A pallavi is a

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

, commonly associated with South India. It is the first part of any formal composition (

Krithi A ''kriti'' () is a form of musical composition in the Carnatic music literature. The Sanskrit common noun ''Kriti'' means 'creation' or 'work'. A kriti forms the mental backbone of any typical Carnatic music concert and is the longer format o ...

) which has three segments – Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam (which can be one or more). Pallavi is usually also an abbreviation of

Ragam Thanam Pallavi Ragam Tanam Pallavi (RTP) is a form of singing in Carnatic music which allows the musicians to improvise to a great extent. It is one of the most complete aspects of Indian classical music, demonstrating the entire gamut of talents and the depth ...

. It is considered as the opening verse of Varnam.

Other uses

Pallavi in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

is used as an adjective or a verb with appropriate suffix to denote a small and tender red-coloured leaf of a plant or a tendril.Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit
Spokensanskrit.de. Retrieved on 23 February 2017.

References

Carnatic music Carnatic music terminology {{India-music-stub