A Brief History Of Carnatic Music

Carnatic music vocal is one of the melodious classical music forms, especially it a name for an art form that claims to be a lineage stretching back over many centuries. But you can wonder what “Carnatic vocal” is; is it a separate form of music or an extended and modified version of “Karnatak music”? Well, it has nothing to do with the state of south India “Karnataka” or any other state of India.

Many people believe that the region of south vindhyas was referred to as “Karnataka”, and maybe that is one of the several reasons why the name Karnataka Sangita was given to the name for the music. At some Carnatic vocal lessons for beginners also tell the meaning of the word stands for the meaning “that which is very old” and many scholars have interpreted the meaning which derives from Karna which refers to “the ear” and Ata which refers “to haunt” or “that which haunts the ear”.

In the 13th century on a music work that appears in the period before the Sangita Ratnakara by Sarangadeva, it is said that there is only one stream of music across the whole of India. Even Kallinatha refers to the music of south India as the peace between the river Krishna and Kaveri in north and south respectively. There are many theories about the practices of Carnatic classical vocal, some were encouraging the art form of music imaginable, some interprets the story behind it, and some were telling the meaning behind it. In some places, the practitioner was overshadowing the theorists. Just like one of them, there was Purandara Dasa, who lived in Vijaynagar, and a year before the fateful battle of Talikota in 1565 he died. After he died people find his Carnatic music vocal scribbled on the copper plates which they converted to ragas.

However, on 17th-century Carnatic music vocal was being recognized by the people of India. In that time first tie parent scales or ragas were written and mathematically 72 of them were known as melakarta based on the variant of seven notes known as the Chaturdandi Prakashika written by Venkatamakhin. All the other ragas were now attached and are based on 72 parent ragas and their notes, and are known as Janya ragas.

Carnatic vocal at the time of 1800s was also being ceased by an entirely oral tradition with printed ragas and medium gaining ground. Music in this particular era was so healthy and refreshing with various communities spreading and contributing to its well-being. There were artists, vocalists, instrumentalists of various caste and culture but united through Carnatic vocal lessons. Many institutes nowadays were presenting Carnatic vocal music classes online to spread its positivity all around the world.  At that time people were dominated for various roles to perform like Brahmins among the vocalists, Isai Vellalar contributed for instrumentalists, and women singers for the devadasi community.

Today, Carnatic music vocal has survived in every aspect of challenges. New artists were added day by day and new labels were being released. The Carnatic vocal is still heard all over the world and has become an art sustained due to its charisma and the crowd-pulling capability by its performers. Many of the musicians have that charm and have dedicated their lives to it.