CONCEPT – CARNATIC MUSIC

Excellent study material for all civil services aspirants - begin learning - Kar ke dikhayenge!

CONCEPT – CARNATIC MUSIC

---

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

---

• Karnatak music (Carnatic music): It is a music of southern India (south of the city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh) that evolved from ancient Hindu traditions and was relatively unaffected by the Arab / Iranian influences that came into India after the 12th c.
• How is it different? In contrast to northern styles, it is more thoroughly oriented to the voice. Even when instruments are used alone, they are played somewhat in imitation of singing, and with embellishments that are characteristic of vocal music. Fewer instruments are used in Karnatak than in northern Indian music, and there are no exclusively instrumental forms.
• From where? Like other art forms in Indian culture, Indian classical music is believed to be a divine art form which originated from the Devas and Devis and is as symbolic of nāda brāhman.
• The basic principles of raga and tala: Raga is a melody type, and tala is a cyclical rhythmic pattern. These are same in north and south, with a different set. Karnatak music, with its more homogeneous Indian tradition, has evolved far more orderly and uniform systems for the classification of ragas and talas. The kriti or kirtana are complex devotional songs by composers from the 16th through the 20th centuries, particularly the so-called “trinity” of great composers – Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri.
• What is common? Despite the stylistic differences, the basic elements of śruti (the relative musical pitch), swara (the musical sound of a single note), rāga (the mode or melodic formulæ), and tala (the rhythmic cycles) form the foundation of improvisation and composition in both Carnatic and Hindustani music.
• Where today? The chief centres for present-day Karnatak music include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala. Chennai has been a centre of this art.
• Father figure: Shri Purandara Dasa (1480–1564) is referred to as the Pitamaha (the father or grandfather) of Carnatic music as he formulated the basic lessons in teaching Carnatic music. He structured graded exercises known as Swaravalis and Alankaras.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

---

Join UPSC Self Prep course | Online Course (PT Gurukul)  | Covid Special Course | Join PT courses

* Content sourced from free internet sources (publications, PIB site, international sites, etc.). Take your own subscriptions. Copyrights acknowledged.