Indian Music

In India, there is a vast profusion of folk music which varies according to the locality. Though folk songs also follow the same base, classical music requires immense training & practice. In Indian music, musical sound is called nada & nada is considered as Brahman or Divine Reality itself.

Classical Indian music can be classified into two distinct categories, the North Indian or Hindustani & the South Indian or Carnatic music. The essential features & basis of both the styles are the same, in the sense that both are spiritualistic in nature. Foreign influences due to invasions by Persians, Arabs,.. are more evident in the Hindustani form. There has been a constant intermingling & the styles that have evolved are the products of these various currents.

Carnatic Music:

Carnatic music originated in the fertile plains of the Cauvery delta and flourished through the ages.  Vaggeyakaras are the persons who composed many songs which are rendered in their original form to date.

The other notable composers are Patnam Subramaniya Iyer, Papanasam Sivan, Raja Swathi Thirunal, Annamacharyar, Purandaradasar.

The subject matter of the songs mainly dealt with the various Gods and Goddesses, extolling their lives, their virtues, reflecting the varied moods of humans like happiness, gratitude, fear, sorrow.  Though Composers have also dealt with subjects like patriotism, natural bounty, etc., their soul and heart were to a very great extent limited to the deities they considered prime. Music was also looked upon as a means of attaining Moksha ( Salvation ).

Sa Re Ga Ma Pha Dha Nee are the seven basic notations called the Sapthaswaras. The swaras Sa & Pa help select the sruthi/pitch of the singer. Re (Rishaba) & Gha (Ghandaram) are of three types each, Ma (Madhyamam) of 2 types, Dha (Dhaivatham) and Nee (Nishadham) of three types each and when grouped together these variations (6,2,6) combined to form the 72 main ragas, the Melakarthas. The Melakarthas are divided as Suddha Madhyama and Prathi Madhyama ragas based on their madhyama (ma) variations by Venkata Mahi Venkata Mahi Chakra.

Ragas born from Melakartha Ragas are aptly termed as Janya Ragas. Janya Ragas are classified into three categories viz., Sampoornam – seven swaras, Shadavam – six awards, and Oudavam – 5 swaras. Janya ragas follow the Kartha raga ie., they contain the same swaras of the original raga in various permutations and 483 variations become apparent to form 34,766 Janya Ragas.

The Janya Ragas gets further subdivided as Upanga Raga, Bhasanga Raga, and Vakra Raga. Upanga Raga allows for deletions and additions of swaras. Bhasanga Raga has swaras in addition to swaras from its original raga and the Vakra Raga has swaras in a non-sequential order.

The Ragas either follow an ascending order, ” Aarohanam” or a descending order of the “Avarohanam” and the composers took great care to adhere to the various rules when composing a song.

The song composed is set to thala depending on the number of beats. The thalas are divided into Thisra – three, Misra – four, Kanda – five, Sadhusra – seven, Sankeernam – nine, and the song composed fits into one of the above. Aadhi, Rupakam and Chapu are some of the Thalas.

The confluence of the Ragas and the Thalas has from early times been providing us with melodious patterns which when rendered with Bhava (feeling) is an experience that has to be had to be believed.

Music is an ocean and I am singing praises of it but from the shore. We are sure that maestros will join us to lead us through this ocean to glean the richness and beauty of this timeless traditional art that lives with us from the days of the Vedas.

Hindustani music (North Indian Music):

The music of India is one of the oldest unbroken musical traditions in the world.  It is said that the origins of this system go back to the Vedas (ancient scripts of the Hindus). Many different legends have grown up concerning the origins and development of Indian classical music. Such legends go a long way in showing the importance that music has in defining Indian culture.

However, the advent of modern historical and cultural research has also given us a good perspective on the field.  This has shown that Indian music has developed within a very complex interaction between different peoples of different races and cultures.  It appears that the ethnic diversity of present-day India has been there from the earliest of times.

The basis for Indian music is “sangeet”.  Sangeet is a combination of three art forms: vocal music, instrumental music, and dance. Although these three artforms were originally derived from the single field of stagecraft.  Today these three forms have differentiated into complex and highly refined individual art forms.

The present system of Indian music is based upon two important pillars: rag and tal.  Rag is the melodic form while tal is rhythmic.

Rag may be roughly equated with the Western term mode or scale.  There is a system of seven notes which are arranged in a means, not unlike Western scales.  However, when we look closely we see that it is quite different from what we are familiar with.

The tal (rhythmic forms) are also very complex.  Many common rhythmic patterns exist.  They revolve around repeating patterns of beats.

The interpretation of the rag and the tal is not the same all over India.  Today there are two major traditions of classical music. There is the north Indian and the south Indian tradition. The North Indian tradition is known as Hindustani Sangeet and the south Indian is called Carnatic Sangeet. Both systems are fundamentally similar but differ in nomenclature and performance practice.

Many musical instruments are peculiar to India.  The most famous are the sitar and tabla.  However, there are many more than the average person may not be familiar with.

All of this makes up the complex and exciting field of Indian classical music. Its understanding easily consumes an entire lifetime.

The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music. India’s classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and, developed over several eras, remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as sources of religious inspiration, cultural expression, and pure entertainment. India is made up of several dozen ethnic groups, speaking their own languages and dialects. Alongside distinctly subcontinental forms there are major influences from Persian, Arab, and British music. Indian genres like filmi and bhangra have become popular throughout the United Kingdom, South and East Asia, and around
the world.

Indian pop stars now sell records in many countries, while world music fans listen to the roots music of India’s diverse nations. American soul, rock, and hip-hop have also made a large impact, primarily on Indian pop and film music. Other highly popular forms are ghazal, qawwali, thumri, dhrupad, Dadra, bhajan, kirtan, shabad, and Gurbani.

In India, however, music is most commonly associated with film music. Popular Indian films, whether in Hindi, Tamil, or any of the other Indian languages, are most often described and understood in the West as “musicals”, as they are seldom without songs, though they by no means constitute a genre as did American musicals.