Kriti
कृति
The three-section composed song at the centre of the Carnatic concert
A kriti is a composed Carnatic song in one raga and tala, with three sections (pallavi, anupallavi, charanam); kritis by the Trinity composers stay central to concerts.
History & Evolution
The kriti grew out of the kirtana, the devotional song of South India's poet-singers, often called saint-singers; the kirtana in turn gradually displaced the older prabandha. Its poetic motifs and musical techniques grew more settled and refined in the 18th century, as artists met through migration or in search of patronage. Many scholars credit Tyagaraja with perfecting the form, and the music magazine Sruti credits him with its present plan of pallavi, anupallavi and charanam.
The Trinity also changed what the songs were for. They refused to eulogise royal patrons and sang to a chosen deity; Tyagaraja could speak to Rama in familiar, even teasing terms. They seem to be the first composers to hand many of their songs down to later generations, by ear from teacher to pupil. Tyagaraja's disciples copied his songs on palm leaves, and A. M. Chinnaswami Mudaliar printed the first large collection in Madras in 1892 and 1893, noting that singers already rendered them with many discrepancies. Subbarama Dikshitar's Sangita Sampradaya Pradarsini (Ettayapuram, 1904) notated the Dikshitar school's songs with signs for their ornaments.
- 16th Century
-
Kirtana Roots
The kriti grows out of the kirtana, a devotional song of praise. Tradition credits Purandara Dasa (died 1564), called the grandfather of Carnatic music, with the graded lessons still used to teach the music. - Late 18th to mid-19th century
-
Trinity Era
Syama Sastri (1762 to 1827), Tyagaraja (1767 to 1847) and Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775 or 1776 to 1835), all born in Tiruvarur and active in the Thanjavur region, compose the kritis that still anchor the concert repertoire. - 19th to 20th Century
-
Later Composers
In the early 20th century the kriti becomes the main item of the Carnatic concert, since it leaves room for improvisation. Papanasam Sivan (1890 to 1973) composes kritis mainly in Tamil. - Early 20th century to present
-
The modern concert
In the early 20th century the kriti becomes the main concert item. Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (1890 to 1967) is credited with the concert format still followed on most occasions: a tana varnam to open, then several kritis and kirtanas.
Technical Aspects
Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam
The pallavi ("sprouting") is the opening theme and refrain. The anupallavi builds on it. The charanam ("foot") closes the song in one or more stanzas, often reusing anupallavi melody. A common order runs pallavi, anupallavi, pallavi, charanam, pallavi. Near the end most composers place a mudra, a signature: Guruguha for Dikshitar, Syama Krishna for Syama Sastri.
Some kritis add a chittaswaram, a passage of sol-fa syllables with no words. Dikshitar set many short kritis as a samashti charanam, leaving out the anupallavi.
Sangatis
A sangati is a variation on a line of text, repeated with growing elaboration. Some come from the composer, others from later musicians. A wealth of refined sangatis marks Tyagaraja's kritis, and Mudaliar named him in 1893 as the first to build them on a song's opening words.
Niraval and Kalpanaswaram
Niraval (also neraval) improvises melody on one line of the anupallavi or charanam, keeping each word in its place in the tala. Kalpanaswaram (also swarakalpana) improvises sol-fa passages that obey the raga and return to the chosen line at its starting point in the cycle. The unmetred alapana that can precede a main kriti works like the opening of a ragam tanam pallavi.
O caminho para a maestria
Siga este percurso estruturado para dominar esta modalidade
-
Varisai, alankaram and gitam
Students begin with sarali varisai, graded exercises in sol-fa (sung note names), traditionally in raga Mayamalavagowla. Alankarams set in the seven talas come next. Gitams, simple first songs, follow them. The teacher has the student repeat each pitch and phrase exactly, with its ornaments, and the rhythmic patterns at several speeds. Tradition credits Purandara Dasa with this sequence, and teachers spend many months on it.
-
Varnams and first kritis
After the gitams and swarajatis, students learn varnams, and only then kritis. Most Carnatic musicians learn gitams, varnams and kritis by hearing, because notation records little of the detail. In each first kriti, learn the pallavi, anupallavi and charanam, and the points where the pallavi line returns.
-
Trinity Repertoire
Students now learn major kritis by Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. A raga's shape comes largely from its compositions, so each kriti gives the student phrases and ornaments (gamakas) that later feed raga alapana, its improvised exposition. Most performers learn this repertoire from a guru within a teaching lineage, and belonging to an established tradition or personal style (bani) still carries prestige.
-
Improvisation on Kritis
Take up niraval and kalpanaswaram, the two improvised forms set inside a kriti, with your teacher. Choose a line from a kriti you have learned and practise returning to it at its starting point in the tala, as both forms require.
-
Concert Presentation
A main kriti in concert may open with an alapana and sometimes a tanam, a pulsing improvisation without a tala cycle. Niraval and kalpanaswaram follow inside the anupallavi or charanam, and a long drum solo, the tani avartanam, can conclude the item. The traditional order puts years of study before a first concert, so treat this stage as the goal of the path.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I learn to sing Carnatic kritis online with a live teacher?
Carnatic kritis are part of what you learn in KalaSudha's live one-to-one lessons online, with a vetted teacher. A kriti is a composed song in one raga, the melodic framework, and one tala, the rhythmic cycle, usually in three sections: pallavi, anupallavi and charanam. Kritis by the Trinity composers, such as Tyagaraja, stay central to concerts.
Foundation starts with sarali varisai, graded exercises in sol-fa, the sung note names, before alankarams and gitams, simple first songs. Our online academy records every lesson for practice and adds workshops and summer camps where enough learners sign up.
Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!