How Indian classical music got divided into Hindustani and Carnatic
3 months, 1 week ago

How Indian classical music got divided into Hindustani and Carnatic

The Hindu  

Day 5 of the Academic Sessions at The Music Academy featured an interesting panel discussion with Pantula Rama, Subhashini Parthasarathy, and vidwan M.A. The session opened with Pantula Rama exploring the evolution of Indian classical music and the eventual division into Carnatic and Hindustani traditions. Ramanathan’s research also highlighted differences in oscillatory techniques, with Carnatic music carrying a lot of swaras in an oscillation of one note. He argued that this reflects how listeners are conditioned and suggested that while Carnatic music can draw inspiration from Hindustani traditions, its distinctiveness must remain intact. He also pointed out an interesting fact that Carnatic music has not reduced Hindustani ragas to mere scales but has preserved their essence through phrase-based adaptations.

Music Carnatic Music Carnatic Rama Hindustani Hindustani Music Subhashini Prati Madhyamam Muthuswami Dikshitar Madhyamam Desiya  divided  rama  traditions  madhyamam  ragas  classical  prati  music  indian  carnatic  hindustani  compositions  shuddha

History of this topic

Harmonies Redefined–The Trailblazers series: The Soulful Melody–Bombay Jayashri
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Harmonies Redefined–The Trailblazers series: The Soulful Melody–Bombay Jayashri

Hindustan Times  

In the enchanting world of Indian classical music, where each note resonates with centuries of tradition and emotion, Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri stands as a beacon of artistry and dedication. Throughout her illustrious career, Jayashri’s interactions with other artistes have been pivotal in shaping her musical journey, enriching her understanding of music and deepening her appreciation for its transformative power. …

T.M. Krishna conferred Sangita Kalanidhi title
2 months, 4 weeks ago

T.M. Krishna conferred Sangita Kalanidhi title

The Hindu  

Renowned Carnatic musician T.M. Krishna was conferred the title of Sangita Kalanidhi 2024 by Professor David Shulman, Chair, Renee Lang Professor of Humanistic Studies, and former professor of Indian Studies and Comparative Religion, Hebrew University, Jerusalem at the 98th conference and concerts — Sadas, the traditional oriental convocation — of The Music Academy in Chennai on Wednesday. Speaking at the …

T.M. Krishna: Standing Ovation for the Sangita Kalanidhi’s Concert a Turning Point in Carnatic Music History
3 months ago

T.M. Krishna: Standing Ovation for the Sangita Kalanidhi’s Concert a Turning Point in Carnatic Music History

The Hindu  

Published : Dec 28, 2024 19:52 IST - 8 MINS READ When T.M. Krishna received a standing ovation from an overflowing audience at the Music Academy on a bright Christmas morning this year, it marked a momentous point in his musical journey and, indeed, in the history of Carnatic music and the cultural history of South India. Here was a …

The divide in Carnatic music balancing tradition, bhakti and modernity in Margazhi 2024
3 months ago

The divide in Carnatic music balancing tradition, bhakti and modernity in Margazhi 2024

New Indian Express  

To put it simply, bhakti is devotion, but to scale it up, it is devotion for realising an abstraction: that may be either known or unknown. The musical compositions of the trinity that are considered holy grail for Carnatic are also soaked in bhakti.” But is bhakti even relevant now especially since we are living in urban cities; our lifestyle …

Mumbai’s tryst with classical music
3 months, 1 week ago

Mumbai’s tryst with classical music

Hindustan Times  

In September 1952, the 15-year-old All India Radio got into a spot of trouble with some musical greats. Dadar was home to some of the leading vocalists of Hindustani classical music such as Vidushi Kesarbai Kerkar, Pandit Sharadchandra Arolkar, Vidushi Prabha Atre, Pandit Yeshwantbuwa Joshi and Pandit Jasraj, among others. A storied historyThe history of Hindustani Classical music and Mumbai …

I am the connecting link between two generations
3 months, 1 week ago

I am the connecting link between two generations

The Hindu  

As I enter the 80th year of my musical career, I look back at the many dimensions of Carnatic music that has left an indelible impression on me. Today, 9 a.m.: Bangalore Brothers; 11.45 a.m.: J. Yoga Kirtana; 1.30 p.m.: Ananya Ashok; 4 p.m.: Madurai T.N.S. Vittaldas Jayakrishna Dikshitar’s Maha Bhaktha Vijayam at 7 a.m.; Malladi Brothers’ vocal concert at …

Articulating cadences, notes
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Articulating cadences, notes

New Indian Express  

CHENNAI: For many, Carnatic music is a comforting presence — the sound of a morning raga filling the house, the joy of concerts during Margazhi, or the familiar lyrics of a timeless kriti. For Vishakha Hari, Carnatic music’s magic lies in its power to unite — transcending barriers of caste, religion, and creed, touching hearts in ways words often cannot. …

Renowned Violinist and Music Scholar Akella Mallikarjuna Sharma Passes Away
5 months ago

Renowned Violinist and Music Scholar Akella Mallikarjuna Sharma Passes Away

The Hindu  

The passing of celebrated violinist and musicologist Akella Mallikarjuna Sharma leaves an irreplaceable void in the world of Carnatic music. Known for his skillful accompaniment to renowned vocalists, Sharma's contributions to the revival and exploration of Prastara Tala have enriched the field with new insights and perspectives. His dedication to excellence and commitment to purity have inspired countless musicians and …

Want to master different aspects of Carnatic music? Listen to the stalwarts
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Want to master different aspects of Carnatic music? Listen to the stalwarts

The Hindu  

Carnatic music students are often told to listen to yesteryear masters, in order to develop and finetune their art. Madurai Mani Iyer’s music appeared deceptively easy though. Ragas had quasi owners too, by the sheen engineered by some performers — Maharajapuram school came to be renowned for Arabhi and Mukhari; Semmangudi for Varali and Nilambari; and Ramnad Krishnan for Sahana …

A peek into maestro S. Ramanathan’s life and music
11 months, 2 weeks ago

A peek into maestro S. Ramanathan’s life and music

The Hindu  

By catching talents young and nurturing their skills in groups, S. Ramanathan adhered to the Suzuki method of education that earned Carnatic music eminent practitioners of varying styles, according to the late musician’s granddaughter and vocalist S. Sucharithra. Letting his students choose their tuition time on a first-come-first-serve basis at his Chennai home, the pedagogy was a classic instance of …

The Carnatic wars
1 year ago

The Carnatic wars

The Hindu  

Published : Mar 29, 2024 11:40 IST - 7 MINS READ The Sangita Kalanidhi is a coveted award given annually by The Music Academy, Chennai, to a Carnatic musician. This set off a string of protests in the Carnatic music community, with prominent musicians withdrawing from the year’s conference since it will be presided over by a person they accuse …

Letters to The Editor — March 27, 2024
1 year ago

Letters to The Editor — March 27, 2024

The Hindu  

Ceasefire call With the United Nations Security Council passing the resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza during Ramzan, one hopes for an end to the bloodshed and for greater sense to prevail. J. Radhakrishna Kurup, Ettumanoor, Kottayam, Kerala Though silent on the culpability of Hamas for the dastardly attack on Israel on October 7, triggering immense suffering for Palestinians, the …

A dissonant chord in the world of Carnatic music
1 year ago

A dissonant chord in the world of Carnatic music

The Hindu  

Krishna, the stormy petrel of Carnatic music, and this year’s winner of The Music Academy, Madras’s prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi award, is an ardent artiste and an avid activist. Vidwan N. Ravikiran, recipient of the Sangita Kalanidhi in 2017 announced that he would return the award as Mr. Krishna was ‘trying to polarise and destabilise Indian classical music’. In a letter …

Playing the same Carnatic tunes for 100 years
1 year, 2 months ago

Playing the same Carnatic tunes for 100 years

Live Mint  

"I have never heard this song before,” an elderly audience member told me right after my recent concert in Bengaluru. “While audiences may enjoy a song or two by new composers in a concert, how would they respond to many songs by an unfamiliar composer,” Arkay Ramakrishnan, art connoisseur and concert organiser, asks rhetorically. “How we talk about composers is …

When Carnatic music is in the air in Chennai
1 year, 2 months ago

When Carnatic music is in the air in Chennai

Hindustan Times  

Yet another edition of Chennai’s Carnatic music season has come to an end. The rebels of the Academy saw a Brahmin bias in the preference for the Carnatic music trinity, as Thyagaraja, Dikshitar and Sastri are collectively referred to. The number of those abandoning promising professional careers in the US and Europe to be a part of the Carnatic music …

Get ready for a rare jugalbandi — between AI and Indian classical music
1 year, 5 months ago

Get ready for a rare jugalbandi — between AI and Indian classical music

The Hindu  

With Artificial intelligence being the current buzz, a lec-dem titled ‘Music appreciation and technology’ drew up in the mind visions of the performing arts in the near future. Delivered by Kaustuv Kanti Ganguli recently at the Indian Music Experience museum in Bengaluru, the lec-dem’s topic was not just relevant but also crucial to understand. A neutral observer would probably wonder …

On that Note: Sanjay Subrahmanyan presents engaging stories about Carnatic music in an effortless manner
3 years, 8 months ago

On that Note: Sanjay Subrahmanyan presents engaging stories about Carnatic music in an effortless manner

Firstpost  

What would be an ethnographer’s delight, the socio-cultural history that On that Note explores is not projected deliberately. Why are so many sessions of the “Annual Conference” at the Music Academy — with each year including centenary celebrations of at least one musician — unabashedly hagiographical and little Kathakalakshepams on their own? Sanjay’s stories are very much for the insider, …

SP Balasubrahmanyam was a lesson in decoding tradition while keeping with the times
4 years, 6 months ago

SP Balasubrahmanyam was a lesson in decoding tradition while keeping with the times

Firstpost  

He may have voiced a music teacher in Sankarabharnam and a dancer in Salangai Oli, but inadvertently, SPB set me on a path that traversed Indian and Western music. Film music can often be easier on the untrained ears than classical vocals, yet with SP Balasubrahmanyam it was like a subliminal lesson in decoding tradition while keeping with the times. …

When classical music meets cinema
4 years, 7 months ago

When classical music meets cinema

The Hindu  

For this generation, K.L. The news of Chaitanya Tamhane’s Marathi film, The Disciple, being selected for the Venice International Film Festival and Anand Tiwari’s Bandish Bandits dropping on an OTT platform have brought classical music back into popular culture. Bharat Bhushan, who featured in many musicals including Baiju Bawra, Basant Bahar, Sangeet Samrat Tansen, and Sohrab Modi’s Mirza Ghalib, was …

12-hour Carnatic concert held in city for the first time
5 years, 2 months ago

12-hour Carnatic concert held in city for the first time

The Hindu  

Held for the first time in the city, Mumbai Margazhi Mahotsavam enthralled a packed auditorium in St. Andrew’s College with Carnatic music for 12 hours over cups of hot filter coffee. Conceived and produced by Banyan Tree Events, the festival featured renowned Carnatic musicians and artistes like K.M. “The festival would have given the listeners a comprehensive idea of Carnatic …

Looking back, looking ahead
5 years, 7 months ago

Looking back, looking ahead

The Hindu  

KRISHNA's musical journey can be mapped as past and post. They were an enlightened family: back then, my grandmother went to boarding school in Chennai, my mother was a student of literature who did her master’s in music. If Carnatic music is tagged with “classical”, I have a problem. Once, one mami asked me: “But why do you talk, you …

Sid Sriram on his upcoming album Entropy, traversing through the worlds of Carnatic, film music
6 years, 3 months ago

Sid Sriram on his upcoming album Entropy, traversing through the worlds of Carnatic, film music

Firstpost  

From Kanye West to Carnatic music and everything in between, Sid Sriram comes across as the best current example of a fearless singer, composer and producer. At the moment, he’s enjoying at least three worlds – the South Indian film music industry, Carnatic music concerts and a major push for his solo material. In the last two years of establishing …

Fr Poovathingal believes that the universality of Carnatic music is extremely important.
6 years, 4 months ago

Fr Poovathingal believes that the universality of Carnatic music is extremely important.

The Hindu  

Father Paul Poovathingal of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate is known as the Singing Priest from Thrissur. When you listen to a Carnatic music concert, you’ll be lifted to a different world, both spiritually and aesthetically,” he says. Poovathingal points out that for him singing popular kirtanas of Carnatic music, which praise gods of the Hindu pantheon, is just like …

Don't shun Indian classical music just because you don't understand it: Musician Vidya Shah
6 years, 7 months ago

Don't shun Indian classical music just because you don't understand it: Musician Vidya Shah

The Quint  

By Siddhi Jain New Delhi, Aug 29 The nuances and technicalities of Indian classical music are sometimes hyped and do not take away the emotional impact it has on a listener, says noted vocalist-composer Vidya Shah, urging people not to shy away from appreciating it just because they may not immediately understand it. "It's sheer ecstasy, bliss, and a different …

On a musical sojourn
6 years, 9 months ago

On a musical sojourn

Deccan Chronicle  

Ashrita D’Souza, who recently performed at the World Music Day celebrations in Hyderabad along with several of her young students, has travelled around the world seeking knowledge to perfect her singing voice. Says Ashrita, “My childhood days were spent in New Delhi learning Hindustani classical music from my mother Mansi Arockiam. Rahman and learnt Western classical singing for about a …

Pandit Mukul Shivputra discusses life’s losses and gains and their impact on his music
6 years, 10 months ago

Pandit Mukul Shivputra discusses life’s losses and gains and their impact on his music

The Hindu  

Last month, eminent vocalist of the Gwalior gharana, Pandit Mukul Shivputra, toured South India with six concerts at Belagavi, Dharwad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mysuru. My afternoons were in the company of my guru, Sri M. D. Ramanathan, in whose house I learnt to appreciate and sing Carnatic music and when I’d be home, I’d be consciously notating whatever I learnt… …

Music's soothing touch in conflict-ridden world: VP M Venkaiah Naidu
7 years ago

Music's soothing touch in conflict-ridden world: VP M Venkaiah Naidu

Deccan Chronicle  

CHENNAI: Asserting that Indian classical music is a treasure trove of a rich legacy we have collectively inherited, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said music is capable of providing the “much needed soothing touch” in a “conflict-ridden world.” “In our increasingly conflict-ridden world, music can provide the much needed soothing touch. Indian classical music especially Carnatic music, has woven noble …

Ragas with the maestros
7 years, 1 month ago

Ragas with the maestros

Deccan Chronicle  

Devoting sheer reverence to ragas; Indian classical music maestros Padmabhushan Pandit Rajan and Pandit Sajan Misra’s musical voyage has transcended fleeting trends and stood the test of time. As part of Bhairav Se Bhairavi Tak, their world tour, which will see them perform live in the city as well, the renowned musicians let us in on the traditional they are …

Understanding the cult of Sanjay Subrahmanyan, reigning superstar of Carnatic music
7 years, 2 months ago

Understanding the cult of Sanjay Subrahmanyan, reigning superstar of Carnatic music

Firstpost  

Whenever a Rajinikanth movie releases in Tamil Nadu, thousands of his fans watch it every day, sometimes back-to-back, often at the same theatre. Replace the Rajini movie with a Carnatic music concert and scale down the obsessive fan-base to a few hundred, or a thousand people, and you get another cult: The cult of Sanjay Subrahmanyan, the reigning superstar of …

Unity in diversity
7 years, 10 months ago

Unity in diversity

The Hindu  

The Sangeet Natak Akademi recently organised a two-day workshop on Carnatic music conducted by eminent vocalist Dr Radha Bhaskar. Carnatic music relied heavily on presentation through compositions while Hindustani music developed a distinct instrumental style and differences in gayeki that Carnatic music was not subject to. Purandara Dasa in the late 15th Century formulated a lot of the technique of …

A sound bridge
8 years ago

A sound bridge

The Hindu  

Hailed as one of the finest flute players in the world today, the talented Shashank Subramanyam presents Carnatic music in a most appealing way so even an ear not attuned to the Carnatic style finds it palatable. From 2003, I have been learning from Pandit Jasraj as I have always enjoyed and admired North Indian classical music. I have enjoyed …

The voice that binds
8 years, 5 months ago

The voice that binds

The Hindu  

Celebrated Carnatic vocalist Vidushi Aruna Sairam was in Kolkata recently to participate in ‘Arpan’, a uniquely designed all-women conference by ITC Sangeet Research Academy. We try to keep the structure of the composition intact.” One learnt that when Sangeet Kalanidhi T Brinda, known for the Dhanammal bani, came to Sairam’s Bombay home as a guest once. Sairam’s musical style is …

A mellifluous fusion
8 years, 7 months ago

A mellifluous fusion

The Hindu  

With a striped jamakkalam spread on the floor and a portrait of Goddess Saraswati hung on the wall behind, the stage is set for the kutcheri. In this one-of-its-kind Jugalbandi, Hindustani and Carnatic musicians strung up some mellifluous music on the Veena and the Sitar last week at the Rani Lady Meiyammai Aachi Tamil Music College, Raja Muthiah Mandram. “Sitar …

A 'compulsive questioner': Magsaysay awardee TM Krishna talks Carnatic music and social reform
8 years, 8 months ago

A 'compulsive questioner': Magsaysay awardee TM Krishna talks Carnatic music and social reform

Firstpost  

For one, Krishna is of the opinion that Carnatic music has propagated the culture of caste. In December 2015, TM Krishna made the decision to withdraw from the December music season in Chennai; a decision he attributed to the inability to reconcile his “musical journey with that of the December season”. But this is not about reserving a dateless return …

T.M. Krishna: Reshaping the contours of Carnatic music
8 years, 11 months ago

T.M. Krishna: Reshaping the contours of Carnatic music

The Hindu  

IN the extremely rigid, tradition-bound, hierarchy-driven and class-conscious world of Carnatic classical music, the vocalist Thodur Madabusi Krishna, popularly T.M. There are people, an overwhelming number, who are not part of this world, and the process, also overwhelming, is one of self-realisation, a humbling process too of the classical music world’s realisation of itself. People beyond the Carnatic world do …

Music from the margins
9 years ago

Music from the margins

The Hindu  

IT only took a few seconds to spot the three transwomen who languidly walked up to the Nipani bus stand. Five Jogappas from north Karnataka had performed, along with Krishna, at the Unnati Centre in Bengaluru at a concert titled “Aikya”, which translates as “coming together”. Sagar Bhaskar Walke, also 30, said: “When the audience was on their feet and …

Melodious stories
9 years, 3 months ago

Melodious stories

The Hindu  

December 24, 2015 11:46 am | Updated March 24, 2016 11:51 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram Can fiction make music? These are stories that have music as a central thread, music that swells, sometimes soft, sometimes strident, brimming over, spilling and spreading onto the pages. The muted and agonising music of the unseen oceans that Malayalis heard in Kadal, the soulful …

A perfect blend
13 years, 4 months ago

A perfect blend

The Hindu  

Date: November 26 Venue: Ravindra Bharathi, Lakdi Ka Pul Time: 7.30 p.m. Ganesh Rajagopalan is a violinist from the folds of Carnatic music. Their concert, titled “ Adrishta,” presents the rare spectacle of two non-traditional Indian instruments spanning the spectrum of Indian classical music, mixing and matching raga s from both systems. Debashish's uncanny sense of musical understanding has established …

‘At home with Hindustani and Carnatic music’
14 years, 10 months ago

‘At home with Hindustani and Carnatic music’

The Hindu  

A bhijit Banerjee’s skill on the tabla makes him one of the most in-demand soloists and accompanists in Indian classical music. In his career spanning 20 years, Abhijit has accompanied many stalwarts of both Hindustani and Carnatic music, apart from innumerable solo performances in India and abroad, including recitals at the Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Centre in the United …

Music and musings
14 years, 10 months ago

Music and musings

The Hindu  

There are many ways of describing the interaction at the Fullcircle bookstore at Chamiers, where Carnatic singer T.M. “I'm putting my foot in my mouth… as usual,” said the outspoken Krishna ruefully at one point, after a denunciation of the chauvinism prevalent in the Carnatic music industry. I'm trying to set up a concert series every quarter, featuring talented youngsters …

On a musical high
15 years, 2 months ago

On a musical high

The Hindu  

Alphons Joseph is on a high. It was a pleasant surprise when playback singer Srinivas gave me a ring and told me that Rahman Sir wanted me to sing the song ‘Aaaromale' in Goutham Menon's latest film Vinaiithandi Varuvaya,” says Alphons. “I remember Rahman asking me why I had decided to become a music director and not a singer… Little …

Of memories, melodies and more…
15 years, 2 months ago

Of memories, melodies and more…

The Hindu  

At the lecture demonstrations at The Music Academy, various facets of Carnatic music were elaborated upon by scholars, musicians and musicologists. Balu said that there are many changes in ragas and talas and referred to Mudikondan Venkatrama Iyer’s article in The Music Academy Journal 1935. But compositions available in this raga are just a few; ‘ Brihadeeshwaram’ of Muthuswami Dikshitarfound …

Innovative yet discordant
15 years, 6 months ago

Innovative yet discordant

The Hindu  

Nuances of Indian classical music infused into the Western make the blend attractive, but not so vice versa as the Madras String Quartet’s attempts proved. the colours of Indian classical music have the potential to enrich Western music infinitely, but the elements of the latter cannot embellish Indian music except perhaps marginally. In the Carnatic system, moreover, one cannot stray …

The ‘Ooh’ of classical music
15 years, 6 months ago

The ‘Ooh’ of classical music

Live Mint  

The poet in Rig Veda asks the gods, since the seers are no longer around, who will be our thought leaders, the rishis, now? And how come classical music coexists quite happily with pop elsewhere, but in India, despite the boom in the music industry, a plenitude of auditoriums with superb acoustics and laudable efforts of various small groups, audiences …

The ‘Ooh’ of classical music
15 years, 6 months ago

The ‘Ooh’ of classical music

Live Mint  

The poet in Rig Veda asks the gods, since the seers are no longer around, who will be our thought leaders, the rishis, now? And how come classical music coexists quite happily with pop elsewhere, but in India, despite the boom in the music industry, a plenitude of auditoriums with superb acoustics and laudable efforts of various small groups, audiences …

Matriarch of music
15 years, 7 months ago

Matriarch of music

The Hindu  

THE concert hall in New Delhi was packed with connoisseurs of Carnatic music eager to listen to the doyenne Damal Krishnaswami Pattammals recital to be broadcast live. It is well known that DKP broke long-held taboos to emerge as the first Brahmin woman performer of classical Carnatic music. Strangely enough, though Pattammal excelled in singing Tamil songs in every genre, …

An exemplary fusion
26 years, 9 months ago

An exemplary fusion

The Hindu  

Nadanubhava - The Horizons of Carnatic Music authored by S. Sowmya and K.N. This chapter deals with the probable factual origins of Carnatic music based on various schools of thought prevalent across the eras; the gradual evolution of Carnatic music and its noteworthiness among various systems; the historical, mythological and cultural aspects of this art since Vedic times; in-depth analyses …

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