Matanga's Brihaddesi (500-700 AD)

Brihaddeshi by Sage Matanga, is the most important work between Natyashastra (2nd century BC) and Sangita Ratnakara (13th century AD). Matanga probably hailed from south India. This work is dated between 6th and 7th century AD But unfortunately, it is incomplete, may be portions of it are lost. Brihaddeshi is the first major and available text to describe the Raaga, as we understand the them today, which has been the central concept in Indian art music for centuries. It also introduced the sargam, or notation in the names of notes. In Matanga's discussion of musical scales and micro-tonal intervals he clarifies what Bharata had said in the Natyashastra.

Margi music is a performance in which Gita, Vadya and Nritya were combined, as was described by Bharatha in Natyashastra. The performances which did not conform to such strict rules and which catered to the tastes of people of different lands are termed desi. It is the Desi music which Matanga describes. According to Matanga, "Deshi is that which is sung voluntarily and with delight and pleasure by women, children, cowherds and kings in their respective regions".

Examples of music in the south in ancient times is given by old Tamil compositions, set to music. The Panns (i.e. Raagas) they were to be sung in were also mentioned in the compositions. The tradition of singing these devotional poems set to music, continues to this day in many temples of Tamil Nadu.

Tevarams are devotional hymns bequeathed by three Saivite Nayanmars - Tirugnanasambandhar (635-651 AD), Tirunavukkarasar (580-661 AD) and Sundaramurti (9th century). It is said that each of them composed several thousand padigams but only a few hundreds are available today. Significantly, in these works, the names of the Panns in which the hymns were to be rendered have been specified. For eg. one of Pann's used in Tevaram is Kausikam, which is present day Bhairavi.

Many of the Tevaram tunes have been preserved to this date due to the services of the Oduvaars, or temple singers, attached to temples. Due to the munificence of kings like Rajaraja Chola, they were given lands etc, thus allowing them to continue their adherence to music.

Unlike the other works described here, Gita Govinda, is not a musicology text. It is the earliest example of regular musical composition, each song being set in a particular raga and tala.

Jayadeva was born in village Kenubilva Gram (Kenduli). He was at the court of the Bengal king Lakshman Sena. His masterpiece Gita Govinda has immortalized him. Gita Govinda is a sringara mahakavya in 12 sargas of Sanskrit. It consists of 24 songs, each containing 8 charanas. Hence the name Ashtapadi.

Ashtapadi hymns are the earliest examples of regular musical compositions each song being set in a special raga and tala. (Prof. Sambamoorthy points out that for the earlier Tevaram and Tiruvachagam only the name of the pann (raga) is mentioned and not the tala). The 19th Ashtapadi, called Darsana Ashtapadi and Sanjaivini Ashtapadi (after two remarkable incidents in the life of Jayadeva), has acquired considerable significance and is widely and frequently sung.

The Ashtapadi hymns are not sung in the original raga(s) and tala(s). Sarangadeva, the 13th century author of the great treatise "Sangita Ratnakara" refers to the ragas of Jayadeva as "Prakprasiddha" (meaning that the ragas were once in vogue and became obsolete).