Carnatic Music

Carnatic music is the classical music of Southern India. The basic form is a monophonic song with improvised variations. There are 72 basic scales on the octave, and a rich variety of melodic motions. Both melodic and rhythmic structures are varied and compelling. This is one of the world's oldest & richest musical traditions. Spiritualism has been the key content of Carnatic music. The beautiful interweaving of the devotional element and aesthetics has made it ethereal and eternal.

The Carnatic Music grammar is based on Melakartha Raga System prior to which music grammar prevailed based on works of scholars such as Saranga Deva and Bharatha. Venkatamaki introduced Melakartha in AD 1620 during the rule of Nayakas in Thanjur. Purandaradasa (AD 1484 - 1564) of Karnataka State is known as the "Father of Carnatic Music". He introduced the basic music learning process based on Mayamalavagoula Raga.

Trinity of Carnatic Music system: Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Tyagaraja, Shyama Sastry

Many eminent composers have enriched traditional Carnatic music. One of its greatest composers was Thyagaraja, who is regarded by many as a saint. Besides him, Muthuswami Deekshithar and Shyama Shastri are the other two composers who constitute the three pillars of Carnatic music. They enriched Carnatic music with compositions in their individual styles and it is their compositions that yet constitute the core of the concert repertoire. In Carnatic music, all the South Indian languages such as Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam, have been used prolifically, in addition to the ancient classical Indian language, Sanskrit. Occasionally, songs in more northern languages like Marathi, Hindi and Braj have been incorporated into Carnatic music