- Arvindh’s Carnatic Music Theory Page – Articles on Carnatic (South Indian Classical) Music Theory based on state of the art research.
- Bharathi Kala Manram – Toronto based cultural organizations started in 1969, has specialised in preserving and promoting the Indian culture and traditions, with particular emphasis on South Indian traditions.
- Carnatic Classical Music – Carnatic primer, biographies, compositions, lyrics, and images of great musicians.
- Carnatic Music – Describes the history of carnatic music, talks about the maestros in carnatic music.
- Carnatic Music, Periasamy Thooran, Tamil Encyclopaedia, Tamil Literature – This site has a biography, keerthanas and compositions of M.P. Periasamy Thooran.
- Carnatic Music Software – Rasika & Gaayaka – Gives information on Rasika & Gaayaka – Carnatic music software for understanding the Carnatic system and composing and playing music using traditional notation. Also has some downloads (a tuning test program and scores).
- Carnatic Webring – A ring to link all sites devoted to South Indian classical music sites.
- Carnatic winds – Flute – The site has carnatic compositons and online songs of the flautist-author.
- Carnatica – Music dictionary, database of lyrics and compositions, profiles of musicians, articles, photographs, news, reviews, message board, children’s section, and merchandise.
- Carnatic.com – Introduction, audio, lyrics, musicians, teachers, instruments, software, organizations, publications, chat, FAQ, and links.
- Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar – The Carnatic Music Legend – Contains information on his contemporaries, disciples, accompanists, awards of the famous musician.
- Chembai Vaidyanatha Iyer – A website on Chembai Vaidyanatha Iyer, classical musician
- Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana – Annual week-long Indian music festival held in Ohio. Concert schedules, application and submission information, competitions, awards, and travel and lodging information.
- Govind Music – Fast track to learning carnatic music, bhajans and film songs to attain voice control and sing like a pro. Also learn guitar chords for Indian songs.
- Hari’s Carnatic – The site has a write up on carnatic music, the different percussion instruments used in carnatic music, biographies and compositions of famouse composers of Carnatic music like Thyagaraja, Shyama Shastri, Dikshithar, Bharathiar, Harikeshanallur, Swathi Thirunal.
- Ilaiyaraaja – Carnatic Ragam based songs of the composer.
- index – A personal website of classical musicians Ashwin and Rohin Iyer.
- Indoclassical.com – News, reviews, artist profiles, concert listings, teacher-Student and instrument manufacturer databases, articles, forum, and merchandise.
- Karnatik – All you need to know about Carnatic Music – Information about the style, glossary, ragas, lyrics to many songs, kirtanas, kritis, and several bhajans.
- Kutcheri Buzz – Covers events in the world of Carnatic music and Bharathanatyam dance.
- Layamadhuraa Percussive Arts Centre – Layamadhuraa Percussive Arts Centre is a Toronto,Canada based School of Mridangam.
- Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana – A website on Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana, classical Carnatic musician and music teacher. Site includes information about his concerts and teaching.
- Mohan’s Carnatic Corner – Collection of links to general articles, composers, artists, compositions, lyrics, audio, organizations, university programs, products, and chat.
- Nedunuri Krishnamurthy’s HomePage – Contains the link between Nedunuri Krishnamurthy and music and his contribution to the Carnatic Classical Music World.
- Pesch, Ludwig – South Indian classical music articles, profiles of artists and scholars, photographs, MP3s, reviews, books authored by Pesch, and links.
- Pramila’s Carnatic music page – Provides information related to Carnatic music, various ragas and artists, review of current events in carnatic music, new book and audio releases.
- Rajalakshmi Seetharam Carnatic Music – Songs in Real Audio.
- Rasamsha – Speaks of a new hypothesis in Indian music regarding quantification of emotions in ragas.
- Rohan Krishnamurthy’s South Indian Classical Music Webpage – Information about Carnatic Music, including primers, biographies on legendary musicians, and information about the author.
- Sangeetham – Feature articles, reviews, database of musicians, quizzes, Trinity composition database, message board, concert schedules, archives, and links.
- South Indian Classical Music – History, form, ancient and contemporary composers, and links.
- Sriharidasa-Lyrics – A web site of Classical Carnatic Music Lyrics in Telugu with Transliteration in Hindi and English with some audio clips on these lyrics
- Tamil Music System – Information about the terminology, music, melodies, instruments.
- Vasu’s Sangeetha Sabhai – A website dedicated to carnatic music.It covers theoretical aspects of carnatic music. It also has links to other musical webpages.
- Vijayasree Mokkapati – Ethnomusicologist Vijayasree Mokkapati is a Karnatak music expert who performs veena and teaches veena/vocal music from Madras. Site includes sound clips and photos.
Carnatic music, known as karnataka sangitam is the classical music that originated in South India.
Lyrics in Carnatic music are largely devotional; most of the songs are addressed to the Hindu deities. There are, besides, a lot of songs emphasising love and other social issues which have been composed in Carnatic music, although some of them, especially with the ‘Rasa’ (emotion) of love, continue to be composed and are widely popular, that rest on the concept of sublimation of human emotions for union with the divine. Thus, for instance, a young woman in a modern classical composition, will be yearning for one of the deities, such as Krishna, as her ‘lover – the purpose of such musical pieces being at once to provide an outlet for human emotions and, unlike in the normal run of motion pictures, to address God rather than another human being. Carnatic music as a classical form is always thus required to be a culturally elevating medium.
As with all Indian classical music, the two main components of Carnatic music are raga, a melodic pattern and tala, a rhythmic pattern.
Carnatic music, whose foundations go back to Vedic times, began as a spiritual ritual of early Hinduism. Hindustani music and Carnatic music are one and the same, out of the Sama Veda tradition, until the Islamic invasions of North India in the late 12th and early 13th century. From the 13th century onwards, there was a divergence in the forms of Indian music — the northern style being influenced by Persian/Arabic music.
Carnatic music is named after the region in southern India what is today known as karnataka. Carnatic was the anglicized spelling of Karnataka and hence it has come to be known as Carnatic Music. The great Kannada composer Shri. Purandara Dasa is known as the ‘Father of Karnatik music’.
