Module 2: A short history · Lesson 5

The twentieth century and today

◐ Confidence: medium Last verified: 12 Oct 2026

From the royal court to the concert hall

As royal courts lost their power in the 19th and 20th centuries, support for Carnatic music moved to the city. Concerts began to be given by music societies called sabhas , paid for by members and audiences. Chennai (then Madras) became the main centre.

The Madras Music Academy

The Madras Music Academy was set up on 18 August 1928 after an All India Music Conference held in Madras the year before. A first festival was held in December 1927, before the Academy was formally founded, and since then an annual December season has become the main event of the Carnatic year. The Academy has awarded the Sangita Kalanidhi title each year since 1929. M. S. Subbulakshmi, the first woman to receive it, was honoured in 1968.

Other sabhas followed the Academy’s example of holding festivals in December, which is why the Chennai season runs across the city today.

The shape of a modern concert

The usual concert order, which you will meet in the forms module, is described in the same overall way by Sruti, Darbar and Wikipedia. Where it came from is told differently. Wikipedia says Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (1890 to 1967) is credited with establishing the modern concert tradition. The Darbar article says the format is thought to have grown out of Thanjavur court music in the 17th century. The NIOS textbook says concert singing in its present sense began in the 18th century. None of the sources gives detail of what changed and when.

Carnatic music beyond South India

South Indian communities carried the tradition to other places, including parts of Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, from about the 18th century onwards, and today there are teachers, students and festivals around the world. The core ideas on this site (raga, tala, composed songs, improvisation) are the same wherever it is performed.

Where this leaves you

You now have the story in outline: old Sanskrit and Tamil roots, medieval systems, devotional composers, the 72-scale scheme, the Trinity, and a modern urban concert culture. The next modules explain the music itself, starting with the notes.