Carnatic music
Carnatic Music
Concepts
Sruti • Swara • Raga • Tala • Melakarta
Compositions
Varnam • Kriti • Geetham • Swarajati •
Ragam Thanam Pallavi • Thillana
Instruments
Veena • Mridangam • Ghatam • Morsing •
Kanjira • Pullankuzhal • Violin • Tamboura
Composers
List of Carnatic composers
Carnatic music
(Sanskrit: Karnāṭaka
saṃgītaṃ) is a system of music commonly
associated with the southern part of the Indi-
an subcontinent, with its area roughly con-
fined to four modern states of India: Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
It is one of two main sub-genres of Indian
classical music that evolved from ancient
Hindu traditions; the other sub-genre being
Hindustani music, which emerged as a dis-
tinct form due to Persian and Islamic influ-
ences in North India. In contrast to Hindus-
tani music, 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 per-
formed in gāyaki (singing) style.
Although there are stylistic differences,
the basic elements of śruti (the relative mu-
sical pitch), swara (the musical sound of a
single note), rāga (the mode or melodic for-
mulæ), and tala (the rhythmic cycles) form
the foundation of improvisation and composi-
tion in both Carnatic and Hindustani music.
Although improvisation plays an important
role, Carnatic music is mainly sung through
compositions, especially the kriti
(or kir-
tanam); a form developed between the 16th
and 20th centuries by prominent composers,
such as Purandara Dasa and the Trinity of
Carnatic music.
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 the ghatam, kanjira, morsing,
veena & flute. The most outstanding perform-
ances, and the greatest concentra