Carnatic

Carnatic Music is the classical music which is popular in the South of India.

Carnatic music compositions typically have three sections: Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam. The performer begins with the Pallavi, which are mounted with additional musical phrases in a progressive manner, called Sangatis and then goes to the Anupallavi, also sung with variations. He then returns to the pallavi again before proceeding to the Charanam. The song however, ends with the Pallavi. It is usually in Charanam that one finds the mudra (signature) of the composer. For example, Tyagaraja used his own name, while Muthuswami Dikshitar adopted Guruguha and Syama Sastri, Syamakrishna.^[1]

One of the greatest composers of Carnatic music is Saint Thyagaraja. ( May 2, 1767 - January 6, 1847). His full name was Kakarla Tyaga Brahmam. He, along with his contemporaries Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, form the Trinity of Carnatic music. He was a prolific composer and highly influential in the development of the South Indian classical music tradition. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions (in Telegu), most of them in praise of Lord Rama.