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89-510: Carnatic music terms are briefly described in this page. Major terms have their own separate article pages, while minor terms are defined / described here. The order of terms is from basic to related terms, rather than alphabetic. Nāda refers to music or musical sound. It also refers to the tone of a musical instrument. Anāhata Nāda refers to the naturally occurring sounds (literally not struck). Ahata Nāda refers to generated sounds or sounds made by efforts of man (literally that which

178-506: A kriti in the rare raga. In other words, artists often use the RTP portion of the concert to introduce their audience to ragams that are rarely sung. Many artists announce the name of the ragam before the pallavi portion. In the recent time pallavis, the artist includes the name of the ragam in the words used in the Pallavi. This helps the less-knowledgeable audience to identify the ragam (if

267-729: A raga . The features and rules of the raga (also known as the sanchaaraas of a raga) include how each note of the raga should be stressed, the scale of the raga, and so on. All varnams consist of lyrics, as well as swara passages, including a pallavi , an anupallavi , muktayi swaras , a charanam , and chittaswaras . Known for their complex structure, varnams are a fundamental form in Carnatic music. Varnams are practised as vocal exercises in multiple speeds by performers of Carnatic music, to help develop voice culture, and maintain proper pitch and control of rhythm. In Carnatic music concerts, varnams are often performed by musicians as

356-551: A Pallavi line. The pallavi line is sung many times in different speeds, different ranges of the rāgam and different octaves. This is usually followed by Kalpanaswarams , sometimes in multiple rāgams ( rāgamālika ). Ugābhōga (in Kannada) or Viruttam (in Tamil) is a devotional verse or phrase sung (without talam) in an imprompt choice of rāgam or rāgamālika usually before a song. The rāgam (or last rāgam in case of rāgamālika)

445-601: A brief pause called as the Vishranthi or resting time which is an extension of the last syllable of the Purvangam and then the second portion of the Pallavi (Uttarangam) starts. Executing niraval for a pallavi is unique, as, unlike in a kriti , the artist is not allowed to change the locations of each syllable in the sahityam , as this lessens the innate beauty of the pallavi. The basic style in Pallavi rendition

534-511: A fixed time cycle or metre, set for a particular composition, which is built from groupings of beats. Tala s have cycles of a defined number of beats and rarely change within a song. They have specific components, which in combinations can give rise to the variety to exist (over 108), allowing different compositions to have different rhythms. Carnatic music singers usually keep the beat by moving their hands up and down in specified patterns, and using their fingers simultaneously to keep time. Tala

623-558: A group of 6 Melakartā rāgams , which differ from each other only in the Dhaivatham and Nishadham . A Janya rāgam is one which is derived from a Melakartā rāgam. It may have (a) a subset of the seven swarams Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni ( varjya rāgam ), (b) an external swaram ( anya swaram) not found in its parent or (c) vakra prayōgam of swarams in Ārōhanam or Avarōhanam (zig-zag sequence of notes, instead of strictly ascending or descending scales). Tālam refers to

712-404: A hint of the song to be performed. 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 raga alapana. Niraval, usually performed by the more advanced performers, consists of singing one or two lines of text of

801-635: A long time in Sri Lanka, Carnatic music was associated with Indian immigrants, and was often derogatorily referred to as " thosai kade music" ("music from the dosa shop"), in reference to the South Indians-owned restaurants and eateries that typically played this kind of music. From the 20th century, Carnatic music gained significant popularity among certain social strata of the Sri Lankan population , who were then heavily influenced by

890-591: A prominent cultural movement known as the Hindu revival. Carnatic music was thus appropriated and highly promoted during the 1920s and 1930s as a cultural and identity marker of the Colombo and Jaffna bourgeoisies, and by extension of the Sri Lankan Tamils . The place given to Carnatic music in the construction of a modern Sri Lankan Tamil identity has reached significant proportions, such as its rise in

979-583: A rāgam has neither concordant nor discordant effect with the vādi swaram . A musical notes phrase of a rāgam (series of swarams sung in a particular rāgam) is known as Prayōgam . Vishesha means special . Hence, important phrases of a rāgam are known as Vishesha Prayōgams . Missing swarams in a janya rāgam, when derived from a melakartā rāgam are referred as varjya . For example, Rishabham and Panchamam are varjya in Hindolam when derived from Natabhairavi . Swarams are said to be vakram in

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1068-467: A rāgam, if either the Ārōhanam , Avarōhanam or both, do not follow a strictly ascending or descending order. They go up and down (example, 2 steps forward one step back). In such a rāgam, these swarams should always use the same order to give the unique melody of the rāgam. A janya rāgam is Upānga if all the swarams in its scale are strictly derived from its melakartā rāgam (parent). There are no anya swarams (external swarams). A janya rāgam

1157-468: A set of rules for building a melody - very similar to the Western concept of mode . Different combination of swarams and swaram phrases form different rāgams. Ārōhanam of a ragam is the ascending scale of the rāgam. It describes the rules for singing ascending notes of a rāgam, including the swarams to use and swaram patterns that form the rāgam. Avarōhanam of a rāgam is the descending scale of

1246-529: A similar name are sung in an RTP. Ragas with similar names like Group of Ranjani ragas, Bhairavi ragas or Varali ragas can be used for presentation. A good example is a recent rendition by Ranjani-Gayathri where they used the Pallavi phrase "Ranjani Kanchadala Lochani Brovavamma Thalli Niranjani"—their RTP was set to the ragam Ranjani . About 30 minutes into the RTP, when they started switching ragams, they switched to Sriranjani , Janaranjani , Megharanjani, Manoranjani , Sivaranjani and Sumanesha Ranjani. Since

1335-485: A song repeatedly, but with a series of melodic improvised elaborations. Although niraval consists of extempore melodic variations, generally, the original patterns of duration are maintained; each word in the lines of text stay set within their original place ( idam ) in the tala cycle. The lines are then also played at different levels of speed which can include double speed, triple speed, quadruple speed and even sextuple speed. The improvised elaborations are made with

1424-438: 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 shuddha ( 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

1513-405: A total of 108 tala s. Improvisation in raga is the soul of Indian classical music – an essential aspect. " Manodharma Sangeetam " or " kalpana Sangeetam " ("music of imagination") as it is known in Carnatic music, embraces several varieties of improvisation. The main traditional forms of improvisation in Carnatic music consist of the following: An alapana, sometimes also called ragam,

1602-590: A type of musical sound that is a single note, which defines a relative (higher or lower) position of a note, rather than a defined frequency. Svara s also refer to the solfege of Carnatic music, which consist of seven notes, "sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-da-ni" (compare with the Hindustani sargam : sa- re -ga-ma-pa- dha -ni or Western do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti). These names are abbreviations of the longer names shadja , rishabha , gandhara , madhyama , panchama , dhaivata and nishada . Unlike other music systems, every member of

1691-542: A verse at the end of the charana , called the madhyamakāla . It is sung immediately after the charana , but at double speed. There are many composers in Carnatic music. Purandara Dasa (1484–1564) is referred to as the Pitamaha (the father or grandfather) of Carnatic music as he formulated the basic lessons in teaching Carnatic music, and in honour of his significant contribution to Carnatic music. He structured graded exercises known as Swaravalis and Alankaras , and at

1780-427: A view of outlining the raga, the tempo, and the theme of the composition. Kalpanaswaram, also known as swarakalpana, consists of improvising melodic and rhythmic passages using swaras (solfa syllables). Like niraval, kalpanaswaras are sung to end on a particular swara in the raga of the melody and at a specific place ( idam ) in the tala cycle. Kalpanaswaras have a somewhat predictable rhythmical structure;

1869-462: Is Bhāshānga if an anya swaram is introduced in its scale, when derived from its melakartā rāgam (parent). A janya rāgam is Nishādhāntya if the highest note that can be played is the Nishādham . The rules for such rāgams are that they should be played or sung within the single octave - Ni, Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni . Examples are Naadanaa makriya and Punnāgavarāli rāgams. A janya rāgam

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1958-515: Is Dhaivadhāntya if the highest note that can be played is the Dhaivatam . The rules for such rāgams are that they should be played or sung within the single octave - Dha, Ni, Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha . Example Kurinji rāgam. Carnatic music Traditional Carnatic music or Karnataka Sangita (known as Karnāṭaka saṃgīta or Karnāṭaka saṅgītam in the Dravidian languages )

2047-516: Is a system of music commonly associated with South India , including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , Kerala , Tamil Nadu and portions of east and south Telangana and southern Odisha . It is one of three main subgenres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu texts and traditions, particularly the Samaveda . (The other two are Hindustani music and Odissi music .) The main emphasis in Carnatic music

2136-408: Is adept enough to perform at a concert. Ragam Tanam Pallavi "Ragam" in the context of " Ragam Tanam Pallavi " refers to raga alapana - the first component. In this form of pure melodic improvisation, the musician starts with a refrain to create the mood of raga and lays a foundation for composition to follow. Each Ragam tanam pallavi has at least one raga associated with it. Tanam

2225-558: Is an ascending piece of notes (Purvangam) and the first half of the Pallavi mostly ends at the stroke of the beginning of the second half of the Thalam cycle or in the beginning of the shortest part of the Thalam , called the Arudhi . Arudhi is the point of division of the two parts of a Pallavi . Between the first half of the Pallavi and the second half of the Pallavi there will be

2314-410: Is believed to be a divine art form which originated from the devas and devis ( Hindu gods and goddesses), and is venerated as symbolic of nāda brāhman . Ancient treatises also describe the connection of the origin of the svaras , or notes, to the sounds of animals and birds and man's effort to simulate these sounds through a keen sense of observation and perception. The Samaveda , which

2403-482: Is believed to have laid the foundation for Indian classical music, consists of hymns from the Rigveda , set to musical tunes which would be sung using three to seven musical notes during Vedic yajnas . The Yajurveda , which mainly consists of sacrificial formulae, mentions the veena as an accompaniment to vocal recitations. References to Indian classical music are made in many ancient texts, including epics like

2492-416: Is constantly increasing. The main emphasis in Carnatic music 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 ). Like Hindustani music , Carnatic music rests on two main elements: rāga , the modes or melodic formulae, and tāḷa , the rhythmic cycles. Today, Carnatic music

2581-473: Is formed with three basic parts (called anga s) which are laghu , dhrtam , and anudhrtam , though complex talas may have other parts like plutam , guru , and kaakapaadam . There are seven basic tala groups which can be formed from the laghu , dhrtam , and anudhrtam : A laghu has five variants (called jaathi s) based on the counting pattern. Five jaathis times seven tala groups gives thirty-five basic tala s, although use of other anga s results in

2670-418: Is heard). It is of 6 types. 1.shareeraja - it emanates from the human throat. Example: vocal singing 2.Dhanuja - is born from string instruments. Example: Violin,veena etc... 3.Vayuja - us born when air is passed through narrow pipe like instruments. Example: Flute, nadaswaram etc... 4.Charmaja 5. Lohaja 6.Nakhaja Śruti is musical pitch. It is considered to be equivalent to tonic of western music. This

2759-399: Is integral to Ragam Tanam Pallavi. Originally developed for the veena, it consists of expanding the raga with syllables like tha, nam, thom, aa, nom, na, etc. Ragam, Tanam, and Pallavi are the principal long form in concerts, and is a composite form of improvisation. As the name suggests, it consists of raga alapana, tanam, and a pallavi line. Set to a slow-paced tala , the pallavi line

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2848-426: Is often composed by the performer. Through niraval, the performer manipulates the pallavi line in complex melodic and rhythmic ways. The niraval is followed by kalpanaswarams. Tani Avartanam refers to the extended solo that is played by the percussionists in a concert, and is usually played after the main composition in a concert. The percussionist displays the full range of his skills and rhythmic imagination during

2937-412: Is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in gāyaki (singing) style. Although there are stylistic differences, the basic elements of śruti (the relative musical pitch), svara (the musical sound of a single note), rāga (the mode or melodic formulae), and tala (the rhythmic cycles) form

3026-437: Is one of the most important forms of the improvisation, and is integral to the RTP. It is the second component of this composite form of improvisation. Originally developed for the veena , it consists of expanding the raga with syllables "a-nam-tam". The origin of this usage is not very clear. It could have originated from the sanskrit word "tanyate" (that which is elaborated) or "tena" indicative of an auspicious object. Tanam

3115-403: Is presented by musicians in concerts or recordings, either vocally or through instruments. Carnatic music itself developed around musical works or compositions of phenomenal composers (see below). Śruti commonly refers to musical pitch. It 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. It is also used in

3204-443: Is rendered as a rhythmic variation of raga alapana , in chaturasra nadai, though there is no specific talam that is followed. Some artists sing a ragamalika tanam too. Tanam is almost always rendered without percussion accompaniment; the element of rhythm is embedded within the repetition of the syllables "a-nam-tham". It is rendered in medium speed and just before commencing the third component of this composite form of improvisation;

3293-443: Is the exposition of a raga or tone – a slow improvisation with no rhythm, where the raga acts as the basis of embellishment. In performing alapana, performers consider each raga as an object that has beginnings and endings and consists somehow of sequences of thought. The performer will explore the ragam and touch on its various nuances, singing in the lower octaves first, then gradually moving up to higher octaves, while giving

3382-411: Is the pitch at which the drone is set, which is usually played by a tambura . In Carnatic music , Sthayi refers to the octave. Madhyama sthayi refers to the middle octave, Tara sthayi refers to the upper octave and Mandra sthayi refers to the lower octave. Swaram or Swara is a single note. Each swaram defines the position of note in relation to the Śruti. A rāgam prescribes

3471-409: Is the singing of swarams of the rāgam of a song, following the completion of the song. Though many phrases of the swarams may have been practiced, experienced artists may spontaneously play new phrases within the rāgam's rules - hence the term Kalpana . It is an improvisation of the rāgam, by singing the swarams, namely Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni. Tānam is rhythmic / rhythm based improvisation of

3560-459: Is to sing the Pallavi in different speeds and Nadai. In most cases the Pallavi is set to Chatushtra Nadai meaning each beat carries 4 matras (units) . So the singer will then sing the Pallavi in 3 different speeds, once with each Beat carrying 2 units (Vilomam) , then 4 units and then 8 units per beat (Anulomam) . They can also alter the speed of the Tala (Pratilomam) and keep the speed of

3649-401: Is traditionally taught according to the system formulated by Purandara Dasa . This involves sarali swaras (graded exercises), alankaras (exercises based on the seven talas), geetams or simple songs, and Swarajatis . After the student has reached a certain standard, varnams are taught and later, the student learns kritis . It typically takes several years of learning before a student

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3738-423: Is usually only one variant of each note present. The exceptions exist in "light" ragas, in which, for artistic effect, there may be two, one ascending (in the arohanam ) and another descending (in the avarohanam ). A raga in Carnatic music prescribes a set of rules for building a melody – very similar to the Western concept of mode . It specifies rules for movements up ( aarohanam ) and down ( avarohanam ),

3827-573: Is usually the same as that of the song that follows. Manōdharma is the concept of imprompt or spontaneous improvisation, which is one of the important aspects of Carnatic music. There are many types of improvisations, like Rāga Ālāpane , Tāna , Sāhityavinyāsa , Ugābhōga and Kalpanāsvara . Kalpita sangeetam is music that is already composed, learnt and practiced. It is opposite of Manodharma sangeetam , which complements Kalpita sangeetam . The seven swarams in Carnatic music, then followed by other terms related to swaram. The first swaram in

3916-439: Is very demanding, both technically and musically, since all the artiste's musicianship is put to test. Today, most concerts by prominent carnatic vocalists include a Ragam Tanam Pallavi (RTP). RTPs can be performed in any raga. Both popular as well as rare ragas can be used to perform a RTP. RTPs in rare ragas are common because the vocalist can present the pallavi with self-composed lyrics and hence need not search for or compose

4005-604: The Ramayana and the Mahabharata . The Yajnavalkya Smriti states, " vīṇāvādana tattvajñaḥ śrutijātiviśāradaḥ tālajñaścāprayāsena mokṣamārgaṃ niyacchati" (The one who is well versed in veena , one who has the knowledge of srutis and one who is adept in tala, attains liberation ( moksha ) without doubt"). Contemporray Carnatic music is based on musical concepts (including svara , raga , and tala ) that were described in detail in several ancient works, particularly

4094-547: The Sahityam constant. Once this is completed then they would sing the Pallavi in different Nadais (Mostly Tisra Nadai meaning each beat now carries 3 units) i.e. keeping the words and the length of the pallavi constant but changing the nadai of the thalam. All this can be done from the start of the pallavi or from the Arudhi. Some singers do this presentation before Swaraprastharam (Most common practice). Others alter

4183-430: The divya prabandham , thevaram and ugabhoga are often performed similarly, however, these forms can also have a set melody and rhythm like the devaranama , javali , padam , thillana and thiruppugazh forms. The most common and significant forms in Carnatic music are the varnam and the kriti (or kirtanam ). Varnams are short metric pieces which encapsulate the main features and requirements of

4272-595: The Bharata 's Natya Shastra and Cilappatikaram by Ilango Adigal . Owing to Persian and Islamic influences in North India from the 12th century onwards, Indian classical music began to diverge into two distinct styles — Hindustani music and Carnatic music. Commentaries and other works, such as Sharngadeva 's Sangita Ratnakara , further elaborated on the musical concepts found in Indian classical music. By

4361-477: The Maratha rulers of Tanjore . Some of the royalty of the kingdoms of Mysore and Travancore were themselves noted composers and proficient in playing musical instruments, such as the veena , rudra veena , violin , ghatam , venu , mridangam , nadaswaram , and swarabat . Some famous court-musicians proficient in music were Veene Sheshanna (1852–1926) and Veene Subbanna (1861–1939), among others. During

4450-816: The Trinity of Carnatic music include Sripadaraja , Vyasatirtha , Kanakadasa , Vadiraja Tirtha , Arunachala Kavi , Annamacharya , Narayana Theertha , Vijaya Dasa , Jagannatha Dasa , Gopala Dasa , Bhadrachala Ramadas , Sadasiva Brahmendra and Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi . Other composers are Swathi Thirunal , Gopalakrishna Bharathi , Neelakanta Sivan , Patnam Subramania Iyer , Mysore Vasudevachar , Koteeswara Iyer , Muthiah Bhagavathar , Subramania Bharathiyar , Kalyani Varadarajan , M. Balamuralikrishna and Papanasam Sivan . The compositions of these composers are rendered frequently by artists of today. Composers of Carnatic music were often inspired by religious devotion and were usually scholars proficient in one or more of

4539-541: The ghatam , kanjira , morsing , venu flute, veena , and chitraveena . The greatest concentration of Carnatic musicians is to be found in the city of Chennai . Various Carnatic music festivals are held throughout India and abroad, including the Madras Music Season , which has been considered to be one of the world's largest cultural events. Like all art forms in Indian culture , Indian classical music

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4628-533: The pallavi . The word Pallavi is derived from the three syllables Pa - Pada (words), La - Laya (rhythm) and Vi - Vinyasam (variations). Pallavi is the equivalent of a refrain in Western music . The Pallavi is usually a one-line composition set to a single or more cycle(s) of a tala . The tala could range from the simple to the complex and there may also be different gatis being employed. Pallavi has 2 portions to it. The first half of Pallavi

4717-441: The scale of which notes should figure more and which notes should be used more sparingly, which notes may be sung with gamaka (ornamentation), which phrases should be used or avoided, and so on. In effect, it is a series of obligatory musical events which must be observed, either absolutely or with a particular frequency. In Carnatic music, the sampoorna ragas (those with all seven notes in their scales) are classified into

4806-530: The 16th and 17th centuries, there was a clear demarcation between Carnatic and Hindustani music; Carnatic music remained relatively unaffected by Persian and Arabic influences. It was at this time that Carnatic music flourished in Vijayanagara , while the Vijayanagara Empire reached its greatest extent. Purandara Dasa , who is known as the "father ( pitamaha ) of Carnatic music", formulated

4895-562: The 18th century, South Indian immigrant communities abroad increased, especially in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka . Communities such as the Nattukottai Chettiars participate in the extension of the Carnatic cultural scene abroad, thanks to their rich patronage activity. Carnatic music artists therefore perform abroad among South Indian communities who request their coming, in order to enliven local community life. For

4984-491: The Carnatic music repertoire. The performance of the Sanskrit sloka , Tamil viruttam , Kannada Ugabhoga and Telugu padyamu or sisapadya forms are particularly unique. Though these forms consist of lyric-based verses , musicians improvise raga phrases in free rhythm, like an alapana , so both the sound value, and the meaning of the text, guide the musician through elaborate melodic improvisations. Forms such as

5073-731: The North and Karnataka (later called Carnatic) in the South. The term "Karnataka" music originated from the Vijayanagara Empire, historically known as the Karnataka Empire. The British later influenced the change in name to "Carnatic" music, and the term is only about 150–200 years old. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Carnatic music was mainly patronised by the local kings of the Kingdom of Mysore , Kingdom of Travancore , and

5162-441: The answer. As stated in the previous section a contemporary RTP is rarely ever restricted to just one ragam. The artist sings ragamalika swarams and tanams. Experienced artists sing all the extra ragas other than the main raga in a reverse order before coming back to the main raga and then complete the RTP. Others too come back to the main raga to finish the RTP section. It is very now-a-days to find an RTP without ragamalika. While

5251-418: The artist might spend 35–40 minutes on the main ragam , he or she will only devote about 4–5 minutes to each subsequent ragam. RTP requires not only experience but formidable amount of planning. First and foremost is the sequence of the ragams—while the audience may not expect a logical order, the critics surely will. Secondly, since this part of the concert is likely to last anywhere between 40 and 60 minutes,

5340-411: The audience are likely to be unfamiliar with some of these ragams, they changed their Pallavi phrase at the end of each of these 4-5 minute renderings- for instance, they finished Janaranjini rendition with "Ranjani Kanchadala Lochani Brovavamma Thalli Janaranjani". A musically literate audience often appreciate this approach, since this gives them 4–5 minutes to guess the ragam before the artist gives them

5429-632: The concert circle. In this, the artist keeps on shifting between all the ragas in the whole presentation. They can be dwi -2, tri -3 or chatur -4 raga pallavis. Some pallavis have been cited as examples for all these forms. The below examples are all presented by Ranjani Gayatri. Other examples of Dwi-raga pallavis are Amrithavarshini / Anandabhairavi by M.Balamuralikrishna , Saranga/ Nayaki by Ranjani Gayatri , Bhairavi / Sindhu Bhairavi by T.N.Seshagopalan and Mohanam / Kalyanavasantham by Bombay Jayashri . Some Tri-raga pallavis are: Some Chatur-raga pallavis are: Sometimes, artists change

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5518-402: The context of a rāgam's scale, the terms poorvaanga (meaning former part, in this case first-half) and uttaraanga (latter part, or second-half) are used. Sa, Ri, Ga and Ma notes in a scale are referred are poorvaanga , while Pa, Dha and Ni are referred as uttaraanga Gamaka is the term used for variations of the swarams in a scale. It can refer to the shake of the note, grace around

5607-444: 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 raga s. Raga s may be divided into two classes: janaka raga s (i.e. melakarta or parent ragas) and janya raga s (descendant ragas of a particular janaka raga). Janya ragas are themselves subclassified into various categories. Tala refers to

5696-445: The curricula of most Jaffna colleges, where it gradually replaced from the mid-1930s the teaching of Western classical music , or its high esteem among the upper social classes of Colombo and Jaffna, where the learning of Carnatic music among young women is expected as a sign of good education. Many people have travelled to India for improving their skills, and the flow of students to India from Sri Lanka or of Sri Lankan Tamil origin

5785-415: The ear (melody or pleasing) along with the vādi . In Western music it is equivalent of the consonant . Vivādi swaram in a rāgam has a discordant effect with the vādi swaram in it. It may not have a pleasing effect when sounded together, but composers use appropriate phrases so that such discordant effect is skipped or avoided. In Western music it is equivalent of the dissonant . Anuvādi swaram in

5874-495: The evolution of Carnatic music. Most Carnatic compositions are in Telugu and Sanskrit. Carnatic music is usually performed by a small ensemble of musicians, consisting of a principal performer (usually a vocalist), a melodic accompaniment (usually a violin ), a rhythm accompaniment (usually a mridangam ), and a tambura , which acts as a drone throughout the performance. Other typical instruments used in performances may include

5963-460: The foundation of improvisation and composition in both Carnatic and Hindustani music. Although improvisation plays an important role, Carnatic music is mainly sung through compositions, especially the kriti (or kirtanam) – a form developed between the 14th and 20th centuries by composers such as Purandara Dasa , and the Trinity of Carnatic music . Carnatic music is also usually taught and learned through compositions. Telugu language predominates in

6052-492: The languages Kannada , Malayalam , Sanskrit , Tamil , or Telugu . They usually included a signature, called a mudra , in their compositions. For example, all songs by Tyāgarāja (who composed in Sanskrit and Telugu) have the word Tyagaraja in them, all songs by Muttuswāmi Dīkṣitar (who composed in Sanskrit and Maṇipravāl̥am) have the words Guruguha in them; songs by Śyāma Śāstri (who composed in Sanskrit and Telugu) have

6141-404: The late 19th century, the city of Madras (now known as Chennai) emerged as the locus for Carnatic music. With the dissolution of the erstwhile princely states and the Indian independence movement reaching its conclusion in 1947, Carnatic music went through a radical shift in patronage into an art of the masses with ticketed performances organised by private institutions called sabhās . From

6230-714: 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. There are many types/forms of compositions. Geethams and swarajatis (which have their own peculiar composition structures) are principally meant to serve as basic learning exercises. Compositions more commonly associated with Indian classical dance and Indian devotional music have also been increasingly used in

6319-423: The musician's interpretation. 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

6408-472: The name of the ragam is not already announced) and also appeals to the audience as well as critics. Most pallavis are presented in a talam in a single nadai. But dwi-nadai ( 2 nadais), tri-nadai (3 nadais)and pancha-nadai (5 nadais) pallavis are also presented by experienced and seasoned artists. The use of such Talams is under debate and the views of artists vary. It has been time noticed from time immemorial, that multiple ragam pallavis are being used in

6497-399: The note, decoration or embellishment of the swaram. It is an integral part of most rāgams, as it is not arbitrary but is essential part of the structure/ scale. Vādi swaram in a rāgam is the main/ primary swaram of importance in it. A vādi swaram is repeated quite often in a rendition. Samvādi swaram in a rāgam has a concordant effect with the vādi swaram . It has a good effect to

6586-470: The opening item – acting as a warm up for the musicians, and as a means of grabbing the attention of the audience. Carnatic songs (kritis) are varied in structure and style, but generally consist of three units: 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 . A chittaswara consists only of notes, and has no words. Still others have

6675-522: The rhythm cycle or beat cycle for a particular song. Ālāpana is a preface to a song, which explores the rāgam of the song, without any lyrics. It is a slow improvisation with no tālam (rhythm). Sāhitya vinyāsam / Niraval or Neraval is the repeated singing of one or two lines of a song, with improvised exposition in each repetition. Sāhitya vinyāsam in Tamil language is referred as Neraval. Kalpanaswaram literally means imagined swarams . It

6764-648: The rāgam. It describes the rules for singing descending notes of a rāgam. A Melakartā rāgam is one which has all seven swarams, namely, Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni ( sampoorna rāgam ). The ārōhanam and avarōhanam of a melakartā ragam are strictly ascending and descending scales. It is also known as janaka rāgam (parent rāgam), because other rāgams are derived from it. One of the 72 parent rāgams first created by Venkatamakhin which did not have strict rules of ascending / descending scales, did not insist on inclusion of all 7 swaras nor disallow vakra prayogas (zig zag notes in scale). A chakra consists of

6853-525: The rāgam. It is done with rhythm based syllables like tha, nam, thom and na . It is usually included as second part in a Rāgam Tānam Pallavi . Rāgamālika , which literally means garland of rāgams , is a composition that has different verses set to different rāgams . Rāgamālika swarams refers to singing of Kalpanaswarams in different rāgams. Rāgam Tānam Pallavi is a rendition of Carnatic music which lends to total improvisation, in different forms. It consists of Rāgam Ālāpana (rāgam), Tānam and

6942-595: The same time, introduced the Raga Mayamalavagowla as the first scale to be learnt by beginners. He also composed Gitas (simple songs) for novice students. The contemporaries Tyagaraja (1767– 1847), Muthuswami Dikshitar , (1776–1835) and Syama Sastri , (1762–1827) are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music because of the quality of Syama Sastri's compositions, the varieties of compositions of Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Tyagaraja's prolific output in composing kritis . Prominent composers prior to

7031-484: The scale is Shadjam (Sa). It is invariant and is always included in all ragams. The second swaram in the scale is Rishabham (Ri). It has three pitch possibilities, namely Suddha , Chathusruti and Shatsruti . The third swaram in the scale is Gāndhāra (Ga). It has three pitch possibilities, namely Ś uddha , Sādhārana and Antara . The fourth swaram in the scale is Madhyamam (Ma). It has two pitch possibilities, namely Suddha and Prati . The fifth swaram in

7120-445: The scale is 'Panchamam' (Pa). It is invariant. The sixth swaram in the scale is Dhaivatam (Dha). It has three pitch possibilities, namely Suddha , Chathusruti and Shatshruti . The seventh swaram in the scale is Nishādham (Ni). It has three pitch possibilities, namely Suddha , Kaisiki and Kaakali . Anya swaram in a janya rāgam is a swaram that is not found in its parent rāgam ( melakartā rāgam). Anya means outside

7209-408: The sense of graded pitches in an octave . While there are an infinite number of sounds falling within a scale (or raga) in Carnatic music, the number that can be distinguished by auditory perception is twenty-two (although over the years, several of them have converged). In this sense, while sruti is determined by auditory perception, it is also an expression in the listener's mind. Svara refers to

7298-588: The set/ group . Sthāyi refers to an octave of music. There are 5 sthāyis in Carnaatic music, namely, Anumandara (lowest), Mandara (literally means chant, which means lower), Madhya (literally means middle), Taara (means higher) and Athitaara (meaning very high). Most artists sing over two octaves or two and a half octaves range (within Mandra, Madhya and Taara sthaayis). Very few can sing well in bigger ranges of 3 or more octaves. Anga means part. In

7387-559: The solfege (called a swara ) has three variants. The exceptions are the drone notes, shadja and panchama (also known as the tonic and the dominant ), which have only one form; and madhyama (the subdominant ), which has two forms. 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 raga , there

7476-409: The solo, which may take from two to twenty minutes. In contrast to Hindustani music of the northern part of India, Carnatic music is taught and learned through compositions, which encode many intricate musical details, also providing scope for free improvisation. Nearly every rendition of a Carnatic music composition is different and unique as it embodies elements of the composer's vision, as well as

7565-522: The speed and Nadai during singing Swaras and then sing the Pallavi such that the position of Arudhi remains constant. Once these aspects are covered, the singer explores in the Kalpanaswara phase and they would start exploring different Ragas during the Kalpanaswara . The Pallavi challenges the musician's ability to improvise with complex and intricate patterns. The whole exercise

7654-418: The swaras are sung to end on the samam (the first beat of the rhythmical cycle). The swaras can also be sung at the same speed or double the speed of the melody that is being sung, though some artists sing triple-speed phrases too. Kalpanaswaram is the most elementary type of improvisation, usually taught before any other form of improvisation. Tanam is one of the most important forms of improvisation, and

7743-519: The system that is commonly used for the teaching of Carnatic music. Venkatamakhin invented and authored the formula for the melakarta system of raga classification in his Sanskrit work, the Chaturdandi Prakasika (1660 AD). Govindacharya is known for expanding the melakarta system into the sampurna raga scheme – the system that is in common use today. By the 16th century, Indian classical music split into two styles: Hindustani in

7832-399: The tala of the RTP from the main tala to another which has same number of aksharas or a tala which has some number of aksharas, which when sung some integral number of times equals the number of aksharas in the main tala. Talamalika singing examples can be seen from the above citation (This is from a concert of Ranjani Gayatri) . This is a type of RTP where a Raga which has many Ragas with

7921-553: The words Ś yāma Kr̥ṣṇa in them; all songs by Purandaradasa (who composed in Kannada and Sanskrit) have the words Purandara Vitthala ; while Gopalakrishna Bharathi (who composed in Tamil) used the signature Gopalakrishnan in his compositions. Papanasam Sivan, who has been hailed as the Tamil Tyagaraja of Carnatic music, composed in Tamil and Sanskrit, and used the signature Ramadasan in his compositions. Carnatic music

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