Why Carnatic?

[Lakshman]

I have often wondered why South Indian classical music is spelled this way. If you use the same logic why don't we write cAraNam (kAraNam), camalA (KamalA). caruNai (KaruNai) etc?

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Lakshman-ji,

This is my theory. I do not know if this is correct.

The British corrupted anything related to Kannada language and Karnataka region by calling it Canarese.

We have regions in Karnataka that are Dakshina Kannada (or Karnataka) and Uttara Kannada (or Karnataka).
They were called South Canara and North Canara - these terms are still used, more so for South Canara.
(I wonder if the name for Canara Bank originated from this corrupt version).

Without any pride, we blindly accepted such gross butchering of our beautiful language, and that is still in usage.

So, it is possible that Karnataka Sangeeta became Carnatic music.

Again, this is my theory. I do not know if this is correct.

[shankarank]

The music in form and practice as exists today developed in this region east of eastern ghats

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_region

[sam]

The question is more about the pronunciation. Words beginning with C
are pronounced more like S. Example..central is more like sentry and not like kent. We do not write crishna but krishna. Ch is like change . However ir is Kraist for Christ. Christian is kristian. This peculiarity of English pronunciation and spelling has caused the carnatic music name.
But there are problems. Ex.. cant,, cretin, critical, curious, cabal canal but century, , .central, .
We should write it as karnatic music.
As it began with karnataka region, vijayanagar empire, . Krishnadeva Raya himself wrote in Telugu and his famous court poets were telugus. Kannada and Telugu were not too different in earlier centuries perhaps?

[Lakshman]

Sam wrote: "We should write it as karnatic music"
Should it not be Karnatik music?

[sam]

Yes.
Better still, karnataka music.

[sam]

[ishtadiggajas (Telugu: అష్టదిగ్గజులు) is the collective title given to the eight great Telugu scholars and poets in the court of Emperor Krishnadevaraya, ho ruled the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 until his death in 1529. During his reign,
[lugu literature and culture reached its zenith. In his imperial court, o]these ight poets were regarded as the eight pillars of his literary assembly. The age of Ashtadiggajas is called the Prabandha Age (1540 CE to 1600 CE).[1] Each Ashtadiggaja had composed at least one Prabandha Kavyamu, and it was the Ashtadiggajas who gave Prabandha its present form.[2] Most Ashtadiggajas were from Rayalaseema.[2] The Ashtadiggajas Allasani Peddana, Dhurjati, Nandi Thimmana, Madayyagari Mallana and Ayyalaraju Ramabhadrudu were from Rayalaseema. Pandit Ramakrishna hailed from Tenali in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. Ramarajabhushanudu and Pingali Surana were the other two Ashtadiggajas.

.
Sri Vaishnavas claim that Krishnadevaraya himself was formally initiated into the Sri Vaishnava tradition and that's why he wrote a Telugu work on Andal, a Tamil Sri Vaishnava female saint, called the Amuktamalyada.[64] They claim that Venkata Tathacharya of the Sri Vaishnava sect was Krishnadevaraya's rajaguru, and he was considered influential.[64] But the Madhva text Vyasayogicarita the biography of Madhva seer Vyasatirtha says that he was the kulaguru of Krishnadevaraya. A manuscript from Madras Oriental Manuscript Library which is from a book written by Krishnadevaya himself in which Krishnadevaraya himself wrote that Vyasatirtha is his Rajaguru."[67].
.
..these snippets are from wiki.

Thus it would appear that while Telugu was the langhage for literature, it was Kannada , which was the langjage for musical compositions.

So, karnataka music is definitely of the karnataka region ( hampi) and not of Andhra region.

It is then a puzzle why karnataka music composers of Nayaks and Tanjore mahrattas chose Telugu for their compositions.

Why was the Dasar music language not used ?

Why even Vaasudevachar composed in Telugu and Samskrutam than in Kannadam.?

Why Jaya Chamaraja Wodiyar even ,,used only samskrutham?
.
Over to Kannada and Telugu scholars in the forum.

[arasi]

So many questions! Yes, one wonders.
I hope there are several answers from others who know better.

My only question--not answer as to why Wodeyar composed in sanskrit and not in kannada: Why didn't MD compose any kriti in Tamizh??

[sam]

Thus it would appear that while Telugu was the langhage for literature, it was Kannada , which was the langjage for musical compositions

On second thoughts, annamayya composed numerous kruthis in Telugu and Samskrutham. He is said to have preceded Daasar composers by atleast a century.
.
Another noteworthy fact is that annamayya like all the famous court poets belonged to Raayalaseema, where Thiruppathy temple is located.