In
Indian classical music
Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ''Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...
, chitte swara (Sanskrit: चिट्टे स्वर, Kannada: ಚಿಟ್ಟೆ ಸ್ವರ) are a set of
solfa passages (
phrases
In syntax and grammar, a phrase is a group of words or singular word acting as a grammatical unit. For instance, the English expression "the very happy squirrel" is a noun phrase which contains the adjective phrase "very happy". Phrases can con ...
of
swara
Svara or swara (Devanagari: स्वर, generally pronounced as ''swar'') is a Sanskrit word that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave or ' ...
s). These are sung after the
anupallavi and
charanam, in the
krithis which enriches the beauty of the composition. Chitte in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
means butterfly. The swaras enhance the beauty of the song like butterflies.
Royal Carpet: Glossary of Carnatic Terms C
Accessed January 17, 2015. This is usually done by the performers and not by the composers and in Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is o ...
is an important ''improvisation
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
'' aspect ('' manodharma'' music).
References
Carnatic music
Carnatic music terminology
{{carnatic-music-stub