Music of India
Encyclopedia
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. India is made up of several dozen ethnic group
s, speaking their own language
s and dialect
s, having distinct cultural traditions.
and native Indian sounds but also enriched by the Persian
performance practices of the Mughals
. During the Medivel age especially in Mughals era various Gharana became famous due to excellence and class in type of musics like raga. Tansen
is one of the navratna of Mughals Admiral Akbar. Classical genres are dhrupad
, dhamar, khyal
, tarana y sadra.
Carnatic music is melodic
, with improvised variations. It consists of a composition with improvised embellishments added to the piece in the forms of Raga Alapana
, Kalpanaswaram
, Neraval
, and, in the case of more advanced students, Ragam Tanam Pallavi. The main emphasis is on the vocals as most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in a singing style (known as gāyaki). There are about 7.2 million ragas (or scales) in Carnatic Music, with only 300 or so still in common use today.
Purandara Dasa
is considered the father of carnatic music. Sri Tyagaraja
, Sri Shyama Shastry and Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar
are considered the trinity of carnatic music and with them came the golden age in carnatic music in the 18th-19th century.
Noted artists of Carnatic Music include MS Subbulakshmi, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
(the father of the current concert format), Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
, TN Seshagopalan and more recently Sanjay Subrahmanyan
, TM Krishna, Bombay Jayashri
, etc.
Every December, the city of Chennai in India has its six week-long Music Season
, which has been described as the world's largest cultural event.
It has served as the foundation for most music in South India, including folk music, festival music and has also extended its influence to film music in the past 100–150 years or so.
, chaiti, kajri and tappa.
Bihu
is the festival of New Year of Assam
falling on mid April. This is a festival of nature and mother earth where the first day is for the cows and buffalos. Second day is for the man. Bihu dancesand songs accompanied by traditional drums and wind instruments are essential part of this festival.
to celebrate Vaisakhi
, the festival of the Sikh
s.Knowledge of Punjabi history offers important insights into the meaning of the music. 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. Moreover, during the last thirty years, Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae, and in such forms it has become a pop
sensation in the United Kingdom
and North America
.
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 Gujrat. Actually Dandiya is a kind of dance rather than a music, the music is called a Garba
in local language.
, a lot of protest songs about anti-imperialism/pro-socialism have been written in India. Examples: Apni Azadi Ko Hum Hargis Mita Sakte Nahin
, ajadee hoyni tor, Kadam kadam badhaye jaa, Vande Mataram
, etc.
. Thus the songs of Uttarakhand
are a true reflection of the Cultural Heritage and the way people live their lives in the Himalayas. Musical instruments used in Uttarakhand
music include the dhol, damoun, turri, ransingha, dholki, daur, thali, bhankora and masakbhaja. Tabla and harmonium are also used, but to a lesser extent. The main languages are Kumaoni and Garhwali
.
comes from the word Lavanya which means beauty. This is one of the most popular forms of dance and music that is practiced all over Maharashtra
. It has in fact become a necessary part of the Maharashtrian folk dance performances. Traditionally, the songs are sung by female artistes, but male artistes may occasionally sing Lavani
s. The dance format associated with Lavani
is known as Tamasha
. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the enchanting beats of 'Dholak', a drum-like instrument. Dance performed by attractive women wearing nine-yard saris. They are sung in a quick tempo. The verve, the enthusiasm, the rhythm and above all the very beat of India
finds an expressive declaration amidst the folk music of India, which has somewhat, redefined the term "bliss". Lavani originated in the arid region of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
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. Many singers in West Bengal
and Bangladesh
base their entire careers on the singing of Tagore musical masterpieces. The national anthem of India and national anthem of Bangladesh are Rabindra Sangeets.
has a very diverse cultural collection of musician caste
s, including Langa
s, Sapera, Bhopa, Jogi and Manganiyar (lit. the ones who ask/beg). Rajasthan Diary quotes it as a soulful, full-throated music with Harmonious diversity. The haunting melody of Rajasthan evokes from a variety of delightfully primitive looking instruments. The stringed variety include the Sarangi, Rawanhattha, Kamayacha, Morsing and Ektara. Percussion instruments come in all shapes and sizes from the huge Nagaras and Dhols to the tiny Damrus. The Daf and Chang are a big favourite of Holi
(the festival of colours) revellers. Flutes and bagpipers come in local flavours such as Shehnai, Poongi, Algoza, Tarpi, Been and Bankia.
The essence of Rajasthani music is derived from the creative symphony of string instruments, percussion instruments and wind instruments accompanied by melodious renditions of folk singers. It enjoys a respectable presence in Bollywood music as well.
is filmi
, or songs from Indian films, it makes up 72% of the music sales in India. 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
, S D Batish, Salil Chowdhury
, A. R. Rahman
, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Ilaiyaraja mastero of indian music,MS viswanathan,K V Mahadevan,Gantasala, MM keeravani,Manisharma,Devisri prasad, Thomas Rathnam and S. D. Burman employed the principles of harmony while retaining classical and folk flavor. Reputed names in the domain of Indian classical music like Ravi Shankar
, Vilayat Khan
, Ali Akbar Khan
and Ram Narayan
have also composed music for films. Independent pop acts such as Asha Bhosle
, Udit Narayan
, Alisha Chinai
, Shaan
, Madhushree
, Shreya Ghoshal, Nihira Joshi, Kavita Krishnamurthy, SP balasubramanayam,Hariharan,P suseela,Janaki,Yesudas,AR rahmanSonu Nigam
, Sukhwinder Singh
, Kunal Ganjawala
, Sunidhi Chauhan
, Alka Yagnik
and rock bands like Indus Creed
, Indian Ocean
, and Euphoria
exist and have gained mass appeal with the advent of cable music television.
fusions with Indian music were well-known throughout Europe
and North America
. Ali Akbar Khan
's 1955 performance in the United States
was perhaps the beginning of this trend.
Jazz
pioneers such as John Coltrane
—who recorded a composition entitled 'India' during the November 1961 sessions for his album Live At The Village Vanguard
(the track was not released until 1963 on Coltrane
's album Impressions)—also embraced this fusion. George Harrison
(of the Beatles
) played the sitar
on the song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" in 1965, which sparked interest from Shankar, who subsequently took Harrison as his apprentice. Jazz
innovator Miles Davis
recorded and performed with musicians like Khalil Balakrishna, Bihari Sharma, and Badal Roy in his post-1968 electric ensembles. Virtuoso jazz guitarist John McLaughlin spent several years in Madurai learning Carnatic music and incorporated it into many of his acts including Shakti which featured prominent Indian musicians. Other Western artists such as the Grateful Dead
, Incredible String Band
, the Rolling Stones
, the Move
and Traffic
soon incorporated Indian influences and instruments, and added Indian performers.
Legendary Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia joined guitarist Sanjay Mishra on his classic CD "Blue Incantation" (1995). Mishra also wrote an original score for French Director Eric Heumann for his film Port Djema (1996) which won best score at Hamptons film festival and The Golden Bear at Berlin. in 2000 he recorded Rescue with drummer Dennis Chambers (Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin et al.) and in 2006 Chateau Benares with guests DJ Logic and Keller Williams (guitar and bass).
Though the Indian music craze soon died down among mainstream audiences, die hard fans and immigrants continued the fusion. In 1985, a beat oriented, Raga Rock hybrid called Sitar Power by Ashwin Batish
reintroduced sitar in western nations. Sitar Power drew the attention of a number of record labels and was snapped up by Shanachie Records of New Jersey to head their World Beat Ethno Pop division.
In the late 1980s, Indian-British artists fused Indian and Western traditions to make the Asian Underground
. Since the 1990s, Canadian born musician Nadaka who has spent most of his life in India, has been creating music that is an acoustic fusion of Indian classical music with western styles. One such singer who has merged the Bhakti sangeet tradition of India with the western non-India music is Krishna Das and sells music records of his musical sadhana
.
In the new millennium, American hip-hop
has featured Indian filmi and bhangra. Mainstream hip-hop artists have sampled songs from Bollywood movies and have collaborated with Indian artists. Examples include Timbaland
's "Indian Flute", Erick Sermon
and Redman's "React", Slum Village's "Disco", and Truth Hurts
' hit song "Addictive", which sampled a Lata Mangeshkar
song, and The Black Eyed Peas
sampled Asha Bhosle
's song "Yeh Mera Dil" in their hit single "Don't Phunk With My Heart
". In 1997, the British band Cornershop
paid tribute to Asha Bhosle
with their song Brimful of Asha
, which became an international hit. British
-born Indian artist Panjabi MC
also had a Bhangra hit in the U.S. with "Mundian To Bach Ke" which featured rapper Jay-Z
. Asian Dub Foundation
are not huge mainstream stars, but their politically-charged rap
and punk rock
influenced sound has a multi-racial audience in their native UK. In 2008, international star Snoop Dogg
appeared in a song in the film Singh Is Kinng
. In 2007, Hip-Hop producer Madlib
released Beat Konducta Vol 3–4: Beat Konducta in India; an album which heavily samples and is inspired by the music of India.
Sometimes, the music of India will fuse with the traditional music of other countries. For example, Delhi 2 Dublin
, a band based in Canada, is known for fusing Indian and Irish
music, and Bhangraton is a fusion of Bhangra music with reggaeton
, which itself is a fusion of hip hop, reggae, and traditional Latin American music
.
In a more recent example of Indian - British fusion, Laura Marling
along with Mumford and Sons collaborated in 2010 with the Dharohar Project on a four song EP.
's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966.
After that, much of Indian Pop music comes from the Indian Film Industry, and until the 1990s, few singers like Usha Uthup
, Sharon Prabhakar
, and Peenaz Masani
outside it were popular. Since then, pop singers in the latter group have included K.K, Baba Sehgal
, Alisha Chinai
, Shantanu Mukherjee aka Shaan, Sagarika, Colonial Cousins
(Hariharan
, Leslie Lewis
), Lucky Ali
, and Sonu Nigam
, and music composers like Jawahar Wattal, who made top selling albums with, Daler Mehndi
, Shubha Mudgal
, Baba Sehgal
, Swetha Shetty and Hans Raj Hans
.
Besides those listed above, popular Indi-Pop singers include Zubeen Garg
, Daler Mehndi
, Raghav Sachar
Rageshwari, Devika Chawla
, Bombay Vikings
, Asha Bhosle
, Sunidhi Chauhan
, Bombay Rockers
, Anu Malik
, Jazzy B
, Malkit Singh
, Hans Raj Hans
, Raghav
, Jay Sean, Juggy D
, Rishi Rich
, Sheila Chandra
, Bally Sagoo
, Punjabi MC, Bhangra Knights, Mehnaz
, and Sanober.
Recently, Indian pop has taken an interesting turn with the "remix
ing" of songs from past Indian movie songs, new beats being added to them.
visited India and brought their music with them. These artists' collaboration with Indian musicians such as Ravi Shankar
and Zakir Hussain
have led to the development of Raga Rock. International short wave radio stations such as The Voice of America, BBC, and Radio Ceylon played a major part in bringing Western pop, folk, and rock music to the masses. You can hear some of the songs that were heard over these stations during the 1960s here. However, Indian rock bands began to gain prominence only much later, around the late 1980s. It was around this time that the rock band Indus Creed
formerly known as The Rock Machine got itself noticed on the international stage with hits like Rock N Roll Renegade. Other bands quickly followed. 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. This influence can be clearly seen in many Indian bands today. The cities of Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have emerged as major melting pots for rock and metal enthusiasts. Bangalore has been the hub for rock and metal movement in India. Some prominent bands include Indian Ocean
, Kryptos
, Dementra, Pentagram, SummerPint jUNkie, Reverrse Polarity, Hologram, Kashish, Inner Sanctum, Thermal and a Quarter, Abandoned Agony, No Idea, Zero, Half Step Down, Scribe, Eastern Fare, Indus Creed, Demonic Resurrection, Zygnema [Born Of Unity], Belial Bhoomi, Infernal Wrath, Thor, Prithvi, Agni, Exiled, Cassini's Division
, The Supersonics, Span
, Camouflage
, Five Little Indians
and Nexus. The future looks encouraging thanks to entities such as Green Ozone, DogmaTone
Records, Eastern Fare Music Foundation
, that are dedicated to promoting and supporting Indian rock.
One of the most famous rock musicians in the world is the late Freddie Mercury
of Queen
. Born Farrokh Bomi Bulsara to Indian parents in Zanzibar
, he was raised in Panchgani
near Mumbai
. Mercury was influenced early on by the India
n playback singer
Lata Mangeshkar
along with western influences such as Led Zeppelin
, Jimi Hendrix
, John Lennon
and The Beatles
.
is credited as India's first rapper. Hip Hop music became all the more famous with the song 'Pettai Rap' from the Tamil movie Kadhalan
starring Prabhu Deva(music composed by A.R Rahman
). The song catapulted Suresh Peters
as a rapper and a music director. Rap/Hip Hop was often used in the regional movies as fillers in between songs and off late has started to become main stream songs. London based The Rishi Rich Project, Bally Sagoo
and Canadian based Raghav
further laid steady foundations for Hip Hop/RnB music in India. California based Punjabi rapper Bohemia
became one of the best-known pioneers of Punjabi rap in the country after producing tracks like 'Kali Denali' and 'Ek tera Pyar'. He became the first hip hop artist to launch a full Indian rap album signed to Universal Music India. He has also produced songs for Bollywood movies like Chandni Chowk to China
. Canadian based hip hop artist Ishq Bector
became a success after the release of his superhit single 'Aye Hip Hopper'. Malaysian based Yogi B
and Natchatra brought in the culture of Tamil rap in India. Yogi B, as part of Poetic Ammo
, achieved success when they won at the Malaysian Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM)(Music Awards) 1999, 2000 and 2001. Yogi B is now the most critically acclaimed Kollywood
(the Tamil Movie Industry) rapper because of his work on the 2007 movie Pollathavan. Machas With Attitude
are one of the most popular Hip Hop group in India and are famous for their songs in movies like Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge and Aayirathil Oruvan (2010 film). Hiphop Tamizha is said to be the first tamil hiphop organisation from India. International artists such as 50 Cent
, Mobb Deep
, and The Black Eyed Peas
have performed in India. Snoop Dogg
appeared in a song from the film Singh Is Kinng
in 2008 which further popularized hip hop music amongst the people of India.
The Underground Hip-Hop Scene includes rappers such as LyriK LJ, Srik, MC Sandman who are prominent in the field.
Despite more than a century of exposure to Western classical music and two centuries of British colonialism, classical music in India has never gained more than 'fringe' popularity. Many attempts to popularize Western classical music in India have failed in the past due to disinterest and lack of sustained efforts. Today, Western classical music education has improved with the help of numerous institutions in India. Institutions like KM Music Conservatory
founded by Oscar Winning Composer, A.R.Rahman, Calcutta School of Music
, Bangalore School of Music, Eastern Fare Music Foundation
, Delhi School of Music
, Delhi Music Academy
, Mehli Mehta Music Foundation and many others are dedicated to contributing to the progress or growth and supporting Western classical music. In 1930, notable Mehli Mehta
set up the Bombay Symphony Orchestra.
The Bombay Chamber Orchestra (BCO) was founded in 1962. Now it is the only Indian symphony orchestra that functions and performs on a regular basis with a concert standard of performance. Besides providing Mumbai’s music-lovers the opportunity to enjoy music produced by their city orchestra, the BCO Society serves the dual purpose of filling in, to some extent, the great void created by the lack of a school or academy of music in the city of Mumbai. In 2006, the Symphony Orchestra of India
was founded, housed at the NCPA
in Mumbai. It has since presented two short concert seasons per year.
Some prominent Indians in Western classical music
are:
, the national anthem
of India, by Rabindranath Tagore
is largely credited for uniting India through music. Post-independence songs such as Mile Sur Mera Tumhara
, Maa Tujhe Salaam
,DESAM
Song composed by JONNY HEMU and sung by hemachandra have been responsible for consolidating feelings of national integration and unity in diversity,
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, popular
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, classical music
Indian classical music
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...
and R&B. India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's classical 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...
tradition, including Carnatic
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...
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. India is made up of several dozen ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s, speaking their own language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
s and dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s, having distinct cultural traditions.
Classical music
The two main traditions of classical music are Carnatic music, found predominantly in the peninsular regions, and Hindustani music, found in the northern and central regions.Hindustani music
Hindustani music is an Indian classical music tradition that goes back to Vedic times around 1000 BC. It further developed circa the 13th and 14th centuries AD with Persian influences and from existing religious and folk music. The practice of singing based on notes was popular even from the Vedic times where the hymns in Sama Veda, a sacred text, were sung as Samagana and not chanted. Developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, it has contemporary traditions established primarily in India but also in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In contrast to Carnatic music, the other main Indian classical music tradition originating from the South, Hindustani music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions, historical Vedic philosophyVedic religion
Vedic religion may refer to:*the historical Vedic religion- Vedic Hinduism **Vedic mythology*Shrauta, surviving conservative traditions within HinduismIn wider meanings of the term "Vedic"*Vedanta*Hinduism in general...
and native Indian sounds but also enriched by the Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
performance practices of the Mughals
Mughal era
The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal Empire in South Asia . It ran from the early 15th century to a point in the early 18th century when the Mughal Emperors' power had dwindled...
. During the Medivel age especially in Mughals era various Gharana became famous due to excellence and class in type of musics like raga. Tansen
Tansen
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...
is one of the navratna of Mughals Admiral Akbar. Classical genres are 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"...
, dhamar, 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...
, tarana y sadra.
Carnatic music
The present form of Carnatic music is based on historical developments that can be traced to the 15th - 16th centuries AD and thereafter. However, the form itself is reputed to have been one of the gifts bestowed on man by the gods of Hindu mythology. It is one of the oldest musical forms that continue to survive today.Carnatic music is melodic
Melodic music
Melodic Imitation is a term that covers various genres of non-classical music which are primarily characterised by the dominance of a single strong melody line. Rhythm, tempo and beat are subordinate to the melody line or tune, which is generally easily memorable, and followed without great...
, with improvised variations. It consists of a composition with improvised embellishments added to the piece in the forms of Raga Alapana
Alapana
Alapana is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga in Indian classical music. As a term that is Sanskrit in language, alapana means "to speak, address, discourse, communicate". The flavor of the raga is outlined in the alapana by rendering the raga's permitted notes in...
, Kalpanaswaram
Kalpanaswaram
In classical music of south India Kalpanaswaram , is raga improvisation within a specific tala in which the musician improvises in the Indian music solfege after completing a composition.The kalpanaswaram start may start at any place in the tala, but the artist must end their...
, Neraval
Niraval
Niraval also known as Neraval or Sahitya Vinyasa is considered to be one of the important features in the extempore improvisation aspect of Carnatic music....
, and, in the case of more advanced students, Ragam Tanam Pallavi. The main emphasis is on the vocals as most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in a singing style (known as gāyaki). There are about 7.2 million ragas (or scales) in Carnatic Music, with only 300 or so still in common use today.
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...
is considered the father of carnatic music. Sri 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...
, Sri Shyama Shastry and Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar
Muthuswami Dikshitar
Muthuswami Dikshitar is a South Indian poet and composer and is one of the Musical Trinity of Carnatic music...
are considered the trinity of carnatic music and with them came the golden age in carnatic music in the 18th-19th century.
Noted artists of Carnatic Music include MS Subbulakshmi, 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...
(the father of the current concert format), Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer is considered to be one of the greatest Carnatic vocalists of the twentieth century...
, TN Seshagopalan and more recently Sanjay Subrahmanyan
Sanjay Subrahmanyan
Sanjay Subrahmanyan is a Carnatic music singer from India. He performed in many concerts in India and overseas and has won many awards for his excellence. He believes that listening takes a musician closer to perfection.He is very simple and very open...
, TM Krishna, Bombay Jayashri
Bombay Jayashri
Bombay Jayashri Ramnath is an Indian Carnatic music vocalist. She has also recorded songs as a playback singer in South Indian films. She has many albums to her credit, released as cassettes and CDs....
, etc.
Every December, the city of Chennai in India has its six week-long Music Season
Madras Music Season
Madras Music Season is an event hosted every December–January in the present-day south Indian metropol of Chennai. Spanning some six weeks, a number of large and small kutcheris are performed by highly competent musicians...
, which has been described as the world's largest cultural event.
It has served as the foundation for most music in South India, including folk music, festival music and has also extended its influence to film music in the past 100–150 years or so.
Light classical music
Light classical or semi-classical music include the following genres: thumri, dadra, ghazalGhazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
, chaiti, kajri and tappa.
Folk music
Bihu of Assam
Bihu
Bihu denotes a set of three different cultural festivals of Assam and celebrated by the Assamese diaspora around the world. Though they owe their origins to ancient rites and practices they have taken definite urban features and have become popular festivals in urban and commercialized milieus in...
is the festival of New Year of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
falling on mid April. This is a festival of nature and mother earth where the first day is for the cows and buffalos. Second day is for the man. Bihu dancesand songs accompanied by traditional drums and wind instruments are essential part of this festival.
Bhangra
[Bhangra] are a lively form of music and dance that originated in the Punjab regionPunjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
to celebrate Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi is an ancient harvest festival celebrated across North Indian states, especially Punjab by all Punjabis regardless of religion. In Sikhism the Khalsa was founded on same day as the Vaisakhi festival, so Sikhs celebrate twice as much....
, the festival of the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s.Knowledge of Punjabi history offers important insights into the meaning of the music. 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. Moreover, during the last thirty years, Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion with genres such as hip-hop, house, and reggae, and in such forms it has become a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
sensation in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Dandiya
DandiyaDandiya
Raas or Dandiya Raas is the traditional folk dance form of Vrindavan, India, where it is performed depicting scenes of Holi, and lila of Krishna and Radha. Along with Garba, it is the featured dance of Navratri evenings in Western India.-Etymology:...
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 Gujrat. Actually Dandiya is a kind of dance rather than a music, the music is called a Garba
Garba
Garba can mean;* Garba , a form of dance originating in Gujarat, India. The term "garba" holds the semantic field 'womb' and is part of the Sanskrit compounds: Hiranyagarbha, Tathagatagarbha, Garbhagriha and Garbhadhatu.-Places:*Garba, Central African Republic*Garba, Sichuan* Garba, the Hungarian...
in local language.
Ganasangeet
Ganasangeet is generally sung in chorus carrying some social message. The songs are usually about Freedom, community strength, patriotism. Due to the British occupation in IndiaBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, a lot of protest songs about anti-imperialism/pro-socialism have been written in India. Examples: Apni Azadi Ko Hum Hargis Mita Sakte Nahin
Apni Azadi Ko Hum Hargis Mita Sakte Nahin
Apni Azadi Ko Hum Hargis Mita Sakte Nahi [English: We cannot ever erase our freedom] is a song from the 1964 film Leader.-External links:**...
, ajadee hoyni tor, Kadam kadam badhaye jaa, Vande Mataram
Vande Mataram
Vande Mataram is a poem from the famed novel Anandamath which was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1882. It was written in Bengali and Sanskrit....
, etc.
Uttarakhandi Music
Uttarakhandi folk music had its root in the lap of nature. The pure and blessed music have the feel and the touch of nature and subjects related to nature. The folk music primarily is related to the various festivals, religious traditions, folk stories and simple life of the people of UttarakhandUttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
. Thus the songs of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
are a true reflection of the Cultural Heritage and the way people live their lives in the Himalayas. Musical instruments used in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
music include the dhol, damoun, turri, ransingha, dholki, daur, thali, bhankora and masakbhaja. Tabla and harmonium are also used, but to a lesser extent. The main languages are Kumaoni and Garhwali
Garhwali
The Garhwali language is a Central Pahari language belonging to the Northern Zone of Indo-Aryan languages. It is primarily spoken by the Garhwali people who are from the north-western Garhwal Division of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas.The Central Pahari...
.
Lavani
LavaniLavani
Lavani is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the enchanting beats of Dholak, a percussion instrument. Lavani is noted for its powerful rhythm and...
comes from the word Lavanya which means beauty. This is one of the most popular forms of dance and music that is practiced all over Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. It has in fact become a necessary part of the Maharashtrian folk dance performances. Traditionally, the songs are sung by female artistes, but male artistes may occasionally sing Lavani
Lavani
Lavani is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the enchanting beats of Dholak, a percussion instrument. Lavani is noted for its powerful rhythm and...
s. The dance format associated with Lavani
Lavani
Lavani is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra and southern Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the enchanting beats of Dholak, a percussion instrument. Lavani is noted for its powerful rhythm and...
is known as Tamasha
Tamasha
Tamasha is a traditional Marathi folk art form. often with singing and dancing, widely performed by local or travelling theatre groups within the state of Maharashtra, India. It has also been the subject of several Marathi films...
. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the enchanting beats of 'Dholak', a drum-like instrument. Dance performed by attractive women wearing nine-yard saris. They are sung in a quick tempo. The verve, the enthusiasm, the rhythm and above all the very beat of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
finds an expressive declaration amidst the folk music of India, which has somewhat, redefined the term "bliss". Lavani originated in the arid region of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Rabindra Sangeet
Rabindranath TagoreRabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
was a towering figure in Indian music. Writing in Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, 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. Many singers in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and 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...
base their entire careers on the singing of Tagore musical masterpieces. The national anthem of India and national anthem of Bangladesh are Rabindra Sangeets.
Rajasthan
RajasthanRajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
has a very diverse cultural collection of musician caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
s, including Langa
Langha (tribe)
The Langha or Langah are a Muslim community found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. They are unrelated to the Langah tribe of southern Pakistan.- History and origin :...
s, Sapera, Bhopa, Jogi and Manganiyar (lit. the ones who ask/beg). Rajasthan Diary quotes it as a soulful, full-throated music with Harmonious diversity. The haunting melody of Rajasthan evokes from a variety of delightfully primitive looking instruments. The stringed variety include the Sarangi, Rawanhattha, Kamayacha, Morsing and Ektara. Percussion instruments come in all shapes and sizes from the huge Nagaras and Dhols to the tiny Damrus. The Daf and Chang are a big favourite of Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
(the festival of colours) revellers. Flutes and bagpipers come in local flavours such as Shehnai, Poongi, Algoza, Tarpi, Been and Bankia.
The essence of Rajasthani music is derived from the creative symphony of string instruments, percussion instruments and wind instruments accompanied by melodious renditions of folk singers. It enjoys a respectable presence in Bollywood music as well.
Film music
The biggest form of Indian popular musicPopular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
is filmi
Filmi
Filmi is Indian popular music as written and performed for Indian cinema. Music directors make up the main body of composers; the songs are performed by playback singers and it makes up 72% of the music sales in India....
, or songs from Indian films, it makes up 72% of the music sales in India. 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
Naushad
Naushad Ali was an Indian musician. He was one of the foremost music directors for Bollywood films, and is particularly known for popularizing the use of classical music in films.His first film as an independent music director was Prem Nagar in 1940...
, C. Ramchandra
C. Ramchandra
Ramchandra Narhar Chitalkar was a renowned music composer in the movie industry of India. In the composer's role, he mostly used the name C. Ramachandra, though he also used the names Annasaheb , Ram Chitalkar Ramchandra Narhar Chitalkar(Marathi: रामचंद्र नरहर चितळकर /सी.रामचंद्र ) (1918–1982) was...
, S D Batish, Salil Chowdhury
Salil Chowdhury
Salil Chowdhury was an Indian music composer. He mainly composed for Bengali, Hindi, and Malayalam films. He was also a poet and a playwright. He is affectionately called Salilda by all his admirers....
, A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Ilaiyaraja mastero of indian music,MS viswanathan,K V Mahadevan,Gantasala, MM keeravani,Manisharma,Devisri prasad, Thomas Rathnam and S. D. Burman employed the principles of harmony while retaining classical and folk flavor. Reputed names in the domain of Indian classical music like 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...
, Vilayat Khan
Vilayat Khan
Ustad Vilayat Khan was one of India's well known sitar maestros, born in Gauripur in Mymensingh, Bengal...
, 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...
and Ram Narayan
Ram Narayan
Ram Narayan , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician who popularized the bowed instrument sarangi as a solo concert instrument in Hindustani classical music and became the first internationally successful sarangi player....
have also composed music for films. Independent pop acts such as Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
, Udit Narayan
Udit Narayan
-Career:King of melody, Udit Narayan Jha was born on 1 December, 1955 in a village called Bhardaha in the Saptari district , Nepal. His father was Hare Krishna Jha and his mother was Bhuwaneshwari Devi.Narayan studied at P.B...
, Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...
, Shaan
Shaan (singer)
Shaan , is an Indian playback singer, and television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and "Star Voice of India 2"...
, Madhushree
Madhushree
Madhushree is an Indian singer, who sings in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. A familiar voice in A. R. Rahman's compositions, Madhushree hails from a musically inclined family, having previously been trained in classical music...
, Shreya Ghoshal, Nihira Joshi, Kavita Krishnamurthy, SP balasubramanayam,Hariharan,P suseela,Janaki,Yesudas,AR rahmanSonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...
, Sukhwinder Singh
Sukhwinder Singh
Sukhwinder Singh, Born as Sukhi Singh Lubana is an Indian singer best known for working as Bollywood playback artist. Singh is famous for singing "Chaiyya Chaiyya" for which he won the Best Male Playback Award at the 1999 Filmfare Awards. The song, from Mani Ratnam's 1998 film Dil Se, was composed...
, Kunal Ganjawala
Kunal Ganjawala
Kunal Ganjawala is popularly known as Bollywood playback singer. But he also did a very well contribution to Kanada film industry as well. Kunal began his career by singing jingles. He came to limelight with the song 'Bheege Honth Tere' form film Murder in 2004. It was his first biggest hit...
, Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films and is credited with over 2000 songs....
, Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards...
and rock bands like Indus Creed
Indus Creed
Indus Creed is a rock group from India. It was founded in 1993 by Uday Benegal , Mark Selwyn , Mahesh Tinaikar , Zubin Balaporia and Jayesh Gandhi .-History:...
, Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean (band)
Indian Ocean are an Indian rock band formed in New Delhi in 1990. They are considered to be the pioneers of fusion rock genre in India. Susmit Sen, Asheem Chakravarty, Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam formed the most stable and successful line-up in the band's timeline. This line-up lasted till Asheem's...
, and Euphoria
Euphoria (Indian band)
Euphoria , is an Indian rock band from the city of Delhi, India.-Films:The band has composed the soundtrack for a Malayalam film named Best of luck .-Albums:* 1998 - Dhoom* 2000 - Phir Dhoom* 2003 - Gully* 2006 - Mehfuz* 2008 - ReDhoom...
exist and have gained mass appeal with the advent of cable music television.
Interaction with non-Indian music
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
fusions with Indian music were well-known throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. 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...
's 1955 performance in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was perhaps the beginning of this trend.
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pioneers such as John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
—who recorded a composition entitled 'India' during the November 1961 sessions for his album Live At The Village Vanguard
Village Vanguard
The Village Vanguard is a jazz club located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. At first, it also featured other forms of music such as folk music and beat poetry, but it switched to an all-jazz format in 1957.-History:Over 100 jazz...
(the track was not released until 1963 on Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
's album Impressions)—also embraced this fusion. George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
(of the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
) played 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...
on the song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" in 1965, which sparked interest from Shankar, who subsequently took Harrison as his apprentice. Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
innovator Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
recorded and performed with musicians like Khalil Balakrishna, Bihari Sharma, and Badal Roy in his post-1968 electric ensembles. Virtuoso jazz guitarist John McLaughlin spent several years in Madurai learning Carnatic music and incorporated it into many of his acts including Shakti which featured prominent Indian musicians. Other Western artists such as the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Incredible String Band
Incredible String Band
The Incredible String Band were a psychedelic folk band formed in Scotland in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially within British counterculture, before splitting up in 1974...
, the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, the Move
The Move
The Move, from Birmingham, England, were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s. They scored nine Top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any success in the United States....
and Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
soon incorporated Indian influences and instruments, and added Indian performers.
Legendary Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia joined guitarist Sanjay Mishra on his classic CD "Blue Incantation" (1995). Mishra also wrote an original score for French Director Eric Heumann for his film Port Djema (1996) which won best score at Hamptons film festival and The Golden Bear at Berlin. in 2000 he recorded Rescue with drummer Dennis Chambers (Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin et al.) and in 2006 Chateau Benares with guests DJ Logic and Keller Williams (guitar and bass).
Though the Indian music craze soon died down among mainstream audiences, die hard fans and immigrants continued the fusion. In 1985, a beat oriented, Raga Rock hybrid called Sitar Power by Ashwin Batish
Ashwin Batish
Ashwin Kumar Batish Hindi: अशविन कुमार बातिश is a sitar and tabla player best known for rekindling interest in the sitar among young Indians...
reintroduced sitar in western nations. Sitar Power drew the attention of a number of record labels and was snapped up by Shanachie Records of New Jersey to head their World Beat Ethno Pop division.
In the late 1980s, Indian-British artists fused Indian and Western traditions to make the Asian Underground
Asian Underground
Asian Underground is a term associated with various British Asian musicians who blend elements of western underground dance music and the traditional Asian music of their home countries in South Asia...
. Since the 1990s, Canadian born musician Nadaka who has spent most of his life in India, has been creating music that is an acoustic fusion of Indian classical music with western styles. One such singer who has merged the Bhakti sangeet tradition of India with the western non-India music is Krishna Das and sells music records of his musical sadhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
.
In the new millennium, American hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
has featured Indian filmi and bhangra. Mainstream hip-hop artists have sampled songs from Bollywood movies and have collaborated with Indian artists. Examples include Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
's "Indian Flute", Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon
Erick Sermon , in Bay Shore, New York is an American rapper, musician, and producer.Sermon is best known as half of late-1980s/1990s hip hop group EPMD and for production work. He currently resides in Islandia, New York.- Career :...
and Redman's "React", Slum Village's "Disco", and Truth Hurts
Truth Hurts
Share Watson , known as Truth Hurts, is an American Contemporary R&B singer-songwriter.-Albums:-Singles:* 2002: "Addictive" Share Watson (born October 10, 1971, St. Louis, Missouri), known as Truth Hurts, is an American Contemporary R&B singer-songwriter.-Albums:-Singles:* 2002: "Addictive"...
' hit song "Addictive", which sampled a Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
song, and The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
sampled Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
's song "Yeh Mera Dil" in their hit single "Don't Phunk With My Heart
Don't Phunk with My Heart
"Don't Phunk with My Heart", titled "Don't Mess with My Heart" on some radio edits, is a song by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album Monkey Business. It was released as the lead single from the album on May 10, 2005....
". In 1997, the British band Cornershop
Cornershop
Cornershop are a British indie rock band formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh , his brother Avtar Singh , David Chambers and Ben Ayres , the first three having previously been members of Preston-based band General Havoc, who released one single in 1991...
paid tribute to Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
with their song Brimful of Asha
Brimful of Asha
"Brimful of Asha" is a 1997 single by the British alternative rock band Cornershop, which originally reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart in 1997...
, which became an international hit. British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-born Indian artist Panjabi MC
Panjabi MC
Rajinder Singh Rai , better known by his stage name Panjabi MC is a British Indian musician.-Career:...
also had a Bhangra hit in the U.S. with "Mundian To Bach Ke" which featured rapper Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
. Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation are a British electronica band that plays a mix of rapcore, dub, dancehall and ragga, also using rock instruments, acknowledging a punk influence...
are not huge mainstream stars, but their politically-charged rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
influenced sound has a multi-racial audience in their native UK. In 2008, international star Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
appeared in a song in the film Singh Is Kinng
Singh Is Kinng
Singh is Kinng is a 2008 Bollywood comedy film. The film is directed by Anees Bazmee and stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, the film also featured a music video with Snoop Dogg. About 75% of the movie was shot in Australia, around the Gold Coast region and Brisbane using an Australian production...
. In 2007, Hip-Hop producer Madlib
Madlib
Otis Jackson Jr. in Oxnard, California, known professionally as Madlib, is a Los Angeles-based DJ, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, and music producer...
released Beat Konducta Vol 3–4: Beat Konducta in India; an album which heavily samples and is inspired by the music of India.
Sometimes, the music of India will fuse with the traditional music of other countries. For example, Delhi 2 Dublin
Delhi 2 Dublin
Delhi 2 Dublin is a Canadian world music group whose style is primarily a fusion of Bhangra and Celtic music.-History:...
, a band based in Canada, is known for fusing Indian and Irish
Music of Ireland
Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
music, and Bhangraton is a fusion of Bhangra music with reggaeton
Reggaeton
Reggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...
, which itself is a fusion of hip hop, reggae, and traditional Latin American music
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
.
In a more recent example of Indian - British fusion, Laura Marling
Laura Marling
Laura Beatrice Marling is an English folk musician from Eversley, Hampshire.Initially prominent within the London folk scene, she has also toured with a number of well-known indie artists in the UK. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim and her second album I Speak Because I Can were nominated for...
along with Mumford and Sons collaborated in 2010 with the Dharohar Project on a four song EP.
Indi-pop music
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. Pop music really started in the South Asian region with the famous playback singer Ahmed RushdiAhmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966.
After that, much of Indian Pop music comes from the Indian Film Industry, and until the 1990s, few singers like Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup is a popular Indian pop, jazz and playback singer. She is well known for popular hits in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.She started her Bollywood playback career, when she sang an English verse in hit song, "Dum maro dum"" in Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and went on work with music...
, Sharon Prabhakar
Sharon Prabhakar
Sharon Prabhakar is an Indian pop singer, theatre personality and public speaker. She was an active singer in 1980s and 90s, with a total of seven albums to her credit.-Career:...
, and Peenaz Masani
Penaz Masani
Penaz Masani an Indian Ghazal singer who started singing in 1981 and has made over 20 albums in following years In her career, she has won a number of awards, including the title of 'Shehzadi Tarunnam' , by the state government of Uttar Pradesh 1996 and the 11th 'Kalakar Award' for 'Outstanding...
outside it were popular. Since then, pop singers in the latter group have included K.K, Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal, a Khatri Sikh, is an Indian rapper and actor. Brought up in Lucknow, he was famous in the mid 1990s. He is credited as the first Indian rapper to jump on the Indipop bandwagon, and released an album which got frequent airplay on MTV India...
, Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...
, Shantanu Mukherjee aka Shaan, Sagarika, Colonial Cousins
Colonial Cousins
Colonial Cousins is a band formed by Indian duo composed of singer Hariharan and singer-composer Leslie Lewis. They also have a largely successful career as solo artists as well. Their unique brand of music fused Indian and Western musical genres instantly won the hearts of young and old alike...
(Hariharan
Hariharan (singer)
Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity...
, Leslie Lewis
Leslie Lewis
Leslie Lewis is an Indian composer, perhaps best known for his work in Colonial Cousins, a duo composed of Lewis and Hariharan.In 2003 Lewis stated that he felt the public associated him too much with remixes and for that reason he had begun to avoid remixes and instead concentrate on his original...
), Lucky Ali
Lucky Ali
Lucky Ali , born as Maqsood Mehmood Ali , is an Indian singer songwriter, composer and actor. Lucky is best known for his soulful but strikingly simple ballad-style singing and melodious voice.-Biography:...
, and Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...
, and music composers like Jawahar Wattal, who made top selling albums with, Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi , born August 18, 1967, is an Indian Bhangra pop singer.Mehndi was a student of traditional Punjabi music and his first album broke sales records in India. Since 1995 he has recorded several highly successful albums in India, and also sung as a playback singer for several Hindi movies...
, Shubha Mudgal
Shubha Mudgal
Shubha Mudgal is a well-known Indian singer of Hindustani classical music, Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, and popular Indian Pop music.She has been awarded the 1996 National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction for 'Amrit Beej', the 1998 Gold Plaque Award for Special Achievement in Music,...
, Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal, a Khatri Sikh, is an Indian rapper and actor. Brought up in Lucknow, he was famous in the mid 1990s. He is credited as the first Indian rapper to jump on the Indipop bandwagon, and released an album which got frequent airplay on MTV India...
, Swetha Shetty and Hans Raj Hans
Hans Raj Hans
Hans Raj Hans is an Indian Punjabi language singer.Early lifeHans was born in Shafipur, a village near Jalandhar, Punjab, India. He is the second son of Late Sardar Arjan Singh Ji and Mata Ajit Kaur Ji . Hans had no musical history in his family, yet he began singing at a young age. Hans...
.
Besides those listed above, popular Indi-Pop singers include Zubeen Garg
Zubeen Garg
Zubeen Garg is a singer and composer from Assam, India, in the Bollywood and Assamese music scene. He plays dhols, guitar, dotora, mandolin, keyboard and various percussion instruments.-Background:...
, Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi , born August 18, 1967, is an Indian Bhangra pop singer.Mehndi was a student of traditional Punjabi music and his first album broke sales records in India. Since 1995 he has recorded several highly successful albums in India, and also sung as a playback singer for several Hindi movies...
, Raghav Sachar
Raghav Sachar
Raghav Sachar is an Indian singer born to father, R. K. Sachar, and mother, Usha Sachar. He is the youngest of three children. He started playing his first instrument, the harmonica, at the age of four. Every year since then his parents have gifted him an instrument. Born into a family of music...
Rageshwari, Devika Chawla
Devika Chawla
Devika is an Indian pop singer.Devika started vocal music training in New Delhi, India when she was eight years old. She continued her training and entered the enchanting world of Ragas and Hindustani Classical Music, learning under the supervision of several great teachers. The classical training...
, Bombay Vikings
Bombay Vikings
Bombay Vikings is a pop and rock group that combines Indian and classical music. It was formed in 1994 Stockholm, Sweden. The band was originally started by Neeraj Shridhar, Oscar Söderberg and Mats Nordenborg, and became popular with remix hits like, Kya Soorat Hai, Woh Chali and Chod Do Anchal ...
, Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
, Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films and is credited with over 2000 songs....
, Bombay Rockers
Bombay Rockers
Bombay Rockers is a Danish/Indian band, popular in India. Their debut album Introducing has gone five times platinum with sales of over 100,000 albums.-Biography:...
, Anu Malik
Anu Malik
Anu Malik , born Anwar Sardaar Malik, is a famous music director in the Hindi film industry. Son of veteran music director Sardar Malek, Anu Malik made his debut as a music composer in the year 1977. After a considerable period of struggle, the 90's welcomed Anu with hits like 'Phir Teri Kahani...
, Jazzy B
Jazzy B
Jaswinder Singh Bains, more popularly known as Jazzy B, is a Punjabi language bhangra singer-songwriter. He was born on April 1, 1975 in Durgapur, Nawanshahr, Punjab, India. When he was 5 years old, his family moved to Vancouver, Canada. He has released 12 studio albums, including two religious ones...
, Malkit Singh
Malkit Singh
Malkit Singh MBE born in 1962 in village Hussainpur, Jalandhar, and raised in Nakodar, Jalandhar, Punjab. He is a famous foreign based Punjabi bhangra singer. Malkit Singh has become the first Punjabi singer to be honoured by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London with the award of...
, Hans Raj Hans
Hans Raj Hans
Hans Raj Hans is an Indian Punjabi language singer.Early lifeHans was born in Shafipur, a village near Jalandhar, Punjab, India. He is the second son of Late Sardar Arjan Singh Ji and Mata Ajit Kaur Ji . Hans had no musical history in his family, yet he began singing at a young age. Hans...
, Raghav
Raghav
Raghav Mathur , known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer currently signed to Cordova Bay Records. He is best known for his single "Angel Eyes" which peaked at number 7 in the UK in 2005...
, Jay Sean, Juggy D
Juggy D
Jagwinder Singh Dhaliwal, better known by his stage name, Juggy D, is a British Indian singer from Southall, London, England.-Music:...
, Rishi Rich
Rishi Rich
Rishpal Singh Rekhi better known by his stage name Rishi Rich is a British Indian music producer born in Croydon, England and based in London...
, Sheila Chandra
Sheila Chandra
Sheila Chandra is an English pop singer of Indian descent.-Indian-Western pop fusion period:Sheila Chandra first came to public attention as an actress, playing Sudhamani Patel in the BBC school drama Grange Hill from 1979 to 1981.As a teenager she formed the band Monsoon with Steve Coe , and...
, Bally Sagoo
Bally Sagoo
Bally Sagoo is a British Asian musician and DJ who was born in Ranjit Nagar, Delhi, India, but grew up in Birmingham, England, in a predominantly black neighbourhood, influenced by disco, rap and Motown music. In an interview "Re-mixing Identities: "Off" The Turn-Table," Bally said:"Indian music...
, Punjabi MC, Bhangra Knights, Mehnaz
Mehnaz
Mehnaz is a female singer from Pakistan, well-known for her film appearances. She has sung a variety of genres but specializes in ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal, drupad and reciting salam, noha and marsiya. She is the daughter of celebrated sub-continental singer Kajjan Begum...
, and Sanober.
Recently, Indian pop has taken an interesting turn with the "remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing" of songs from past Indian movie songs, new beats being added to them.
Rock & metal music
The rock music "scene" in India is extremely small when compared to filmi or fusion musicality "scenes" but has of recent years come into its own, achieving a cult status of sorts. Rock music in India has its origins in 1960s and 70s when international stars such as The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
visited India and brought their music with them. These artists' collaboration with Indian musicians such as 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...
and 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...
have led to the development of Raga Rock. International short wave radio stations such as The Voice of America, BBC, and Radio Ceylon played a major part in bringing Western pop, folk, and rock music to the masses. You can hear some of the songs that were heard over these stations during the 1960s here. However, Indian rock bands began to gain prominence only much later, around the late 1980s. It was around this time that the rock band Indus Creed
Indus Creed
Indus Creed is a rock group from India. It was founded in 1993 by Uday Benegal , Mark Selwyn , Mahesh Tinaikar , Zubin Balaporia and Jayesh Gandhi .-History:...
formerly known as The Rock Machine got itself noticed on the international stage with hits like Rock N Roll Renegade. Other bands quickly followed. 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. This influence can be clearly seen in many Indian bands today. The cities of Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have emerged as major melting pots for rock and metal enthusiasts. Bangalore has been the hub for rock and metal movement in India. Some prominent bands include Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean (band)
Indian Ocean are an Indian rock band formed in New Delhi in 1990. They are considered to be the pioneers of fusion rock genre in India. Susmit Sen, Asheem Chakravarty, Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam formed the most stable and successful line-up in the band's timeline. This line-up lasted till Asheem's...
, Kryptos
Kryptos (band)
Kryptos is a heavy metal band from Bangalore, India, formed in 1998 by Nolan Lewis and Ganesh K . Since their inception, the band has released two albums. The first album Spiral Ascent released in 2004 did exceedingly well and made an impact in the underground...
, Dementra, Pentagram, SummerPint jUNkie, Reverrse Polarity, Hologram, Kashish, Inner Sanctum, Thermal and a Quarter, Abandoned Agony, No Idea, Zero, Half Step Down, Scribe, Eastern Fare, Indus Creed, Demonic Resurrection, Zygnema [Born Of Unity], Belial Bhoomi, Infernal Wrath, Thor, Prithvi, Agni, Exiled, Cassini's Division
Cassini's Division
Cassini's Division are an alternative rock band from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Formed in 2001, they are named after the Cassini Division, the largest gap in the Rings of Saturn.- Testing Times and Change :...
, The Supersonics, Span
Span (band)
SPAN was a Norwegian rock band that formed in 2000 from the ashes of two other outfits; Explicit Lyrics and Squid. Self-proclaimed as "Norwegian Turbo-Rock 'n' Roll Commandos" , the band spent much of the years between 2002 and 2004 touring the UK and Norway as well as spending a brief time in the...
, Camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
, Five Little Indians
Five little indians
Five Little Indians , is an alternative rock band based in Kolkata. The band was formed in January 2007. Five Little Indians merges melodic rock and a heavier sound with singer-songwriter sensibilities...
and Nexus. The future looks encouraging thanks to entities such as Green Ozone, DogmaTone
DogmaTone
DogmaTone Records is a registered Indian record label, formed with the objective of promoting and encouraging Indian rock music. DogmaTone Records has released an album titled The First Mutiny : Dogmas of Indian Rock...
Records, Eastern Fare Music Foundation
Eastern Fare Music Foundation
Eastern Fare Music Foundation is a music school and a production house in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The institute provides training for instrumental music in Western Classical music and contemporary style.-History:...
, that are dedicated to promoting and supporting Indian rock.
One of the most famous rock musicians in the world is the late Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
. Born Farrokh Bomi Bulsara to Indian parents in Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, he was raised in Panchgani
Panchgani
Pānchgani is a town and municipal council in Sātārā district in Mahārāshtra, India .-History:Scenic Panchgani was discovered by the British during the British Raj as a summer resort, and a superintendent named John Chesson was placed in charge of the hill station in the 1860s...
near Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Mercury was influenced early on by the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n playback singer
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
along with western influences such as Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
Indian Hip Hop
Hip Hop music in India had started at around 1990 and Baba SehgalBaba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal, a Khatri Sikh, is an Indian rapper and actor. Brought up in Lucknow, he was famous in the mid 1990s. He is credited as the first Indian rapper to jump on the Indipop bandwagon, and released an album which got frequent airplay on MTV India...
is credited as India's first rapper. Hip Hop music became all the more famous with the song 'Pettai Rap' from the Tamil movie Kadhalan
Kadhalan
Kadhalan is a Tamil film released in 1994, written and directed by S. Shankar. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman. The film stars Prabhu Deva and Nagma in the lead roles. Actor Vikram has dubbed his voice for Prabhu Deva...
starring Prabhu Deva(music composed by A.R Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
). The song catapulted Suresh Peters
Suresh Peters
Suresh Peters is a music director and playback rapper/singer for films in India whose notable songs include Style from the film Sivaji: The Boss. Peters received his first break as a music director through the Malayalam movie Punjabi House in which he composed both melodies and folk songs...
as a rapper and a music director. Rap/Hip Hop was often used in the regional movies as fillers in between songs and off late has started to become main stream songs. London based The Rishi Rich Project, Bally Sagoo
Bally Sagoo
Bally Sagoo is a British Asian musician and DJ who was born in Ranjit Nagar, Delhi, India, but grew up in Birmingham, England, in a predominantly black neighbourhood, influenced by disco, rap and Motown music. In an interview "Re-mixing Identities: "Off" The Turn-Table," Bally said:"Indian music...
and Canadian based Raghav
Raghav
Raghav Mathur , known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer currently signed to Cordova Bay Records. He is best known for his single "Angel Eyes" which peaked at number 7 in the UK in 2005...
further laid steady foundations for Hip Hop/RnB music in India. California based Punjabi rapper Bohemia
Bohemia (musician)
Bohemia is an Pakistani American Punjabi rapper and a music producer from California, Bohemia quickly gained popularity in 2003 with his independent debut album, ‘Vich Pardesan De ’ which hit the Top 10 on BBC Radio 1 UK. The following album, ‘Pesa Nasha Pyar’, became the first full-length...
became one of the best-known pioneers of Punjabi rap in the country after producing tracks like 'Kali Denali' and 'Ek tera Pyar'. He became the first hip hop artist to launch a full Indian rap album signed to Universal Music India. He has also produced songs for Bollywood movies like Chandni Chowk to China
Chandni Chowk To China
Chandni Chowk to China , shortened as CC2C is a Hindi film which released on 16 January 2009. It is directed by Nikhil Advani and stars Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles, with Hindi cinema veteran Mithun Chakraborty and Hong Kong action cinema veteran Gordon Liu among the co-stars...
. Canadian based hip hop artist Ishq Bector
Ishq Bector
IshQ Bector is an Indo Canadian singer, performer, songwriter, composer, producer and Hip Hop artist.-Beginnings:Born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, he was also part of a Canadian Hip Hop group- Frek Sho,....
became a success after the release of his superhit single 'Aye Hip Hopper'. Malaysian based Yogi B
Poetic Ammo
Poetic Ammo was a Malaysian rap/hip-hop group. The group consisted of Yogeswaran Veerasingam , Chandrakumar Balakrishnan , Nicholas Ong , and Sashi Kumar Balakrishnan Poetic Ammo (previously known as PMO or Poetic Ammunition) was a Malaysian rap/hip-hop group. The group consisted of Yogeswaran...
and Natchatra brought in the culture of Tamil rap in India. Yogi B, as part of Poetic Ammo
Poetic Ammo
Poetic Ammo was a Malaysian rap/hip-hop group. The group consisted of Yogeswaran Veerasingam , Chandrakumar Balakrishnan , Nicholas Ong , and Sashi Kumar Balakrishnan Poetic Ammo (previously known as PMO or Poetic Ammunition) was a Malaysian rap/hip-hop group. The group consisted of Yogeswaran...
, achieved success when they won at the Malaysian Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM)(Music Awards) 1999, 2000 and 2001. Yogi B is now the most critically acclaimed Kollywood
Kollywood
Kollywood is a word referring two different movie industries in India and Nepal, derived from the word Hollywood and their local movie centers.* Tamil cinema, the Tamil language film industry based on Kodambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,...
(the Tamil Movie Industry) rapper because of his work on the 2007 movie Pollathavan. Machas With Attitude
Machas With Attitude
Machas With Attitude [abbreviated as MWA] is a rap/hip hop/trip hop trio from Bangalore / Chennai, India. Formed on June 14, 2008, it consists of Bigg Nikk, Smokey and Brodha V. MWA takes influences from their various backgrounds, and although their songs are primarily in English, they usually...
are one of the most popular Hip Hop group in India and are famous for their songs in movies like Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge and Aayirathil Oruvan (2010 film). Hiphop Tamizha is said to be the first tamil hiphop organisation from India. International artists such as 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones...
, and The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
have performed in India. Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
appeared in a song from the film Singh Is Kinng
Singh Is Kinng
Singh is Kinng is a 2008 Bollywood comedy film. The film is directed by Anees Bazmee and stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, the film also featured a music video with Snoop Dogg. About 75% of the movie was shot in Australia, around the Gold Coast region and Brisbane using an Australian production...
in 2008 which further popularized hip hop music amongst the people of India.
The Underground Hip-Hop Scene includes rappers such as LyriK LJ, Srik, MC Sandman who are prominent in the field.
Western classical music
The spread and following of Western classical music in India is almost entirely non-existent. It is mainly patronized by the Indian Zoroastrian community and small esoteric groups with historical exposure to Western classical music. Another esoteric group with significant patronage is the Protestant Christian community in Chennai and Bangalore. St Andrews and St Georges in Chennai and St Marks in Bangalore are churches with regular pipe organ recitals. Western Music education is also severely neglected and pretty rare in India. Western keyboard, drums and guitar instruction being an exception as it has found some interest; mainly in an effort to create musicians to service contemporary popular Indian music. Many reasons have been citied for the obscurity of Western classical music in India, a country rich in its musical heritage by its own right, however the two main reasons are an utter lack of exposure and a passive disinterest in what is considered esoteric at best. Also, the difficulty in importing Western musical instruments and their rarity has also contributed to the obscurity of classical Western music.Despite more than a century of exposure to Western classical music and two centuries of British colonialism, classical music in India has never gained more than 'fringe' popularity. Many attempts to popularize Western classical music in India have failed in the past due to disinterest and lack of sustained efforts. Today, Western classical music education has improved with the help of numerous institutions in India. Institutions like KM Music Conservatory
KM Music Conservatory
The KM Music Conservatory is a multidisciplinary music education center inaugurated in 2008 by music director A. R. Rahman's foundation. The institution, located near his studios in Kodambakkam, Chennai, is partnered with Audio Media Education facility to tutor and train aspiring musicians in...
founded by Oscar Winning Composer, A.R.Rahman, Calcutta School of Music
Calcutta School of Music
Calcutta School of Music established in 1915 by Phillpe Sandre is one of the premier institutions of India, in the field of Western Classical music and Contemporary classical music. It was established in the year 1915 by Dr. Phillipé Sandré, a musician of considerable calibre, and a contemporary...
, Bangalore School of Music, Eastern Fare Music Foundation
Eastern Fare Music Foundation
Eastern Fare Music Foundation is a music school and a production house in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The institute provides training for instrumental music in Western Classical music and contemporary style.-History:...
, Delhi School of Music
Delhi school of music
The Delhi School of Music, established by the Delhi Music Society, teaches Western classical music. It is the only institution of its kind in northern India...
, Delhi Music Academy
Delhi Music Academy
Delhi Music Academy is a music school in the Indian capital New Delhi training students in both instrumental and vocal music. It teaches both Indian as well as Western classical music.-History:It was started early in 2001 with musician Syed Nozrul...
, Mehli Mehta Music Foundation and many others are dedicated to contributing to the progress or growth and supporting Western classical music. In 1930, notable Mehli Mehta
Mehli Mehta
-Early life:Mehta was born in Bombay, British India to a Parsi family. His involvement in music stemmed from his birth. As a young violinist his main musical influence and inspiration was Jascha Heifetz. A pioneering figure in the Indian musical world, he founded the Bombay Symphony Orchestra in...
set up the Bombay Symphony Orchestra.
The Bombay Chamber Orchestra (BCO) was founded in 1962. Now it is the only Indian symphony orchestra that functions and performs on a regular basis with a concert standard of performance. Besides providing Mumbai’s music-lovers the opportunity to enjoy music produced by their city orchestra, the BCO Society serves the dual purpose of filling in, to some extent, the great void created by the lack of a school or academy of music in the city of Mumbai. In 2006, the Symphony Orchestra of India
Symphony Orchestra of India
The Symphony Orchestra of India is an orchestra based in Mumbai, India.It was founded in 2006 and is housed at the National Centre for the Performing Arts , Mumbai.The first and current Music Director is Marat Bisengaliev...
was founded, housed at the NCPA
National Centre for the Performing Arts (India)
The National Centre for the Performing Arts , in Mumbai, India was established with a grant of Rs 4 million from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. This was later supplemented by donations from the corporate sector...
in Mumbai. It has since presented two short concert seasons per year.
Some prominent Indians in Western classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
are:
- A.R.Rahman, Composer who won 2 Academy Awards81st Academy AwardsThe 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2008 and took place February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST...
in 2009 - Andre de QuadrosAndre de QuadrosAndré de QuadrosAndré de Quadros , conductor, ethnomusicologist, music educator, and human rights activist has conducted and undertaken research in over forty countries and is a professor of music at Boston University...
, ConductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and Music Educator. - Zubin MehtaZubin MehtaZubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
, Conductor. - Mehli MehtaMehli Mehta-Early life:Mehta was born in Bombay, British India to a Parsi family. His involvement in music stemmed from his birth. As a young violinist his main musical influence and inspiration was Jascha Heifetz. A pioneering figure in the Indian musical world, he founded the Bombay Symphony Orchestra in...
, Father of Zubin, violinist and founding conductor of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. - IlaiyaraajaIlaiyaraajaIlaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter...
, the first Asian to compose a full symphony performed by the Royal Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Philharmonic OrchestraThe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
in London's Walthamstow Town Hall. - Thomas Rathnam, Indian-born composer.
- Naresh SohalNaresh SohalNaresh Sohal was born in 1939 in Punjab, Northern India. He is the first and one of the few accomplished Indian-born composers of western classical music. He is the first composer in this tradition ever to make settings of texts in Sanskrit, Punjabi and Bengali...
, British Indian-born composer. - Param VirParam VirParam Vir is a British composer originally from India.Born in Delhi, Param Vir read philosophy at Delhi University and studied composition in England with Peter Maxwell Davies and Oliver Knussen....
, British Indian-born composer. - Karishmeh FelfeliKarishmeh FelfeliKarishmeh Felfeli is a radio broadcaster, pianist, vocalist and creator of , a critically acclaimed classical music and arts radio program for Dublin City FM...
, Indian-born Irani pianist and radio broadcaster. - Sandee Bhagwati, German Indian-born composer.
- Opera singers: Amar Muchhala, Patrizia Rosario
Patriotism and music
Patriotic feelings have been instigated within Indians through music, since the era of freedom struggle. Jana Gana ManaJana Gana Mana
Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem of India. Written in highly Sanskritized Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of a Brahmo hymn composed and scored by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It was first sung at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on 27 December 1911...
, the national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
of India, by Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
is largely credited for uniting India through music. Post-independence songs such as Mile Sur Mera Tumhara
Mile Sur Mera Tumhara
"Ek sur" , or "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" as it is better known, is an Indian song and accompanying video promoting national integration and unity in diversity....
, Maa Tujhe Salaam
Maa Tujhe Salaam
Maa Tujhe Salaam may refer to* Maa Tujhe Salaam, a patriotic album song from A.R.Rahman's 1997 album Vande Mataram* Maa Tujhe Salaam, a 2002 bollywood film starring Sunny Deol and directed by Tinnu Verma...
,DESAM
Desam
Desam is a 2002 Malayalam film directed by Biju V. Nair and written by Sunil Raveendran. It stars Premkumar, Madhupal, Anitha and Bharath Gopi in major roles.-Plot:...
Song composed by JONNY HEMU and sung by hemachandra have been responsible for consolidating feelings of national integration and unity in diversity,
Further reading
- Maycock, Robert and Hunt, Ken. "How to Listen - a Routemap of India". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 63–69. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Hunt, Ken. "Ragas and Riches". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 70–78. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0.
See also
- Carnatic musicCarnatic musicCarnatic 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...
- Eastern Fare Music FoundationEastern Fare Music FoundationEastern Fare Music Foundation is a music school and a production house in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The institute provides training for instrumental music in Western Classical music and contemporary style.-History:...
- Hindustani Music
- Indian musical instrumentsIndian musical instrumentsIndian 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....
- List of regional genres of music
- Music of South Asia
- Middle Eastern musicMiddle Eastern musicThe music of Western Asia and North Africa spans across a vast region, from Morocco to Afghanistan, and its influences can be felt even further afield. Middle Eastern music influenced the music of India, as well as Central Asia, Spain, Southern Italy, the Caucasus and the Balkans, as in chalga...
- Sangita Ratnakara
External links
Audio clips: Traditional music of India. Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.- BBC Radio 3 Audio (45 minutes): The Nizamuddin shrine in Delhi. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (45 minutes): A mahfil Sufi gathering in Karachi. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): The Misra brothers perform Vedic chant. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Rikhi Ram and sons, Nizami brothers. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Rajasthan, Bombay and Trilok Gurtu. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (45 minutes): Gujurat - Praful Dave. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (45 minutes): Courtesan songs and music of the Bauls. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Music from the Golden Temple of Amritsar. Accessed November 25, 2010. Hindustani Rag Sangeet Online Audio and video archives, radio programs, articles.