.
			] record of MS Subbulakshmi]]

	'''''Varnam'''''		'''''Varnam'''''
	{{main \| Varnam}}		{{main \| Varnam}}
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	'''Improvisation'''		'''Improvisation'''
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	There are four main types of improvisation in Carnatic music:		There are four main types of improvisation in Carnatic music:

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	==Learning Carnatic music==		==Learning Carnatic music==
			]]]

			]]]
	Carnatic music is traditionally taught according to the system formulated by ]. This involves ''Swaravalis'' (graded exercises), ''Alankaras'' (exercises based on the seven talas) and ''Gitas'' or simple songs. The student then continues to learn ]s. It typically takes several years of learning before a student is adept enough to perform at a concert.		Carnatic music is traditionally taught according to the system formulated by ]. This involves ''Swaravalis'' (graded exercises), ''Alankaras'' (exercises based on the seven talas) and ''Gitas'' or simple songs. The student then continues to learn ]s. It typically takes several years of learning before a student is adept enough to perform at a concert.

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	==Modern artists==		==Modern artists==
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	{{See also \|List of Carnatic singers}}		{{See also \|List of Carnatic singers}}
	'''Vocalists'''<br>		'''Vocalists'''<br>
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	] who enthralled audiences across language barriers, is usually credited with popularizing the Carnatic tradition outside South India. ] was among the first women to find acceptance in what was a strong male bastion - performing in public. The female trio ], ] and ] were popularly referred to as the female trinity of the Carnatic Music.<ref>The Hindu</ref>, signifying the quality and popularity of their music. ] was known for her gamaka laden interpretations of core carnatic ragams and also her vast repertoire. ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ], created a golden era for Carnatic Music. Other prominent performers during this era were ], Prof. Mysore ] and ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] & ]. ] ("Higgins bhagavatar") was one of the few Westerners to have learnt and excelled in Carnatic music.		] who enthralled audiences across language barriers, is usually credited with popularizing the Carnatic tradition outside South India. ] was among the first women to find acceptance in what was a strong male bastion - performing in public. The female trio ], ] and ] were popularly referred to as the female trinity of the Carnatic Music.<ref>The Hindu</ref>, signifying the quality and popularity of their music. ] was known for her gamaka laden interpretations of core carnatic ragams and also her vast repertoire. ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ], created a golden era for Carnatic Music. Other prominent performers during this era were ], Prof. Mysore ] and ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] & ]. ] ("Higgins bhagavatar") was one of the few Westerners to have learnt and excelled in Carnatic music.

			] ]]
	Other popular vocalists of today include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] & ], ] & ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].		Other popular vocalists of today include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] & ], ] & ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

Revision as of 04:32, 25 November 2006

Carnatic music
Tanjavur-style tambura
Concepts
Śruti Svara Rāga Tāḷa Mēḷakarta Asaṃpūrṇa Mēḷakarta
Compositions
Gītaṃ Svarajati Varṇaṃ Kr̥ti Kīrtana Rāgaṃ Tānaṃ Pallavi Tillana
Instruments
Melody Sarasvati Vīṇā Veṇu Nādasvaraṃ Goṭṭuvādyaṃ (Citra Vīṇā) Violin Percussion Mr̥daṅgaṃ Ghaṭaṃ Morsing Kanjira Thavil Drone Tambura Shruti box
Composers Glossary
v t e

Carnatic music (known as karnāṭaka saṃgīta कर्नाटक सङ्गीत in Sanskrit) is one of the two styles of Indian classical music that is popular in South India (the other being Hindustani Music which is popular in North India). It is one of the oldest and richest classical music traditions. Template:IndicText Compositions in Carnatic music are always monophonic (and hence melodic) in form, and are usually performed with improvised variations. Also, to a greater degree than in most other styles of 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 (known as gāyaki). Almost all songs are devotional in nature, being addressed to one of the many Hindu deities.

As with all Indian classical music, Carnatic music rests on two two main elements: rāga, the modes or melodic formulæ, and tāḷa, the rhythmic cycles.

Origins & History

Like all art forms in Indian culture, Carnatic Music is believed to have a divine origin, and sound in music is venerated as one aspect of "the supreme" and called nAda brahmam. Its natural origins come from ancient treatises that describe the connection of the origin of swaras to the sounds of nature (as in animals and birds, the sound emanating from a bamboo reed as air passes through its hollows etc), and man’s keen sense of observation and perception that tried stimulating these sounds. In other words, man’s ability to distinguish between different sound frequencies, qualities, and timbre, are undoubtedly an important factor in the development of Carnatic Music.

Vedic Origins

Main article: Sama Veda

The Vedas have been generally accepted to constitute the probable source of the development of Indian music into the sophisticated system it is today. Veda means knowledge, and this knowledge also pertained to some early musical concepts. The Sama Veda is said to have laid the foundation for Indian music, and consists mainily of hymns of Rigveda, set to musical tunes, and would be sung using three to seven musical notes during Vedic sacrifices, sometimes accompanied by an instrument. The Yajur-Veda, which mainly consists of sacrificial formulae, mentions the vīna as an accompaniment to vocal recitations during the sacrifices.

The Yajnavalkya Smriti mentions “Veena vadhana tathvangna sruti, jathi, visartha talanjaaprayasena moksha margam niyachathi” ("The one who is well versed in veena, one who has the knowledge of srutis and one who is adept in tala – all of them attain salvation without doubt.")

There are also references in the Puranas, Brahmanas and Upanishads to music and musical instruments. Epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharatha, also have some references to classical music. Bharata’s Natya Shastra mentions many musical concepts that continue to be relevant to Carnatic Music today.

History
Both Carnatic and Hindustani music shared a common history until the gradual increase in Persian influence (from the 13th century onwards) on Indian Classical Music attributed to Mughal and other invasions through the north-west, leading to emergence of Hindustani Music as an independent genre. Carnatic Music started evolving independently based on the ancient traditions in the South with major contributions from later South Indian composers and musicologists. The pan-Indian bhakti movement also laid a substantial basis for carnatic music as far as the evolution of kritis in various ragas, using religious themes is concerned.

The word Carnatic came to represent the South Indian Classical Music as a separate system of music, after the Sangita Ratnakara of Sarngadeva (1210-1247). A clear demarcation between Hindustani music and Carnatic music as two different forms of Indian classical music is seen around the latter half of the 14th century. Classical Indian music flourished in the southern capital cities, particularly in Vijayanagara and Tanjavur. A number of musical treatises describing the concepts of Carnatic music were written. The present form of Carnatic music is based on historical developments that can be traced to the 15th - 16th AD and thereafter.

The Kannada composer Purandara Dasa is known as the Sangita Pitamaha or 'Patriarch of Carnatic music'. Carnatic music saw renewed growth during Vijayanagar Empire by the Kannada Haridasa movement of Vyasaraja, Purandara Dasa, Kanakadasa and others. Purandara Dasa, laid out the fundamental tenets and framework for teaching carnatic music.. Venkatamakhin (Venkateswara Dikshitar) is credited with the classification of ragas in the Melakarta System. He wrote his most important work Chaturdandi Prakasika (c.1635 CE) in Sanskrit which contained only 19 melas. Govindacharya expanded the Melakarta Scheme containing the Sampoorna ragas, which is the system in common use ever since.

Treatises on Carnatic Music

This section needs expansion. You can help by making an edit request adding to it .

Sangeetha Ratnakara - Sarngadeva
Sangeetha Sampradaya Pradarshini - Subbarama Dikshitar
Swaramela Kalanidhi - Ramamatya
Natya Shastra - Bharata Muni
Chaturdandi Prakasika - Venkatamakhin
Raga Vibodha - Somanatha
Sangeetha Makaranda - Narada
Sangeetha Sudha - Govinda Dikshitar
Raga Lakshana - Shahji
Sangraha Choodamani - Govindacharya
Sangeeta Swaraprastara Sagaramu - Nadamuni Pandithar
Sangita Sudhakara - Haripala Deva
Sangitasara - Vidyaranya

Great composers

Nature of Carnatic music

Śruti

Main article: Śruti (music)

Śruti in Indian music is used in two different contexts. The first use of Śruti 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. The second use of the word Śruti is in the sense of graded pitches in an octave. Traditionally, there were twenty-two srutis in Carnatic music which are used in the context of specific ragas, but over the years several of them have converged.

Swara

Main article: Swara

The solfege of Carnatic music is "sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-da-ni" (compare with the Hindustani sargam: sa-re-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni). 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) may have many variants, now upto three values. The exceptions are shadja and panchama (the tonic and the dominant in Western music), which have only one form, and madhyama, which has only two forms (the subdominant). A 7th century stone inscription in Kudumiyan Malai in Tamil Nadu shows vowel changes to solfege symbols with ra, ri, ru etc. to denote the higher quarter-tones. In one scale, or ragam, there is usually only one variant of each note present, except in "light" ragas, such as Behag, in which, for artistic effect, there may be two, one ascending (in the arohanam) and another descending (in the avarohanam). A raga may have five, six or seven notes on the ascent, and five, six or seven notes on the descent.

In Indian languages, most of whose alphabets are abugidas (syllabic), the solfege is written with the characters for Sa, Ri, Ga, Pa, Da and Ni.

Sound	Full Name	Values and Comments
sa	Shadja	Only one possible value. Sometimes referred to as the 'mother' note - all Ragas have this note.
ri	Rishabha	Three possible values.
ga	Gandhara	Three possible values (one of which coincides with the third ri).
ma	Madhyama	Two possible values.
pa	Panchama	Only one possible value. Sometimes referred to as the 'father', though not all ragas have this note.
da	Dhavatha	Three possible values.
ni	Nishada	Three possible values (one of which coincides with the third dha).

Raga system

Main article: Raga

A raga in Carnatic music prescribes a set of rules for building a melody. It specifies rules for movements up (aahroham) and down (avarohanam), the scale, which notes should figure more and which notes should be used more sparingly, which notes may be sung with gamaka, phrases to be used, phrases to be avoided, and so on.

In Carnatic music, the sampurna 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 a 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 ("parent ragas") and janyaragas ("child ragas"). Janaka raga is synonymous with melakarta (because the melakarta ragas each have seven notes in their scale, and use each note only once). Janya ragas are subclassified into various categories themselves.

Tala system

Main article: tala (music)

Tala is an aesthetic partitioning of time, usually in rhythmical patterns which have an artistic relation to the rhythmical structure of a composition. It is considered to be an integral part of a musical composition. Each composition of Carnatic music is set to a specific tala.

Carnatic music singers usually keep the beat by moving their hands in specified patterns to keep time. Tala is formed with three basic parts called laghu, dhrtam, and anudhrtam, where laghu is a pattern with the first aksharam (a basic unit of time) marked with the palm face down, followed by a variable number of aksharams marked with successive fingers starting with the little finger. A dhrutam is a pattern of two aksharams, with the first aksharam marked with the palm face down, and the second with the face up. This is notated 'O'.(ie., Tapping once with your palm facing down and once with it facing up.). An anudhrutam is a single aksharam, marked with the palm face down and notated 'U'.(ie., Tapping once with your palm facing down). Only these units are commonly used, though other units such as plutam, exist.

There are seven kinds of talas which can be formed from the laghu, dhrtam, and anudhrtam:

Dhruva tala 1 0 1 1
Matya tala 1 0 1
Rupaka tala 0 1
Jhampa tala 1 U 0
Triputa tala 1 0 0
Ata tala 1 1 0 0
Eka tala 1

How many fingers must be lowered in a laghu is determined by the jathi, a number showing how many fingers to lower. It can only be 3, 4, 5, 7, or 9. (For numbers greater than five, the "sixth finger" is the same as the little finger.) Five jathis times seven patterns gives thirty-five basic talas.

Besides this there are other talas that are recognized to be 108 in total, called the chanda talas. These can be found mainly in the Tiruppugazh, a Tamil devotional work from which select verses are commonly rendered.

Kriti

Main article: Kriti

Carnatic songs are varied in structure and style, but generally consist of three verses:

Pallavi. This is the equivalent of a refrain in Western music. 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 keerthana or a Kriti. There are other possible structure for a Kriti. Some such as Sārasamuki sakala bhāgyadē, have a verse between the anupallavi and the charaṇa, called the chiṭṭaswara. This verse consists only of notes, and has no words. Still others, such as Rāmacandram bhāvayāmi have a verse at the end of the charaṇa, called the madhyamakāla. It is sung immediately after the charaṇa, but at double speed.

Varnam

Main article: Varnam

A Varnamis a special kind of song which tells you everything about a raga; not just the scale, but also which notes to stress, how to approach a certain note, classical and characteristic phrases, etc. A varna has a pallavi, an anupallavi, a muktayi swara, whose function is identical to that of the chitteswara in a kriti, a charana, and chitteswaras, after each of which the charana is repeated:

Pallavi
Anupallavi
Muktayi swara
Charana
Chitteswara

and so on.

There are many more kinds of songs such as geethams and swarajatis.

Improvisation

File:Ariyakudi.jpg

Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar

There are four main types of improvisation in Carnatic music:

Raga Alapana: This is usually performed before a song. It is, as you may expect, always sung in the ragam of the song. It is a slow improvisation with no rhythm, and is supposed to tune the listener's mind to the appropriate ragam by reminding him/her of the specific nuances, before the singer plunges into the song. 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 ragam.
Niraval: This is usually performed by the more advanced concert artists and consists of singing one or two lines of a song repeatedly, but with improvised elaborations.
Kalpanaswaram The most elementary type of improvisation, usually taught before any other form of improvisation. It consists of singing a pattern of notes which finishes on the beat and the note just before the beat and the note on which the song starts. The swara pattern should adhere to the original raga's swara pattern, which is called as "arohana-avarohana"
Taanam: This form of improvisation was originally developed for the veena and consists of expanding the raga with syllables like tha, nam, thom, aa, nom, na, etc
Ragam Thanam Pallavi: This is a composite form of improvisation. It consists of Raga, Thana, then a line sung twice, and Niraval. After Niraval, the line is sung again, twice, then sung once at half the speed, then twice at regular speed, then four times at twice the speed.

Concerts

File:Ramarathnam-Palghat Mani.jpg

Prof. Ramarathnam, Palghat Mani Iyer, 1950's

Carnatic music concerts are usually performed by a small ensemble of musicians. The group usually has a vocalist, a primary instrumentalist, and a percussionist. Primary instruments are usually string instruments, such as the veena and the violin, although wind instruments such the flute may also be used. Although Carnatic music concerts have been traditionally vocal recitals, in recent years, purely instrumental concerts have become popular.

The vocalist is supported by many instruments. The tambura, the most common kind of drone instrument, is traditionally used at concerts to remind the singer of the tonic, so that the singer maintains their pitch throughout the performance. Tambura is increasingly being replaced by the more compact śruti box. "electronic tamburas" are also being used.

File:Bmkinkuwait.JPG

A concert by Balamuralikrishna in Kuwait

The usual interacting and active accompaniments are Violin (first adopted into Carnatic music in the early 19th century by Baluswami Dikshitar, a brother of Muthuswami Dikshitar and Vadivelu of the Thanjavur Quartet). and Mridangam, a two-sided percussion instrument. Ghatam (a hollow ceramic pot), Kanjira, an instrument resembling a tambourine, Morsing (Jew's harp), Dholak etc are other possible percussion instruments that may be added in a concert as required. Besides playing along with the main vocalist, the violinist also gets the opportunity to take part in the improvisation. The violinist is expected to play both the melody and the mathematical aspects of the vocalist. The vocalist and the violinist take turns while elaborating or while exhibiting creativity in sections like Niraval or Kalpana swaram.

Percussion instruments, such as the mridangam, ghatam, kanjira are used to help the singer in keeping the beat, but they may also improvise. The morsing is also seen in some concerts and it accompanies the main percussion instrument and plays almost in a contrapuntal fashion along with the beats.

Learning Carnatic music

Carnatic music is traditionally taught according to the system formulated by Purandara Dasa. This involves Swaravalis (graded exercises), Alankaras (exercises based on the seven talas) and Gitas or simple songs. The student then continues to learn 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 the increasing order of the 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 manouvre a parallel academic career, this system has found few takers.

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 Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama sastri, among others.

In modern times, it is often common for students to visit their gurus daily 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 kīrtanam 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 Western music, Carnatic music is notated almost exclusively in tonic solfa 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 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, Sā quadrupled in length would be denoted as "S,,,".

Rhythm
The notation is divided into columns, depending on the structure of the tāḷaṃ. The division between a laghu and a dhṛtaṃ is indicated by a ।, called a ḍaṇḍā, and so is the division between two dhṛtaṃs or a dhṛtaṃ and an anudhṛtaṃ. The end of a cycle is marked by a ॥, called a double ḍaṇḍā, and looks like a caesura.

Modern artists

References

MITHAS
"Veena in Yajurveda".
"Yajnavalkya on Music".
"Split in HM and CM".
"Split in HM and CM".
"Split in HM and CM".
http://www.carnatica.net/composer/purandaradasa.htm
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2000/12/02/stories/0902070b.htm
Theory of Music , Vasanthamadhavi P.183
Madhusudhana Rao, Sri Vijaya Dasaru, Suguna Digest, July-Sept 2005,
Galaxy of composers
S. Santhanlingam, Kudumiyan Malai, Tamil Nadu Government Archeology Department publication, 1981
The Hindu

External links

Carnatic Music Website
Carnatic Corner. This was the first comprehensive portal on Carnatic music. It has links to almost all the Carnatic sites in existence as well as a reference library and page of lists for ragas, compositions and lyrics.
Carnatica. An innovative portal on Carnatic music. It has a great deal of information, and also offers products such as albums, CD-ROMs, VCDs, etc. Its other services include online music courses, camps and so forth.
Korvai.org. Started by young mridangist M. N. Hariharan (the author of the book "Korvais Made Easy"), contains information about korvais, notation for percussion lessons, etc.
Simple Introduction to South Indian Classical Music - Part 1Published by World Music Central
Simple Introduction to South Indian Classical Music - Part 2Published by World Music Central
Raga Book --A Music Community. Organize, search, and browse songs (Carnatic Music and all other kinds of Indian Music) by Raga. Upload and listen to songs. Store your favourites, and participate in lively discussions.

Bibliography

"Carnatic music". (15 ed.). 2005. {{cite encyclopedia}}: External link in |article= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |ency= ignored (help)
Panchapakesa Iyer, A. S. (2003). Gānāmrutha Varna Mālikā. Gānāmrutha Prachuram.

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