Carnatic music is the classical music of South India. It is one of the world's oldest and richest musical traditions. It is also considered one of the systems of music in the world. The key elements of the music are - ragas (melodic scales) and thalas (rhythmic sclaes).

There are 72 basic scales on the octave, known as the "Melakartha Ragas".

Purandara Dasa is considered the Father of Carnatic music. The three saint composers of the nineteenth century, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri, are considered to be the key composers in this school of music. Incidenatlly, an important element of Carnatic music is the heavy leaning towards devotional content.