How Indian classical music divided into Hindustani and Carnatic

Subhashini Parthasarathy, Pantula Ram and MA Sundareswaran. Photo courtesy: K. pichumani

An interesting panel discussion took place on the fifth day of the academic session at the Music Academy with Pentula Rama, Subhashini Parthasarathy and Vidwan MA Sundareswaran. The session began with Pantula Rama exploring the evolution of Indian classical music and the ultimate divide into the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions. He highlights that, originally, there was no clear demarcation – only the music of the gods and the music of the people. This difference became even more evident when Sangeeta Ratnakar Got published.

Over time, musical traditions strengthened, especially with the Melakarta scheme of Venkatamakhi. Meanwhile, in Hindustani music, Dhrupad was the dominant genre until the emergence of Khal, which was inspired by Persian influence and prioritized improvisation and creativity. This change pushed Dhrupad into the background, although Rama saw its revival through the efforts of warrior-musicians.

N. Citing Ramanathan’s studies, Subhashini expands on the intersection of Northern and Southern traditions. He discussed Desiya ragas, which were adapted from North India and evolved into Rakta ragas like Sahana, Saveri and Darbar. The term Desiya means that the raga originated in other geographical areas, especially the North. Ramanathan’s research also highlighted the differences in oscillation techniques, in which the oscillation of a single note consists of multiple notes in Carnatic music. Unlike Hindustani music, Carnatic music boasts a vast repertoire of compositions. Parthasarathy cites Persian influence on ragas such as Hussaini and Navroz, which evolved due to their melodic character. He also explains how Behaag, which initially featured only Shuddha Madhyam, now includes both Shuddha and Prati Madhyam. Ram said that Jayajaivanti in Hindustani music was adapted by Muthuswami Dikshitar as Dwijaivanti in Karnataka. He highlights in detail compositions such as ‘Chetashree Balakrishnam’, which retains a tight Carnatic phrasing, and ‘Akilandeshwari’ (there are doubts about its authenticity as a Muthuswami Dixit composition), which contains Hindustani-inspired glides. .

Vidwan Sundareswaran shared insights about his family’s musical heritage, noting practices such as playing desh without the kaishiki nishadam and learning pahari by playing mohanam on the middle scale. He played a Kashmiri boat song composed by his father, Vidwan MA Sundaram, which reflects the influence of Hindustani music on his lineage. Subhashini noted the influence of the singing Javalis of camel riders, and attributed their rapid, bouncing rhythm to the riders’ movements. He observed that Kakali was present in Nishadam Khamas, although absent in Trinity compositions. In Paraj, the Hindustani raga includes Prati Madhyamam, unlike Paras, except for the Carnatic version, Smar Sundranguni, which includes both Prati and Shuddha Madhyamam. He argued that the Prati Madhyam version is probably sung more because it is pleasant to the ears.

Ram stressed the need for thoughtful adaptation of Hindustani elements into Carnatic music. He cites Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Sri Guru Guha’ in Shuddha Saveri, which, unlike his other Devakriya compositions, has a Hindustani flavour. He emphasized that the beauty of a musical system lies in its naturalness. Vidwan Sundareswaran stressed the importance of pathanthara (adherence to tradition) to maintain the integrity of the compositions.

In his concluding remarks, designer TM Krishna of Sangeetha Kalanidhi questioned the origin of words like ‘Hindustani’ and ‘North’. He noted the absence of kampita gamakam in early texts sect exhibitionDespite its prominence in almost every raga. Krishna pointed out the contradictory reactions of the audience – appreciating the emphasis on the nativity in the music, but enjoying Ram’s performance of the Desiya raga, Behaag. He argued that this reflected how acculturated the listeners were and suggested that although Carnatic music could take inspiration from Hindustani traditions, its distinctiveness should remain intact. He also pointed out an interesting fact that Carnatic music has not limited Hindustani ragas to just scales, but has preserved their essence through phrase-based adaptations.