109-500: Traditional Modern Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian music encompasses numerous genres in multiple varieties and forms which include classical music , folk , rock , and pop . It has a history spanning several millennia and developed over several geo-locations spanning the sub-continent. Music in India began as an integral part of socio-religious life. The 30,000-year-old paleolithic and neolithic cave paintings at
218-602: A matra (beat, and duration between beats). A raga is a central concept of Indian music, predominant in its expression. According to Walter Kaufmann, though a remarkable and prominent feature of Indian music, a definition of raga cannot be offered in one or two sentences. Raga may be roughly described as a musical entity that includes note intonation, relative duration and order, in a manner similar to how words flexibly form phrases to create an atmosphere of expression. In some cases, certain rules are considered obligatory, in others optional. The raga allows flexibility, where
327-450: A raga , while Carnatic performances tend to be short composition-based. However, the two systems continue to have more common features than differences. Another unique classical music tradition from the eastern part of India is Odissi music , which has evolved over the last two thousand years. The roots of the classical music of India are found in the Vedic literature of Hinduism and
436-456: A tala in Indian music covers "the whole subject of musical meter". Indian music is composed and performed in a metrical framework, a structure of beats that is a tala . A tala measures musical time in Indian music. However, it does not imply a regular repeating accent pattern, instead its hierarchical arrangement depends on how the musical piece is supposed to be performed. The tala forms
545-535: A certain sequencing of how the musician moves from note to note for each raga , in order for the performance to create a rasa (mood, atmosphere, essence, inner feeling) that is unique to each raga . A raga can be written on a scale. Theoretically, thousands of raga are possible given 5 or more notes, but in practical use, the classical Indian tradition has refined and typically relies on several hundred. For most artists, their basic perfected repertoire has some forty to fifty ragas . Raga in Indian classical music
654-698: A different way than Carnatic music. Hindustani music style is mainly found in North India , Pakistan and Bangladesh. Prior to the Taliban's ban on music, it also had a strong presence in Afghanistan. It exists in four major forms: Dhrupad , Khyal (or Khayal), Tarana , and the semi-classical Thumri . Dhrupad is ancient, Khyal evolved from it, Thumri evolved from Khyal. There are three major schools of Thumri: Lucknow gharana, Banaras gharana and Punjabi gharana. These weave in folk music innovations. Tappa
763-617: A drum-like instrument. The dance is performed by attractive women wearing nine-yard saris. They are sung in a quick tempo. Lavani originated in the arid region of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Music of Manipur and Manipuri dance are heritage of Manipuri people . According to tradition of the Manipuri people in the Himalayan foothills and valleys connecting India to Burma, they are the Gandharvas (celestial musicians and dancers) in
872-482: A gentle goodbye, that are ideally mathematical fractions such as dagun (half), tigun (third) or chaugun (fourth). Sometimes a fifth stanza called Bhoga is included. Though usually related to philosophical or Bhakti (emotional devotion to a god or goddess) themes, some Dhrupads were composed to praise kings. Improvisation is of central importance to Hindustani music, and each gharana (school tradition) has developed its own techniques. At its core, it starts with
981-459: A history spanning over two thousand years, authentic sangita-shastras or treatises, unique Ragas & Talas and a distinctive style of rendition. The various aspects of Odissi music include odissi prabandha, chaupadi, chhānda, champu, chautisa, janāna, mālasri, bhajana, sarimāna, jhulā, kuduka, koili, poi, boli, and more. Presentation dynamics are roughly classified into four: raganga, bhabanga, natyanga and dhrubapadanga. Some great composer-poets of
1090-551: A live rendering, which went viral on the internet; further establishing the growing prominence of Indian Classical Music around the globe. Sangeet Natak Akademi , is an Indian national-level academy for performance arts . It awards the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award , the highest Indian recognition given to people in the field of performance arts. Kusha (Ramayana) Kusha ( Sanskrit : कुश , IAST : Kuśa ) and his younger twin brother Lava were
1199-620: A mouth organ made by tying several flutes together), raga (including kaushika such as raag kaushik dhwani ), vocal registers (seven svara or sur , ana or ekashurti drag note, murchana the regulated rise and fall of voice in matra and tripramana three-fold teen taal laya such as drut or quick, madhya or middle, and vilambit or slow), poetry recitation in Bala Kanda and also in Uttara Kanda by Luv and Kusha in marga style. Starting from
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#17327648883791308-545: A much larger role in Carnatic concerts than in Hindustani concerts. Today's typical concert structure was put in place by the vocalist Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar . The opening piece is called a varnam , and is a warm-up for the musicians. A devotion and a request for a blessing follows, then a series of interchanges between ragams (unmetered melody) and Tanam (the ornamentation within a melorhythmic cycle, equivalent to
1417-524: A part of the Qajar court in Tehran , an interaction that continued through the 20th century with import of Indian musical instruments in cities such as Herat near Afghanistan-Iran border. Odissi music is a distinct type of Classical music of Eastern India. This music is sung during performance of classical Odissi dance . The traditional ritual music for the service of Lord Jagannatha , Odissi music has
1526-470: A standard composition (bandish), then expands it in a process called vistar . The improvisation methods have ancient roots, and one of the more common techniques is called Alap , which is followed by the Jor and Jhala . The Alap explores possible tonal combinations among other things, Jor explores speed or tempo (faster), while Jhala explores complex combinations like a fishnet of strokes while keeping
1635-468: A woman holding a drum under her left arm. Vedas (c. 1500 – c. 800 BCE Vedic period ) document rituals with performing arts and play. For example, Shatapatha Brahmana ( c. 800–700 BCE) has verses in chapter 13.2 written in the form of a play between two actors. Tala or taal is an ancient music concept traceable to Vedic era texts of Hinduism , such as the Samaveda and methods for singing
1744-488: Is teental . In the two major systems of classical Indian music, the first count of any tala is called sam . Instruments typically used in Hindustani music include the sitar , sarod , surbahar , esraj , veena , tanpura , bansuri , shehnai , sarangi , violin , santoor , pakhavaj and tabla . Instruments typically used in Carnatic music include veena , venu , gottuvadyam , harmonium , mridangam , kanjira , ghatam , nadaswaram and violin . Players of
1853-483: Is a form of Gujarati cultural dance that is performed with sticks. The present musical style is derived from the traditional musical accompaniment to the folk dance. It is practiced mainly in the state of Gujarat. There is also another type of dance and music associated with Dandiya/Raas called Garba . Gaana is a rap -like "collection of rhythms, beats and sensibilities native to the Dalits of Chennai." It evolved over
1962-661: Is considered the father of Carnatic music, while the later musicians Tyagaraja , Shyama Shastry and Muthuswami Dikshitar are considered the trinity of Carnatic music. Noted artists of Carnatic music include Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (the father of the current concert format), Palghat Mani Iyer , Madurai Mani Iyer , Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer , Nedunuri Krishnamurthy Alathur Brothers , M. S. Subbulakshmi , Lalgudi Jayaraman , Balamuralikrishna , T. N. Seshagopalan , K. J. Yesudas , N. Ramani , Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman , Sanjay Subrahmanyan , T. M. Krishna , Bombay Jayashri , Aruna Sairam , Mysore Manjunath , Every December,
2071-427: Is done on the song. Nati Music is usually celebratory, and done in fairs or other occasions such as marriages. Jhumair and Domkach are Nagpuri folk music . The musical instruments used in folk music and dance are Dhol , Mandar , Bansi , Nagara , Dhak , Shehnai , Khartal , Narsinga etc. Lavani comes from the word Lavanya which means "beauty". This is one of the most popular forms of dance and music that
2180-543: Is from the 18th to 19th century was another important era in the history of Mizo folk literature. Prior to the annexation by the British Government, the Mizo occupied the present Mizoram for two centuries. In comparison with the folk songs of Thantlang and Lentlang settlement, the songs of this period are more developed in its number, form and contents. The languages are more polished and the flows also better. Most of
2289-412: Is intimately related to tala or guidance about "division of time", with each unit called a matra (beat, and duration between beats). A raga is not a tune, because the same raga can yield a very large number of tunes. A raga is not a scale, because many ragas can be based on the same scale. A raga , states Bruno Nettl and other music scholars, is a concept similar to mode, something between
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#17327648883792398-476: Is practiced all over Maharashtra . It has, in fact, become a necessary part of the Maharashtrian folk dance performances. Traditionally, the songs are sung by female artists, but male artists may occasionally sing Lavanis . The dance format associated with Lavani is known as Tamasha . Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the enchanting beats of 'Dholaki',
2507-424: Is rich in musical tradition and even places have been named after ragas , for example Charkhi Dadri district has many villages named as Nandyam, Sarangpur, Bilawala, Brindabana, Todi, Asaveri, Jaisri, Malakoshna, Hindola, Bhairvi and Gopi Kalyana. Himachal's folk music varies according to the event or the festival. One of the most popular style of music is Nati Music, where nati being the traditional dance that
2616-420: Is said to be the first Tamang Selo ever recorded. She has sung nearly 300 songs through her musical career spanning 40 years. After Waiba's death in 2011, her son Satya Aditya Waiba (producer/manager) and Navneet Aditya Waiba (singer) collaborated and re-recorded her most iconic songs and released an album titled Ama Lai Shraddhanjali (आमालाई श्रद्धाञ्जली-Tribute to Mother). The duo are the only individuals in
2725-548: Is the ancient Indian classical music that became distinct after Hindustani music was established. It is dated back to ancient periods, but was only distinct after Hindustani music was established. Purandara Dasa (1484–1564) was a Hindu composer and musicologist who lived in Hampi of the Vijayanagara Empire . He is considered Pithamaha (literally, "great father or grandfather") of the Carnatic music. Purandara Dasa
2834-675: Is the festival of New Year of Assam falling on mid-April. This is a festival of nature and mother earth where the first day is for the cows and buffaloes. The second day of the festival is for the man. Bihu dances and songs accompanied by traditional drums and wind instruments are an essential part of this festival. Bihu songs are energetic and with beats to welcome the festive spring. Assamese drums (dhol), Pepa(usually made from buffalo horn), Gogona are major instruments used. Borgeets ( Assamese : বৰগীত ) are lyrical songs that are set to specific ragas but not necessarily to any tala . These songs, composed by Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavdeva in
2943-535: Is the lack of "strong, weak" beat composition typical of the traditional European meter. In classical Indian traditions, the tala is not restricted to permutations of strong and weak beats, but its flexibility permits the accent of a beat to be decided by the shape of musical phrase. The most widely used tala in the South Indian system is adi tala . In the North Indian system, the most common tala
3052-630: Is the most folksy, one which likely existed in Rajasthan and Punjab region before it was systematized and integrated into classical music structure. It became popular, with the Bengali musicians developing their own Tappa. Khyal is the modern form of Hindustani music, and the term literally means "imagination". It is significant because it was the template for Sufi musicians among the Islamic community of India , and Qawwals sang their folk songs in
3161-506: Is traditionally believed to have founded Lavapuri (current day city of Lahore ). The imperial line that ruled Kingdom of Benares-Kashi and the Maurya Empire , which ruled South Asia from 320 to 185 BCE, claimed descent from Kusha. Kusha is said to be a Raghuvamshi Ikshvaku Suryavanshi . He got two children from his wife Kumudvati Athithi (son) and Kanikamalika (daughter, wife of Yadava descent king Mahabhoja). According to
3270-534: Is unclear when the process of differentiation of Hindustani music started. The process may have started in the 14th century courts of the Delhi Sultans. However, according to Jairazbhoy, the North Indian tradition likely acquired its modern form after the 14th or after the 15th century. The development of Hindustani music reached a peak during the reign of Akbar . During this 16th century period, Tansen studied music and introduced musical innovations, for about
3379-527: The jor ). This is intermixed with hymns called krithis . The pallavi or theme from the raga then follows. Carnatic pieces also have notated lyrical poems that are reproduced as such, possibly with embellishments and treatments according to the performer's ideology, referred to as Manodharmam. Primary themes include worship, descriptions of temples, philosophy, and nayaka-nayika (Sanskrit "hero-heroine") themes. Tyagaraja (1759–1847), Muthuswami Dikshitar (1776–1827) and Syama Sastri (1762–1827) have been
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3488-659: The Angul district of Odisha . There is historical evidence in the form of sculptural evidence, i.e. musical instruments, singing and dancing postures of damsels in the Ranigumpha Caves in Khandagiri and Udayagiri at Bhubaneswar . Dancing Girl sculpture (2500 BCE) was found from the Indus Valley civilization (IVC) site. There are IVC-era paintings on pottery of a man with a dhol hanging from his neck and
3597-571: The Gana also implied singing. The Vedic Sanskrit musical tradition had spread widely in the Indian subcontinent, and according to Rowell, the ancient Tamil classics make it "abundantly clear that a cultivated musical tradition existed in South India as early as the last few pre-Christian centuries". The classic Sanskrit text Natya Shastra is at the foundation of the numerous classical music and dance traditions of India. Before Natyashastra
3706-692: The Indian subcontinent . It is generally described using terms like Shastriya Sangeet and Marg Sangeet . It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as Hindustani and the South Indian expression known as Carnatic . These traditions were not distinct until about the 15th century. During the period of Mughal rule of the Indian subcontinent, the traditions separated and evolved into distinct forms. Hindustani music emphasizes improvisation and exploration of all aspects of
3815-453: The Madal , Damphu and Tungna , although nowadays musicians have taken to modern instruments. A Tamang Selo can be catchy and lively or slow and melodious, and is usually sung to convey sorrow, love, happiness or day-to-day incidents and stories of folklore. Hira Devi Waiba is hailed as the pioneer of Nepali folk songs and Tamang Selo. Her song ' Chura ta Hoina Astura ' (चुरा त होइन अस्तुरा)
3924-540: The Persian performance practices of the Mughals . Classical genres are dhrupad , dhamar , khyal , tarana and sadra , and there are also several semi-classical forms. The root of the name C(K)arnatic music is derived from Sanskrit. Karnam means ears and Atakam means that which is sweet or that which lingers on. There are many types of music which comes under the category of light classical or semi-classical. Some of
4033-653: The Ramayana , a pregnant queen Sita is made to leave the kingdom of Ayodhya by the King, Lord Rama , in order to demonstrate that no one is above Dharma and also to refute the allegation against her by a citizen of his kingdom. She then took refuge in the ashram of the sage Valmiki located close to the Triveni Dham where Tamasa, Sona and Sapta Gandaki rivers meet.Which is located in chitwan district of Nepal Tamsa River . Sita gave birth to twin sons, Kusha and Lava, at
4142-499: The Sama Veda , Natya shastra (classic treatise on music theory, Gandharva), Dattilam , Brihaddesi (treatise on regional classical music forms), and Sangita Ratnakara (definitive text for Carnatic and Hindustani traditions). Most historic music theory texts have been by Hindu scholars. Some classical music texts were also composed by Buddhists and Jain scholars, and in 16th century by Muslim scholars. These are listed in
4251-533: The UNESCO world heritage site at Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh show a type of dance. Mesolithic and chalcolithic cave art of Bhimbetka illustrates musical instruments such as Gongs , Bowed Lyre , daf etc. Chalcolithic era (4000 BCE onward) narrow bar shaped polished stone celts like music instruments, one of the earlier musical instrument in India, were excavated at Sankarjang in
4360-412: The Vedic texts, and historic texts of Manipuri people calls the region as Gandharva-desa . The Vedic Usha , the goddess of the dawn, is a cultural motif for Manipuri women, and in the Indian tradition, it was Usha who created and taught the art of feminine dance to girls. This oral tradition of women's dance is celebrated as Chingkheirol in the Manipuri tradition. The ancient Sanskrit texts such as
4469-498: The equal-temperament tuning system. Also, unlike modern Western classical music, Indian classical music places great emphasis on improvisation. The underlying scale may have four , five , six or seven tones , called swaras (sometimes spelled as svaras ). The swara concept is found in the ancient Natya Shastra in Chapter 28. It calls the unit of tonal measurement or audible unit as Śhruti , with verse 28.21 introducing
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4578-459: The music of Bengal , popular in India and Bangladesh . "Sangeet" means music, "Rabindra Sangeet" means music (or more aptly songs) of Rabindra. Tagore wrote some 2,230 songs in Bengali , now known as Rabindra Sangeet , using classical music and traditional folk music as sources. Indian classical music Traditional Modern Indian classical music is the classical music of
4687-431: The raga and the tala are two foundational elements. The raga forms the fabric of a melodic structure, and the tala keeps the time cycle. Both raga and tala are open frameworks for creativity and allow a very large number of possibilities, however, the tradition considers a few hundred ragas and talas as basic. Raga is intimately related to tala or guidance about "division of time", with each unit called
4796-431: The tabla , a type of drum, usually keep the rhythm, an indicator of time in Hindustani music. Another common instrument is the stringed tanpura , which is played at a steady tone (a drone) throughout the performance of the raga, and which provides both a point of reference for the musician and a background against which the music stands out. The tuning of the tanpura depends on the raga being performed. The task of playing
4905-598: The 13th–14th centuries CE, primarily due to Islamic influences. Developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, it has contemporary traditions established primarily in India but also in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In contrast to Carnatic music, the other main Indian classical music tradition originating from the South, Hindustani music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions, historical Vedic philosophy and native Indian sounds but also enriched by
5014-548: The 14th - 15th centuries AD and thereafter. It originated in South India during the rule of Vijayanagar Empire through the Keerthanas composed by Purandara Dasa . Like Hindustani music, it is melodic , with improvised variations, but tends to have more fixed compositions. It consists of a composition with improvised embellishments added to the piece in the forms of Raga Alapana , Kalpanaswaram , Neraval and, in
5123-634: The 14th century or earlier). The Indian system of notation is perhaps the world's oldest and most elaborate. In the early 14th century under the Khiljis , there were concerts and competitions between Hindustani and Carnatic musicians. From the 16th century onwards, treatises written on music were Sangitamava Chandrika, Gita Prakasha, Sangita Kalalata and Natya Manorama . In the early 1960s Jazz pioneers such as John Coltrane and George Harrison collaborated with Indian instrumentalists and started to use Indian instruments such as sitar in their songs. In
5232-574: The 15th–16th centuries, are used to begin prayer services in monasteries , e.g. Satra and Namghar associated with the Ekasarana Dharma ; and they also belong to the repertoire of Music of Assam outside the religious context. They are a lyrical strain that express the religious sentiments of the poets reacting to different situations, and differ from other lyrics associated with the Ekasarana Dharma . Prominent instruments used in borgeets are Negera, Taal , Khols etc. Dandiya or Raas
5341-480: The 16th century began the Carnatic style of Indian classical music. Carnatic music, from South India , tends to be more rhythmically intensive and structured than Hindustani music. Examples of this are the logical classification of ragas into melakartas , and the use of fixed compositions similar to Western classical music. Carnatic raga elaborations are generally much faster in tempo and shorter than their equivalents in Hindustani music. In addition, accompanists have
5450-727: The 1980s, 1990s and particularly the 2000s onwards, Indian Classical Music has seen rapid growth in reception and development around the globe, particularly in North America , where immigrant communities have preserved and passed on classical music traditions to subsequent generations through the establishment of local festivals and music schools. Numerous musicians of American origin, including Ramakrishnan Murthy , Sandeep Narayan, Pandit Vikash Maharaj, Abby V, and Mahesh Kale have taken professionally to Indian Classical Music with great success. In his 2020 released video, Canadian singer Abby V demonstrated 73 different Indian Classical ragas in
5559-545: The 3rd century, such as in the works of Chinese lyricist Li Yannian . In 1958, Ravi Shankar came to the US and started making albums. These started a 1960s penchant for Indian classical music in the States. By 1967 Shankar and other artists were performing at rock music festivals alongside Western rock, blues, and soul acts. This lasted until the mid-1970s. Ravi Shankar performed at Woodstock for an audience of over 500,000 in 1969. In
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#17327648883795668-399: The Bengali classical tradition . This openness to ideas led to assimilation of regional folk innovations, as well as influences that arrived from outside the subcontinent. For example, Hindustani music assimilated Arabian and Persian influences. This assimilation of ideas was upon the ancient classical foundations such as raga , tala , matras as well as the musical instruments. For example,
5777-565: The Dharohar Project. The two main traditions of Indian classical music are Carnatic music , which is practised predominantly in the peninsular (southern) regions, and Hindustani music , which is found in the northern, eastern and central regions. The basic concepts of this music includes Shruti (microtones), Swaras (notes), Alankar (ornamentations), Raga (melodies improvised from basic grammars), and Tala (rhythmic patterns used in percussion). Its tonal system divides
5886-951: The Hindustani classical music and the Carnatic classical music. These seven svaras are the fundamentals of a raga . This seven svaras without any variations in them, are called as Shuddha svaras. Variations in these svaras cause them to be Komal and Tivra svaras. All the other svaras except Sadja(Sa) and Pancham (Pa) can be Komal or Tivra svaras but Sa and Pa are always Shuddha svaras. And hence svaras Sa and Pa are called Achal Svaras , since these svaras don't move from their original position while svaras Ra, Ga, Ma, Dha, Ni are called Chal Svaras , since these svaras move from their original position. Sangeet Natak Academy recognizes eight classical dance and music forms, namely Bharatanatyam , Kathak , Kuchipudi , Odissi , Kathakali , Sattriya , Manipuri and Mohiniyattam . Additionally, India's Ministry of culture also includes Chhau in its classical list. Carnatic music can be traced to
5995-537: The Khyal format. Dhrupad (or Dhruvapad), the ancient form described in the Hindu text Natyashastra , is one of the core forms of classical music found all over the Indian subcontinent. The word comes from Dhruva which means immovable and permanent. A Dhrupad has at least four stanzas, called Sthayi (or Asthayi), Antara, Sanchari and Abhoga. The Sthayi part is a melody that uses the middle octave's first tetrachord and
6104-621: The Mahabharata epic mentions Manipur , where Arjuna meets and falls in love with Chitragada. Dance is called Jagoi in a major Meitei language of the region and it traces a long tradition in Manipur. Lai Haraoba dance likely has ancient roots and shares many similarities with dance postures of Nataraja and his legendary disciple called Tandu (locally called Tangkhu ). Similarly, as does the dance related to commoner Khamba and princess Thoibi – who perform as pan-Indian Shiva and Parvati, in
6213-497: The Nepali folk music genre who produce authentic traditional Nepali folk songs without adulteration or modernisation. Bhangra ( Punjabi : ਭੰਗੜਾ) is a form of dance -oriented folk music of Punjab . The present musical style is derived from non-traditional musical accompaniment to the riffs of Punjab called by the same name. The female dance of Punjab region is known as Giddha ( Punjabi : ਗਿੱਧਾ). Bihu ( Assamese : বিহু )
6322-516: The Odissi tradition are the 12th-century poet Jayadeva , Balarama Dasa , Atibadi Jagannatha Dasa , Dinakrusna Dasa, Kabi Samrata Upendra Bhanja , Banamali Dasa , Kabisurjya Baladeba Ratha , Abhimanyu Samanta Singhara and Kabikalahansa Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka . Classical Indian music is one genre of South Asian music; others include film music, various varieties of pop, regional folk, religious and devotional music. In Indian classical music,
6431-552: The Persian Rāk is probably a pronunciation of Raga . According to Hormoz Farhat, Rāk has no meaning in modern Persian language, and the concept of raga is unknown in Persia. If Hindustani music is taken in as an entirely new form of music created from Indian classical music and Persian music , then Carnatic music was a form from the south of the sub-continent that developed further natively after this divergence. Carnatic music
6540-618: The Vedic hymns. Smriti (500 BCE to 100 BCE ) post-vedic Hindu texts include Valmiki 's Ramayana (500 BCE to 100 BCE) which mentions dance and music (dance by Apsaras such as Urvashi , Rambha , Menaka , Tilottama Panchāpsaras , and Ravana 's wives excelling in nrityageeta or "singing and dancing" and nritavaditra or "playing musical instruments"), music and singing by Gandharvas , several string instruments ( vina , tantri , bīn , vipanci and vallaki similar to veena ), wind instruments ( shankha , venu and venugana – likely
6649-453: The Vedic literature of Hinduism. The earliest Indian thought combined three arts, syllabic recital ( vadya ), melos ( gita ) and dance ( nrtta ). As these fields developed, sangeeta became a distinct genre of art, in a form equivalent to contemporary music. This likely occurred before the time of Yāska ( c. 500 BCE ), since he includes these terms in his nirukta studies, one of the six Vedanga of ancient Indian tradition. Some of
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#17327648883796758-512: The Yadava dynasty in Maharashtra , mentions and discusses ragas and talas . He identifies seven tala families, then subdivides them into rhythmic ratios, presenting a methodology for improvization and composition that continues to inspire modern era Indian musicians. Sangitaratnakara is one of the most complete historic medieval era Hindu treatises on this subject that has survived into
6867-555: The ancient Natyashastra , the classic Sanskrit text on performing arts by Bharata Muni . The 13th century Sanskrit text Sangeeta-Ratnakara of Sarangadeva is regarded as the definitive text by both the Hindustani music and the Carnatic music traditions. Indian classical music has two foundational elements, raga and tala . The raga , based on a varied repertoire of swara ( notes including microtones ), forms
6976-873: The ancient oriya music texts. The chief Odissi and Shokabaradi . Odissi Sangita (music) is a synthesis of four classes of music, i.e. Dhruvapada , Chitrapada , Chitrakala and Panchal , described in the above-mentioned texts. The great exponents of Odissi music in modern times are the Late Singhari Shyamasundara Kar, Markandeya Mahapatra, Kashinath Pujapanda, Balakrushna Das , Gopal Chandra Panda , Ramhari Das , Bhubaneswari Misra, Shymamani Devi and Sunanda Patnaik , who have achieved eminence in classical music. Rabindra Sangeet ( Bengali : রবীন্দ্রসঙ্গীত Robindro Shonggit , Bengali pronunciation: [ɾobindɾo ʃoŋɡit] ), also known as Tagore songs, are songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore . They have distinctive characteristics in
7085-403: The ancient texts of Hinduism such as the Samaveda ( c. 1000 BCE ) are structured entirely to melodic themes, it is sections of Rigveda set to music. The Samaveda is organized into two formats. One part is based on the musical meter , another by the aim of the rituals. The text is written with embedded coding, where swaras ( octave notes) are either shown above or within
7194-467: The ancient times. The ancient panns over centuries evolved first into a pentatonic scale and later into the seven note Carnatic Sargam . But from the earliest times, Tamil Music is heptatonic and known as Ezhisai (ஏழிசை). sanskrit saint-poet Jayadeva , who was the great composer and illustrious master of classical music, shaped Odra-Magadhi style music and had great influence on Odissi Sangita . Śārṅgadeva composed Sangita-Ratnakara , one of
7303-429: The artist may rely on simple expression, or may add ornamentations yet express the same essential message but evoke a different intensity of mood. A raga has a given set of notes, on a scale, ordered in melodies with musical motifs. A musician playing a raga , states Bruno Nettl , may traditionally use just these notes, but is free to emphasize or improvise certain degrees of the scale. The Indian tradition suggests
7412-546: The ashram where they were educated and trained in military skills under the tutelage of Sage Valmiki. They also learned the story of Rama. Sage Valmiki, along with Lava and Kusha, and a disguised Sita attend an ashvamedha yajna held by Rama . Lava and Kusha chanted the Ramayana in the presence of Rama and a vast audience. When Lava and Kusha recited about Sita's exile, Rama became grief-stricken and Valmiki produced Sita. Sita, struck with embarrassment and grief, called upon
7521-541: The attached table. The classical music tradition of the ancient and medieval Indian subcontinent (modern Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) were a generally integrated system through the 14th century, after which the socio-political turmoil of the Delhi Sultanate era isolated the north from the south. The music traditions of the North and South India were not considered distinct until about the 16th century, but after that
7630-536: The beat patterns. As with Carnatic music, Hindustani music has assimilated various folk tunes. For example, ragas such as Kafi and Jaijaiwanti are based on folk tunes. Hindustani music has had Arab and Persian music influences, including the creation of new ragas and the development of instruments such as the sitar and sarod. The nature of these influences are unclear. Scholars have attempted to study Arabic maqam (also spelled makam ) of Arabian peninsula, Turkey and northern Africa, and dastgah of Iran, to discern
7739-515: The case of more advanced students, Ragam Thanam Pallavi . The main emphasis is on the vocals as most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in a singing style (known as gāyaki ). Around 300 ragams are in use today. Annamayya is the first known composer in Carnatic music. He is widely regarded as the Andhra Pada kavitā Pitāmaha (Godfather of Telugu song-writing). Purandara Dasa
7848-511: The children of Rama and Sita . Their story is recounted in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana . Hindu traditions claim he ruled the entire region of Kashmir , Indus River and Hindu Kush as frontier lands of India known as Hindu Kush Kshetra and founded the city of Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley and Kasur with Lavapuri of Lava in base lands, though local lore contends Kasur was founded in 1525 by Pashtun migrants. His brother Lava
7957-570: The city of Chennai in India has its eight-week-long Music Season , which is the world's largest cultural event. Carnatic music has served as the foundation for most music in South India, including folk music, festival music and has also extended its influence to film music in the past 100–150 years or so. The tradition of Hindustani music dates back to Vedic times where the hymns in the Sama Veda, an ancient religious text, were sung as Samagana and not chanted. It diverged from Carnatic music around
8066-405: The city to its former splendor. Canto seventeen describes the final years of Kusha. Kusha and Kumudvati have a son named Atithi, who becomes heir to the kingdom ; Cantos eighteen and nineteen describe the 21 Kings that succeeded Atithi. Lava and Kusha became rulers after their father Rama and founded the cities of Lavapuri (modern day Lahore ) and Kusha ( Kasur ) respectively. Kushavati
8175-530: The different world music systems. One of the earliest known discussions of Persian maqam and Indian ragas is by the late 16th century scholar Pundarika Vittala. He states that Persian maqams in use in his times had been derived from older Indian ragas (or mela ), and he specifically maps over a dozen maqam . For example, Vittala states that the Hijaz maqam was derived from the Asaveri raga , and Jangula
8284-512: The domains of tune and scale, and it is best conceptualized as a "unique array of melodic features, mapped to and organized for a unique aesthetic sentiment in the listener". The goal of a raga and its artist is to create rasa (essence, feeling, atmosphere) with music, as classical Indian dance does with performance arts. In the Indian tradition, classical dances are performed with music set to various ragas . According to David Nelson – an Ethnomusicology scholar specializing in Carnatic music,
8393-510: The earliest known work Tholkappiyam (500 BCE), there are several references to music and Panns in the ancient pre-Sangam and Sangam literature starting from the earliest known work Tholkappiyam (500 BCE). Among Sangam literature, Mathuraikkanci refers to women singing sevvazhi pann to invoke the mercy of God during childbirth. In Tolkappiyam , the five landscapes of the Sangam literature had each an associated Pann , each describing
8502-468: The earth, her mother ( Bhūmi ), to receive her and as the ground opened, she vanished into it. Rama then learnt that Lava and Kusha were his children. In some versions, Lava and Kusha capture the horse of the sacrifice and defeat Rama's brothers and their army and when Rama came to fight with them. Sita intervened and unites father and sons. Kushavati was a city in Kosala Kingdom as related in
8611-569: The epic Ramayana . The king of Kosala , Rama , installed his son Lava at Shravasti and Kusha at Kushavati. Cantos sixteen to nineteen of the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa describe the exploits of Rama's progeny. The manifestation of a Goddess appears before Kusha, declaring to be the Tutelary deity of the ancient capital of Ayodhya . She described the condition of the deserted city, which had been abandoned and ruined since King Ram became inactive for some time. Kusha sets forth with his whole army to restore
8720-545: The fabric of a deeply intricate melodic structure, while the tala measures the time cycle . The raga gives an artist a palette to build the melody from sounds, while the tala provides them with a creative framework for rhythmic improvisation using time. In Indian classical music the space between the notes is often more important than the notes themselves, and it traditionally eschews Western classical concepts such as harmony , counterpoint , chords , or modulation . The root of music in ancient India are found in
8829-534: The first sixty years of his life with patronage of the Hindu king Ram Chand of Gwalior , and thereafter performed at the Muslim court of Akbar. Many musicians consider Tansen as the founder of Hindustani music. Tansen's style and innovations inspired many, and many modern gharanas (Hindustani music teaching houses) link themselves to his lineage. The Muslim courts discouraged Sanskrit, and encouraged technical music. Such constraints led Hindustani music to evolve in
8938-544: The first that is "sa" , and the fifth that is "pa" , are considered anchors that are unalterable, while the remaining have flavors that differs between the two major systems. Contemporary Indian music schools follow notations and classifications (see melakarta and thaat ). Thaat, used in Hindustani, is generally based on a flawed but still useful notation system created by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande . According to Yukteshwar Kumar, elements of Indian music arrived in China in
9047-526: The forms are Thumri , Dadra , Bhajan , Ghazal , Chaiti , Kajri , Tappa , Natya Sangeet and Qawwali . These forms place emphasis on explicitly seeking emotion from the audience, as opposed to the classical forms. This is a musical genre of the Tamang people and popular amongst the Nepali speaking community in West Bengal, Sikkim, India and around the world. It is accompanied by Tamang instruments,
9156-497: The idiophone in the form of "small bronze cymbals" were used for tala . Almost the entire chapter of Natyashastra on idiophones, by Bharata, is a theoretical treatise on the system of tala . Time keeping with idiophones was considered a separate function than that of percussion (membranophones), in the early Indian thought on music theory . The early 13th century Sanskrit text Sangitaratnakara (literally, "Ocean of Music and Dance"), by Sarngadeva patronized by King Sighana of
9265-404: The important historic scholars of Carnatic music. According to Eleanor Zelliot , Tyagaraja is known in the Carnatic tradition as one of its greatest composers, and he reverentially acknowledged the influence of Purandara Dasa. A common belief is that Carnatic music represents a more ancient and refined approach to classical music, whereas Hindustani music has evolved by external influences. It
9374-536: The kind of elaboration found in the Samaveda . For example, the Gayatri mantra contains three metric lines of exactly eight syllables, with an embedded ternary rhythm. In the ancient traditions of Hinduism, two musical genre appeared, namely Gandharva (formal, composed, ceremonial music) and Gana (informal, improvised, entertainment music). The Gandharva music also implied celestial, divine associations, while
9483-617: The late 1970s and early 1980s, rock and roll fusions with Indian music were well known throughout Europe and North America . In the late 1980s, Indian-British artists fused Indian and Western traditions to make the Asian Underground . In the new millennium , American hip-hop has featured Indian filmi and bhangra. Mainstream hip-hop artists have sampled songs from Bollywood movies and have collaborated with Indian artists , such as Timbaland 's "Indian Flute" In 2010, Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons collaborated with
9592-798: The legendary tragic love story of Khamba-Thoibi found in the Manipuri epic Moirang Parba . Hadrani Marfa , or simply Marfa music, introduced during the 18th century in Hyderabad State by the East African Siddi community from Afro-Arab music of Hadhramawt in Yemen , is a form of celebratory rhythmic music and dance among the Hyderabadi Muslims , played with high tempo using Marfa instrument , daff , Dhol , sticks , steel pots and wooden strips called thapi . Mizo music originated when couplets were developed during
9701-458: The lower octave notes. The Antara part uses the middle octave's second tetrachord and the higher octave notes. The Sanchari part is the development phase, which builds using parts of Sthayi and Antara already played, and it uses melodic material built with all the three octave notes. The Abhoga is the concluding section, that brings the listener back to the familiar starting point of Sthayi, albeit with rhythmic variations, with diminished notes like
9810-547: The metrical structure that repeats, in a cyclical harmony, from the start to end of any particular song or dance segment, making it conceptually analogous to meters in Western music. However, talas have certain qualitative features that classical European musical meters do not. For example, some talas are much longer than any classical Western meter, such as a framework based on 29 beats whose cycle takes about 45 seconds to complete when performed. Another sophistication in talas
9919-806: The modern era, many original works on Indian music are believed to be lost, and are known to have existed only because they are quoted and discussed in other manuscripts on classical Indian music. Many of the encyclopedic Puranas contain large chapters on music theory and instruments, such as the Bhagavata Purana , the Markandeya Purana , the Vayu Purana , the Linga Purana , and the Visnudharmottara Purana . The most cited and influential among these texts are
10028-994: The modern era, that relates to the structure, technique and reasoning behind ragas and talas . The centrality and significance of music in ancient and early medieval India is also expressed in numerous temple and shrine reliefs , in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism , such as through the carving of musicians with cymbals at the fifth century Pavaya temple sculpture near Gwalior , and the Ellora Caves . The post-Vedic era historical literature relating to Indian classical music has been extensive. The ancient and medieval texts are primarily in Sanskrit (Hinduism), but major reviews of music theory, instruments and practice were also composed in regional languages such as Kannada , Odia , Pali (Buddhism), Prakrit (Jainism), Tamil and Telugu . While numerous manuscripts have survived into
10137-537: The mood of the song associated with that landscape. Among the numerous panns that find mention in the ancient Tamil literature are, Ambal Pann , which is suitable to be played on the flute, sevvazhi pann on the Yazh (lute), Nottiram and Sevvazhi expressing pathos, the captivating Kurinji pann and the invigorating Murudappann . Pann ( Tamil : பண் ) is the melodic mode used by the Tamil people in their music since
10246-551: The most important Sanskrit musicological texts from India, which is regarded as the definitive text in both Hindustani music and Carnatic music traditions of Indian classical music . Assamese poet Madhava Kandali , writer of Saptakanda Ramayana , lists several instruments in his version of "Ramayana" , such as mardala , khumuchi, bhemachi, dagar, gratal, ramtal, tabal , jhajhar , jinjiri, bheri mahari, tokari , dosari, kendara , dotara , vina , rudra-vipanchi , etc. (meaning that these instruments existed since his time in
10355-492: The music of the mainstream Tamil film industry and gained popularity. Contemporary gaana bands like The Casteless Collective are bringing the genre to new audiences while using it for social activism, especially against caste discrimination . Haryana folk music has two main forms: classical folk music of Haryana and desi folk music of Haryana (country music of Haryana). They take the form of ballads and pangs of parting of lovers, valor and bravery, harvest and happiness. Haryana
10464-406: The musical scale as follows, तत्र स्वराः – षड्जश्च ऋषभश्चैव गान्धारो मध्यमस्तथा । पञ्चमो धैवतश्चैव सप्तमोऽथ निषादवान् ॥ २१॥ These seven degrees are shared by both major raga systems , that is the North Indian (Hindustani) and South Indian (Carnatic) systems. The solfege ( sargam ) is learnt in abbreviated form: sa, ri (Carnatic) or re (Hindustani), ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, sa . Of these,
10573-406: The nature and extent. Through the colonial era and until the 1960s, the attempt was to theoretically study ragas and maqams and suggested commonalities. Later comparative musicology studies, states Bruno Nettl – a professor of music, have found the similarities between classical Indian music and European music as well, raising the question about the point of similarities and of departures between
10682-686: The octave into 22 segments called Shrutis, not all equal but each roughly equal to a quarter of a whole tone of the Western music. Both the classical music are standing on the fundamentals of The seven notes of Indian Classical music . These seven notes are also called as Sapta svara or Sapta Sur. These seven svaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni respectively. These Sapta Svaras are spelt as Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni, but these are shortforms of Shadja (षड्ज), Rishabha (ऋषभ), Gandhara (गान्धार), Madhyama (मध्यम), Panchama (पंचम), Dhaivata (धैवत) and Nishada (निषाद) respectively. These are also equivalent to Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti. Only these seven svaras built up
10791-401: The past two centuries, combining influences from the siddhars (tantric adepts) of ancient Tamilakam , Tamil Sufi saints, and more. Gaana songs are performed at weddings, stage shows, political rallies, and funerals. Performers sing about a wide range of topics, but the essence of gaana is said to be "angst and melancholy" based in life's struggles. In the past few decades, the genre has entered
10900-496: The settlement of Thantlang in Burma between 1300 and 1400 CE, and folk songs developed during this period were dar hla (songs on gong); Bawh hla (War chants), Hlado (Chants of hunting); Nauawih hla (Cradle songs) A greater development of songs can be seen from the settlement of Lentlang in Burma, estimated between late 15th to 17th Century CE. The Mizo occupied the present Mizoram from the late 17th century. The pre-colonial period, that
11009-427: The song is called "sahityam" and sahityam is just like singing the swaras altogether but using the lyrics of the song. The code in the form of swaras have even the notation of which note to be sung high and which one low. The hymns of Samaveda contain melodic content, form, rhythm and metric organization. This structure is, however, not unique or limited to Samaveda . The Rigveda embeds the musical meter too, without
11118-409: The songs of this period are named after the composers. Jayadeva , the 12th century sanskrit saint-poet, the great composer and illustrious master of classical music, has immense contribution to Odissi music. During his time Odra-Magadhi style music got shaped and achieved its classical status. He indicated the classical ragas prevailing at that time in which these were to be sung. Prior to that there
11227-587: The tanpura traditionally falls to a student of the soloist. Other instruments for accompaniment include the sarangi and the harmonium . Indian classical music is both elaborate and expressive. Like Western classical music , it divides the octave into 12 semitones of which the 7 basic notes are, in ascending tonal order, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni for Hindustani music and Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni for Carnatic music, similar to Western music's Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti . However, Indian music uses just-intonation tuning, unlike some modern Western classical music, which uses
11336-406: The text, or the verse is written into parvans (knot or member); in simple words, this embedded code of swaras is like the skeleton of the song. The swaras have about 12 different forms and different combinations of these swaras are made to sit under the names of different ragas. The specific code of a song clearly tells us what combination of swaras are present in a specific song. The lyrical part of
11445-406: The traditions acquired distinct forms. North Indian classical music is called Hindustani , while the South Indian expression is called Carnatic (sometimes spelled as Karnatic ). According to Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy , the North Indian tradition acquired its modern form after the 14th or the 15th century. Indian classical music has historically adopted and evolved with many regional styles, such as
11554-546: Was a monk and a devotee of the Hindu god Krishna (Vishnu, Vittal avatar). He systematised classical Indian music theory and developed exercises for musicians to learn and perfect their art. He travelled widely sharing and teaching his ideas, and influenced numerous South Indian and Maharashtra Bhakti movement musicians. These exercises, his teachings about raga , and his systematic methodology called Suladi Sapta Tala (literally, "primordial seven talas") remains in use in contemporary times. The efforts of Purandara Dasa in
11663-468: Was derived from the Bangal . In 1941, Haidar Rizvi questioned this and stated that influence was in the other direction, Middle Eastern maqams were turned into Indian ragas , such as Zangulah maqam becoming Jangla raga . According to John Baily – a professor of ethnomusicology, there is evidence that the traffic of musical ideas were both ways, because Persian records confirm that Indian musicians were
11772-618: Was finalized, the ancient Indian traditions had classified musical instruments into four groups based on their acoustic principle (how they work, rather than the material they are made of) for example flute which works with gracious in and out flow of air. These four categories are accepted as given and are four separate chapters in the Natyashastra , one each on stringed instruments (chordophones ), hollow instruments ( aerophones ), solid instruments ( idiophones ), and covered instruments ( membranophones ). Of these, states Levis Rowell,
11881-459: Was the tradition of Chhanda which was simple in musical outline. From the 16th century onwards, treatises on music were Sangitamava Chandrika , Gita Prakasha , Sangita Kalalata and Natya Manorama . A couple of treatise namely, Sangita Sarani and Sangi Narayana , were also written in the early path of the 19th century. Odissi Sangita comprises four classes of music namely Dhruvapada , Chitrapada , Chitrakala and Panchal , described in
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