A long-necked lute with 4 strings tuned to the tonic, upper tonic, and dominant (or subdominant, if the dominant is not present in the raga).
The strings are plucked in succession, providing a continuous tonal reference and foundation for the music, while creating a resonant, immersive atmosphere.

The rhythm cycle that governs a kriti, swarams or other Carnatic musical form.
Both pieces on this album use Adi tala, an 8-beat rhythm cycle, which is the most commonly used tala in Carnatic music.

Improvisatory sections that conclude at the theme statement, aligning with the correct point in the tala (rhythm cycle).
The concerto-kriti’s Movement IV features swarams that conclude at the theme statement of the Anupallavi reprise.

Within each section of a kriti, a sangathi is the name given to the melodic theme of that section, as well as to each of its variations.

A raga is outlined by a scale, typically consisting of 5-7 notes in Carnatic music. However, the scale is just the skeleton; the appropriate gamakas are also crucial. Typical phrasing is also important in delineating a raga.
There are 72 parent ragas in the Carnatic melakarta system, each with a full set of 7 notes, and many more ragas with fewer notes that are derived from these.

The first section of a kriti, consisting of a theme and its variations (sangathis).
A short reprise of the theme appears at the end of each of the other sections.

A system of 72 parent ragas in Carnatic music, each containing seven notes. 
Many other ragas, with 5 or 6 notes, are derived from these parent ragas.

The most prevalent form in Carnatic music, typically structured in three sections.
A more detailed description is provided in the Fugue-Kriti section of the website.
The canonical composers of kritis, known as the Trinity, are Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar, and Shyama Shastri (18th-early 19th century).

These include expressive oscillations, glides between notes, grace notes, and microtonal inflections.
They are an indispensible element of a raga in Indian classical music.
A further discussion of gamakas can be found in the website’s Compositional Approach section.

Example: Gamakas (Violin)

A short, contrasting rhythmic passage that, if included, appears at the end of the Anupallavi.
It is featured in the fugue-kriti, but not in the concerto-kriti.

Example: Chittaswaram