Introduction
Different dynasties ruled Tamil Nadu during various phases in history and their overwhelming patronage to art and culture gave the state a great diverse and rich cultural heritage. The tremendous growth and development in the field of art, literature music, dance and architecture reached great heights under the rule of the Cholas, Pandyas and Pallava Empires. The Dravidian language -Tamil which is spoken in Tamil Nadu can be comparable in antiquity to Sanskrit. Tamil is said to be the derivative of the Southern’ Brahmi’ script. The alphabets are said to be unique and phonetic representing ‘sounds’ rather than ideas which is also the case in Mandarin, a language of China.
Music is a very important aspect of the culture of Tamil Nadu, which has a long history and tradition dating back to thousands of years. The classical Tamil literature of the early era called Sangam literature was set to music. Tamil Shaiva saints like Appar, Manikkavasagar used music in their compositions. Music of Tamil Nadu can be categorised under classical, devotional and folk music.
Classical Music
Carnatic music is the classical music form of South India which has a long history in Tamil Nadu and the music has been handed down through generations of artistes. This divine art form is said to have originated from the Gods in ancient times and references have been made in various scriptures, epics and puranas. Musical concepts like Swara, Tala and Raga are described in detail in Bharata’s Natya Shastra and the Tamil classic Sillapadhikaram (one of the five great epics of Tamil literature) by Illango Adigal.
The three great composer saints popularly referred to as the Trinity of Carnatic music Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri were from Tamil Nadu.
The music scene is very vibrant in Tamil Nadu and the concerts that take place in Chennai during the Margazhi music season in December- January is a much-awaited event.
Devotional Music
In ancient times, leaders or officers in the world of music called Thevara Nayakams arranged the private worship of Kings and group singing. The devotional Thevaram songs were offered in the temples by Sthanikars, Odhuvars or Kattalaiyars. Some of the temples had musical pillars in the Artha Mandapams, where the singing of Thevarams was accompanied by music from the stone pillars. The saints, seers and composers composed songs as an offering to God. They expressed their devout feelings and as an outlet to communicate with the ‘Self’ and ‘Soul’. The devotional songs established a direct contact between the spiritual and physical realms of the devotee. In Hindu mythology, God and music were always considered synonymous to each other. Many deities had their own musical instruments namely Lord Krishna with his flute, Shiva with his damru, Saraswathi with her Veena, Narada with his Veena or Tambura and the art of music was known as Gandharva Vidya. The Saiva and Vaishnava saints composed thousands of hymns in Tamil to spread faith and devotion among the masses.
Folk Music
Tamil folk music is famous for its tala intricacies and very ancient ragas. Some of them are -
Villu Pattu or Bow Song
This music form originated in the 15th century and comprises of an eight member team who play instruments like the bow shaped instrument, earthen jugs, udukku, kastha and cymbals. The song speaks of mythological themes, social messages and involves many jokes, humour and quick wordplay. There are question and answer sessions and musical debates with the central theme of the performance being the conquest of good over evil. It is usually performed in fairs and temples in the festival season from September to December.
Music of the Hill Tribes
The hill tribes preserve their cultural heritage by deriving their melodies from nature like cooing of the birds and other sounds from nature, after deities and with the orchestra known as Singaram consisting of Nadaswaram, drums, flute and cymbals they use classical ragas to give specific melodies.
Music of the Kulavai
These songs are sung by the women when they are busy in their fields engaged in agricultural work. They have beautiful melody and rhythm keeping beat to the work being undertaken.
Nayyandi Melam
This music is also referred to as Chinna Melam which is a rustic imitation of the classical Melam or Nadaswaram. It caters to the uneducated masses and to the accompaniment of instruments like Nadaswarams, Tavels, Pambai, Thammukku and cymbals and accompany various folk dances like Kavadi, Karagam, dummy horse and gypsy dance shows(Kuravan and Kurathi).