Carnatic Music

Classical Indian Music has been regarded as the most theoretical of all the art forms because of it’s stimulating & enlivening blend of art as well as science :while the science of Indian Music stresses conformity, discipline & acoustic accuracy, the beauty of the Indian classical music is the immense freedom that it allows performers to improvise. The historical roots of this tradition can be found in Bharatha’s “Natya Shastra’s (4the century BC) ,A treatise that presents a rich all encompassing cultural fabric of dance, music & drama; ever since then, the literature on Indian Classical music has evolved richly & dramatically:Indian Classical Music which is melodic in nature, is categorized under two genres, Hindustani, developed in Northern India & Carnatic Music which is indigenous to the south. Carnatic Music is considered one of the oldest systems of music in the world;It is imbued with emotion & spirit of improvisation while maintaining a scientific approach: The beauty of Indian classical music “lies in the smooth & wave like passage from one note to another”:the melody based music is filled with rhythm & delicate nuances and is embellished with unimposed grace

The Basic Concepts of Carnatic Music are :

Sruti (key or pitch )
Raga (melody)
Laya (Rhythm)
Sahitya (composition)

The notes of carnatic music are not usually fixed: they are much like the do re mi fa so la ti of western music: There is no absolute rule for selecting the base sruti in a concert & it depends only on the range of the artists voice or range of the instrument in an instrumental concert: the accompanying artists tune to this base sruti in order to perform in unisonal harmony The Sruthi or key is selected by the main artists and remains constant for the whole duration of the concert The raga is a form of melody and is the central concept in Indian classical music: the semantics that describe the raga are highly elaborate Rhythm or laya is an important facet of carnatic music & changes for each composition Songs are set to specific Taalam or beat (organization of beats according to predefined rules & speed) A composition of Carnatic music is a piece of measured music set in a particular raga & tala Most compositions are generally made up of three distinctly identifiable sections, pallavi, anu pallavi & charnam: each section of the composition leads the performer into structural sequences of progressive & complex melodic & rhythmic variations while providing ample scope of improvisation. Carnatic music is based on a system of ragas (melodic scales) & talas (rhythmic scales); there are seven rhythmic cycles & 72 fundamental ragas An elaborate scheme exists for identifying these scales known as Melakarta Ragas: Carnatic Music abounds in structures compositions in different ragas composed by great composers & handed down through generations of disciples

In a carnatic music vocal concert or a “Kutcheri”,a singer is always accompanied by a violinist & a mridangists or drummer ; the singer sits cross legged on the podium: a violinist who sits beside the singer normally provides constant accompaniment throughout a concert: the violin is placed firmly between foot & chest of the performer: this enables rapid hand movements that are necessary for the innumerable slides, oscillations & grace & that are so intrinsic to carnatic music: Although identical to the western violin and although it was imported into Indian classical music (possibly in the late 18th century) the adaptation of this instrument to the culture is so somplete and total that most Indians would naturally assume that instrument is indigenous The Mridangam is used to provide rhythmic accompaniment: it is a two headed barrel shaped drum: multiple layers of hide, strapped to tension by lather runners run over the body cover the two heads As you enter the hall for a performance, you will notice the main performer sitting in the middle; accompanists playing the Violin & Veena sit to the performer’s left & percussionists sits to the right of the performer: All performers sit on the stage without chairs & stools.