Different Types of Malayalam Songs

The beautiful land of Kerala is deeply entrenched in rich culture and heritage which lends itself to growth of literature and music. Malayalam is the language of the masses and as such, there is some beautiful poetry, lyrics and songs that have been written in this indigenous dialect. There are many types of Malayalam songs ranging all the way back to 9th Century CE. Classical Carnatic songs have influenced all the music of Kerala. Other than these classical songs, there are many other types of songs in this popular canon of music.

Kathakali songs, Kathaprasanga, Mappilapattu and Pulluvan Pattu are styles that have been flourishing for ages. Of these, Pulluvan Pattu comprises of songs of snake worship sung in snake temples. Islamic poetry influenced music which uses Urdu words in conjunction to Malayalam is called Mappila Pattu. These songs delve into various in depth topics like love and religion. Gazals, also influenced by Islamic music form an integral part of Malayalam songs. Many famous Gazals are sung by Hariharan, who has gained many accolades for his singing prowess.

There are many Hindu devotional songs as well as Christian devotional songs that have soulful lyrics in the Malayalam language. Singers like Bichu Thirumala and Dr. K.J. Yesudas are very well known for the genre of Festival songs.

The most popular type, of course, is film music. These lively and melodious Malayalam songs have made this canon of music well-liked and accepted all over the South and even in some other parts of India. Malayalam songs were included in movies from 1948 and since then much has changed in the way these songs are made. New composers from all over India have brought western music styles like rock, hip hop and even pop into the traditional Malayalam songs. Composers like A.R. Rahman and Ilaya Raja are credited with this new wave of music.

Related posts:

  1. Ghazals
  2. Bhojpuri Songs Vs Gujrati Songs
  3. Classic Oriya Songs Sung By Great Singers
  4. Bulgarian Songs
  5. Devotional Songs In Hindi Films

August 1st, 2010 in Music