Carnatic

Classical music of South India (as opposed to the classical music of North India called Hindustani?) performed by a small ensemble of musicians. The troop usually has a vocalist, a primary instrument performer, a drone instrument performer and a rhythm instrument performer.

Primary instruments are string instruments like vina? and violin. Drone instruments are accompanying instruments which just set an environment for the underlying melody (e.g., tambura? and Sruti Box). Rhythm instruments are percussion instruments (e.g, mridangam?). See also: Indian Musical Instruments.

The Carnatic music differs from Hindustani in that it is mostly improvised. It is also more theoretical with stringent rules. It also emphasizes the expertise of the voice rather than instruments.

The main two components of Carnatic music are Raaga?, a melodic pattern and Taala?, a rhythmic pattern.

A raaga is a specific scale, that is a sequence of notes. Specific raagas are associated with specific times of the day and are supposed to invoke different moods.

A taala is a cyclical pattern, to help the rhythm of the performance, to synchronize voice with drone and other instruments. The vocalist either creates taala by tapping on his thighs or by conceiving the rhythmic patterns in his mind.

The subtleties of Carnatic music were once not known to many people. As a lot of treatises were developed and Bhakti? (absolute devotion to a Hindu god) flourished in India, more and more people got attracted towards it and it has earned international acclamation.

The following links give more information on Carnatic music:

[Carnatic.com] has an introduction, lyrics, audio, information on instruments, musicians and links.

A Carnatic Primer is [here].

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The Carnatic is also a famous shipwreck, a steamer ship that was on the Suez/Bombay run in the last years before the Suez Canal was opened.

In September 1869 it ran aground on a coral reef near [Shadwan Island]? in the Red Sea. Expecting rescue, the passengers and crew stayed on board for some time, and were just beginning to enter the lifeboats when Carnatic broke in half. Thirty-one people drowned. The survivors made it to barren Shadwan, where they were rescued the next day by a passing ship, Sumatra.

Onboard Carnatic was £40,000 worth of gold (well in excess of £1,000,000 in modern terms), so the wreck was the subject of a salvage operation barely two weeks later. All the gold was reported recovered, but persistent rumours of remaining treasure has added to the romance of the ship.

These days Carnatic is a popular scuba-diving destination.