A Note on Carnatic Music and the developments it has seen over the years

It is said that music is the only way to run away without leaving home. India is the land of various genres of music, owing to its diverse culture and ethnicity. One of the most incredible music genres is Carnatic music. It is also known as Karnataka Samgita or Karnataka Sangitam.

It primarily traces its roots from the south part of India including the modern states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. It also has historical proximity to Sri Lankan music. Carnatic music is considered as one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music that is said to have originated from ancient Hindu traditions. The main focus of Carnatic music is on vocal music.

Some are accompanied by musical instruments. Carnatic music is expected to be presented in gayaki (singing style). The beauty of Carnatic music is unparallel. It is used performed by a small ensemble of mellifluous musicians, with each member having to play a pre-determined part.

The group consists of a principal performer, which is mostly the vocalist, punctuated by a melodic accompaniment, a rhythm accompaniment, and a special musical instrument called tambura (tanpura), which monitors the overall performance. Carnatic music is most pervasive in the city of Chennai (the capital of Tamil Nadu). A number of music concerts of Carnatic music are held across the globe and are loved by millions.

Characteristics of Carnatic Music

Carnatic music is usually performed in small groups, usually led by a vocalist who gets support from a string instrument (in most cases tanpura or veena). The rhythm of the music comes from a specialised hand drum, in the form of mridangam and ghatam clay pot, which added an eccentric note to the music.

A tanpura effuses a background drone, which monitors the entire flow of the music. Carnatic music is primarily concerned with song compositions. Also, the musicians have to gain substantial knowledge about melody and vocabulary, so as to perform the same with poise finesse.

Carnatic music is known for its depiction of divinity and devotion. Eloquence and pronunciations of lyrics play a pivotal role in this genre of music. Even the instrumentalists tend to study the lyrical meaning of songs they play. There are a number of factors that creates a synergy of melody, which is refreshing to the ears.

It need not necessarily make sense to you. You just need to be open-minded and non-judgemental about the sounds you hear. Carnatic music also has the two main pillars of Hindustani Music, which are the raga, the modes or melodic formula and tala, the rhythmic cycle.

Elements of Carnatic Music
Sruti

Sruti is the path in which music transcends. It can be referred to as the close cousin of tone, of Western Music. It helps to navigate the sense of graded pitches in an octave.

Though there are a plethora of sounds falling in a scale of raga in Carnatic Music, the number that has been differentiated by auditory perception is twelve. On a superficial level, Sruti is an expression in the listener’s mind.

Swara

Swara is nothing but a single note musical sound that explains a relatively lower or higher position of a note, rather than a defined frequency. Swara consists of seven notes in Carnatic music, namely “sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, da, ni”.

These are essentially the shorter versions of shadja, rishabha, gandhara, madhyama, panchama, dhaivata and nishada. There usually exists only one variant of each note on a scale of raga.

Raga

Raga tends to harness the melody of Carnatic music, drawing a close resemblance with the concept of mode in Western Music. It is a pathway of the rules of movement of the notes, either ascending (aarohonam) or descending (avarohanam).

In this effect, close observation of the obligatory musical events must be made, either absolutely or in a specific sequence. In Carnatic music, the entire raga is classified into melakarta , which gathers them according to the notes they have. There exists seventy-two melakarta ragas, thirty-six of whose madhyama is shuddha.

Tala

Tala is the time cycle or beats cycle of a particular tune, that is created for a particular composition. It is essentially the process of the grouping of beats. The tala is required to be uniformly maintained throughout the song, so as to uphold the exact melody of the tune.

They are mostly set at equal intervals throughout the song with a defined number of beats. Singers keep track of the talas by moving their hands in a particular pattern and using their fingers simultaneously. Tala has three basic parts, namely laghu, dhrtam and anudhrtam. Tala is of utmost importance in Carnatic Music as it helps to set the genre apart from Hindustani Classical.

Origin

Carnatic music is known to trace its roots to the prehistoric times. Musical instruments constituted an important and favourite subject among painters and authors of ancient times.

They were viewed as the basis of creative elaboration and self-expression. Carnatic music loosely translates to “traditional” or “codified music”.

In Carnatic music, the usage of many South Indian languages, such as Tamil, Telegu, Kannada and Malayalam have been witnessed. Hence Carnatic music encompasses the entire South Indian tradition and cultural heritage in a musically intricate manner, which is definitely something to be proud of.

Conclusion

Carnatic music has never been rigid with the ethos of its traditions of music. It is constantly evolving so as to enhance its global reach. With various music festivals featuring Carnatic music performances held across the world, this genre has definitely garnered notable appreciation and applause from audiences across the globe.

The generation of metal and rock music is definitely being intrigued by the richness and complexity of this genre of Carnatic music, which is definitely making their heads turn. Carnatic music is being able to foster a modern outlook in the field of art and music, while preserving the past glories. It is definitely music to our ears!