Carnatic music is a form of Indian classical music that's existed for thousands of years. In the mid-twentieth century Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar came up with a new format for concerts called Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi. In this section musicians would elaborate on a chosen raga (which is kind of like a Western classical scale of notes) and set the foundation of what would follow. What comes next is a rhythmic improvisation (tanam), and a complex rhythmic composition similar to a refrain in Western music. I bring this up because Carnatic music isn't that well-known outside of South India and certain cirlces in the U.S. (SF, Cleveland, NJ), yet it's continued to innovate despite having 2000... (read more)
Carnatic music is a form of Indian classical music that's existed for thousands of years. In the mid-twentieth century Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar came up with a new format for concerts called Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi. In this section musicians would elaborate on a chosen raga (which is kind of like a Western classical scale of notes) and set the foundation of what would follow. What comes next is a rhythmic improvisation (tanam), and a complex rhythmic composition similar to a refrain in Western music. I bring this up because Carnatic music isn't that well-known outside of South India and certain cirlces in the U.S. (SF, Cleveland, NJ), yet it's continued to innovate despite having 2000... (read more)