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Indian Art Music
An Illustrated Talk
by
Dr. Chintamani Rath Ph.D. (Indian Music)
www.ragaculture.com
MUSIC…
Where there is humanity,
there is music…
(but : what is music?)
Music
Organised
&
emotionally expressive
sound
MUSICAL GENRES IN PRESENT DAY INDIA
.
ART
(“CLASSICAL”)
NORTH
INDIAN
(“HINDUSTANI”)
SOUTH
INDIAN
(“CARNATIC”)
♣ Has religious/philosophic roots
♣ Has a highly formalised grammar,
dictated by textual as well as oral tradition
♣ Has different genres
(Vocal – Alap, Dhrupad/Dhamar,
Khayal, Sadra, Thumri, Bhajan, Geet etc
Instrumental – Alap, Masidkhani,
Rajakhani, Firozkhani, Amirkhani Gat etc)
♣ Has different styles (called Geeti, Bani or
Baaj)
♣ Has regional schools of presentation
(currently called Gharanas)
♣ Has regional variations in choice of
Ragas, Talas, etc.
NON - ART
(“LIGHT/POPULAR”)
TRIBAL
FOLK
THEATRE
MUSIC
CINEMA
MUSIC
PROVINCIAL
RELIGIOUS
OR
PHILOSOPHIC
“INDUSTRIAL”
NON-INDIAN
IMPORTS
The Two Systems of Art Music in India
Hindustani (North Indian) Music
Carnatic (South Indian) Music
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Continuity back to Vedic times (6,000 BC)
Codified in a large number of ancient and
medieval music treatises
Developed independently of folk music,
albeit occasionally importing folk or
regional elements, metamorphosing them
suitably
Raga based, mostly improvised
Capable of intense expression in very slow
speeds
Vast range of ornaments, particularly during
slow passages
Subtle use of microtones in slow passages
Steady, long-held notes, mostly approached
and/or quitted by little ornamental phrases
Gradual building up of tempo from very
slow to very fast
Convention of time and season
Clear enunciation of rhythmic cycle by
percussion accompanist (in dominant
present day forms like Khayal, Sadra,
Thumri, Bhajan etc.)
True to Hindu traditions: so-called “Persian
influences” fully integrated within its
essential and ancient grammatical format
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Of more recent origin
Codified in medieval texts written by
musicologists, the influential ones among
whom studied in North India and thereafter
returned to South India to fashion Carnatic
music out of the prevalent regional musical
forms to be found in South India
Composition based, mostly fixed
A fairly quick tempo from the start, so lacks
the intensity, introspection, microtones and
several ornaments found in Hindustani
music
Notes are not held for long and are mostly
quitted by a characteristic oscillation using
indeterminate pitch
Constant and fairly fast tempo throughout
No convention of time or season
Percussion
accompanist
does
not
enunciate rhythmic cycle clearly, so a
second percussionist and/or a timekeeper
showing and/or clapping out beats (in
which the audience joins) is necessary
Contrary to advocated argument, has
Muslim influences
The Gamut of Notes
8.
7.
♭7.
6.
♭ 6.
5.
# 4.
4.
3.
♭ 3.
2.
♭ 2.
1.
Sa – Shadja – Do – Tonic
Ni – Nishada – Si/Ti – Leading Note
Ni – Komala Nishada
Dha – Dhaivata – Lah – Submediant
Dha – Komala Dhaivata
Pa – Panchama – Soh – Dominant
Ma’ – Tivra/Kari Madhyama
Ma – Madhyama – Fah – Subdominant
Ga – Gandhara – Mi – Mediant
Ga – Komala Gandhara
Re – R’shabha – Re – Supertonic
Re – Komala R’shabha
Sa – Shadja – Do – Tonic
Sound in Indian Art Music
• Static Note –
• Ornamented Note –
Unembellished tones:
Tones embellished by
different types of
ornaments, such as
Meend, Soot, Andolan,
Gamak, Krintan, etc. :
Used for teaching or
analysing musical
phenomena but not
(except but rarely) in
performance
Used in performance
Ornaments (“Alankar”) used in Hindustani Music
⋆ Andolan – “oscillation” on a note
⋆ Gamak – fast Andolan. Gamak may range from the heavy
and guttural to the light and almost superficial. Again,
Gamak may be of varying speeds
⋆ Sparsha Svara, Kan or Krintan – grace note
(acciaccatura)
⋆ Meend – glissando
⋆ Soot or Aansh – fast Meend from one note to another
distant note
⋆ Mürki – akin to mordent
⋆ Khatka – akin to turn
⋆ Kampan – vibrato
Elements of Music
•Melody – notes sounded successively
•Harmony – notes sounded simultaneously
•Rhythm – pulses in time
•Dynamics – intensity (volume)
•Timbre – tone colour
Organising Notes
• Melodic Organisation:
• Harmonic organisation:
According to the
principles codified by
the system of
Against a fixed system
of static notes sounded
continuously but softly
in the background
and
in unintended
counterpoint, from an
imitating accompanist
- RAGAs
- TALAs and
- performance practice
R A G A
 a melodic concept capable of intense emotional
communication and comprising:
- a given set of notes, ascending and descending
- characteristic microtones
- characteristic phrases
- relative importance of the notes
- characteristic ornaments or lack thereof
- the general speed to be adopted
- the register to be used (low or high pitch)
- an accepted time of performance
Organising Time – Tempo (Laya, Gati)
Tempo (Laya)
Slow
(Vilambita)
Medium
(Maddhya)
Medium
Slow
(Maddhya
Vilambita)
Fast
(Druta)
Medium
Fast
(Maddhya
Druta)
Slow
(Vilambita)
Very Slow
(Ati
Vilambita)
Fast
(Druta)
“Linear”
(Tala-Heena)
“Cyclic”
(Tala-Yukta)
Very Fast
(Ati
Druta)
T
A
L
A
Tala → the cyclic organisation of periodic beats (Matra) = an
endlessly repeated series of ordered rhythmic syllables in time
Rhythmic syllables → Names of sounds on percussion instruments
(Dha, Na, Dhin, Tin, Thum, Kat, Tita, Tirakita, Ghe, Dhita, etc.)
A Tala has:
• Cycles – each cycle is called an “Avartana”
• Divisions into bars, which may be equal or unequal
• Accent points, which may be “beaten” (“Tali”) or “unbeaten” (“Khali”)
• A primary accent point (“Sama”) – the point of rhythmic resolution
• A vocal enunciation of the ordered rhythmic syllables in an Avartana,
called “Theka”
Matra
T h e k a
Kaharva
4
Dhage Nati Naka Dhin | |
Dadra
6
Dha Tin Na | Ta Dhin Na | |
Roopak
7
Tin Tin Na | Dhin Na | Dhin Na | |
Jhaptal
10
Dhin Na | Dhin Dhin Na | Tin Na | Dhin Dhin Na | |
Ektal
12
Dhin Dhin | Dhage Tite | Thum Na | Kat Ta | Dhage Tite | Dhin Dha | |
Jhoomra
14
Dha –Dha Tirakita | Dhin Dhin Dhage Tirakita | Ta –Ta Tirakita | Dhin Dhin Dhage
Tirakita | |
Deepchandi
14
Dha Dhin - | Dha Dha Dhin - | Na Tin - | Dha Dha Dhin - | |
Adachoutal
14
Dhin Tite | Dhin Na | Thum Na | Kat Ta | Tite Dhin | Na Dhin | Dhin Na | |
Trital
16
Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Tita Dhin Dhin Dha | |
T a l a
… and many more, including fractional Matras (e.g. Jhampak Tala of 8½ Matras)
Rhythmic Improvisation (“Layakari”)
↠ Dügün – double speed
↠ Tigün – triple speed
↠ Choügün – quadruple speed
↠ Panch, Chhey, Sat, Ath, Naü, etc gün – respectively 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 etc times
the original speed
↠ Aad – 3/2 times the original speed
↠ Aad ka Ülta – 2/3 times the original speed
↠ Küad – two viewpoints: 5/4 or 9/4 times the original speed
↠ Küad ka Ülta – 4/5 or 4/9 times the original speed
↠ Biyad – there are several varieties of this: 7/4 or 27/8 (“Küad of Aad” =
9/4 of 3/2) times the original speed, etc.
↠ Biyad ka Ülta – 4/7 or 8/27 times the original speed
↠ Paun – 3/4 times the original speed
↠ Paun ka Ülta – 4/3 times the original speed
Performance Practice
Hindustani
Recital
Instrumental
Vocal
Melodic
Instrument
Percussion
“Classical”
“LightClassical”
Dhrupad &
Dhamar
Thumri
Khayal
Bhajan
Gayaki Ang
Dhun
Dhrupad Ang
Khayal Ang
Tarana
“LightClassical”
“Classical”
Ghazal
Tantrakari Ang
Khayal Recital
※ Auchār-Ālāp
※ Vilambit (Bada) Khayāl
- Vistār (Badhat) ⇨ Sthāyi, Antarā
- Behlāvā
- Tān
※ Drut (Chhotā) Khayāl
⇨ developed similarly as above
Instrumental Recital
♠ Ālāp, Jod, Jhālā
♠ Masidkhāni Gat
* Gat, with Uthān on Tablā
* Soloist Accompanist Dialogue
♠ Razākhāni Gat
⇨ developed similarly as above
⇨ Jhālā