| The ancient Tamil music was the music of the | | | | compositions. Poems of the Ettuthohai anthology, |
| ancient Tamil people, who resided in the lands of | | | | such as the Natrinai, Paripaatal and Kaliththokai are |
| the ancient Tamil country. Many poems of the | | | | extensively musical in nature and utilise various |
| Sangam literature, the classical Tamil literature of | | | | panns to create the mood. |
| the early common era, were set to music. There | | | | Musical instruments |
| are various references to this ancient musical | | | | Poems of the Sangam literature contain numerous |
| tradition found in the ancient Sangam books such | | | | mentions of the various musical instruments such |
| as Ettuthokai and Pattupattu. The early narrative | | | | as the Seerkazhi , a stringed instrument of the |
| poem Cilappatikaram, belonging to the | | | | Veena type and various percussion instruments |
| post-Sangam period 200 CE - 400 CE also | | | | such as murasu or muzham. Pattupattu contains a |
| mentions various forms of music practiced by the | | | | description of the yaazh, a stringed instrument. |
| Tamil people. Music was an integral part of the | | | | There were two types of yaazh, classical dance |
| Bharatanatyam compositions of the Tamil Saiva | | | | of Tamil Nadu Periyaazh or the 'large yaazh' |
| saints such as Appar, Thirugnana Sambanthar and | | | | contained 21 strings, whereas its more compact |
| Manikkavasagar during the Hindu revival period | | | | companion Siriyaazh had only seven strings. Two |
| between the sixth and the tenth centuries CE. | | | | other types of yaazhs, Makarayaazh with 19 |
| Sangam music | | | | strings and Sakottuyaah with seven strings are |
| The Sangam age grammatical work Tolkappiyam | | | | also mentioned in Pattuppattu. However we have |
| mentions the various music pertaining to the five | | | | no further information on their actual appearance, |
| landscapes (thinai) of the Sangam literature. The | | | | mode of playing and the kind of melody |
| five landscapes are associated with a particular | | | | generated by these instruments. |
| mood of the poem and to give colour to these | | | | The flute was the most popular wind instrument |
| moods, each had a musical mood (pann), a | | | | during the Sangam period. Perumpanarruppatai, |
| melodic instrument (yaazh) and a percussion | | | | one of the Pattupattu anthologies, describes the |
| instrument (parai). For example, the neithal thinai, | | | | process of making the flute. The holes in the |
| which dealt with the incidents around the seashore | | | | bamboo tube were bored using red-hot embers. |
| and the theme of elopement, had the musical | | | | The flute is also mentioned in the Kurincippattu as |
| mood of sevvazhi, Vilari yaazh as the musical | | | | the instrument on Legends Of Tamilnadu which |
| instrument and the navayapambai for the | | | | the shepherds played the ambal pann. Among the |
| percussion. Tolkappiyam also mentions the musical | | | | other wind instruments were the Pili, a small |
| form known as Paattu Vannam and various types | | | | trumpet and Kanvidutumbu a larger flute ('as long |
| of songs like Asiriapattu, Neduven pattu, Adivarai, | | | | as the trunk of an elephant'), perhaps producing |
| Seer, Ahaval Osai and Vellosai, which are classified | | | | lower octaves The flute also acted as a drone |
| on the basis of the musical quality, metrical | | | | providing a constant pitch for vocalists and other |
| structure etc. Most of the Sangam age poetry | | | | instruments. |
| utilised one or more of these meters in their | | | | |