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Posts Tagged ‘Indian Classical Music’

The system of Indian classical music known as Raga Sangeet can be traced back nearly two thousand years to its origin in the Vedic hymns of the Hindu temples. Unlike Western classical music which has written scores, an Indian classical performance is based on improvisation, and anywhere from 10% to 90% of the performance could be extempore, depending on the creative imagination of the artist. The music is rendered orally to the disciple by his guru, popularly known as guru-shishya (teacher-student) parampara (tradition).

The very heart of Indian music is the raga, the melodic form upon which the artist improvises his performance. A raga is a scientific, precise, subtle and aesthetic melodic form with its own ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven-note octave or a series of six or five notes.

Every raga is characterized by its own particular mood. The acknowledged order of these nine sentiments, or emotions, is as follows: romantic and erotic, humorous, pathetic, anger, heroic, fearful, disgust, amazement and peaceful. Each raga, in addition to being associated with a particular mood, is also closely connected to a particular time of day or a season of the year. Thus through the rich melodies and rhythm of Indian music, every human emotion, every subtle feeling in man and nature, can be musically expressed and experienced.

In terms of aesthetics, a raga is the projection of the artist’s inner spirit: a manifestation of his most profound feelings and sensibilities. The musician breathes life into each raga as he unfolds and expands it so that each note shimmers and pulsates with life and the raga is revealed vibrant and incandescent with beauty.

The tala, or rhythmic cycle of a raga, plays an equally important role in expressing the mood. There is a unique relationship between melody and rhythm. The intricacies depict the complexities and sophistication with which they are woven together. The division in a taal and the stress on the first beat, called sum, are the most important feature. The most exciting moment for a seasoned listener is when both the musicians, after their individual improvisations, come back together on the sum.

Today, Indian classical music is a permanent part of Western culture. Many composers and musicians have been influenced by our music. The openness, will to learn, and sincere enthusiasm of Western audiences are a continuing source of inspiration and delight. Indian music is one of the highest forms of music existing and nourished through its rich cultural heritage.

The Indian classical music is rich with its historical, cultural, theoretical and aesthetic form. India has its own vibrant culture and customs. Classical music of India forms the very important part of this culture. The origin of the Indian Music can be be found in the ancient literature and scriptures. Indian classical music has been the part of the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music is the most complex and complicated musical system ever developed. The extreme cultural diversity creates endless variety of classical styles. Each region in India has its own particular style.

Indian classical music is composed of huge number of ragas. It is the mix of Carnatic and Hindustani music. There are seven notes popularly sung as the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa. there are interval between them. The one between the Sa and Re is called Komal Re (like Re flat), between Re and Ga is Komal Ga ( like mi flat), between Pa and Dha is Komal Dha (like La flat), between Dha and Ni is Komal Ni ( like Si flat). The fifth lies between Ma and Pa but it is called Tivra Ma, like Fa sharp.

Many musical instruments are peculiar to India. The most famous are the sitar, flute, and tabla. Indian classical music has gained tremendous popularity in the west also. It is based upon the ancient melodic pattern called raag and taal. Rag is the melodic form while taal is the rhythmic form.

Classical music has always been the influential part in the Indian society. There are traditional Indian bhajans that are especially composed as the true offering to the God. They have the special place in the among the Hindus. They are sung in the praise of God. Thumri is another vocal form of music based on the romantic and devotional movements. The language used in Thumri is the popularly called the brij bhasha. It is basically derived from the Radha Krishan theme. Sufi music called Qawwali is the another popular form of vocal music in India. It is performed with the one or two main singers and several chorus singers.

Dhrupad is the oldest style of classical singing in the North Indian music. It denotes both the form of poetry and the from of music in which the poetry is sung. It is also presented in the instrumental form. Dadra is the light classical music, which is very similar to the Thumri. It is basicaaly performed in the light ragas such as mand, pilu, or even pahadi. Kheyal holds the important place in the Indian music. The word Kheyal refers to the imagination. There is an extremely slow section in Kheyal which is called vilambit and the fast section which is called chotta Kheyal.

Bhangra is another most popular music among the punjabi’s in India. It is mainly sung on the beats of dhol or drum. Lavani is the folk music of the Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Traditionally the female artists sing the song in the fast tempo and the male singers accompany them with the tunes of Lavanis. Then comes the Rajasthani Folk music, which is the mixture of different flavours. It is dedicated to many religious customs, dieties, fais and festivals in Rajasthan. Rajasthani music has a alap that is followed by dooba or the recital of the couplet. Ravi Sahankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Harprasad Chaurasia, Subha mudgal are the India’s best known classical musicians known all over the world.

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