Carnatic music, known as Karnāṭaka saṃgīta or Karnāṭaka saṅgītam in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. It is one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu texts and traditions, particularly the Samaveda. The other subgenre being Hindustani music, which emerged as a distinct form because of Persian or Islamic influences from Northern India. The main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in gāyaki (singing) style.
Thyagaraja, also known as Thyāgayya and in full as Kakarla Thyagabrahmam, was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his contemporaries, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Rama, many of which remain popular today, the most popular being "Nagumomu". Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis, which are often sung in programs in his honour, and Utsava Sampradaya Krithis, which are often sung to accompany temple rituals.
Muthuswami Dikshitar (Mudduswamy Dikshitar) (IAST: muttusvāmi dīkṣitar, 24 March 1776 – 21 October 1835), mononymously Dikshitar, was a South Indian poet, singer and veena player, and a composer of Indian classical music, who is considered one of the musical trinity of Carnatic music. Muthuswami Dikshitar was born on 24 March 1775 in Tiruvarur near Thanjavur, in what is now the state of Tamil Nadu in India, to a family that is traditionally traced back to Virinichipuram in the northern boundaries of the state.
Varṇam is a type of composition in the Carnatic music system that encapsulates the key features of a raga, and considered as a foundational element in the learning path. Varnams capture the essence of the ragam in terms of typical swara patterns used, vishesha prayogas, highlighting the main notes, etc. This forms the basis for creative presentation (manodharma) of the raga in the form of raga aalapana, kalpana swarams and neraval.
Syama Sastri or Shyama Shastri was a musician and composer of Carnatic music. He was the oldest among the Trinity of Carnatic music, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar being the other two.
Iravivarman Thampi, better known as Irayimman Thampi, was an Indian Carnatic musician, music composer and poet from the Kingdom of Travancore. He was a vocalist in the court of Swathi Thirunal. His compositions include the lullaby Omanathinkal Kidavo, one of the most popular lullabies in Malayalam.
Subbarama Dikshitar (1839–1906) was a Carnatic music composer. He was the grandson, and also the adopted son, of Baluswami Dikshitar, a brother of Muthuswami Dikshitar. He was an accomplished composer in his own right, but is more famous for his Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini, a book detailing the works of Muthuswami Dikshitar and a reference on many other Carnatic musical concepts.
Patnam Subramania Iyer was a composer and singer of Carnatic music. Subramaniya Iyer followed the traditions of the great composer Tyagaraja. He has left behind almost one hundred compositions.
Mayamalavagowla is a raga of Carnatic music. It is classified as 15th melakarta raga under Venkatamakhin's melakarta system. Originally known as malavagowla, "maya" was prefixed to it after the advent of the scheme of the 72 melas. The number 15 was assigned to it following the Katapayadi sankhya system. This is a morning raga.
The Vijayanagara musicological nonet or the Sangitashastra navaratna are a group of nine musicological treatises written during the reign of the Vijayanagara empire. These works are counted among the most important and definitive treatises in Carnatic music theory. Each of these works contributed seminally to the growth of the Carnatic music tradition. These nine works are the Sangitasara by the sage Vidyaranya, Taladipika by Salva Gopa Tippendra, Sangitakalanidhi by Kallinatha, Bhandaru Vittaleshwara's commentary on the Sangita Ratnakara, Bhandaru Lakshminarayana's Sangitasuryodaya, Achyutadevaraya's Talakalabdhi/Talakalavriddhi and the much celebrated Swaramelakalanidhi by Ramamatya.
The Thanjavur Maratha kingdom ruled by the Bhonsle dynasty was a principality of Tamil Nadu between the 17th and 19th centuries. Their native language was Thanjavur Marathi. Venkoji was the founder of the dynasty.
Saveri is a Carnatic music ragam. This raga is a janya of the 15th Melakarta raga Mayamalavagowla. This raga brings out karuna rasa, i.e. it brings mood of compassion.
Rai Raya Rai Venkata Rao, was an Indian administrator and statesman who served as Diwan of Travancore 1821–1829 and 1838–39. He was the father of R. Raghunatha Rao, brother of R. Ranga Rao and paternal uncle of Sir T. Madhava Rao.
Shri ragam is an ancient ragam in the Carnatic tradition. It is also written as Sri or Shree. This scale does not have all the seven swaras in the ascending scale. Shree is the asampurna melakartha equivalent of Kharaharapriya, the 22nd Melakarta rāgam. It is the last of the 5 Ghana rāgams of Carnatic music. It is a popular rāgam that is considered to be highly auspicious.
K. S. Narayanaswamy, was a Carnatic veena exponent of the Thanjavur style, in which nuances and subtleties are given more importance over rhythm based acrobatics. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1979.
K. P. Kittappa Pillai was the son of Sangita Kalanidhi K. Ponniah Pillai (1888-1945), a scion of the famous Tanjore Quartet, codifiers of the Bharatanatyam format.
Nata (nāṭa) is a rāgam in Carnatic music, sometimes spelled Nattai. It is a janya rāgam from the 36th melakarta scale Chalanata. It is a janya scale, as it does not have all the seven swaras in the descending scale. It is a combination of the sampurna raga scale Chalanata and the pentatonic scale Gambhiranata. It is an auspicious raga, which is mostly sung in the early part of the concert.
Ramaswami Dikshita or Dikshitar was a South Indian composer of Carnatic music and the father of Muthuswami Dikshitar. He was a member of the courts of Amarasimha and Tulaja II of Thanjavur.
Ragamalika, literally a garland of ragas, is a popular form of composition in Carnatic music where different segments of the composition are set to different ragas. It is also known as Raga Kadambakam, and forms parallel to the composition form talamalika which features segments set to different talas. Ragatalamalika are a special kind of ragamalika compositions featuring a range of talas. Navaragamalika is a popular type of ragamalika composition where the music is set to 9 ragas.
