Carnatic Music: A dying art form
Structured Languages Assignment Report
Ryan Rodricks ( WE School MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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Table of Contents
1. Executive summary ............................................................................................ 2 2. Secondary study ................................................................................................. 4 Origin ................................................................................................................. 4 Nature ................................................................................................................. 6 Sources ............................................................................................................... 6 3. Design of survey ................................................................................................ 7 3.1 Goal of the survey ......................................................................................... 7 3.2 Sample (Demographics) ................................................................................ 7 3.3 Questions ...................................................................................................... 7 3.4 Survey collection details ............................................................................... 8 4. Questionnaire ..................................................................................................... 9 5. Data collection summary...................................................................................13 6. Data analysis .....................................................................................................14 7. Inference ...........................................................................................................19 7.1 Key findings ................................................................................................19 8. Recommendations .............................................................................................20 9. Conclusion ........................................................................................................22

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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1. Executive summary
Over the years, Carnatic music scholars as well as critics have written about the declining interest among the younger generation in learning and appreciating Carnatic music. They express with sadness that Carnatic music is associated with senior citizens while young people are more interested in cinema music. Why this waning interest in Carnatic music? Even disinterested listeners will agree that Carnatic music is complex and intricate, and reflective of the wealth of Indian heritage. Indeed, if you were to judge only from the number of artists below 35 currently performing in the Carnatic music circuit, it appears as if that Carnatic music is making a resurgence among young people. However, if you were to judge by the number of attendees at most performances, there is little interest among the young. During the December music season, except in the case of a few concerts performed by name-brand artists, there are less than 20 rasikas sitting in the auditorium. Most of the “afternoon slot” musicians perform with utmost sincerity and dedication and are often far more refreshing in their performances than their more famous counterparts. With competing events and a declining fan base, it is noble of these artists to give champion performances to a dim crowd of less than twenty rasikas. If we are truly interested in preserving Carnatic music, we must take efforts to keep it relevant. The definition of art is constantly changing and with each new generation of listeners, music evolves within the interests of the prevailing culture. It is naturally worrisome to expect that today’s youth will carry the mantle of our culture for future generations by showing greater interest in Carnatic music. First, unless Carnatic music is culturally relevant – either as an entertainment or as a medium of cultural identity - today’s youth will bypass it for more modern forms of expression. But the reality is that Carnatic music, because of the multiple languages in which the compositions are set and the religious context in which they are composed, creates distance, undermining its relevance. For example, to the youth in the West, the concept of ecclesiastical music is now arcane. Like the youth in the West, Indian youngsters are also likely to listen to music that speaks to their lives. When the music is not appealing to them, why would they show interest? To make Carnatic music engaging, some suggest that perhaps we must reintroduce Carnatic music to our youngsters through the more-interesting medium of cinema music;
Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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others consider such a suggestion blasphemous and insulting to the great art. The purists would rather let Carnatic music die a dignified and honorable death rather than let film music carry it on its shoulders. But, are there no other options to nurture a fine art and a national treasure other than marketing it through popular culture? This survey is an attempt to in a way gauge the extent of basic knowledge that is seen in the respondents about Carnatic music. This survey is also an attempt to create awareness about the art and to cause the user to be intrigued and curious to find more about the art. Talking to a few respondents after they took the survey, I was surprised to find that some actually gained interest in the art form which was evident with the posting of a few Carnatic music clips found on YouTube on social media sites like Facebook. For me this was enough a reward and I’m actively following up with some of them to try and make them rasikas to the art. However despite this, majority find it too complex and intensive for them to go with. Thus we find that Carnatic music is indeed a dying trend in our generation.

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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2. Secondary study
Carnatic music (Sanskrit: Karnā aka sa gīta) is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. It is one of two main sub-genres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu traditions; the other sub-genre being Hindustani music, which emerged as a distinct form because of Persian and Islamic influences in North India. In contrast to Hindustani music, the main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in gāyaki (singing) style. Although there are stylistic differences, the basic elements of śruti (the relative musical pitch), swara (the musical sound of a single note), rāga (the mode or melodic formulæ), and tala (the rhythmic cycles) form the foundation of improvisation and composition in both Carnatic and Hindustani music. Although improvisation plays an important role, Carnatic music is mainly sung through compositions, especially the kriti (or kirtanam) – a form developed between the 14th and 20th centuries by composers such as Purandara Dasa and the Trinity of Carnatic music. Carnatic music is also usually taught and learnt through compositions. Carnatic music is usually performed by a small ensemble of musicians, consisting of a principal performer (usually a vocalist), a melodic accompaniment (usually a violin), a rhythm accompaniment (usually a mridangam), and a tambura, which acts as a drone throughout the performance. Other typical instruments used in performances may include the ghatam, kanjira, morsing, venu flute, veena, and chitraveena. The most outstanding performances, and the greatest concentration of Carnatic musicians, are found in the city of Chennai.Various festivals are held throughout India and abroad which mainly consist of Carnatic music performances, like the Madras Music Season which has been considered as one of the world's largest cultural events.

Origin
Like all art forms in Indian culture, Indian classical music is believed to be a divine art form which originated from the Devas and Devis (Hindu Gods and Goddesses), and is venerated as symbolic of nāda brāhman. Ancient treatises also describe the connection of the origin of the swaras, or notes, to the sounds of animals and birds

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and man's effort to simulate these sounds through a keen sense of observation and perception. The Sama Veda, which is believed to have laid the foundation for Indian classical music, consists of hymns from the Rigveda, set to musical tunes which would be sung using three to seven musical notes during Vedic yajnas. The Yajur-Veda, which mainly consists of sacrificial formulae, mentions the veena as an accompaniment to vocal recitations. References to Indian classical music are made in many ancient texts, including epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Yajnavalkya Smriti mentions vīṇāvādana tattvajñaḥ śrutijātiviśāradaḥ tālajñaścāprayāsena mokṣamārgaṃ niyacchati ("The one who is well versed in veena, one who has the knowledge of srutis and one who is adept in tala, attains salvation without doubt"). Carnatic music is based as it is today on musical concepts (including swara, raga, and tala) that were described in detail in several ancient works, particularly the Silappadhikaram by Ilango Adigal, and Bharata's Natya Shastra. Owing to Persian and Islamic influences in North India from the 12th century onwards, Indian classical music began to diverge into two distinct styles, being Hindustani music and Carnatic music. Commentaries and other works, such as Sharngadeva's Sangita Ratnakara, further elaborated on the musical concepts found in Indian classical music. By the 16th and 17th centuries, there was a clear demarcation between Carnatic and Hindustani music; Carnatic music remained relatively unaffected by Persian and Arabic influences. It was at this time that Carnatic music flourished in Thanjavur, while the Vijayanagar Empire reached its greatest extent. Purandara Dasa, who is known as the father (Pitamaha) of Carnatic Music, formulated the system that is commonly used for the teaching of Carnatic music. Venkatamakhin invented and authored the formula for the melakarta system of raga classification in his Sanskrit work, the Chaturdandi Prakasika (1660 AD). Govindacharya is known for expanding the melakarta system into the sampoorna raga scheme – the system that is in common use today. Carnatic music was mainly patronized by the local kings of the Kingdom of Mysore and Kingdom of Travancore in the 18th through 20th centuries. The royalty of the kingdoms of Mysore and Travancore were noted composers and proficient in playing musical instruments, such as the veena, rudra veena, violin, ghatam, flute, mridangam, nagaswara and swarabhat. Some famous court-

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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musicians and royalty proficient in music were Veene Sheshanna (1852–1926)[15] and Veene Subbanna (1861–1939), among others. With the dissolution of the erstwhile princely states and the Indian independence movement reaching its conclusion in 1947, Carnatic music went through a radical shift in patronage into an art of the masses with ticketed performances organized by private institutions called sabhās. During the 19th century, the city of Chennai (then known as Madras) emerged as the locus for Carnatic music.

Nature
The main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in a singing style (known as gāyaki). Like Hindustani music, Carnatic music rests on two main elements: rāga, the modes or melodic formulæ, and tāḷa, the rhythmic cycles. Today, Carnatic music is presented by musicians in concerts or recordings, either vocally or through instruments. Carnatic music itself developed around musical works or compositions of phenomenal composers

Sources www.wikipedia.org www.ipnatlanta.net

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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3. Design of survey
3.1 Goal of the survey
The goal of this survey is to gauge the awareness of the targeted audience about the art form of Carnatic music. This survey’s results will help in bringing to light the declining trend of the art form among the youth. The survey also plays a dual role to introduce the art form to the respondents who have never heard of the art before. This information will help in collecting the respondents who showed an inclination of interest in the art, to further increase their curiosity about the art form. The respondents were introduced to the survey as an awareness platform. The respondents were guided to understand that this survey was to gauge only awareness of the art form.

3.2 Sample (Demographics)
The sample selected belonged to a metropolitan city, namely Mumbai. There was no age or gender differentiation in the collection of data. However, for analysis we will use the age bar of 16 to42 years. There was a need to have approximately 75 respondents for the analysis.

3.3 Questions
The questions in the survey were deliberately kept simple to enable the respondent to not lose interest while filling the survey. The questions were all mandatory and mostly close ended questions. The statistics of questions is seen below: Single response questions Multiple response questions Rating scale questions Open ended questions 7 2 3 1

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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3.4 Survey collection details
The survey was started on Wednesday, February 6, 2013. It was closed on Sunday, February 17, 2013. The survey was conducted for little over a week. Please find below the chart of the daily responses.

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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4. Questionnaire
[SINGLE RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 1. What is your gender? A. Male B. Female [SINGLE RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 2. How old are you? A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Below 16 16 - 24 25 - 33 34 - 42 43 - 51 52 - 60 Over 60

[MULTIPLE RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 3. What music genre do you listen to? A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Rock Pop Indie RnB Hip-hop Indian classical Other: [OPEN ENDED]

[SINGLE RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 4. Have you ever listened to Indian Classical music? A. Yes B. No [SINGLE RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 5. Which sub genre are you more aware about in Indian classical music? A. Carnatic B. Hindustani

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C. None of the above [SINGLE RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 6. Have you ever listened to Carnatic music? A. Yes B. No [MULTIPLE RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 7. Where did you learn/hear about Carnatic music? A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Parents / Relatives Friends School / College TV / Radio Print media This survey Other: [OPEN ENDED]

[SINGLE RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 8. When did you last listen to Carnatic music? A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Today This week In the last month In the last 3 months In the last 10 months Can't remember, but I have listened to it Never

[SINGLE RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 9. Have you ever discussed with your friends/colleagues about Carnatic music? A. Yes B. No [RATING RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 10. How would you rate your likeability of Carnatic music?

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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If you've never heard it before, then please check the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fvt9ZOYuEg A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. Extremely Like 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Extremely dislike 10

[RATING RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 11. Define how likely you would attend a Carnatic music concert. A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. Most likely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Least likely 10

[RATING RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 12. How willing are you to learn Carnatic Music? * A. B. C. D. E. F. Willing 1 2 3 4 5 6

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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G. H. I. J.

7 8 9 Not at all 10

[OPEN ENDED RESPONSE, MANDATORY] 13. What is your email address?

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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5. Data collection summary
96 responses
The survey was sent to a sample panel of 110 respondents via email. During closure of the survey, 96 respondents had responded to the survey and submitted their response. The demographics of the responses can be seen below: What is your gender? Male Female 79 17 82% 18%

The survey consisted of more males than females responding to the survey. However, this survey is not gender based. How old are you? Below 16 16 - 24 25 - 33 34 - 42 43 - 51 52 - 60 Over 60 0 17 66 11 1 0 1 0% 18% 69% 11% 1% 0% 1%

These respondents majorly comprised of the age group 25-33 years of age. This was followed by 16-24 and 34-42 age groups. The survey intent was to target the age groups of 16 to 42 which has been achieved.

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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6. Data analysis
What music genre do you listen to? Rock Pop Indie RnB Hip-hop 29 50 37 12 21 13% 23% 17% 6% 10% 22% 10%

Indian classical 47 Other 21

This questioned aimed to find the popular genres of music heard in the sample panel. Pop emerged to be the highest (23%) followed by Indian classical music. The results of this question prove that the target sample was aware of most of the popular genres available today. The 10% of respondents who marked Others also looked forward to music genres like Jazz, Hip-hop, Bollywood and Metal to name a few. Have you ever listened to Indian Classical music? Yes No 86 10 90% 10%

This question was used to gauge whether the respondent had ever listened to Indian classical music. On one to one meets with a few of the respondents it was deduced, that those who don’t proactively listen to it have heard it at occasions which were related to religious ceremonies or traditional wedding Which sub genre are you more aware about in Indian classical music?

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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Carnatic Hindustani

26 27% 56 58%

None of the above 14 15% This is the crux of our survey to understand the awareness of the art form Carnatic music. The results show only 27% of the targeted sample panel were aware of Carnatic music than Hindustani music. The 58% who knew about Hindustani music were since this form has been adopted into main stream Bollywood style music. Hindustani music was a more popular choice over Carnatic music. Have you ever listened to Carnatic music? Yes No 57 39 59% 41%

59% of the respondents have listened to Carnatic music. This helps us understand that though a dying art form, the art is still present and currently being listened to. Where did you learn/hear about Carnatic music? Parents / Relatives 29 Friends School / College TV / Radio Print media This survey Other 31 9 46 15 27 7

18% 19% 5% 28% 9% 16% 4%

This question is to understand what modes are Carnatic music made available on.
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Most respondents have mentioned to have heard it on the Radio or TV (28%). What seemed depressing here is that very few school initiatives are done to promote the art form with a meager 5% respondents having heard about the art form in School or College. The 4% who selected Other have been to live concerts of Carnatic music. When did you last listen to Carnatic music? Today 9 9% This week 15 16% In the last month 7 7% In the last 3 months 8 8% In the last 10 months 4 4% Can't remember, but I 26 27% have listened to it Never 27 28% This question shows the actual decline of the art form. About 27% of the respondents who have listened to Carnatic music couldn’t remember when they had heard it. This might be concluded that it is not taking the interest of the youth. The youth would prefer to choose other forms of music than Carnatic music. The declining trend of the art is clearly evident in the stats. Have you ever discussed with your friends/colleagues about Carnatic music? Yes No 36 60 38% 63%

Carnatic music doesn’t form part of conversations outside the family unit. A huge number of respondents would not discuss about Carnatic music with friends or colleagues (63%). How would you rate your likeability of Carnatic music?

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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Most likely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Least likely 10

10 7 13 12 21 11 5 6 5 6

10% 7% 14% 13% 22% 11% 5% 6% 5% 6%

Understanding that some users would not have heard Carnatic music before or not able to distinguish it, a sample video piece was made available (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fvt9ZOYuEg). After hearing the piece most respondents said they liked Carnatic music. However, mostly moving towards the uncertain trait. Define how likely you would attend a Carnatic music concert. Most likely 1 2 3 4 5 6

8 9 11 9 11 13

8% 9% 11% 9% 11% 14%

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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7 8 9 Least likely10

6 7 9 13

6% 7% 9% 14%

Understanding the likeability among the target sample panel, the next question gauge to understand how many respondents would attend a Carnatic concert. Understanding that the likeability of the art was toward unlikely, there was seen a high of respondents who would not attend a concert. Chatting with a few respondents we realized that the art was too new to some or too complex to some others. They would not prefer to attend a concert for the same. How willing are you to learn Carnatic Music? Most likely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Least likely 10

11 6 7 9 14 8 6 7 8 20

11% 6% 7% 9% 15% 8% 6% 7% 8% 21%

A last pitch to understand if people would prefer to learn Carnatic music. The survey showed that there was not a lot of interest for the respondents with 21% of respondents flatly refusing to learn the art citing reasons like one can’t sing and is not talented to interest doesn’t lie in this art form.

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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7. Inference
From the above survey we infer that Carnatic music is indeed a dying art form. The art form is not able to compel its younger audience in learning and appreciating Carnatic music. Most users found that the art form is complex and intricate. The definition of art is constantly changing and with each new generation of listeners, music evolves within the interests of the prevailing culture. We have to make steps to make Carnatic music is culturally relevant – either as an entertainment or as a medium of cultural identity – or today’s youth will bypass it for more modern forms of expression.

7.1 Key findings
Huge number of respondents were more aware of Hindustani music that Carnatic music. Meager 5% respondents have heard about Carnatic music in school or college. About 27% of the respondents who have listened to Carnatic music couldn’t remember when they had heard it. A huge number of respondents would not discuss about Carnatic music with friends or colleagues (63%). Most respondents were moving towards the uncertain trait for expressing their likeability of Carnatic music. A high of respondents would not attend a concert citing reasons that the art form is too complex and intricate. 21% of respondents flatly refused to learn Carnatic music.

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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8. Recommendations
There are several steps we can take to both introduce Carnatic music to new audiences and make it relevant to the younger generation. One suggestion is, introduce the music at an early age and as part of a school’s curriculum. The learning opportunity should be available to everyone and not just to those who can afford private music lessons or to those who were born in select communities. Unlike in India, in the West, classical music-related subjects are included within the educational curriculum of schools. In U.S. schools, children, regardless of their religious affinities, community memberships, or economic status, take classical music as one of their elective subjects. Since every school has bands or orchestras, the classroom learning of music is also translated into an opportunity to exhibit one’s musical learning. A second suggestion is, highlight the benefits of learning and listening to Carnatic music. In the West, school administrators and parents believe that learning classical music enhances a child’s ability in several areas, such as learning math or in developing analytical skills. They also observe other behavioral benefits. Numerous studies conducted by behavioral scientists have shown that students who learn music are less likely to use tobacco or alcohol and develop greater interpersonal skills. These students are also more persevering and tend to take more effort in learning other subjects. The effort that they expend in learning music makes the students subconsciously recognize the value of sustained effort and what it takes to be truly successful in any endeavor. While parents and school administrators may recognize the benefits of classical music, children are less likely to comprehend such benefits. To kids, how interesting the learning process is, is more important than the philosophical or other subliminal messages the music learning brings to their lives. That is, teaching Carnatic music should be made interesting. It should go beyond learning sarali varisai, Geetham, Varnam, and Kritis. The classroom teaching (whether at a school or during private lessons), should include an occasional visit to a live concert in the company of the teacher. A teacher can engage the students further by asking them to write a critique about a concert that they attended. To kindle students’ interest even further, the teacher can require them to read reviews, listen to recordings of
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great masters, and learn about the lives of great musicians. After all, in the Internet age, there is a wealth of music and information available to all of us. Another angle that both teachers and parents can focus to get the children to appreciate classical music is, promote the improvisational aspect of the music. This is something that few art forms permit and that Carnatic music does extremely well. As the child is learning the basics, at each stage, make them identify and appreciate the changes that are evolving (e.g. how swaras are combined to make different ragas to how lyrics fit within a thala’s cyclical structure). These exercises makes a game out of the learning process and takes away the obligation of memorizing or singing something that they do not care about in a language that they do not understand. The objective is to demystify Carnatic music without compromising its richness or complexity. It is a delicate dance. We must also use common media like television and film to demonstrate the relevance of Carnatic music. We need not be averse to such use. We should embrace the use of film music as one more basic learning tool to explain the intricacies of Carnatic music. Film music is immediately accessible and a great way to introduce a child to the concept of ragas and emotions. It is also a demonstrative way to explain how Carnatic music is the essential framework for all kinds of music. Rather than diluting the richness of the music, these efforts will only enrich the learning process. Of course, by changing how Carnatic music is taught, learnt and listened to, there is no assurance that a student or a listener will immediately recognize the greatness of the music and its relevance to their lives. Like all good things, we can be rest assured that with age, the seed that we plant in our youngsters will eventually germinate and they will learn to appreciate the things that don’t appeal to their immediate/visceral sensibilities.

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)

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9. Conclusion
The rasika population will widen only if Carnatic music becomes more inclusive. Either because of perceptions or facts, Carnatic music has long been viewed as the domain of the elitists in our society. This perception should be changed. Music is universal and it is a source of happiness for all human beings. If it is to withstand the test of time, it must be an accessible art form. Like the efforts of the Alwars and Nayanmars during the era of Buddhist influence, when, through simple lyrics and community participation, they brought everyone together, we should use Carnatic music as a unifier of young and old and communities of all stripes.

Ryan Rodricks (MIM IV – Roll no 67)