Forms of Carnatic composition
Kriti, kirtana, varnam, svarajati, geetam and tillana — different ways of bringing melody, rhythm and words together.
Carnatic compositions come in several forms, each with its own purpose and structure. Many kritis have three sections: pallavi (the opening refrain), anupallavi (a second section) and charanam (the main verse).
Kriti and kirtana
The kriti is the central form of the concert repertoire — a composed song uniting raga, tala and lyrics, with room for elaboration. The kirtana emphasises song and devotion; the two terms overlap, and neither label alone fixes the musical complexity.
Varnam
A varnam distils a raga's characteristic phrases into a single piece. It opens concerts and anchors training, moving from a first half of lyrics and set swaras to a second half built on swara passages.
Svarajati and geetam
A svarajati sets solfa (swara) passages to words; in the hands of Syama Sastri it became a concert form in its own right. The geetam is the simplest composed form, learnt early.
Tillana
A tillana is a lively, rhythmic piece that uses konnakol-like syllables and is often placed near the end of a concert; it is closely tied to dance.