South Indian Carnatic Music, an aesthetic blend of the concepts of raga and tala traces its origin to the Vedic times. Each raga which is obtained from a unique combination of at least five of the 16 basic notes (called swaras) connotes to a specific mood…a course that the music takes. While raga organizes melody, tala organizes rhythm.
Though this classical art form has been sung through the ages, most of the compositions were made during the 17th century when music and devotion went hand-in-hand. A song rendered in a concert has two broad classifications – Kalpita and Manodharma. In kalpita, the performers sing/play the original composition. Manodharma is the part where the performers improvise on the already existing piece using their imagination and ingenuity, within the limits and rules of raga and tala. Carnatic Music, through the ages, has served as the best medium of expression and devotion.

Instrumental carnatic concerts also take place and the instruments mainly used for such solo concerts include Veena, Violin, Nadaswaram, Gottuvadyam and Flute (Venu) usually accompanied by Mridangam, the most popular percussion instrument and sometimes the Ghatam and Kanjira.

One of the masters of Carnatic Music is Padma Bhushan Madurai TN Seshagopalan