Melody and rhythm are fundamental to any music system in the world. Though they are inseparable, they can be viewed distinctly and studied separately. Different systems in the world give emphasis to one or the other, as, for example, the Ya-yueh music of China is more melody-oriented, while impressive rhythms form a prominent part of Central African music.
Carnatic music believes in the saying : Shrutir nianta, layafpita. Translated, this means, melody is mother, rhythm is father. The implication is that music is created only through the union of the two. Thus, there is an equal emphasis on both.
Melody : Melody, in the context of Carnatic music, may be explained as “any musical tone or succession of tones with an inherent capacity to please, — whether rendered independently i or in conjunction with rhythm”.— In order to appreciate melody better, it might be a good idea to get acquainted with a few basic terms and concepts, most of which are common to all major systems of music in the world.
For sound to be classified as musical, vibrations have to be regular. Thus, musical tones are created by evenly spaced vibrations, whose frequency determines the ‘high-‘ness or ‘low’-ness of the sounds. This factor is called the pitch. Readers would be familiar with the expressions ‘high-pitched screams’ or ‘low-moaning sounds’. Similarly, they can distinguish between high and low frequency notes.
When the frequency of a note is exactly doubled, a similar sound is heard except that this seems to be ‘higher’ than the original one; the interval between the two is known as the octave. While it is possible to have infinite notes in an octave, (between any two notes, for that matter), many music systems have divided an octave into 12 parts. If one blows through all the holes of a chromatic pitch pipe, or strikes the twelve successive keys on the piano, one would hear these twelve notes. The melodic interval between two successive notes is called a semitone, and that between alternate notes is referred to as a tone.
The most obvious feature in a pitch pipe is that only the first seven letters of the English alphabet are used to denote the twelve notes.In Indian music, the seven notes, referred to as swaras, are as shown in the table, along with their Western and Chinese counterparts.
INDIAN – WESTERN – CHINESE
Sa (S) Do Koung
Ri(R) Re Chang
Ga (G) Mi Kio
Ma (M) Fa Pion-Tche
Pa(P) So Tche
Da (D) La Tu
Ni (N) Ti Pion koung
Sixteen-note System : In Carnatic music, as in other major systems, the octave is divided into 12 parts but the notes are given 16names, though some of their melodic values overlap. The first note, Sa, and the perfect fifth, Pa, are constants. Among the other notes, Ri, Ga, Da and Ni have three values each, while Ma has two values.
Creating Music : Musical phrases are formed when the notes are combined in different ways. These can then be developed to form bigger, melodic tunes or codified to form melodic scales that can be expanded and improvised upon as ragas. One could compare it to the alphabet-words-sentences-paragraph progression. The key to the success of a musician or composer is mastery over the fundamental notes and an ability to combine them in various ways to evoke a response from the listeners.
Effect of music on a listener – Consonance, Assonance and Dissonance : A listener of any system of music responds to different combinations of notes in different ways. Some combinations are pleasant and cheerful, whether rendered successively or simultaneously. Such ‘friendly’ combinations are referred to as consonant (samvadi) combinations. Others could evoke an uneasy feeling in the listener. These are known as dissonant (vivadi) phrases. When they do neither of these in particular, the notes are said to be assonant (anuvadi). The proportion of their usage determines the mood created by the music. For instance, if a musician or composer wants to create an atmosphere of cheer, the dissonant combinations will be totally avoided. On the other hand, one may find many dissonant phrases in horror or sorrowful scenes in movies!
Raga : Whenever one speaks about Indian music, the term raga is inevitable. In fact, several people have declared Indian music to be raga music. The first conscious thing many listeners do when they hear a piece of Carnatic melody is to try and identify the raga. When there are two or more listeners involved, they often get into heated debates and disputes over the identity of the ragas rendered by the artistes! A few composers have been very thoughtful and have made it easier for the listeners by incorporating the name of the raga in their compositions in an intelligent manner.