20 February 2007 Tonya L Thompson Classical Music isn't just a Western phenomenon. In India, Carnatic Classical Music has been around for centuries. Here are some videos of Carnatic musicians in action!
The Veena is one of several instruments used in Carnatic Classical Music
South Indian Carnatic Classical music, like Western Classical music, has both a long history and a faithful following. In fact, Carnatic music is one of the oldest forms of music in the world. As one of the two types of Indian Classical musical forms (the other being Hindustani music), Carnatic hails from Southern India and can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries CE.
Focusing primarily on vocal arrangement, Carnatic music is highly technical. It does not use a symbolic note system similar to Western written music; rather, it uses a ‘Solfege’, which is a group of syllables that are used to distinguish notes to be played (reminiscent of our own ‘do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti’ pattern). This distinction is due to Carnatic music being primarily an oral music tradition, with songs being passed down through generations from Gurus (or teachers) to their students. Since the training for such pieces required an instructor to vocalize the syllables of the music, musicians were distinguished and recognized by their lineage of instruction. Certain famous composers would pass down their work to their students, and that work would remain solely with their students through several generations, making each piece played a sort of testament to one’s music education heritage.
Traditionally, musicians studying Carnatic music would live with their Gurus (teachers) in a system referred to as a Gurukul (which is a type of school). This tradition has since practically vanished in modern day India; however, students and their teachers are still closely bound to each other through their music.
A modern Carnatic concert is one of passion and audience participation. Audience members often keep rhythm with the performer, and requests are both encouraged and obliged.
Common instruments used in Carnatic music include:
The Veena
The veena is a stringed instrument, approximately four feet long, that is plucked. It is part of the lute family. The musician plays the instrument while seated cross-legged. There are four strings, which are tuned to the tonic and fifth, spanning two octaves.
In this video, Jayanthi Kumaresh, a disciple of the Carnatic GuruVeena S. Balachander, plays the veena. She is playing a piece from the Tanjore style, notable for its level of difficulty in performance.
The Mridangam
The mridangam is a double-sided percussion instrument, used as the main form of rhythm accompaniment in South Indian Carnatic music. In ancient Hindu beliefs, the mridangam was the instrument of many gods, and was often depicted alongside of them in artistic renderings. Because of this, it is referred to as the ‘Instrument of the Gods’. Other drums in Carnatic music include the ghatam, morsing and kanjira; however, the mridangam is most widely used.
In this video, Poovalur Sriji performs a live solo on the mridangam. He varies slightly from tradition by setting the instrument on a stand. Typically, the musician holds it in place by resting it on his/her leg and foot.
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