All About Carnatic Music: 6 Notable Carnatic Singers

Carnatic music is one of the two traditions that serve as the foundation of Indian classical music. Both Carnatic music—also known as Karnatic—and its counterpart, Hindustani music, emerged in the twelfth century and derived from Hindu traditions, specifically the Vedic Sanskrit religious text known as the Samaveda (or Sama Veda), which details melodies.

Carnatic music is heard most frequently in South India and, in particular, the regions of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. However, the greatest number of Carnatic musicians are located in the city of Chennai (formerly Madras). Carnatic music was primarily heard and supported by royalty in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The end of the Indian state system and India’s independence in the mid-twentieth century allowed the music to be enjoyed by a more diverse demographic, with the help of promotions from sabhas or local art councils.

A typical Carnatic music performance, or kutcheri, features a Carnatic vocalist, a violinist, and a handful of Carnatic musicians on percussion instruments, who perform kritis—the lengthy compositions that serve as the basis for most Carnatic music.

Here is a brief overview of the origins of Carnatic music:

• Beginnings: The origins of Carnatic music can be traced to the twelfth century, when Indian classical music— music based on the Vedas, or religious scripture of Hinduism—separated into the Carnatic music of Southern India and the Hindustani music of North India. The separation was mainly due to Islamic forces which invaded India during this period and imparted a Persian influence on Hindustani music.
• Influences in the Vijayanagara Empire: From the thirteenth to seventeenth centuries, Carnatic music flourished in Vijayanagar, the capital city of the Vijayanagara Empire, which is located in modern-day Karnataka. During this time, the art form’s structure was primarily defined by several musicians, poets, and philosophers, most notably Purandara Dasa, the “grandfather of Carnatic music,” who developed the basic scales for instructing and performing the kritis (songs) that define Carnatic music.
• The trinity: In the eighteenth century, a trio of composer-musicians known as the Trinity of Carnatic music further expanded the boundaries of the tradition. The trinity—Shyama Shastri (or Syama Sastri), Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Tygaraja (or Thyagaraja)—created new forms of ragas and talas, which musicians embraced in the nineteenth and twentieth century.
• Instrumentation: Some of these figures, like the instrumentalists Veene Sheshanna and Veena Subbanna, were members of the courts in the kingdoms of Mysore and Travancore and introduced many of the musical instruments, including the veena and tambura (stringed instruments), flute, and ghatam and mridangam (percussion instrument) that are used today in Carnatic music performances.

Several characteristics define the sound and structure of Carnatic music, including:

1. 1. Composition: Carnatic music typically takes two forms: varnams and kritis. Varnams are short, complicated musical passages containing all of the raga elements. Carnatic singers frequently use them as vocal exercises and as the introduction to their musical performance. The other are the songs, or kritis. Both are structured around multiple elements, including a pallavi (refrain), anupallavi (second verse), and charanam (final verse or verses). There are other compositional forms, including javali and padam, with different melodies and rhythm structures.
2. 2. Elements: Carnatic music compositions feature four main elements: sruti, swara, raga, and tala. Sruti is the rough equivalent of a key or tonic in Western music. Swara refers to the sound of an individual note. Raga is the strict scale by which a melody is built and informs which notes to use and which require gamakas or embellishment. Tala is a structure for the cycle of beats in a song without a fixed structure or laya.
3. 3. Improvisation: Carnatic music is compositionally-based, but performers may also employ four different improvisational forms based on the raga: alapana, niraval, kalpanaswaram, and tanam. Alapana, or ragam, explores the high and low octaves of the song. Niraval focuses on the repetition of two or more lines from the song with melodic variations. Kalpanaswaram is a basic improvisation based on a pattern of notes, while tanam uses syllables, or swaras, to expand the raga.
4. 4. Performance: Modern Carnatic music performances are three hours in length and feature several different compositions, each composed in a specific raga. However, some may feature multiple songs in the same raga. A varnam will open the concert and is followed by the first kriti. The vocalist will improvise within the structure of the raga for the main composition of the concert, then return to the tala, or beat, before commencing with the song, accompanied by instrumentation. There may also be an improvisational exchange between instruments after the main kriti followed by selections from popular kritis chosen by the audience.

There are many famous Carnatic music singers, including:

1. 1. Aruna Sairam: Trained by the legendary Carnatic vocalists T. Brinda and Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, the Mumbai (Bombay)-born Aruna Sairam has recorded over 60 albums and performed and recorded in many international countries. The recipient of the Padma Shri award from the Indian government, she is also the Vice-Chairman for the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the country’s premier performing arts school.
2. 2. K.J. Yesudas: A prolific playback singer in Indian film music. K.J. Yesudas has recorded more than 50,000 songs in multiple languages throughout his six-decade career. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honor in India. Other famous playback singers in the Carnatic tradition include Nithyasree Mahadevan and D.K. Pattammal.
3. 3. Musiri Subramania Iyer: One of the most respected vocalists in Carnatic music history, Iyer was known for the bhava, or emotional element of his kritis. His high octave range and dedication to Carnatic music made him a national hero, with his name given to roadways in Tamil Nadu and an image of his face featured on postage stamps.
4. 4. M.S. Subbulakshmi: The first musician to receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, Subbulakshmi was also the first Indian person to perform at the United Nations General Assembly in 1966. Fellow vocal legend Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan deemed her the “goddess of the perfect note.”
5. 5. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer: Iyer was part of a trinity of acclaimed male singers, alongside G.N. Balasubramaniam and Madurai Mani Iyer. A master of improvisation, he was affectionately known as Semmangudi Maama (Semmangudi uncle) by his many students, including T.M. Krishna, one of the leading modern Carnatic vocalists.
6. 6. Lalgudi Jayaraman: A renowned violinist and vocalist, Jayaraman’s instrumental skills placed him as one-third of the “violin trinity” of Carnatic music, for which M.S. Gopalakrishnan and T.N. Krishnan joined him. The maestro was also a prolific composer who wrote in four languages, including Tamil and Sanskrit, and a teacher whose students included the acclaimed vocalist Vidya Subramanian.

There are a few differences between Carnatic and Hindustani music. While both share a similar system of music in regard to raga or raaga, which is the melodic structure for improvisation in Indian music, swara, or tone, and tala, or rhythmic cycles/meter, Hindustani music is associated with northern India, Carnatic music is considered South Indian music.

Most Carnatic compositions are written in the languages of that region, including Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. Carnatic music is also predominantly vocal music, intended to be sung and accompanied by fewer instruments than Hindustani music.

Become a better musician with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Alicia Keys, St. Vincent, Sheila E., Timbaland, Itzhak Perlman, Herbie Hancock, Tom Morello, and more.