Which of the following statement(s) about the musical culture in 18th and 19th centuries South India is/are correct? [CDS 2015 (I)] 1. Musical developments were spearheaded by the Arcot court. 2. Tanjavur replaced Madras as the cultural capital of classical music in the second half of the 19th century. 3. Three great composers, Tyagaraja, Dikshitar and Syama Sastri experimented with the kriti from to set the foundations for modern Carnatic music. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
A. 1 and 3
B. Only 2
C. Only 3
D. All of these
Answer: Only 3
Option c is the correct answer.
Statement 1 is incorrect: The musical developments in South India during the 18th and 19th centuries were not spearheaded by the Arcot court. The courts of Tanjavur and Travancore played more significant roles in promoting and nurturing the development of classical music during this period .
Statement 2 is incorrect: Tanjavur was already an important center for classical music before the 19th century, and it maintained its prominence throughout the period. Madras (Chennai) also emerged as a significant cultural center for classical music during this time and continued to hold its position.
Statement 3 is correct: Tyagaraja, Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri, often referred to as the Trinity of Carnatic music, were influential composers who made significant contributions to the development of Carnatic music. They composed numerous kritis (musical compositions) and explored the kriti form, which laid the foundations for modern Carnatic music.