Carnatic music

Lore & Background

Carnatic music originated in Karnataka and was named after it, spreading through Andhra and Tamil countries where it flourished. Like all art forms in Indian culture, it is believed to be a divine art form originating from Hindu gods and goddesses, venerated as symbolic of nāda brāhman. The Samaveda, consisting of hymns from the Rigveda set to musical tunes, laid the foundation for Indian classical music. Ancient treatises such as Bharata's Natya Shastra and Cilappatikaram by Ilango Adigal described musical concepts including svara, raga, and tala. Owing to Persian and Islamic influences in North India from the 12th century, Indian classical music began to diverge into two distinct styles. By the 16th and 17th centuries, there was a clear demarcation, with Carnatic music remaining relatively unaffected by Persian and Arabic influences. Purandara Dasa, known as the father of Carnatic music, formulated the system commonly used for teaching. Venkatamakhin invented the melakarta system of raga classification, and Govindacharya expanded it into the sampurna raga scheme. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Carnatic music was patronised by local kings of the Kingdom of Mysore, Kingdom of Travancore, and Maratha rulers of Tanjore. During the late 19th century, Madras (now Chennai) emerged as the locus for Carnatic music.

Reader's Guide

Carnatic music is significant as one of the two main sub-genres of Indian classical music, with a continuous tradition rooted in ancient Hindu texts. Its emphasis on vocal music and the gāyaki (singing) style, even in instrumental performance, distinguishes it. The system is built on śruti (pitch), svara (notes), rāga (melodic formulae), and tala (rhythmic cycles), which form the foundation for both improvisation and composition. The kriti (or kirtanam) form, developed between the 14th and 20th centuries by composers such as Purandara Dasa and the Trinity of Carnatic music, is central. Telugu language predominates in its evolution. Carnatic music is usually performed by a small ensemble including a vocalist, violin, mridangam, and tambura, with other instruments like ghatam, kanjira, and veena. The greatest concentration of musicians is in Chennai, and festivals like the Madras Music Season are held worldwide. From the 20th century, Carnatic music gained popularity in Sri Lanka, particularly among Sri Lankan Tamils, and became a cultural marker, replacing Western classical music in many Jaffna college curricula by the mid-1930s.

Did You Know?

• The Samaveda is cited as a key foundation for Carnatic music.
• Carnatic music is usually performed by a small ensemble consisting of a principal performer (usually a vocalist), a melodic accompaniment (usually a violin), a rhythm accompaniment (usually a mridangam), and a tambura.
• In Sri Lanka, Carnatic music was historically derogatorily referred to as 'thosai kade music'.