Kannada Music

Karnataka can be proud of because of its large contribution of Kannada songs to the Indian music scene. In the past, Gopala Nayaka traveled a long way from the south to the north in order to become the court musician of Allauddin Khilji.



He then managed to forge a friendship with the Persian musicologist, Amir Khusrau. Their musical discussions led to the development of a number of new Ragas.

It was these Ragas that were incorporated in the treatise on music by Pundarika Vittala who was a South Indian composer of the 16th century.

This unique intermingling of the two diverse cultures of the north and the south gave rise to the two separate modes of singing:

- Uttaradi or Hindustani music

- Dakshinadi or Karnatic music

Karnatic music or the Kannada songs have a very deep understanding of the 'notal' values and their intrinsic relationships. The taste for the Kannada songs has to be cultivated.

Tyagaraja is the most popular among all the composers of the Kannada songs. Some of the most famous compositions of the Kannada songs by him are 'Tyagaraja Gana', 'Valmikiya Kavana' and 'Agumbeya Astamaya'.

These Kannada songs are said to be unique and said to enrapture the human heart. Tyagaraja has been very respectful in mentioning the name of Sri Purandara Dasa as one of the greatest composers of the Kannada songs.



The entire credit for popularizing the Kannada songs goes to Sripadaraya Swamy of Mulabagal. He took the efforts to popularize the Kannada songs all over the country. From as far as Maharashtra till the end of Karnataka, he made strong efforts to spread them.