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| The Trinity of Carnatic Music |
Southern India has its own classical music style distinct from Northern India, called Carnatic music. It was likely either named after the location Karnatakam, or the Sanskrit term Karnātaka Sangītam, which refers to traditional music. Starting in the 12th century AD, the music of Northern India, Hindustani music, saw influences from Persia and central Asia, while Carnatic music did not. They continued to diverge, and by the 16th century AD, Saint Purandara Dasa, often considered the “father of Carnatic music,” had composed thousands of devotional songs and solidified the traits of this classical music style.
Bhāva is extremely important–the expression of thoughts and emotions. This blends together with bhakti, devotion, to create stories in the lyrics, both expressing one’s human feelings and addressing a Hindu deity. These requirements are rooted in Carnatic music being a ritual of early Hinduism. The world around them was incorporated into the music, either associating a deity with a specific instrument, or believing that each pitch originated from an animal sound. Modern composers of Carnatic music still stick to these core ideas.
Key Traits
The pillars of Carnatic music are shruti (pitch), raga (melody), and tala (rhythm). These concepts are likely familiar to those who know Western music, but there is an extra layer to raga that is unique to Indian classical music. Raga, being melody, can also be interpreted as the Western idea of a scale, or a collection of pitches. The most common scales are major and minor, often described as “happy” and “sad.” Likewise, each raga has its own feeling attached to it. However, missing from Western scales are gamakas. A gamaka is the oscillation of a certain swara (note). Presence or absence of a gamaka can change the feeling of a raga, and the same gamaka can have subtle differences and thus be interpreted differently across ragas. (It’s worth noting that gamakas are also used in Northern India’s Hindustani music, but are used much more extensively in Carnatic music.)
The closest Western approximation to a gamaka is vibrato. Vibrato is also the oscillation of a note, but it is not crucial in the conveying of musical ideas. It’s optional, seen more as something extra that adds more interest to a note. This is why gamakas set Carnatic music apart: they are truly built into each raga and are necessary to create meaning. Someone could play a major scale without vibrato, entirely with vibrato, or any combination, and it would still be seen as a major scale with some texture. However, each raga has specific gamakas that, without them, would not be the same raga. Simply, “if the personality of any raga is to be understood it cannot be without appraising the values of the gamakas which constitute it” (Ramachandran).
Classical Examples
English translation:
Oh! Lord of all things, colored red, on an ocean of mercy, sporting an ample belly. Oh Bestower of auspiciousness and son of Paarvati. You are worshipped by celestials like the devas, siddhas, and caranas. My obeisance to you, oh Siddhi Vinaayaka. You are hailed as the root of all arts.
This piece is just voice and the vina (plucked Indian lute), which really highlights all the intricacies of the malahari raga. The vina provides a stable drone in the background, and the tempo is not too fast. Her voice is softer, and the gamakas are light but plentiful. Culturally, the malahari raga is recognized as calm, and attached to the rainy season. I could picture the vina acting as the ambient, windy sounds of rain, and each gamaka mimicking the falling of raindrops.
The shanmukhapriya raga is the complete opposite. The gamakas are not sung as loosely, lingering, and wavering–rather, they are very deliberate and rough. This raga is associated with the god of war, Murugan, and the destroyer, Shiva. This piece features melodies from both vocals and violin which complement each other wonderfully, and shows how gamakas can be used with instruments, too. The tempo and raga convey a sense of urgency, which is amplified once the steady beat played by the percussive mridangam and ghatam enters (towards the end of the video).
Modern Examples
For more listening, the artist PRI composes all of her songs in the Carnatic style. Both songs I chose to link here are excellent examples of her work in blending Carnatic music with modern pop. The roots of Carnatic music are not lost, even with the meaning of her lyrics. In the description for the video Kanna Varuvaayo? she states that it is “written in the perspective of a mother-child relationship, specifically referencing the Hindu deity Lord Krishna and his foster mother Yashodha” (PRI). And while I don’t know which ragas she chose, Kaveri has very delicate and gentle gamakas that, along with her soft voice, make for a soothing melody.
A rich history has created the distinct sound of Carnatic music. Forming a base from Hinduism, countless ragas, and the subtleties of both, it has certainly met the ideals of bhāva and bhakti.
Sources
“A Brief Introduction to Carnatic Music.” Carnaticstudent.org, https://www.carnaticstudent.org/resources/a-brief-introduction-to-carnatic-music. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
“Carnatic Music.” Lotus Music & Dance, https://www.lotusmusicanddance.org/carnatic-music. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
Chandramouli, Sreevidhya. “Srīgananātha (Gītam) - Performed by Sreevidhya Chandramouli.” YouTube, uploaded by Stacey Goodwin, 2 Nov. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RmZ0Bwtl2M. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
“Kanna Varuvaayo? | Official Lyric Video | PRI (feat. 2Flutes).” Uploaded by PRI, 26 Sep. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl2sFmuLES0. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
“Kaveri | Official Animated Lyric Video | PRI x Bak n 4th.” Uploaded by PRI, 14 July 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3kUP0bVxuQ. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
Ramachandran, N. S. “Gamaka Determines the Character of Each Raga in Vocal and Instrumental Music.” Carnaticstudent.org, https://www.carnaticstudent.org/gamaka-in-vocal-and-instrumental-music. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
Sairam, Aruna. “Amazing Carnatic Music | Raga Shanmukhapriya | Aruna Sairam | Music of India.” Uploaded by darbarfestival, 1 July 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spRQEectgB8&t=56s. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
“The Formation and Evolution of Carnatic Music.” Acharyanet, https://www.acharyanet.com/carnatic-music. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
The idea of raga is soooo interesting to me. I had never heard of that. But, it makes a ton of sense. I will have to do some more research on that. We talked about Hinduism in my religions of the world class. The book mentions that those who practice Hinduism often see music as a form of redemption or as a way to awake the divine presence with oneself. I think that makes a lot of sense now learning about ragas and gamakas. Great post! Thanks for the information, Stacey!
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