Instruments In Indian Music

Sitar

Sitar is the most popular stringed instrument of India and has been in use for about 700 years. It is fashioned from a seasoned gourd and teakwood and has twenty mental frets with six or seven playing strings and nineteen sympathetic strings below. It is played with a plectrum worn on the finger. Sitar has a long and complex heritage; its origin goes back to the ancient Veena. In the 13th century, Amir Khusru, in order to make the instrument more flexible, reversed the order of the strings and made the frets moveable. Ravi Shankar, the great musician-artist brought changes and a new perspective.

SAROD



Sarod is another popular stringed instrument. The body is carved from a single piece of well-seasoned teakwood and the belly covered with goat skin. There are four main strings, six rhythm and drone strings and fifteen sympathetic strings, all made of metal. These are played by striking with a plectrum made of a coconut shell. The Sarod has no frets. Sarod as been found in carvings of the 1st century in Champa temple and also in paintings in the Ajanta caves. It also has a similarity with the Rabab of Afghanistan and Kashmir. The instrument was modified by Amir Khusru in the 13th century. A definite change was made by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in shape of the instrument for improving the tonal quality.

SARANGI



The name derives from Sau Rangi meaning 100 colours. Sarangi is played with a bow and has four main strings and as many as forty resonant strings. It is generally used to accompany singers but can also be a solo instrument.

TANPURA



Tanpura is a four or five stringed instrument which gives the essential drone background to all Indian music.

ESRAJ



Esraj is played with a bow and has many strings. It is one of the major instruments of North India.

SANTOOR


Santoor is a North Indian instrument originating from Kashmir. It has more than a hundred strings which run across a hollow rectangular box and the strings are struck by a pair of slim carved walnut mallets.

VICHITRA VEENA



Vichitra Veena is a comparatively recent addition to the Veena family. It is a fretless stringed instrument with four main strings, three drone and rhythm strings and eleven to thirteen resonating strings. The strings are plucked by a plectrum on the index or middle finger of the right hand.

VIOLIN



Violin was introduced to India about 300 years ago and is a very important string instrument in the South of India. It is played in a sitting position and is held between the right foot and the left shoulder.

TABLA



Tabla is the overall term for two drums, which are played as accompaniment to North Indian music and dance. The musician uses the base of the palm as well as the fingers to produce great variations in sounds. The right hand drum is tuned to the tonic dominant or sub-dominant and the left-hand drum acts as the base.

PAKHAWAJ



Pakhawaj is a long bodied wooden drum with both ends covered in skin and is the most traditional drum of North India. Played horizontally with the fingers and palms of both hands, the right hand surface is tuned to the pitch required and the left hand surface provides the base.

MRIDANGAM



Mridangam is similar in appearance to the Pakhawaj but the ends have a different texture. It is the most used drum in South Indian music.

DHOLAK



Dholak is a side drum, cylindrical in shape, bored out of solid wood. Its pitch is variable and is an essential accompaniment for folk music of North India.

JAL TARANG

Jal Tarang is essentially a water-xylophone. It is made up of a series of china bowls of varying sizes and they are filled with varying levels of water. These are then played with two light sticks.
PUNG



Pung is a long bodied drum with both ends covered in skin and plays an important role in Manipuri dancing when it is played by men and women, either in a sitting position or standing position.

FLUTE



Flute is found in every part of India, carved from bamboo it is made in every possible size. It is usually played in a vertical position.
SHEHNAI



Shehnai is a double reeded wind instrument with a widening tube towards the lower end. There are eight or nine holes, the upper seven for playing, the lower ones for tuning. The Shehnai is considered auspicious and is played on all festive occasions in India.
OTHER INSTRUMENTS

BEEN (Snake Flute) Been - Snake Flute DHOL Dhol HARMONIUM Harmonium MANDOLIN

Ghazals

The word Ghazal, according to the Arabic dictionary, means ‘talking about women’. Initially it had been considered as a means of expressing love to one’s beloved. But as time went by poetic words were penned reflecting life perceived by he poet. The ghazal is generally a poem consisting of five to fifteen couplets known as ‘shers’. The Ghazals became a part of the Indian musical heritage with the invasion of the Mughals.

The couplets that are placed to form a ghazal need not have any connecting thread as such. In fact rarely would one find a connection existing between the couplets and yet they seem to fit in perfectly. This is possibly because of the tune to which they are set and the way in which they are recited.

While most ghazal compositions are made up of unrelated couplets; there is a form of ghazal known as nazm, which is based on a single theme throughout. Another type of ghazal is the qita, which is a collection of verses pertaining to a particular theme.

Ghazal singers are known for the emotions, feelings and expressions they put into their performance. Most singers prefer to play the harmonium while they sing, giving them complete control over the tempo. Most lyricists compose their own music, as they know exactly what kind of a mood they intend bringing about through their poetic words. Though the first ghazals were written in Urdu, today, this form of poetry is written almost every regional language of India.

In general the opening of a ghazal is called the matla, which is a rhyming couplet. The end of the second line of each following couplet has to rhyme with the opening couplet. The opening couplet is supposed to bring about the mood of the remaining couplets that have been placed together to create a ghazal. The last couplet is known as the makta. This usually includes the poet’s pen-name and is personal. The poet may express his thoughts and feelings or his perception of things that matter to him.

If you closely study the ghazals that have been penned through the ages you will notice that they have been based on common themes such as:

· Unreciprocated love

· Devotion to god or some human being

· Philosophical reflections

· Criticizing religious fundamentalism

· Celebration of insanity and intoxication

· Feelings of longing, love and passion

· Expression of frustration, anger, misery longing and frustration

Though this form of music has ancient and limited beginnings it has been made popular because of the commencement of the recording industry in the year 1901. People across the country have been able to enjoy ghazal recitations because of live performances, radio and other audio systems. A couple of Indian movies have also popularized this genre of Indian music. Today it does have listeners of all ages, male and female.

Classical Indian Music

A classical Indian music performance generally comprises of the vocalist and the instrument- playing musicians. Certain classical ensembles would probably not have a vocalist, as is the case with classical instrumental performances. Traditionally the classical music of India was distinguished into two forms:

· Those compositions comprising of alaps, which is basically movements that are free in time and do not require percussion instruments

· Those musical performances that were fixed in time and required a percussion instrument.

However, presently classical Indian music classified as

· Hindustani: This form of classical music has been continuously evolving over time and originates from all other parts of India, except the southern states

· Carnatic: This classification of music hails from the southern part of India and has continued to maintain its original form as it has traveled through centuries since its origination.

The origins of classical Indian music is said to date back to over 5000 years ago. Basically this genre of music came about to serve a spiritual purpose. The melodies that were composed brought about feelings of peace, calm, tranquility, serenity, bliss and a closer bond with god. In fact according to the Vedas, music is considered to be a divine gift to humanity.

Prior to the invasion of the Mughals, India had more or less uniform musical creations. However, the invasion of the Mughals brought with it the influence of Arabic and Persian culture. This is when Hindustani music took birth and shifted the north Indian musical compositions from spiritual to entertaining. The Carnatic style of music continues to be purely classical, till date.

The composition of Hindustani music is based on ragas, which are the scales that comprise of the seven basic notes. These are sa, re, ga, ma pa, dha and ni. The commonly played musical instruments of this genre of Indian classical music include the sitar, surbahar, sarod, sarangi, santoor, bansuri, pakhavaj and tabla.

This genre of Indian classical music is said to have originated in the 13th and 14th centuries when north India was invaded by the Mughals. It was at then that influences of Arabia and Persia permeated into the north Indian classical compositions, distinguishing it from that of south India. As the south Indian states remained untouched by these invasions their compositions continued to progress maintaining the ancient heritage. However, there did develop a distinction in the kind of music composed by the northern and southern regions of India.

A Hindustani music performance commences with the alap, which is a slow invocation of free rhythm. This is followed by a jhod, which is a rhythmic piece. The rapid rhythm called jhala comes next. The next stage is the gat, which introduces the percussions. This stage moves from slow, to medium paced to rapid. And finally the performance concludes with the alap.

The following are the popular variations of Hindustani music:

· Hori Dhamar are compositions associated with the colorful festival of Holi

· Tappa is a style of Hindustani music that has originated from he state of Punjab

· Thumri has come into being from the eastern section of Uttar Pradesh. The compositions contain lyrics that portray the life of Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha

· Ghazal is a collection of couplets clubbed together and set to a soothing musical tune

· Tarana are songs sung to convey bliss, happiness and contentment

· Thumri is an informal vocal form of Indian music

· Gharana was a musical system that was categorized according to the family or the school that carried the tradition forward.

Type of Indian Music

India is a country known for its unity in diversity. India is made up of innumerable and varied cultures that inhabit various regions of the country. Though this country is made up of over twenty States, each one having its own mother tongue, culture, traditions and art forms, these states have varied regional cultures. Every region has its own unique art forms, which includes music, poetry, prose, handicrafts, paintings, etc.

While there are varied musical forms, Indian classical music has been broadly divided into the north Indian tradition also known as Hindustani music and the Carnatic music belonging to south India. What differentiates the two is their arrangement and performance.

Apart from the abovementioned broad based categories, there are varied types of Indian music. The fact is that many associate all Indian music compositions of the eras gone by to be classical, however there are other entertaining and purposeful ones that have come down the ages. These include:

· Folk

· Tribal

· Bhajans or devotional

· Ghazals and Qawwalis

· Bhangra

· Indi-pop

· Film songs

· Remixes

· Fusion

With passing time the role of music has been changing. With Vedic beginnings and spiritual compositions, Indian music has seen numerous genres step in. Apart from the original classical forms, every foreign invasion brought with its musical influences, thus giving musicians more scope for creative and tuneful compositions. Today, the country has innumerable types of music that is enjoyed by people in every nook and corner. It could be in the form of live performances or what is heard and seen through the electrical medium.

History of South Indian Music

The reasons for the differentiation between North, and South Indian music is not clear. The generally held belief is that North Indian music evolved along different lines due to an increased exposure to the Islamic world. This results from nearly 800 years of Islamic rule over northern India.

Unfortunately, evidence suggests that this answer is a gross over-simplification. For instance, Kerala has an extremely large Muslim population, but virtually no identification with north Indian music. By the same token, the Islamic influence over Orissa was negligible, yet the artistic forms are clearly identifiable as Hindustani. Although there is a poor correlation between the geographical distribution of Hindus / Muslims and the two musical systems; there is an almost exact correlation between the Indo-European/Dravidian cultures and the two musical systems.

Therefore, we come to the politically uncomfortable, yet inescapable conclusion that the differences between North and South Indian music does not represent a differentiation caused by Islamic influence, but instead represents a continuation of fundamental cultural differences.

HISTORY OF CARNATIC SANGEET

We can begin our discussion of the history of Carnatic Sangeet with Purandardas (1480-1564). He is considered to be the father of Carnatic Sangeet. He is given credit for the codification of the method of education, and is also credited with several thousand songs.

Venkat Mukhi Swami (17th century) is the grand theorist of Carnatic music. He was the one who developed the melakarta system. This is the system for classifying south Indian rags.

Carnatic music really acquired its present form in the 18th century. It was during this period that the "trinity" of Carnatic music, Thyagaraja, Shamashastri, and Muthuswami Dikshitar composed their famous compositions. In addition to our "trinity". Numerous other musicians and composers enriched this tradition. Some notable personalities were; Papanasam Shivan, Gopala Krishna Bharati, Swati Tirunal, Mysore Vasudevachar, Narayan Tirtha, Uttukadu Venkatasubbair, Arunagiri Nathar, and Annamacharya.

CARNATIC MUSIC THEORY

Carnatic music has a very highly developed theoretical system. It is based upon a complex system of ragam (rag) and thalam (tal). These describe the intricacies of the melodic and rhythmic forms respectively.

The melodic foundation is the ragam (rag). Ragam (rag) is basically the scale. The seven notes of the scale are Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha and Ni. However, unlike a simple scale there are certain melodic restrictions and obligations. Each ragam (rag) has a particular way that it moves from note to note.

The ragams are categorised into various modes. These are referred to as mela, and there are 72 in number. The mela are conceptually similar to the thats of North Indian music. There is however, a major difference. South Indian scales allow chromatic forms that are not allowed in Hindustani sangeet. For instance it is perfectly acceptable for the first three notes (i.e., Sa Re Ga to all be roughly one semitone apart. It is these permissible forms which allow there to be so many mela.

The tal (thalam) is the rhythmic foundation to the system. The south Indian tals are defined by a system of clapping and waving, while this is much less important in the north. North Indian musicians define their tals by their theka.

Nomenclature is one of the biggest differences between North and South Indian music. It is normal for a particular rag or tal to be called one thing in the North and something totally different in the South. It is also common for the same name to be applied to very different rags and tals. It is theses differences in nomenclature that have made any theoretical reconciliation difficult.

PERFORMANCE

Vocal music forms the basis of South Indian music. Although there is a rich instrumental tradition that uses vina, venu and violin, they revolve around instrumental renditions of vocal forms.

There are a number of sections to the Carnatic performance. Varanam is a form used to begin many south Indian performances. The word varanam literal means a description and this section is used to unfold the various important features of the ragam. The kritis are a fixed compositions in the rag. They have well identified composers and do not allow much scope for variation. However such compositions are often preceded by alapana. The alapana offers a way to unfold the ragam to the audience, and at the same time, allow the artist considerable scope for improvisation. The niruval and the kalpana swara also provide opportunities to improvise. Another common structure is the ragam, thanam, and, pallavi

South Indian performances are based upon three major sections. These are the pallavi anupallavi and charanam. These roughly correspond to the sthai, antara and the abhog in Hindustani sangeet.

CONCLUSION

The rich tradition of South Indian music is one of the worlds gems. The high performance standards and the well organised theoretical foundation put it on par with anything that world has seen, either East or West.

History of North Indian Music

There are many important events in the history of Indian music. These milestones show clearly the development of musical thought from early history to the present day.

The early history of Indian music may be explained by the Indo-European theory. According to this theory, there was a culture, or group of cultures who were so successful that they spread throughout Europe and parts of Asia. Although no one knows where they came from, present thought tends to place their origins somewhere in Eurasia, either north of the Black sea or north of the Caspian (Mallory 1989). Within this family there are several major groups. Indo-Aryan is a group which has special significance for India because this is the language and culture which generated the Vedas and other classical texts of ancient India. The classical music of India is said to have its roots in this culture.

The connection between Indo-European expansion and Indian music may be seen in mythology. Mythology refers to music being brought to the people of India from a place of celestial beings. This mythical land (Gandharva Desh) is usually equated with heaven. However, some are of the opinion that this mythical land could actually be Kandahar in what is the modern Afghanistan. Therefore, the myths of music being given to the world by the celestial beings (gandharva) may actually represent a cultural connection with this ancient Indo-Aryan homeland.

Further evidence may be seen in musical structure. In the first few centuries B.C., Indian music was based upon seven modes (scales). It is probably no coincidence that Greek music was also based upon seven modes. Furthermore, the Indian scales follow the same process of modulation (murchana) that was found in ancient Greek music. Since Greece is also Indo-European, this is another piece of evidence for the Indo-European connection.

The link to Sanskrit is another strong indication of Indo-European roots. Many of the earliest texts were written in Sanskrit. It is also generally believed that classical music is derived from the Samaveda. However it should be stressed that this belief is hard to justify because intermediate forms have never been found.

In the final analysis, the roots of classical music being Indo-European / Indo-Aryan are a reflection of modern paradigms concerning ancient Indian history. Although supporting evidence may be slim, conflicting evidence is conspicuous by its absence. Until we are faced with significant conflicting evidence we should accept the Indo-European /Indo-Aryan theory.

The nature of music in prehistoric India may be obscure but the picture begins to become clear in the first few centuries B.C.. Bharata's Natya-Shastra (circa 200 B.C.), provides a detailed account of stagecraft in that period. Here we find mention of seven shuddha jati (pure modes) and eleven mixed jatis (modal forms not produced by simple modulation). There is also a very detailed discussion of the musical instruments.

The first millennium provides us with several texts which show the evolution of Indian music. The Brihaddeshi written by Matanga (circa 700 A.D.) is very important. It is in this work that we first find the word "rag" mentioned. However, there is some doubt whether the concept was the same as it is today. Another important text is the "Sangeet Ratnakar" by Sharangdev. This work, written around the thirteenth century, gives extensive commentaries about numerous musical styles that existed at that time.

Perhaps one of the most significant milestones in the development of Indian music was the life of Amir Khusru (Bhatkhande 1934)(born circa 1253, died 1325). There is a tendency among Indians to attribute the development of almost everything to him. He is erroneously referred to as the inventor of the sitar and tabla and numerous musical forms which did not develop until many centuries after his death. Although the extent of his contribution to Indian music is more legendary than factual, he nevertheless symbolizes a crucial turning point in the development of Indian music. Amir Khusru is an icon representing a growing Persian influence on the music. This influence was felt to a greater extent in the North than in the South. The consequence of this differing degree of influence ultimately resulted in the bifurcation of Indian music into two distinct systems; the Hindustani sangeet of the North and the Carnatic sangeet of the South.

History of Indian Music

Indian music has a very long, unbroken tradition and is an accumulated heritage of centuries. It is believed that the sage Narada introduced the art of music to the Earth. The origin can be traced back to Vedic days, nearly two thousand years ago. It is said that the sound that pervades the whole universe, i.e. Nadabrahma, itself represents the divinity. Organised Indian music owes its origin to the Samaveda. The Veda has all the seven notes of the raga karaharpriya in the descending order. The earliest Raga is speculated to be 'Sama Raga'. Theories and treatises began to be written about how the primitive sound 'Om' gave rise to the various notes. The first reference to music was made by Panini (500 BC) and the first reference to musical theory is found in Rikpratisakhya (400 BC). Bharata's Natya Sastra (4th Century AD) contains several chapters on music. This is probably the first work that clearly elaborated the octave and divided it into 22 keys. The next major work on music was Dathilam, which also endorses the existence of the 22 sruti per octave and even goes to suggest that these 22 srutis are the only ones a human body could make. This view was expressed again by another musicologist of the 13th century AD Saranga Deva in his famous work Sangeeta Ratnakara. Saranga Deva, among other things, defined almost 264 Ragas, including some Dravidian and North Indian ones. He also described the various 'kinds' of 'microtones' and also classified them into different categories. Of the other important works on Indian music, mention may be made of Brihaddesi (9 AD) written by Matanga, which attempts to define the word 'Raga', Sangeeta Makaranda (11th century AD) written by Narada, which enumerates 93 Ragas and classifies them into masculine and feminine species, Swaramela-kalanidhi of Ramamatya (16 AD) and Chaturdandi-prakssika of Venkatamakhi (17 AD).

It took a long time for music to come to its present-day form. In the beginning music was devotional in content and was purely used for ritualistic purposes and was restricted to temples. During the late Vedic period (3000-1200 BC), a form of music called Samgana was prevalent which involved chanting of the verses set to musical patterns. Various forms of music like Jatigan were evolved to narrate the epics. Between 2-7 AD a form of music called Prabandh Sangeet, which was written in Sanskrit, became very popular. This form gave way to a simpler form called dhruvapad, which used Hindi as the medium. The Gupta Period is considered as the golden era in the development of Indian music. All the music treatises like Natya Shastra and Brihaddeshi were written during this period.

One of the strongest and most significant influences on Indian music has perhaps been that of Persian music, which brought in a changed perspective in the style of Northern Indian music. In the 15th century AD, as a result of the patronage given to the classical music by the rulers, the devotional dhruvapad transformed into the dhrupad form of singing. The khayal developed as a new form of singing in the 18th century AD. The Indian classical music, thus, developed from the ritualistic music in association with folk music and other musical expressions of India's extended neighbourhood, developing into its own characteristic art. It is then that the two schools of music resulted, the Hindustani (North Indian music) and the Carnatic (South Indian music). Historical roots of both Hindustani and Carnatic classical music traditions stem from Bharata's Natyashastra. The two traditions started to diverge only around 14th Century AD. Carnatic music is kriti based and saahitya (lyric) oriented, while Hindustani music emphasises on the musical structure and the possibilities of improvisation in it. Hindustani music adopted a scale of Shudha Swara saptaka (octave of natural notes) while Carnatic music retained the traditional octave. Both systems have shown great assimilative power, constantly absorbing folk tunes and regional tilts and elevating many of them to the status of ragas. These systems have also mutually influenced each other