Part of Carnatic Classical
Carnatic music, the classical tradition of South India, builds on raga and tala and centres on the voice and the kriti. Students begin with exercises in raga Mayamalavagowla.
Historical Timeline
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Playing Techniques
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.
Journey to Mastery
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Varisai, alankaram and gitam
Varnams and first kritis
Trinity Repertoire
Improvisation on Kritis
Concert Presentation
Past Performances
Featured Artists
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