Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Carnatic music" in English language version.
In precolonial or early-modern South India, Telugu became the cultural language of the south, including the Tamil country, somewhat similar to the overwhelming dominance of French as the cultural language of modern Europe during roughly the same era. Therefore, Telugu predominates in the evolution of Carnatic music, and it is the practice to teach Telugu language in music colleges to those aspiring to become singers.
Most songs were in Telugu or Sanskrit, though some were in Tamil, but even Telugu and Tamil were strongly inflected by Sanskrit.