TYPES OF INDIAN MUSIC

INDIAN MUSIC

The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk popular, pop, classical music and R&B, India’s classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and, developed over several eras, it remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as sources of spiritual inspiration, cultural expression and pure entertainment.

HISTORY : The origins of Indian classical music can be found from the oldest of scriptures, part of the Hindu tradition, the Vedas. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music at length. The Samaveda was created out of Rigveda so that its hymns could be sung as Samagana; this style evolved into jatis and eventually into ragas. HISTORY Indian classical music has its origins as a meditation tool for attaining self realization. Bharat’s Natyashastra was the first treatise laying down the fundamental principles of dance, music and drama.

SANGEET : The basis for Indian music is “sangeet”. Sangeet is a combination of three artforms: 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 artforms.

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

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS : Instruments typically used in Hindustani music include the sitar, sarod, surbahar, tanpura, bansuri, shehnai, sarangi, santoor, pakhavaj and tabla. Instruments typically used in Carnatic music include venu, gottuvadyam, harmonium, veena, mridangam, kanjira, ghatam and violin.

VARIOUS FORMS : 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. VARIOUS FORMS 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.

TYPES OF INDIAN MUSIC : There are two types of Indian music: Indian classical music which includes Hindustani music and Carnatic music. Indian folk music which includes Baul, Bhangra, Bhavageete, Dandiya, Lavani, Qawwali, etc.

HINDUSTANI MUSIC : Khyal and dhrupad are the two main forms of Hindustani music, but there are several other classical and semi-classical forms. Players of 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. HINDUSTANI MUSIC This task traditionally falls to a student of the soloist, a task which might seem monotonous but is, in fact, an honour and a rare opportunity for the student who gets it. Other instruments for accompaniment include the sarangi and the harmonium. The prime themes of Hindustani music are romantic love, nature, and devotionals.

CARNATIC MUSIC : Carnatic music tends to be significantly more structured than Hindustani music; examples of this are the logical classification of ragas into melakarthas, 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. CARNATIC MUSIC Carnatic pieces also have notated, lyrical poems that are reproduced as such, possibly with embellishments and treatments as per the performer’s ideology; these pieces are called compositions. Primary themes include worship, descriptions of temples, philosophy, and nayaka-nayaki themes.

Folk music : Indian folk music is diverse because of India’s vast cultural diversity. It has many forms including bhangra, lavani, dandiya and Rajasthani. Folk music (desi) has been influential on classical music, which is viewed as a higher art form. Instruments and styles have impacted classical ragas. Folk music It is also not uncommon for major writers, saints and poets to have large musical libraries and traditions to their name, often sung in thumri (semi-classical) style. Most of the folk music of India is dance-oriented.

BAUL : The Bauls of Bengal were an order of musicians in 18th, 19th and early 20th century India who played a form of music using a khamak, ektara and dotara. The word Baul comes from Sanskritbatul meaning divinely inspired insanity. They are a group of mystic minstrels. They are thought to have been influenced greatly by the Hindu tantric sect of the Kartabhajas as well as by Sufi sects. Bauls travel in search of the internal ideal, Maner Manush (Man of the Heart).

Bharatanatyam : Bharatanatyam is a classical Indian dance form originating in Tamil Nadu, India. One of the oldest of the classical dance forms in India, it is also known as the fifth Veda. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by the classical music. Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance-form known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque poses. Today, it is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by many dancers all over the world. Bharatanatyam

BHANGRA : Bhangra are a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region to celebrate Baisakhi the festival of the Sikhs. While Bhangra began as a part of harvest festival celebrations, it eventually became a part of such diverse occasions as weddings and New Year celebrations.

DANDIYA : Dandiya is a form of dance-oriented folk music that has also been adapted for pop music. The present musical style is derived from the traditional musical accompaniment to the folk dance. It is practised in (mainly) the state of Gujarat.

QAWWALI : Qawwali is a Sufi form of devotional music based on the principles of classical music. It is performed with one or two or many lead singers, several chorus singers, harmonium, tabla, and dholak. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

RABINDRA SANGEET : Rabindranath Tagore was a towering figure in Indian music. Writing in Bengali, he created a library of over 2,000 songs now known by Bengalis as ‘rabindra sangeet’ whose form is primarily influenced by Hindustani classical, sub-classicals, Karnatic, western, bauls, bhatiyali and different folk songs of India The national anthem of India and national song of Bangladesh are Rabindra Sangeets.

Indie-pop : Indian pop music, often known as Indipop or Indi-pop, is based on an amalgamation of Indian folk and classical music, and modern beats from different parts of the world. Much of Indian Pop music comes from the Indian Film Industry.

ROCK MUSIC : As of now, the rock music scene in India is quietly growing day by day and gathering more support. With the introduction of MTV in the early 1990s, Indians began to be exposed to various forms of rock such as grunge and speed metal. ROCK MUSIC This influence can be clearly seen in many Indian bands today. The cities of Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have emerged as major melting pots for rock and metal enthusiasts. Some prominent bands include Indian Ocean, Hologram, Decibel, etc.

Popular music : The biggest form of Indian popular music is filmi, or songs from Indian films, it makes up 72% of the music sales in India[2]. The film industry of India supported music by according reverence to classical music while utilizing the western orchestration to support Indian melodies. Music composers like Naushad, C. Ramchandra, Salil Chowdhary, S.D. Burman and Ilaiyaraaja employed the principles of harmony while retaining classical and folk flavor. Popular music Independent pop acts such as Asha Bhosle, Alisha Chinai, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal,, Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder Singh, Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan. Since 1991 Music of India witnessed the musical phenomenon of a different kind of Ethno-Electronic music genre introduced by Grammy/Oscar winning musician A.R.Rahman. He became the most famous musician of all times in the history of Indian recorded music, selling around 250-350 million albums world wide.

FUTURE OF INDIAN MUSIC : The future of Indian Music looks bright. It promises greater incorporation of Western music while keeping alive traditional music. Many music reality shows ensure a continued flow of fresh talent in Indian music in the fields of composing, singing, lyrics and editing.

TYPES OF INDIAN MUSIC