What is Carnatic music?
Carnatic (Karnataka sangita) is the classical art music of South India. It is mostly vocal: even instruments like violin and veena try to "sing". Every performance stands on two pillars: raga (melody plan) and tala (time cycle). Songs are mostly in Telugu, Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada.
The oldest root is the Natya Shastra (credited to Bharata, written about 2,000 years ago). It explains swaras, 22 shrutis (fine pitch steps), early scale types (jatis), tala and the four families of instruments: string (tata), wind (sushira), skin drums (avanaddha) and solid (ghana). It also treats laya and percussion as part of drama.
Important texts in order
- Brihaddeshi (Matanga, about 9th century): first clear definition of raga; describes regional (deshi) music.
- Sangita Ratnakara (Sharngadeva, 13th century): a big summary of swara, raga, tala (including the old marga talas), instruments and dance. Both later streams quote it.
- Swaramelakalanidhi (Ramamatya, 1550): groups ragas under parent scales (melas), using the veena fretboard.
- Ragavibodha (Somanatha, 1609): explains melas and ragas, with notes on gamakas.
- Chaturdandi Prakasika (Venkatamakhi, 17th century): shows that 72 melas are possible and describes four pillars of music (gita, prabandha, thaya, alapa) and the suladi talas.
- Sangita Saramrita (King Tulaja of Thanjavur, 18th century): ragas with their lakshanas and phrases, as sung in his time.
- Sangita Sampradaya Pradarsini (Subbarama Dikshitar, 1904): printed notation of hundreds of songs, especially Dikshitar kritis, with signs for gamakas.
Composers who shaped the repertoire
- Annamacharya (15th century): thousands of Telugu songs (sankirtanas) to Lord Venkateswara.
- Purandara Dasa (1484–1564): called the father of Carnatic music (Sangita Pitamaha); created the graded lessons in Mayamalavagowla and many Kannada songs.
- Kshetrayya (17th century): Telugu padams, slow love songs used in dance.
- The Trinity (18th–19th century, all born in Tiruvarur):
- Tyagaraja (1767–1847): Telugu kritis full of devotion; group songs like the Pancharatna kritis.
- Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775–1835): Sanskrit kritis, slow and grand, with the signature "Guruguha".
- Syama Sastri (1762–1827): kritis and swarajatis, famous for tricky rhythms.
- Swati Tirunal (1813–1846): king of Travancore who composed in several languages.
- Gopalakrishna Bharati (19th century): Tamil songs and the musical story Nandanar Charitram.
- Patnam Subramania Iyer (1845–1902): famous varnams and kritis.
Great performers: voice, strings and percussion
Melody instruments
- Veena Dhanammal (1867–1938): veena player known for a soft, deep style; her family became a school of music and dance.
- Karaikudi Brothers (Subbarama and Sambasiva Iyer): veena duo who kept an old, pure style.
- Tirukodikaval Krishna Iyer (1857–1913) and Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu (1893–1964): violin masters who made the violin a solo Carnatic instrument.
- Kumbakonam Rajamanikkam Pillai: violinist famous as an accompanist.
Percussion (mridangam, kanjira)
- Narayanaswamy Appa and Azhagunambi Pillai (Thanjavur): early mridangam masters.
- Mamundiya Pillai (Pudukottai) and Dakshinamurti Pillai: kanjira and mridangam masters of the Pudukottai style.
- Palghat Mani Iyer (1912–1981) and Palani Subramania Pillai (1908–1962): 20th-century mridangam giants with different, much-loved styles.
The concert today
A modern kutcheri (concert) has a main singer or instrumentalist, a violin, a mridangam and often a ghatam or kanjira. It usually opens with a varnam, moves through kritis, has one big main piece with alapana, niraval and kalpana swaras, a percussion solo (tani avartanam), and ends with lighter songs and a mangalam.
Key formulas and definitions
- Two pillars: raga (melody) + tala (rhythm)
- Natya Shastra → Brihaddeshi → Sangita Ratnakara → Swaramelakalanidhi → Ragavibodha → Chaturdandi Prakasika → Sangita Saramrita → Sampradaya Pradarsini
- Trinity = Tyagaraja + Muthuswami Dikshitar + Syama Sastri
- Lesson ladder: sarali → janta → alankaram → geetam → swarajati → varnam → kriti
- 72 melakartas (Venkatamakhi)
Worked examples
1. Put these in time order: Chaturdandi Prakasika, Brihaddeshi, Sangita Ratnakara.
Brihaddeshi (about 9th century) → Sangita Ratnakara (13th century) → Chaturdandi Prakasika (17th century).
2. Why is Purandara Dasa called the father of Carnatic music?
He organised teaching into graded steps (sarali, janta, alankaram, geetam) in one raga, Mayamalavagowla, so beginners could learn in order. Teachers still use his system.
3. Which text first showed that 72 melas are possible, and who wrote it?
Chaturdandi Prakasika by Venkatamakhi (17th century).
4. Name the Trinity and one feature of each.
Tyagaraja: Telugu devotional kritis. Muthuswami Dikshitar: grand Sanskrit kritis with "Guruguha". Syama Sastri: kritis and swarajatis with tricky rhythms.
5. Why is Sangita Sampradaya Pradarsini (1904) so useful today?
It printed the notation of hundreds of compositions with gamaka signs, so we know how they were sung over a century ago.
Common mistakes
- Calling Purandara Dasa one of the Trinity. The Trinity came about 250 years after him.
- Thinking the 72 melakartas were all old ragas. Venkatamakhi worked them out by counting; many were filled in later.
- Mixing up authors: Sangita Ratnakara is by Sharngadeva, Brihaddeshi by Matanga, Chaturdandi Prakasika by Venkatamakhi.
- Saying Carnatic music is only from Karnataka. "Carnatic" refers to the South Indian tradition as a whole.