MUSIC
DICTIONARY OF SOME SOUTH INDIAN MUSICAL TERMS
A collection of terms in South Indian Music ( with a few terms from North Indian Music ) with their meaning
or description has been provided.
CHAKRA
: the chakra is the basic unit around which the 72 melakarta
raagas are arranged. There are 12 chakras or sections, with each chakra
comprising within it 6 mela ragas.
CHARANAM
: is the third part (the concluding) of any composition or kriti in the
Carnatic tradition.
CHATURANGA
: (chatur-four, anga-parts) it is descriptive of the four parts of music
- khayal, tarana, sargam and tirvata.
CHATURBHAAGA
: is a unit of time equal in duration to half of an anudrutam.
CHATURDANDI
: the most ancient swaras known in the Indian music. The swaras are udaatta,
anudaatta and svarita of the vedic hymns. Panini refers to these 3 notes
as the Aadi swaras.
CHATURTHA
JATI : is a kind of taan which uses four notes in a single cluster
as it moves.
CHATURDASA
MURCHCHANAS : are the 14 murchchanas or scales that are born
out of what is known as grama bheda.
CHEEZ
(Urudu) : is used to refer to a khayal composition.
CHATURDHATU
PRABANDHA : is a musical form which had all the 4 dhatus or
sections - udgraha, melapaba, dhruva and abhoga.
CHATURMUDRA
PRABANDHA : a composition containing any four of the dvaadasa
mudras in its Sahitya.
CHATURTHA
KALA : fourth degree of speed.
CHATURTHA
RAGA VARDHANI : the fourth stage of the main part or the body
of a raga aalaapana. Murchchana prastara or sanchaara in quick tempo is
the main feature of this fourth part of the aalaapana.
CHATURTHA
VIDARI : the concluding part of that section of the raga aalaapana
known as chaturtha raga vardhani.
CHATUSHPADI
: is devotional music, consisting of four padas.
CHAUKA KAALAM
: slow tempo. A chauka kaala kriti is one in slow speed.
CHAUKAM
: the style of singing raga aalaapana in slow tempo.
CHITTA SWARA
: are a series of set swaras - geometires usually sung after the anupallavi
and the charanam in a composition.
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