Carnatic and Hindustani music are forms of Indian music which have been practiced in the areas to the south and north respectively for the last six centuries or so. Carnatic music is formal, more structured and therefore more rigorous in its methods than Hindustani music. It has a well-defined grammar, and a veritable treasure house of kritis (musical compositions). The bulk of Carnatic music as we know it today comprises the dedication of the venerable Trinity namely Tyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Syama Sastry to Carnatic Music. The swaroopa (form or structure) and bhava (defining characteristics) of almost any raga that is heard today is due substantially to the seminal works of these great saints. For them, music was a way of attaining Godhead, and not a source of livelihood. Their kritis are a combination of bhakti (devotion), Gnana (knowledge) and an unmatched felicity of musical expression.
Hindustani music on the other hand is much more informal and freewheeling. There is no body of work which can serve to act as a touchstone by means of which others may be tested or compared. There is no logical classification of ragas, such as the one developed in Carnatic music. The greatest strength of Hindustani music, which has perhaps contributed to its overall popularity vis-a-vis Carnatic music world wide, is the stress that it lays on voice culture and melody. When one hears even an average Hindustani musician, one cannot help noticing his total alignment with the sruti (pitch or basic tonic note).
Carnatic music does not have anything quite like the taan in Hindustani music. The taan, which is a fast paced torrent of musical ideas, expressed using only the akaaram is perhaps the most important edifice on which the entire structure of Hindustani music rests. When taans are properly rendered, both the artiste and the listener are transported to a different plane of consciousness. Perhaps the only Carnatic vocalist who could have matched the Hindustani giant’s taan for taan is Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna. However the art of kalpana swaram singing i.e., improvising combinations of allowable notes and phrases while maintaining the tala is something where Carnatic music can justifiably hold its head high.
The equivalent in Hindustani music is sargam, which is something that all artistes merely make a motion of going through. The raga-talam-pallavi represents the apotheosis of Carnatic music. The raga and talam correspond to alaap3 with and without rhythm in Hindustani music.
To sum up, whether it is Carnatic or Hindustani, the tradition was always devotedly preserved by a long line of dedicated performing musicians to this Century.
