FAQ about Carnatic music
Though nobody knows the exact date of origin of Carnatic music, it is believed to have approximately originated around …………..
There is no single inventor for this great tradition. Several great masters, musicians, musicologists and scholars have contributed to giving shape to the present form of carnatic music.
Most songs rendered in the carnatic music repertoire are devotional in nature. However, some songs have romantic lyrics, while some also are patriotic in nature. A few songs deal with an assortment of abstract themes too.
There is no fixed period for mastering this art. However, dedicated practice for around a decade usually makes one into a musician of some standard.
Being an extremely refined and intricate art form, there is no end to learning. However, when one has control over all aspects of music including improvisational music, he / she can be said to have acquired a high level of proficiency.
In earlier days one only found Telugu and Sanskrit songs in Carnatic music. However, over time, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi and other languages has also entered the portals of Carnatic music.
Tyagaraja, Syama Sastry and Muttuswamy Dikshithar are widely regarded to be the musical trinity.
Though many sets of composers are regarded as the Tamil trinity, the most widely accepted triumvirate are:
Though no composers of yore can be called the female trinity, 3 great singers who came to be revered as this triumvirate are Smt. M. S. Subbulakshmi, Smt. M. L. Vasantha kumari and Smt. D. K. Pattammal.
It is both. Since there are several rules to be followed, many formulae that can be applied and many mathematical calculations to be executed, it is considered a science. On the other hand, since a great deal of importance is given to the artist's ability to imagine, embellish and beautify the music, it is considered an art.
There are innumerable ragas. However there are 72 janaka ragas (parent scales) that give rise to the scores of janya (derivative) ragas and thus form the bedrock of the raga system.
Carnatic music follows multiple tala system and each system has different number of taalaas. however, at a basic level, it is sufficient to understand the 35 taala system.
The literal meaning of sruthi is pitch. it is the melodic base for music. The songs rendered always have to be aligned to the sruthi.
Layam means rhythm. It is important to render all songs in accordance with layam and at the appropriate tempo.
It is said " sruthi maatha- lay pithaa" -sruthi is the mother and layam is the father. This is sufficient to indicate that a concert that does not adhere to sruthi and layam are considered to be one of inferior quality.
In general, Carnatic concerts are not pre rehearsed, except in exceptional cases.
There is no fixed duration for a Carnatic music recital. However, in earlier days concerts were around 5 hours long. Today we find that concerts range from 30 min to 4 hours.
Tukda-s are the lighter pieces rendered toward the end of the concert. They are sung/played after the "main piece".
Loosely translated, Baani means an established way or style of singing. It is a tradition handed down by the great masters and followed by subsequent generations of musicians.
These words are not part of the music, nor are the pre rehearsed. They are words uttered as a spontaneous reaction to the scintillating music of the members of the concert team. It reflects the mutual respect and camaraderie shared by the artists.
These words have no meaning. They are mere syllables used in the improvisational portion of music.
The larger the repertoire, the better it is. However, it is suggested that 1 masters a few hundred compositions before attempting concert music.
Though there is no fixed number, usually a full length 3 hour concert may have around 10-12 pieces. This includes various musical forms such as "Varnam", “Kruthi”, " thillana" etc.
A typical concert is a complex matrix of several elements. Broadly speaking the concert is meant to expose the expertise of the artist in both improvisational and pre - composed music. The recital begins with a brisk "Varnam". A few compositions are then rendered, paving the way for the "main piece". The concert is usually wound up with a "thillana".
The elders have prescribed the dos and donts for planning a concert. However, the artist is encouraged and allowed to make changes in this layout, without breaking basic rules.
Violin, Mrudangam, Kanjira, Morsing and Ghatam are the usual accompanists. However, only a few concerts use ALL the mentioned in a concert.
While accompanists are not mandatory for classes and practice sessions, concerts always have a main artist along with his/ her accompanists.
Usually the violinist and the mrudangist are the compulsory accompanists. Other instruments such as Morsing, Kanjira, Ghatam, Manual acoustic Tambura etc. are optional.
The Violinist provides vital melodic accompaniment. He bolsters the vocalist's voice and plays solo passages and appointed junctures during the concert.
The Mrudangist provides the all essential rhythmic accompaniment. The rhythm plays a very important role in the concert and it is important the repercussion is both pleasing and commanding.
In an ideal concert one should give equal importance to pre composed music and improvisational music. The songs themselves are pre composed, while the embellishments for the songs are impromptu. However the amount of improvisational music in a concert depends largely on the artist's skill and taste.
Usually the artist decides the major pieces to be rendered, before hand. However, in certain situations the entire plan may get changed on stage. This may be to cater to listener's requests or to accommodate any shortcomings in the musician's form on stage on that particular occasion.
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