introduction: Making music is for musicians only. This is probably not true for folk music, As folk music is sung by ordinary people, passed on orally for generations within the family or the group of people, tribes or, any other social communities. Folk music composition is so simple that you can easily perceive and get pleasure from it. Tamil Nadu belongs to a well-diverse cultural hub in the South Indian region. Various traditional and classical music and dance forms emerge here. Folk music has an aged-old tradition in Tamil Nadu. This traditional musical art form was handed down through rustic Tamil people over the generations. In every festival, Folk music is the mainstream entertainment among the Tamil villagers
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Folk music in Tamil Nadu: In Tamil Nadu, Folk music holds the cultural ethos and values of Tamil rural communities. Folk music in Tamil Nadu is well known for its variations in rhythmic beat cycles, Ancient classical melodies like manji, Shama, Navaroz are the key elements for these folk music compositions. Tamil folk music is often performed unaccompanied or sometimes in chorus with the help of musical instruments like Yazh, Veena Thamburas, Vangiyam, etc.
Folk Music Festivals in Tamil Nadu: There have Several festivals celebrated by the Tamil people, Where folk music, Folk dance are the leading cultural events.
- Pangal Festivals: Pongal festivals is a four-day-long major harvest festival in Tamil Nadu. It usually takes place in mid-January. The festival aims for thanking the Hindu Sun God and seeking his blessings. Rustic Tamil people celebrate their festivals with various folk music, singing, and dancing.
- Puthandu ( Tamil New Year)Festivals: The Tamil new year festival usually takes place on 14th April according to the Tamil calendar. This festival facilitates thousands of musicians to perform various classical and folk music each year.
- Thaipusam: Thaipusam is an ethnoreligious festival popular among the Tamil community that occurs in January/February. Organizing and performing Various devotional songs are the key features of this festival.
- Thyagaraja Music festivals: This music festival occurs at Thiruvaiyaru in Tamil Nadu in remembrance of a great Carnatic Musician Thayagaraja Thousands of musicians perform in the festival each year. This is considered to be the best folk and classical music festival in Tamil Nadu.
Folk music in the rural Tamil life:
From the very beginning of the Tamil community, people were very passionate about music. In Tamil villages, there has always a song associated with every festival. Folk songs possess a major part in these festivals. In summer, when the major harvesting is done, Rustic Tamils celebrate these post-harvest days as a festival, where people of all ages spontaneously gather together focusing around the temple and perform various types of folk songs, folk dance along with other rituals. Indigenous Tamil people are mostly depending on agriculture as their living. They enjoy singing various types of folk songs to get relief from monotony while working on the land. Songs are also a predominant way of entertainment in every Tamil wedding, In religious festivals, devoted songs are performed for the sake of their deities. there have songs entirely dedicated to women’s nuptial, puberty, and during the time of pregnancy.
Why Tamil folk music is popular at .present days:
The root of ancient folk music had been found in the earliest Sangam literature, it has a strong influence on modern classical music. folk music is considered a prime cultural notion in Tamil society. From the unprivileged Tamil villagers to the advanced urban community, folk music is taking a lead role in entertainment, thanks to its simple, unsophisticated narrative verse, that can easily be perceived. since the utilization of folk songs blended with rock music gives birth to a new dimension of music sense among the young music enthusiasts. Other than that, Tamil people celebrate various festivals like the Magraazi festival, where folk songs, folk dances are prevalent..imploying folk music in Tamil cinemas is another reason to make the folk song popular.
Prominent Tamil folk musicians:
Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan is a renowned Tamil folk singer, researcher, who has awarded “The Padma Shri” for her contribution to folk music.
Pushpavanam Kuppushami, ChinnaPonnu, Hariharan are legendary folk musicians of Tamil Nadu.
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