Report on Indian Carnatic Music

Carnatic music is one of the two types of classical music from India. Hindustani music is from the Northern part of India, and Carnatic music is from the Southern part. It is believed to have origins in divine gods. The two main elements are Sruti (the relative musical pitch) and layam (the rhythm). It is mainly based on improvisation. There are two forms of Indian songs, and have very unique notation and performances. The origin of all Indian music is said to have come from the gods. Saraswathi is the goddess of the arts, which includes music, and she is depicted with the veena, a very prominent Indian instrument. When other countries started to invade India, the Northern part of India adapted its music to include its Persian and Islamic influences, but the Southern part of India for the most part kept the traditional aspects of Indian music, therefore creating two very different kinds of music. The music can be traced back to very early ancient literature, including the Sama Veda, which set the foundation for one type of Indian song. They are also mentioned in the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Yajnavalkya Smriti also mentions music, saying “The one who is well versed in veena, one who has the knowledge of srutis and one who is adept in tala, attains salvation without doubt.” The origin of raga (Indian mode) was laid out by Purandara Dasa, known as the grandfather of Carnatic music. Venkatamahkin invented the melakarta raga system, and Govindacharya expanded the melakarta system into the sampoora raga system, which is the system used today. There are four elements to Indian music. The first is Sruti, or the musical pitch. The Sruti is the note from which all others are derived. There are twenty-two notes that falls within a raga (scale) that can be heard, but there are infinitely more that can be explored through the expression of the listener.
The next element is the Swara, which is a type of musical sound that is a single note.

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