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Carnatic Music

Discover the intricate world of Carnatic Music, a classical art form originating in South India with a vibrant history dating back 5,000 years. Influenced by diverse cultures and kingdoms, this music tradition flourished under British rule, blending European instruments with traditional melodies. Dive into the essence of Raga and Tala, the musical principles that govern Carnatic compositions, reflecting deep emotions and cultural nuances. Embark on a journey through the colorful landscapes and diverse cultures of South India, where music and dance intertwine to create soul-stirring performances. Unveil the magic of Raga-mala paintings and the Melakarta system, showcasing the vast array of musical scales and compositions. Explore the rhythmic intricacies of Tala, the heartbeat of Carnatic music, as it weaves through time and space, captivating audiences worldwide. Come, immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Carnatic music and experience the cultural tapestry of South India.

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Carnatic Music

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  1. Carnatic Music Classical Music of South India

  2. India • Population: Over 1 billion • Area 1/3 of United States • 15 major languages and alphabets • Many regional dialects • 5,000 year history

  3. Influenced and Unique • Cut off from neighboring lands by ocean • Deserts • Impenetrable jungle • Major mountain ranges – highest in the world

  4. LONG History • Stone Age Evidence Found • 2500 BCE: Indus Valley Civilization • Birth of high culture • 1700 – 500 BCE:The Aryans • Invaders from Central Asia • Brought literature: The Vedas • Prototypes of Gods • Believed to be source of Indian classical music

  5. KINGDOMS 500 BCE – 1400 CE • Burgeoning of Hindiusm • Patronage of arts • NatyaSastra • Literature and sciences • Ramayana and Mahabarata written • Painting, sculpture, music (sound?)

  6. Saraswati: Hindu God • of music • (playing the veena)

  7. The Moghuls 1527 - 1867 • Muslim traders and warlords from Central Asia and Afghanistan • General Babur – 1527 Created powerful Moghul Dynasty which dominated until 1700s • Muslim • Lavish patrons of arts • Great cultural mixing – ragas, hybrid instruments

  8. British Colonization 1600s-1947 • Economic Exploitation and inherent racism • Also contributions: • Railways, communications infrastructure, universities (English) • Imported their own music- i.e. pianos and bands • Pax Britannica

  9. Golden Age of Carnatic Music • Flourished under British Rule (1700-1900) • 1920s- recording industry in India • 1930s movies with sound • Adapted European instruments into Carnatic music – i.e. violin, harmonium (portable reed organ) clarinet

  10. Recent Carnatic Music History • “Golden Age” – Late-18th and early-19th century • Three saint-poet-composers dominate • Best-known is Tyagaraja (1767-1847) • Very accessible songs • Noted female composers

  11. South India • Encompasses states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu • Occupies 19.31% of area of India

  12. Geography • Very diverse • Lies in peninsular Deccan Plateau • Bounded by Arabian Sea (West), Indian Ocean (South) and Bay of Bengal (East) • Two mountain ranges – Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats • Major rivers: Godavari, Krishna …

  13. Culture • Very diverse culture • Most speak one of five Dravidian Languages – • A number of dynastic kingdoms ruled over parts of South India • Most recently colonized by the British

  14. Carnatic Music • Roots in distant past • Courts, palaces, kingdoms, temples • Vivid imagery from sculpture, murals and miniature paintings • Actual sound and style?

  15. Oral Tradition • Cannot be frozen in time by transcription • Lives uniquely in each performance: • Particular day, particular hour, spontaneity of improvisation • Effect of recording technology?

  16. Dance • Very similar to classical music is music for South India’s dance traditions • Particularly bharatanatyam • Nattavangam – chanted rhythmic syllables (with dance) • Lyrics often repeated many times

  17. 2 Basic Concepts: Raga and Tala

  18. Raga • Melodic system/Musical personality • “That which colors the mind.” • No Western equivalent Definition • A collection of notes, a scale, intonation, ornaments, resting tones. It has particular musical characteristics and phrases that give it a distinct recognizable identity.

  19. More on Raga • Each raga has its own rules • Ornamentation • Changing notes • Learn a raga GRADUALLY. Over many years. • “Like getting to know a close friend.”

  20. Raga Continued • Connected with human emotions • 9 traditional rasa – “flavors” • Love, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, wonder, heroism, laughter, religious devotion (peacefulness) • Can be very powerful- magical properties • Causing rain, auspiciousness, charm snakes • Can be associated with deities, seasons, time of day

  21. Raga-mala • Genre of miniature paintings of raga • Viewers of painting hear raga • Listeners of raga imagine painting

  22. 1650? • Scene?

  23. Melakarta System • All ragas relate to a melakarta – a basic parent scale • Each melakarta scale has seven notes: • Sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, da ni • Sa is tonal center. Never changes! • Pa is the perfect fifth. Never changes! • Five of the seven notes change to form 72 possible scales!

  24. Hundreds of raga • Hundreds of raga in use • Some are popular, some are rare • Some are “major” some are “minor” • Some are simple some are complicated • Some are very old some are recent inventions • Raga are heart and soul of India’s music

  25. Tala • Organization of time in music • Tala: regularly recurring metric cycle • Spectrum of time in Indian thought • Fraction of a second • Yugahs – goelogical time periods

  26. Tala Continued • Theoretically there are hundreds of tala • Four dominate today • Most tala can be performed at a fast, medium or slow tempo • Differ from Western time signatures: accents occur in uneven groupings

  27. 3 Functioning Layers • Melodic Layer • Drone • Rhythm • Associated with particular instruments

  28. Melodic Layer • Two Parts: • Principal melodic soloist that dominates the ensemble • Usually voice. Can be violin, bamboo flute, veena.. • Melodic Accompanist who aids the soloist • Plays with vocalist • Echoes and supports improvisations • Plays solo improvisations

  29. Veena

  30. Drone • Holds one or two notes throughout a piece • Specialized drone instruments • Tambura: four-stringed plucked instrument tuned to tonal center and fifth • Purposeful Buzzing timbre • Sruti Box: Played with bellows • Today electronic synthesizer

  31. Tambur

  32. Sruti Box

  33. Rhythm/Percussion • Bedrock of the ensemble • Mridangam: principal percussion instrument • Ghatam: large clay pot • Kanjira: tambourine • Morsang: jaw’s harp

  34. Mridangam

  35. Drummer’s Art • Improvisatory style • Based on hundreds of memorized rhythm patterns and drum strokes • Art centers on drum strokes • Sollukattu – spoken syllables • Drummer is crucial!

  36. Gurukula System • Apprenticeship with guru • Very rigorous training

  37. Concert Song Forms • Start: Varnam • Continues: Kriti • Main Item: Often a Kriti • End: More relaxed atmosphere • Devotional music

  38. Kriti • Made up of numerous sections • i.e. • Alapana • Tanam • Kriti “Sarasiruha” • Kalpanasvaras 1 & 2 • Taniavartanam • Kriti (return and close)

  39. Alapana • First section of a performance • Free-flowing exposition and exploration of the raga of the kriti • Voice/instrument and drone background • Nonmetrical(no regular beat/tala) • Has general plan • Slow, low  high, fast  slow, low

  40. Tanam • Highly-rhythmic exposition of the raga • Improvised • No tala cycles but strong sense of beat • Like Alapana trace from low to high in graduated steps and back down again.

  41. Kriti • The major song form of the concert • May be short or very long • Very flexible structure • Sung or not, the words influence the performance

  42. KalpanaSvaras • Improvised section • At the end of or after a kriti • Singer sings names of notes! • Returns to phrase from kriti as home base (idam) • First short simple improvisations • Then longer and more complex

  43. TaniAvartanam • Improvised and precomposed rhythmic solo • By mridangam • Conclusion of the main item in a concert • Can be 10/15 minutes or more • Displays his skills and imagination • Ends on korvai – big pattern repeated three times • Leads back into kriti phrase

  44. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI9RJbljBLwRohan Krishnamurthy video • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLA58vT-FI0&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL91F824B8ECE3D33CVeena Master • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBwAV8urkvwShruti Box • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxPwJ93aWcI With Tampura

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