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Regions
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Carnatic music
has predominantly been a part of the culture of
the Southern states of India, namely,
Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Over the years,
other major cities in India like Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta also have
many organisations that sponsor Carnatic music concerts.
Some musicians and teachers from the South, who have settled in these
places, have also been responsible for the propagation of this system in
these places and other frontiers of the country. |
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Today, Carnatic music also has a global
presence. Many musicians perform
at the
international level. Awareness about this music system has been
rapidly growing
in various countries such as
USA, Canada, France, Germany, UK, South Africa, Australia, Singapore,
Malaysia, Hong Kong, etc., thanks to the initiative taken by South
Indians living in these countries. Several foreigners
have also begun to keenly appreciate and learn
this traditional art form, in addition to writing about it.
Famous
Seats of Music - Past to Present
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Past |
Present |
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Vijayanagara - 14th - 15th century onwards |
Tamilnadu ( Madras) - 19th and 20th century (1850s) |
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Tanjavur - 15th century onwards |
Karnataka ( Bangalore) - 20th century (1950s) |
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Travancore - 18th century onwards |
Kerala
( Trivandrum) - 20th century (1950s) |
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Tirupati - 15th century onwards |
Andhra
Pradesh (Hyderabad) and Mumbai (Bombay) - 20th century (1960s) |
| Mysore
- 17th century onwards |
Delhi -
20th century (1970 onwards) |
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Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka (1960s onwards) |
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United
States of America - 1965 onwards |
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Australia & Europe - 1975 onwards |
Other elements
The traditional outlook of Carnatic music is
also seen in the dress code, place of performance, occasions
and such
other aspects.
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Dress code:
The
dress code adopted by the Carnatic music
performers is typically traditional South Indian
style.
Male
performers usually wrap a dhoti
around their waists, and wear a
kurta
on top. Female
performers
wear silk
sari-s
and blouses, with typical South Indian
jewellery to go with
it.
They also
usually wear flowers in their hair. This dress
code has been maintained over several years.
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Place of performance:
In olden days, Carnatic music was performed in temples. That culture has
been carried on to this day. Apart from this, performances are held in
Sabhas
(organisations), which preserve this
traditional art through a professional set up.
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Occasions:
It is
customary for most of the South Indian temples and other organisations to
have Carnatic music concerts during major Hindu festivals. Apart from
this, it is a regular practice to have the traditional wind instrument of
South India, Nagaswaram in temples (for
the daily temple
rituals and processions). Carnatic music concerts are also
performed in marriages and other Hindu rituals.
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Musicians and music lovers:
Carnatic musicians and music lovers
are considered pretty orthodox in their general outlook. They take great
pride in their heritage and do their best to maintain the purity of the
art and spread these values to the next generations.
All the above factors strongly emphasise the
traditional aspects of Carnatic music. This does not mean that Carnatic
music is not flexible or has stagnated over the years. There is always scope
for innovations and the best of other systems are also
incorporated. However,
this does not affect the traditional framework or the classicism
associated with
South Indian music.
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