Sasthreeya Sangeetham is the classical (Carnatic-style) solo vocal item at a Kerala school kalolsavam, and it is judged very differently from the general solo-song item most singers enter. Instead of rewarding sruthi and stage presence the way a light-music or film-song item does, Sasthreeya Sangeetham’s scheme puts a fifth of the marks on the singer’s actual musical knowledge — raga grammar, not just a pleasant voice. This guide covers the verified sasthreeya sangeetham competition judging criteria, a printable judgement sheet, and how to run the item in eTalenter.
What a Sasthreeya Sangeetham item tests
Sasthreeya Sangeetham is judged as a solo (Individual) item, open to both boys and girls competing together in the junior categories (Category I and II), then split into separate boy/girl entries from Category III onward — the same senior-level gender split used for most classical solo items. A slot runs up to 10 minutes with a one-minute warning cue. Unlike a light-music item that is scored mainly on voice and melody, a classical item carries a dedicated “musical knowledge” criterion, so a technically correct but theoretically shaky rendering will be marked down even if it sounds pleasant.
Sasthreeya Sangeetham judging criteria (verified, 100 marks)
The marking scheme below is cited directly from the staticDb kalolsavam item template — nothing here is inferred or invented — six criteria totalling 100 marks:
| Criterion | Marks | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Voice quality (Shareeram) | 15 | The natural quality and projection of the singer’s voice |
| Pitch and tempo (Sruthilayam) | 15 | Staying on pitch and matching the song’s tempo through the piece |
| Musical knowledge (Jnanabhavam) | 20 | Correct raga grammar and theoretical command of the piece — not just how it sounds |
| Rhythm (Thalam) | 20 | Holding the beat cycle (tala) accurately through the piece |
| Clarity of lyrics (Sahithyashuddhi) | 15 | Correct, clearly enunciated lyrics |
| Improvisation (Manodharmam) | 15 | Spontaneous melodic improvisation (alapana/swara passages) where the piece allows it |
Musical knowledge and Rhythm carry the most marks (20 each), so a singer with a beautiful voice but shaky raga grammar or an unsteady beat cycle will be outranked by a more theoretically precise singer, even one with a plainer voice. This is the structural reason Sasthreeya Sangeetham needs its own rubric rather than reusing the general solo-song scheme.
How it differs from solo song and light music
Three solo singing items sit side by side at most festivals, and organisers often confuse their rubrics. The general solo-song item (classical/semi-classical, open category) is scored on sruthi & pitch accuracy (25), laya/tala/rhythm (20), voice quality (20), expression (15), song selection (10) and stage presence (10) — a sound-and-presentation-weighted scheme with no dedicated theory mark. Light music (Lalithaganam) leans even further toward melody, expression and song selection, with no theory component at all. Sasthreeya Sangeetham’s own scheme is the only one of the three that dedicates 20 full marks to “musical knowledge” (raga grammar) and 15 to improvisation — it is explicitly judging command of the classical form, not just vocal appeal. Keep the three items and their rubrics separate rather than scoring all solo singers on one sheet.
Printable Sasthreeya Sangeetham judgement sheet
| Chest No. | Voice (/15) | Pitch & tempo (/15) | Musical knowledge (/20) | Rhythm (/20) | Lyrics (/15) | Improvisation (/15) | Total (/100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Print this sheet per judge, or skip the paper entirely — eTalenter’s judge scoring screen presents the same six criteria on the judge’s own phone, and the per-judge marks are tabulated and averaged automatically once every judge submits.
Category, gender and time rules
| Category | Gender | Time limit | Max score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category I | Both (mixed) | 10 min (9 min warning) | 100 |
| Category II | Both (mixed) | 10 min (9 min warning) | 100 |
| Category III | Male / Female (separate entries) | 10 min (9 min warning) | 100 |
| Category IV | Male / Female (separate entries) | 10 min (9 min warning) | 100 |
Deductions typically apply for overrunning the 10-minute slot, singing without a declared accompanist/tambura or recorded sruthi box, or straying from the item’s language rules — publish these alongside the criteria before entries open so every unit knows the standard in advance.
Running Sasthreeya Sangeetham on eTalenter
- Set up Sasthreeya Sangeetham as its own Individual item, separate from solo song and light music, so results, item codes and judgement sheets never mix the three rubrics.
- Enter the six criteria and their marks once in the item’s scoring setup; every judge then sees the same weighted sheet on their phone, with musical knowledge and rhythm correctly weighted higher than the others.
- Split Category III/IV into separate Male and Female entries at registration, matching the template, so the results and ranking lists come out already correctly separated.
- Use the 9-minute warning cue setting so the stage manager and judges both see the same on-screen countdown.
Running your school’s arts fest on eTalenter? Message us on WhatsApp or email support@etalenter.com for help with the software. We can’t help with individual entries or submissions to your fair — for those, please contact your school or the fair’s organisers.
FAQ
Is Sasthreeya Sangeetham the same as solo song?
No. Solo song is a general open-category item scored mainly on sruthi, rhythm, voice and stage presence with no theory component. Sasthreeya Sangeetham is specifically the classical item and carries a dedicated 20-mark “musical knowledge” criterion that the general solo-song scheme does not have.
Why does musical knowledge carry so many marks?
Because the item is judging command of the classical form itself, not just a pleasant voice — raga grammar errors are penalised even if the overall performance sounds good, which is the key difference from a light-music item.
Do boys and girls compete together?
In Category I and II, yes — it’s a mixed Individual item. From Category III onward, boys and girls are registered and ranked as separate entries, per the template.
What happens if a singer runs past the time limit?
The template allows up to 10 minutes with a warning cue at 9 minutes; organisers typically publish a time-overrun deduction in the competition rules so every unit knows the standard before entries open.
Can a singer bring a live accompanist?
The template does not fix this — it is left to each festival’s own rules (live accompanist, recorded sruthi box, or a cappella). Publish your event’s rule alongside the criteria.
Related reading: solo song judging criteria, light music judging criteria, and open a live kalolsavam demo to see judge scoring in action (log in as a demo coordinator or judge — no sign-up, read-only, nothing you click can change the event). Questions about the software? WhatsApp us at +91 96056 56508 or email support@etalenter.com.
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