Carnatic music

People in South India sing special songs.

They use many sounds to make music. Some sounds can even mimic birds and animals. Most of this music is meant for singing.

Musicians often play together in small groups. One person sings the main song. Others play a violin or a drum. A long instrument called a tambura makes a steady sound. This helps the singers keep the right pitch. It is a beautiful way to share stories and joy.

Carnatic music is a special way of making music. It comes from South India. This includes states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Many songs are in the Telugu and Sanskrit languages.

This music is very old. Some believe it comes from the gods. Ancient texts say musical notes can sound like birds or animals. Most of this music is made for singing. Even when people play instruments, they try to sound like a voice. This is called the gāyaki style.

Musicians often play in small groups. A singer leads the group. A violin helps with the melody. A drum called a mridangam keeps the beat. A tambura makes a steady, low sound to help the pitch. Other tools like the veena or flute are used too.

There are rules for the music. A raga is a set of rules for a melody. It tells a musician which notes to use. There are also rhythmic cycles called tala. Musicians use these to build beautiful songs. Many people go to Chennai to hear this music. Large festivals also celebrate these songs around the world.

Carnatic music is a beautiful system of classical music from South India. It is found in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Most of the songs are written in the Telugu or Sanskrit languages.

This music is very important to the people who perform it. It is one of two main styles of Indian classical music. The other style is called Hindustani music. People often use Carnatic music to express deep meaning and skill. It is a way for musicians to share a divine art form.

Most Carnatic music is made for the human voice. Even when people play instruments, they use a singing style called gāyaki.

The music relies on two main parts: raga and tala. A raga is a set of rules for a melody. It tells the musician which notes to use and how to move up or down. Tala refers to the rhythmic cycles that keep the beat. Musicians also use śruti, which is the musical pitch or base note. There are twenty-two different pitches that a person can hear in a scale.

This music has a very long and ancient history. Some believe it came from the gods, known as devas and devis. Ancient books like the Samaveda helped lay its foundation. These old texts used musical tunes for special ceremonies.

The music also grew from people listening to the sounds of birds and animals. Over time, the music split into two styles. This happened around the 12th century due to different influences in North India. Carnatic music stayed in the South and kept its own unique style.

Many important people helped shape how this music works today. Purandara Dasa is known as the "father" of Carnatic music. He created the system used to teach students.

Later, Venkatamakhin wrote a book about how to group ragas. He created the melakarta system, which organizes ragas into seventy-two groups. In the 18th and 19th centuries, kings in places like Mysore and Tanjore supported the musicians. Famous musicians like Veene Sheshanna also played during this time. Today, the city of Chennai is a major center for these performers.

Carnatic music is still a very lively part of life. Musicians play in small groups with a singer and a violin.

They also use a drum called a mridangam and a tambura to provide a steady sound. Other instruments include the veena, the flute, and the ghatam. People travel from places like Sri Lanka to learn these skills in India. Large events, like the Madras Music Season, bring many people together. This music connects people to their history and to each other through song.

Carnatic music is a sophisticated system of classical music from South India. It is practiced in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Most compositions are written in the Sanskrit or Telugu languages. This tradition is one of two main branches of Indian classical music. The other branch is Hindustani music. For many, this music is a divine art form. It is often seen as a way to reach spiritual liberation, or moksha.

The foundation of Carnatic music rests on several technical elements. The first is śruti, which is the musical pitch or tonic. It acts as the base note from which all other notes are derived. While scales contain infinite sounds, humans can distinguish twenty-two distinct pitches. The second element is svara, which refers to individual musical notes. There are seven main notes in the solfege: sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, da, and ni. These are abbreviations for shadja, rishabha, gandhara, madhyama, panchama, dhaivata, and nishada. Each note has different variants, except for the drone notes. The third element is raga, which provides the melodic rules. Finally, tala provides the rhythmic cycles that govern the beat.

A raga is much more than a simple scale. It prescribes specific rules for building a melody. A raga dictates how a musician moves up, called aarohanam, or down, called avarohanam. It specifies which notes to emphasize and which to use sparingly. It also defines where to use gamaka, which is a type of musical ornamentation. There are two main types of ragas. Janaka ragas are parent ragas that serve as the basis for others. These are organized into a complex system called the melakarta. There are seventy-two melakarta ragas in total. These are grouped into sets of six called chakras, or wheels.

The history of this music is ancient and deeply connected to sacred texts. Many believe the music originated from the devas and devis, or Hindu gods and goddesses. The Samaveda is cited as a key foundation for these traditions. This ancient text contains hymns set to musical tunes. These tunes used three to seven notes during Vedic yajnas, or ceremonies. Ancient texts like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata also mention classical music. Over time, the music began to diverge from Northern styles. Around the 12th century, Persian and Islamic influences changed Hindustani music in the North. Carnatic music remained relatively unaffected by these specific influences.

Important historical figures helped organize the music into its modern form. Purandara Dasa is celebrated as the "pitamaha," or father, of Carnatic music. He formulated the system used to teach the art to students. In 1660 AD, Venkatamakhin authored a work called the Chaturdandi Prakasika. In this book, he invented the formula for the melakarta raga classification. Later, Govindacharya expanded this into the sampurna raga scheme used today. During the 18th and 19th centuries, local kings provided patronage. Rulers from the Kingdom of Mysore and the Kingdom of Travancore supported many musicians. Some of these royals were skilled performers on instruments like the veena.

Modern Carnatic performances usually feature a small, specialized ensemble. A typical group includes a principal performer, who is usually a vocalist. They are accompanied by a melodic instrument, often a violin. A rhythm accompaniment is provided by the mridangam, a type of drum. A tambura is also used to provide a constant drone throughout the piece. Other instruments might include the ghatam, the venu flute, or the veena. The city of Chennai is currently the greatest center for these musicians. The Madras Music Season is one of the largest cultural events in the world.

Carnatic music has also spread far beyond the borders of South India. In the 18th century, South Indian immigrant communities moved to places like Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, the music became a significant marker of Tamil identity. It even became part of the school curricula in many Jaffna colleges. Today, many students travel from Sri Lanka to India to improve their skills. The music has moved from the courts of kings to the masses. This shift happened through ticketed performances organized by private institutions called sabhās. This allows the music to remain a living, breathing part of many different cultures.