Indian classical music
Encyclopedia
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas
, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu
tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda
, one of the four Vedas, describes music
at length. The Samaveda was derived from the Rigveda
so that its hymn
s could be sung as Samagana
; this style evolved into jatis and eventually into raga
s. Bharat's Natyashastra was the first treatise laying down fundamental principles of dance
, music, and drama
.
Indian classical music is both elaborate and expressive. Like Western classical music, it divides the octave
into 12 semitone
s of which the 7 basic note
s are, in ascending tonal order, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa for Hindustani music and Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa for Carnatic music, similar to Western music's Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do. However, Indian music uses just-intonation
tuning, unlike most modern Western classical music, which uses the equal-temperament
tuning system.
Indian classical music is monophonic
in nature and based around a single melody
line, which is played over a fixed drone. The performance is based melodically on particular raga
s and rhythmically on talas
. Because of the focus on exploring the raga, performances have traditionally been solo endeavors, but duets are gaining in popularity.
to a shishya, in person. Various Indian music schools follow notations and classifications (see Melakarta
and thaat
); these are generally based on a notation system created by Bhatkhande.
. Khyal
and dhrupad
are its two main forms, but there are several other classical and semi-classical forms. There is a significant amount of Persian influence in Hindustani music in terms of the instruments, style of presentation, and ragas such as Hijaz Bhairav, Bhairavi, Bahar, and Yaman. Also, as is the case with Carnatic music
, Hindustani music has assimilated various folk tunes. For example, ragas such as Kafi and Jaijaiwanti, are based on folk tunes. 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
. 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
. Emotions are the prime themes of the different ragas in Hindustani classical music.
The performance usually begins with a slow elaboration of the raga, known as badhat. This can range from long (30–60 minutes) to short (8–10 minutes) depending on the raga, the style and preference of the musician, and the medium (LP records and All India Radio performance times had a fixed upper limit). Once the raga is established, the ornamentation around the mode
begins to become rhythmical, gradually speeding up; this section is called the drut
in vocal performances or the jor
in instrumental performances.
, tends to be significantly more structured than Hindustani music. Examples of this are the logical classification of raga
s 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. 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 thaalams (the ornamentation, equivalent to the jor). This is intermixed with hymn
s 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; these pieces are called compositions.
Carnatic music is similar to Hindustani music in that it is improvised (see musical improvisation
). Primary themes include worship, descriptions of temples, philosophy, and nayaka-nayaki (Sanskrit "hero & heroine") themes. Tyagaraja
(1759–1847), Muthuswami Dikshitar
(1776–1827) and Syama Sastri
(1762–1827) are known as the Trinity of Carnatic music, while Purandara Dasa
(1480–1564) is the father of Carnatic music.
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
.
The fundamental authoritative work on the subject of Indian instruments, Bharatiya Sangeet Vadya
, was based on years of research carried out by Dr. Lalmani Misra
.
, Lalit Kishore Singh, Lalmani Misra
, Acharya Brahaspati, Thakur Jaidev Singh, R. C. Mehta
, Premlata Sharma, Subhadra Choudhary, Indrani Chakravarty, Ashok Ranade, Aban E. Mistry, and contemporary ones of Pushpa Basu, Prabha Atre, Ragini Trivedi, Ravi Sharma, Swatantra Sharma, Saubhagyavardhan Brahaspati, Suneera Kasliwal, and the like have given a rigorous basis to the Indian music system. Besides these, scholars from other streams have also written about Indian music. There are a number of biographies of Indian musicians although some critics feel that Indian biographers have not paid due attention to the music.
, Kesarbai Kerkar, Roshan Ara Begum
, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, M. S. Subbulakshmi
, G. N. Balasubramaniam
, M. Balamuralikrishna, Jon B. Higgins
, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
, Abdul Karim Khan
, Abdul Wahid Khan, Faiyaz Khan
, Amir Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Kumar Gandharva
, Bhimsen Joshi
, Mogubai Kurdikar
, Prabha Atre, Kishori Amonkar
, Ulhas Kashalkar
, Rashid Khan
, D. V. Paluskar, Vinayakrao Patwardhan, Narayanrao Vyas
, Basavaraj Rajguru
, Mallikarjun Mansur
, the senior and junior Dagar Brothers, Zia Fariduddin Dagar, the Gundecha Brothers
, Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan, Omkarnath Thakur
, Jasraj, and Mohammad Hussain Sarahang
.
was a versatile instrumentalist. He trained his son Ali Akbar Khan
, his daughter Annapurna Devi, Nikhil Banerjee
, Ravi Shankar
, the flautist Pannalal Ghosh
, Azizul Islam from Bangladesh
. Younger-generation sitar players include Chandrakant Sardeshmukh
, Budhaditya Mukherjee
and Shahid Parvez
. Among the list of younger-generation flautists are eminent names such as Vijay Raghav Rao
and Hariprasad Chaurasia
.
The name Bismillah Khan
is synonymous with that of the shehnai
. Zia Mohiuddin Dagar was known for his proficiency with Rudra veena
. Dr. Lalmani Misra
revived Vichitra Veena
along with creating Misrabani—a tantrakari style suited to string instruments. V. G. Jog
portrayed Hindustani classical music on the violin.
Alla Rakha made the tabla popular in the West with Ravi Shankar
. His son Zakir Hussain
is also a well-known tabla player.
L.Shankar
(not to be confused with Ravi) is a famous for developing and playing the ten-string, stereophonic double violin. L. Shankar
worked on the score of the film The Last Temptation of Christ
(1988),composed by Peter Gabriel
, with his music ending up on both albums of the score - Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ
and Passion - Sources
. He won a Grammy
for his work on the latter in 1994. 1996 saw a Grammy nomination for the album Raga Aberi. Shankar has performed on several of Peter Gabriel's records such as So
and Us
.
Among the southern classical musicians, Master U Srinivas
is a top artist known worldwide. Known for his introduction of Mandolin to the Carnatic classical form of music, he has become synonymous with the word mandolin in India.
Among other well established Carnatic instrumentalists are Lalgudi G Jayaraman, the late Kunnukudi Vaidyanathan, T.N.Krishnan, Dr.L.Subramaniam, M.S. Gopalakrishnan, and the duo of Kumaresh & Ganesh, all known for their violin performances.
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda
Samaveda
The Sama veda , is second of the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures. Its earliest parts are believed to date from 1700 BC and it ranks next in sanctity and liturgical importance to the Rigveda...
, one of the four Vedas, describes music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
at length. The Samaveda was derived from the Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
so that its hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s could be sung as Samagana
Samagana
Sām is composition of words in Rigvedic hymns from notes. The hymns of Rigveda form the base of Sāmagān. Sāmagān is not merely a name given to singing hymns of Veda but represents the philosophy and science of uniting thought, sound and music. Sāmagān is purpose of creation of Samaveda.-Sām...
; this style evolved into jatis and eventually into raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
s. Bharat's Natyashastra was the first treatise laying down fundamental principles of dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, music, and drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
.
Indian classical music is both elaborate and expressive. Like Western classical music, it divides the octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
into 12 semitone
Semitone
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically....
s of which the 7 basic note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
s are, in ascending tonal order, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa for Hindustani music and Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa for Carnatic music, similar to Western music's Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do. However, Indian music uses just-intonation
Just intonation
In music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequencies of notes are related by ratios of small whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval. The two notes in any just interval are members of the same harmonic series...
tuning, unlike most modern Western classical music, which uses the equal-temperament
Equal temperament
An equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of tuning, in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio. As pitch is perceived roughly as the logarithm of frequency, this means that the perceived "distance" from every note to its nearest neighbor is the same for...
tuning system.
Indian classical music is monophonic
Monophony
In music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave . If the entire melody is sung by two voices or a choir with an interval between the notes or in...
in nature and based around a single melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
line, which is played over a fixed drone. The performance is based melodically on particular raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
s and rhythmically on talas
Tala (music)
Tāla, Taal or Tal is the term used in Indian classical music for the rhythmic pattern of any composition and for the entire subject of rhythm, roughly corresponding to metre in Western music, though closer conceptual equivalents are to be found in other Asian classical systems such as the notion...
. Because of the focus on exploring the raga, performances have traditionally been solo endeavors, but duets are gaining in popularity.
Notation system
Indian music is traditionally taught via oral methods, and until the 20th century did not employ notations as the primary media of instruction, understanding, or transmission. The rules of Indian music and compositions themselves are taught from a guruGuru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
to a shishya, in person. Various Indian music schools follow notations and classifications (see Melakarta
Melakarta
Melakarta is a collection of fundamental ragas in Carnatic music . Melakarta ragas are parent ragas from which other ragas may be generated. A melakarta raga is sometimes referred as mela, karta or sampurna as well.In Hindustani music the thaat is equivalent of Melakarta...
and thaat
Thaat
A thāt is a mode in northern Indian or Hindustani music. Thāts always have seven different pitches and are a basis for the organization and classification of ragas in North Indian classical music.- System :...
); these are generally based on a notation system created by Bhatkhande.
Hindustani music
Hindustani music is mainly found in North IndiaNorth India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
. Khyal
Khyal
Khyal is the modern genre of classical singing in North India. Its name comes from an Arabic word meaning "imagination". It is thought to have developed out of the qawwali singing style. It appeared more recently than dhrupad, is a more free and flexible form, and it provides greater scope for...
and dhrupad
Dhrupad
Dhrupad is a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition. Its name is derived from the words "dhruva" and "pada"...
are its two main forms, but there are several other classical and semi-classical forms. There is a significant amount of Persian influence in Hindustani music in terms of the instruments, style of presentation, and ragas such as Hijaz Bhairav, Bhairavi, Bahar, and Yaman. Also, as is the case with Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
, Hindustani music has assimilated various folk tunes. For example, ragas such as Kafi and Jaijaiwanti, are based on folk tunes. Players of the tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, a type of drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
, usually keep the rhythm, an indicator of time in Hindustani music. Another common instrument is the stringed
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
tanpura
Tambura
The tambura, tanpura, or tambora is a long-necked plucked lute . The body shape of the tambura somewhat resembles that of the sitar, but it has no frets – only the open strings are played to accompany other musicians...
, which is played at a steady tone (a drone) throughout the performance of the raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
. 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
Sarangi
The Sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument of India which is originated from Rajasthani folk instruments. It plays an important role in India's Hindustani classical music tradition...
and the harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
. Emotions are the prime themes of the different ragas in Hindustani classical music.
The performance usually begins with a slow elaboration of the raga, known as badhat. This can range from long (30–60 minutes) to short (8–10 minutes) depending on the raga, the style and preference of the musician, and the medium (LP records and All India Radio performance times had a fixed upper limit). Once the raga is established, the ornamentation around the mode
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
begins to become rhythmical, gradually speeding up; this section is called the drut
Drut
Drut is the concluding section, in fast tempo , between 160 and 320 beats per minute, of the performance of a vocal raga in Hindustani classical music.-See also:*Khyal*Vilambit*Madhyalaya...
in vocal performances or the jor
Jor
In Indian music, the jor is a formal section of composition in the long elaboration of a raga that forms the beginning of a performance. Jor is the instrumental equivalent of nomtom in the dhrupad vocal style of Indian music. Both have a simple pulse but no well-defined rhythmic cycle....
in instrumental performances.
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, from South IndiaSouth India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
, tends to be significantly more structured than Hindustani music. Examples of this are the logical classification of raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
s 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. The opening piece is called a varnam
Varnam
Varnam is a form of song in the Carnatic music repertoire. A varnam is a relatively long piece and can range from 30 minutes to up to an hour. It is usually set to Aadi or Ata tala. It is the center piece in a recital of a Bharathanatyam dance. It is a tradition to start a recital in Carnatic...
, 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 thaalams (the ornamentation, equivalent to the jor). This is intermixed with hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s called krithis. The pallavi
Pallavi
In Carnatic music pallavi is the thematic line of a song. It is usually one cycle long and repeated twice in order to give the percussionist the idea of the chosen taalam...
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; these pieces are called compositions.
Carnatic music is similar to Hindustani music in that it is improvised (see musical improvisation
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
). Primary themes include worship, descriptions of temples, philosophy, and nayaka-nayaki (Sanskrit "hero & heroine") themes. Tyagaraja
Tyagaraja
Kakarla Tyagabrahmam , colloquially known as Tyāgarājar and Tyagayya was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music or classical South Indian music. He, along with his contemporaries Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, forms the Trinity of Carnatic music...
(1759–1847), Muthuswami Dikshitar
Muthuswami Dikshitar
Muthuswami Dikshitar is a South Indian poet and composer and is one of the Musical Trinity of Carnatic music...
(1776–1827) and Syama Sastri
Syama Sastri
Syama Sastri is one of the most renowned composers of Carnatic music. He was the eldest of the so-called Trinity of Carnatic music, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar being the other two. A major source for his biography is a chapter in P. Sambamoorthy's book, Great Composers, 69-94...
(1762–1827) are known as the Trinity of Carnatic music, while Purandara Dasa
Purandara Dasa
Purandara Dāsa is one of the most prominent composers of Carnatic music and is widely regarded as the "father of Carnatic Music". Purandara Dasa addressed social issues in addition to worship in his compositions, a practice emulated by his younger contemporary, Kanaka Dasa...
(1480–1564) is the father of Carnatic music.
Instruments
InstrumentsIndian musical instruments
Indian musical instruments can be broadly classified into four categories, mainly classical, western and folk. See Carnatic music and Hindustani music. The instruments are further sub-classified into the type based on the science behind the same....
typically used in Hindustani music include the sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, sarod
Sarod
The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in the classical music of Hindustan...
, surbahar
Surbahar
Surbahar , sometimes known as bass sitar, is a plucked string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music of North India. It is closely related to sitar, but it has a lower tone. Depending on the instrument's size, it is usually pitched two to five whole steps below the standard sitar, but...
, tanpura, bansuri
Bansuri
The bansuri is a transverse alto flute of Bangladesh, India and Nepal made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven finger holes. An ancient musical instrument associated with cowherds and the pastoral tradition, it is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha, and is...
, shehnai
Shehnai
The shehnai, shahnai, shenai or mangal vadya, is an aerophonic instrument, a double reed conical oboe, common in North India, West India and Pakistan, made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the end...
, sarangi
Sarangi
The Sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument of India which is originated from Rajasthani folk instruments. It plays an important role in India's Hindustani classical music tradition...
, santoor
Santoor
The santoor is an ancient stringed musical instrument, native to Kashmir and Iran. It is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer often made of walnut, with seventy two strings. The special-shaped mallets are lightweight and are held between the index and middle fingers...
, pakhavaj
Pakhavaj
The pakhavaj, pakhawaj, pakuaj, pakhvaj or pakavaj is an Indian barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, the North Indian equivalent to the Southern mridangam....
and tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
. Instruments typically used in Carnatic music include venu
Venu
The venu is a bamboo transverse flute used in the Carnatic music of South India. Although it is often called Carnatic flute or simply flute in English, venu is the instrument's ancient Sanskrit name...
, gottuvadyam, harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, veena
Veena
Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
, mridangam, kanjira
Kanjira
The kanjira, khanjira or ganjira, a South Indian frame drum, is an instrument of the tambourine family. It is used primarily in concerts of Carnatic music as a supporting instrument for the mridangam...
, ghatam
Ghatam
The ghaṭam is a percussion instrument used in the Carnatic music of South India. Its analogue in Rajasthan is known as the madga and pani mataqa "water jug"....
and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
.
The fundamental authoritative work on the subject of Indian instruments, Bharatiya Sangeet Vadya
Bharatiya Sangeet Vadya
Bharatiya Sangeet Vadya is a book written by Dr. Lalmani Misra. It was published under the Lokodya Granthmala series of Bharatiya Jnanpith, New Delhi. The first edition was published in 1973, the second in 2002...
, was based on years of research carried out by Dr. Lalmani Misra
Lalmani Misra
Lalmani Misra , M.A., Ph.D., D. Mus. , M.Mus. , B.Mus. , Dean & Head, Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, was an eminent Indian classical musician known as much for his art as for his scholarship.-Initiation into music:Lalmani learnt Dhruvapada Dhamar in the...
.
Scholars
Ancient texts give fundamental rules of Indian music but the modern writings of Omkarnath ThakurOmkarnath Thakur
Omkarnath Thakur was an Indian educator, musicologist, and Hindustani classical singer. He is famously known as "Pranav Rang", his pen-name.Thakur was born 1897 in a village in the Princely State of Baroda into a poor military family...
, Lalit Kishore Singh, Lalmani Misra
Lalmani Misra
Lalmani Misra , M.A., Ph.D., D. Mus. , M.Mus. , B.Mus. , Dean & Head, Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, was an eminent Indian classical musician known as much for his art as for his scholarship.-Initiation into music:Lalmani learnt Dhruvapada Dhamar in the...
, Acharya Brahaspati, Thakur Jaidev Singh, R. C. Mehta
R. C. Mehta
Ramanlal C. Mehta was born on October 31, 1918 at Surat in the state of Gujarat. An eminent musician and musicologist, he retired in 1978, from the MS University of Baroda, after serving as Principal of the College of Indian Music, Dance & Dramatics / Faculty of Performing Arts ), for several...
, Premlata Sharma, Subhadra Choudhary, Indrani Chakravarty, Ashok Ranade, Aban E. Mistry, and contemporary ones of Pushpa Basu, Prabha Atre, Ragini Trivedi, Ravi Sharma, Swatantra Sharma, Saubhagyavardhan Brahaspati, Suneera Kasliwal, and the like have given a rigorous basis to the Indian music system. Besides these, scholars from other streams have also written about Indian music. There are a number of biographies of Indian musicians although some critics feel that Indian biographers have not paid due attention to the music.
Vocalists
There have been many notable vocalists from Indian classical music, these include TansenTansen
Mia Tansen is considered among the greatest composer-musicians in Hindustani classical music. He was an extraordinarily gifted vocalist, known for a large number of compositions, and also an instrumentalist who popularized and improved the rabab .He was among the Navaratnas at the court of the...
, Kesarbai Kerkar, Roshan Ara Begum
Roshan Ara Begum
Roshan Ara Begum became one of the most important woman in the history of Hindustani classical music. In Pakistan she is revered as Mallika-e-Mauseeqi or Queen of Music...
, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer is considered to be one of the greatest Carnatic vocalists of the twentieth century...
, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, M. S. Subbulakshmi
M. S. Subbulakshmi
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi , also known as M.S., was a renowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. She is the first Indian musician to receive...
, G. N. Balasubramaniam
G. N. Balasubramaniam
G. N. Balasubramaniam , popularly known as GNB, was a legendary vocalist in the Carnatic tradition. He became the first superstar of Carnatic music, innovating the art through emphasis on laya control & reducing the gamakas which eventually made Carnatic music appeal to the lay and the learned...
, M. Balamuralikrishna, Jon B. Higgins
Jon B. Higgins
Jon Borthwick Higgins , also known in India as Higgins Bhagavatar, was an American musician, scholar, and teacher known principally for his rare skill as a non-Indian in the field of Carnatic music...
, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar or more popularly simply called as Ariyakudi was born in Ariyakudi a town in the Karaikudi district of Tamil Nadu, South India in the year 1890. Ariyakudi was a Carnatic Music vocalist and is known for his unique style. He made his debut at Tyagaraja Aradhana in 1918...
, Abdul Karim Khan
Abdul Karim Khan
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan , was an Indian classical singer of the Kairana gharana .-Early life and background:...
, Abdul Wahid Khan, Faiyaz Khan
Faiyaz Khan
Ustad Faiyaz Khan is so far the best known exponent of Agra Gharana in Hindustani classical music. He was the master khayal vocalist of his time. Born at Sikandara near Agra in 1886 , he was the son of Shabr Hussain, who died three months before his birth...
, Amir Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Kumar Gandharva
Kumar Gandharva
Kumar Gandharva or Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkallimath was a Hindustani classical singer, famous for his unique vocal style, refusal to be bound by the tradition of any gharana, and his innovative genius...
, Bhimsen Joshi
Bhimsen Joshi
Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi ; February 4, 1922 - January 24, 2011) was an Indian vocalist in the Hindustani classical tradition. A member of the Kirana Gharana , he is renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music...
, Mogubai Kurdikar
Mogubai Kurdikar
Mogubai Kurdikar was a renowned Hindustani classical music vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana.-Early years and background:...
, Prabha Atre, Kishori Amonkar
Kishori Amonkar
Kishori AmonkarN- is an Indian singer who performs in the classical genre khyal and the light classical genres thumri and bhajan. Amonkar trained under her mother, classical singer Mogubai Kurdikar of the Jaipur gharana , but experimented with a variety of vocal styles in her career...
, Ulhas Kashalkar
Ulhas Kashalkar
Pandit Ulhas N Kashalkar is a noted Hindustani classical vocalist. He has received training in the Gwalior, Jaipur and Agra gharanas, and is considered a legitimate representative of all three schools.-Early life:...
, Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan
Ustad Rashid Khan is an Indian classical musician in the Hindustani music tradition. He belongs to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, and is the great grandson of Gharana founder Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan.He is married to Joyeeta Bose, from the illustrious family of Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose.In a...
, D. V. Paluskar, Vinayakrao Patwardhan, Narayanrao Vyas
Narayanrao Vyas
Narayanrao Vyas was a Hindustani Musician of Gwalior Gharana. He was a disciple of Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. He cut several 78 rpm discs, classical khayals and semi-classical bhajans and thumris, around 1930 which became very famous. His father and uncle were well-known musicians in Kolhapur...
, Basavaraj Rajguru
Basavaraj Rajguru
Pandit Basavraj Rajguru was born at Yaliwal, a village in the north Karnataka district of Dharwad, a great centre of Hindustani classical music. He was a leading Hindustani vocal musician in the Kirana gharana...
, Mallikarjun Mansur
Mallikarjun Mansur
Mallikarjun Bheemarayappa Mansur was an Indian classical singer of the khyal style in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. He received the three national Padma Awards: Padma Shri in 1970, Padma Bhushan in 1976, and Padma Vibhushan in 1992.-Early life:...
, the senior and junior Dagar Brothers, Zia Fariduddin Dagar, the Gundecha Brothers
Gundecha Brothers
Umakant Gundecha and Ramakant Gundecha, known as the Gundecha Brothers, are leading Dagarvani dhrupad singers. They always sing together.-Early life and background:Gundecha Brothers were born in Ujjain into a Jain family....
, Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan, Omkarnath Thakur
Omkarnath Thakur
Omkarnath Thakur was an Indian educator, musicologist, and Hindustani classical singer. He is famously known as "Pranav Rang", his pen-name.Thakur was born 1897 in a village in the Princely State of Baroda into a poor military family...
, Jasraj, and Mohammad Hussain Sarahang
Mohammad Hussain Sarahang
Ustād Mohammad Hussain Sarāhang was an Afghan musician and best known exponent of hindustani classical music from Kabul Afghanistan. He was the second oldest son of the renowned musician, Ustad Gholam Hussain...
.
Instrumentalists
Allauddin KhanAllauddin Khan
Allauddin Khan , was a Bengali sarodiya and multi-instrumentalist, composer and one of the most renowned music teachers of the 20th Century in Indian classical music.In 1935, he toured Europe, along with Uday Shankar's ballet troupe, and later also worked at his...
was a versatile instrumentalist. He trained his son Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan , often referred to as Khansahib or by the title Ustad , was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod...
, his daughter Annapurna Devi, Nikhil Banerjee
Nikhil Banerjee
Nikhil Ranjan Banerjee was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar Gharana who played the stringed instrument sitar.-Early life and background:...
, Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
, the flautist Pannalal Ghosh
Pannalal Ghosh
Pannalal Ghosh , also known as Amulya Jyoti Ghosh, was a Bengali Indian flute player and composer. He was a disciple of Allauddin Khan, and is credited with giving the flute its status in Hindustani classical music....
, Azizul Islam from Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Younger-generation sitar players include Chandrakant Sardeshmukh
Chandrakant Sardeshmukh
Chandrakant Sardeshmukh is a Hindustani classical sitar player of the Maihar Gharana .He was taught by Ustad Shabuddin Khan and Khurshid Mirajkar from the age of 4, and became popular as child artist. He performed in the famous Sawai Gandharva Music Festival in Pune in 1963...
, Budhaditya Mukherjee
Budhaditya Mukherjee
Budhaditya Mukherjee is a Hindustani classical sitar and surbahar player of the Imdadkhani Gharana .He was taught by his father Bimalendu Mukherjee from the age of 5, and started making a name for himself at a young age...
and Shahid Parvez
Shahid Parvez
Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan is a sitar player of Hindustani classical music. He carries on a legacy of sitar playing that goes back several generations in his family. He belongs to the famous Etawah Gharana and belongs to the seventh generation of this musical lineage...
. Among the list of younger-generation flautists are eminent names such as Vijay Raghav Rao
Vijay Raghav Rao
Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao was an Indian flutist. He was born in Madras , India.-Personal Life:...
and Hariprasad Chaurasia
Hariprasad Chaurasia
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is an Indian classical instrumentalist. He is a player of the bansuri, the North Indian bamboo flute. Chaurasia is a classicist who has made a conscious effort to reach out and expand the audience for classical music.-Early life:Hariprasad Chaurasia was born in...
.
The name Bismillah Khan
Bismillah Khan
Ustad Bismillah Khan was an Indian shehnai maestro. He was the third classical musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna , the highest civilian honour in India and gained worldwide acclaim for playing the shehnai for more than eight decades....
is synonymous with that of the shehnai
Shehnai
The shehnai, shahnai, shenai or mangal vadya, is an aerophonic instrument, a double reed conical oboe, common in North India, West India and Pakistan, made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the end...
. Zia Mohiuddin Dagar was known for his proficiency with Rudra veena
Rudra veena
See also veenaThe rudra veena is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani classical music. It is an ancient instrument rarely played today...
. Dr. Lalmani Misra
Lalmani Misra
Lalmani Misra , M.A., Ph.D., D. Mus. , M.Mus. , B.Mus. , Dean & Head, Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, was an eminent Indian classical musician known as much for his art as for his scholarship.-Initiation into music:Lalmani learnt Dhruvapada Dhamar in the...
revived Vichitra Veena
Vichitra veena
The vichitra veena is a plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music. It is similar to the Carnatic gottuvadhyam . It has no frets and is played with a slide.-The structure:...
along with creating Misrabani—a tantrakari style suited to string instruments. V. G. Jog
V. G. Jog
Vishnu Govind Jog, better known as V. G. Jog , was an Indian violinist. He was the foremost exponent of the violin in the Hindustani music tradition in the 20th century, and is credited for introducing this instrument into Hindustani music.Jog was a disciple of Baba Allauddin Khan...
portrayed Hindustani classical music on the violin.
Alla Rakha made the tabla popular in the West with Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
. His son Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain (musician)
Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St...
is also a well-known tabla player.
L.Shankar
L. Shankar
Lakshminarayanan Shankar, also known as L. Shankar and Shenkar, is an Indian-born American violinist, singer and composer.-Early life:...
(not to be confused with Ravi) is a famous for developing and playing the ten-string, stereophonic double violin. L. Shankar
L. Shankar
Lakshminarayanan Shankar, also known as L. Shankar and Shenkar, is an Indian-born American violinist, singer and composer.-Early life:...
worked on the score of the film The Last Temptation of Christ
The Last Temptation of Christ
The Last Temptation of Christ is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1953. It was first published in English in 1960. It follows the life of Jesus Christ from his perspective...
(1988),composed by Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, with his music ending up on both albums of the score - Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ
Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ
Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ is a musical album released in 1989 by Peter Gabriel. It is his second soundtrack and eighth album overall...
and Passion - Sources
Passion - Sources
Passion - Sources is the second of two albums of music from Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ. The first album, Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ by Peter Gabriel was released in 1989 in conjunction with the movie....
. He won a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for his work on the latter in 1994. 1996 saw a Grammy nomination for the album Raga Aberi. Shankar has performed on several of Peter Gabriel's records such as So
So (album)
So is the fifth studio album by British rock musician Peter Gabriel, released in 1986. Many of its songs reflect a more conventional pop-writing style and became radio hits, while others still retain Gabriel's dark, brooding sense of experimentalism.It is Peter Gabriel's second album produced by...
and Us
Us (Peter Gabriel album)
Us is the sixth studio album by British rock musician Peter Gabriel, originally released in 1992. It was remastered, with most of Gabriel's catalogue, in 2002...
.
Among the southern classical musicians, Master U Srinivas
U. Srinivas
Uppalapu Shrinivas , is an Indian mandolin player of the Carnatic musical tradition of Southern India. Shrinivas plays an electric mandolin and has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Michael Nyman, and Michael Brook...
is a top artist known worldwide. Known for his introduction of Mandolin to the Carnatic classical form of music, he has become synonymous with the word mandolin in India.
Among other well established Carnatic instrumentalists are Lalgudi G Jayaraman, the late Kunnukudi Vaidyanathan, T.N.Krishnan, Dr.L.Subramaniam, M.S. Gopalakrishnan, and the duo of Kumaresh & Ganesh, all known for their violin performances.
Further reading
- Ludwig Pesch, The Oxford Illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. - George E. Ruckert, Music in North India: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. - T. Viswanathan and Matthew Harp Allen; Music in South India: The Karnatak Concert Tradition and Beyond Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture; Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. - Martin Clayton; Time in Indian Music: Rhythm, Metre, and Form in North Indian Rag Performance; Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
.
External links
- The South Asian Women's Forum has a collection of great articles on Indian classical music with explanations and links to audio extracts from rare recordings.
- Vijaya Parrikar Library of Indian Classical Music Library contains recorded music of India's great music masters of yesteryear, excerpts of old, hard-to-find or unpublished recordings.
- Sound of India - Raga reference with audio, musicological articles and online lessons
- Basics and history of Indian classical music
- Overview of Indian Classical Music by David Courtney (emphasises northern Indian music).
- Simple Introduction to South Indian Classical Music - Part 1 Published by World Music Central
- Simple Introduction to South Indian Classical Music - Part 2 Published by World Music Central
- SPIC MACAY - Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth