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Music Of India
The Hindustani and Karnatic
Musical Traditions
Indian Classical Music

The music of India can be divided into two unique
traditions, the Karnatic (folk) and the Hindustani
Vedic (religious). The Hindustani tradition which
dominates the northern half of the Indian
subcontinent largely developed in the courts of the
major centers for Indian music such as Delhi,
Lucknow, Benares, Calcutta, Varanasi and
Farrukhabad. This tradition has been heavily
influenced by Aryan peoples from the middle east
and neighboring countries such as Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
Indian Classical Music (cont.)

The Karnatic tradition with its main musical
center located in Chennai (previously named
Madras) can be found in the southern part of the
country. It is considered by many to be a more
pure form of Indian music with less influence
from the migrating peoples the north, however it
has integrated many European musical
concepts and instruments into its practice largely
due to the British occupation of India for over
100 years.
Musical Elements
These two distinct traditions do however
share some similarities when comparing
basic musical elements:

Medium
Both traditions commonly
use small ensembles consisting of one or
two melodic instruments and one or two
percussion instruments.


Rhythm
Both traditions share one of the most complex
rhythmic systems in the world. The Indian word for
rhythm is TALA.
Melody
Compositions are based on 72 types of scales,
many of them similar. The Indian word for
scale/melody is RAGA. The literal translation of the
word Raga is "that which colors the mind." The
raga is much more than a scale;it is both a
technical collection of notes and can depict
aesthetic qualities such as emotions, colors,
deities, seasons, time of day, festival events, and
can also convey magical properties.

Harmony
Chord structure in the Western sense does not exist.
The drone sound (audio) supplied by the string instrument
called the tambura or the electronic equivalent called a sruti
box provide background harmony.

Texture
The music is organized into 3 layers or functions:
A. Melodic soloist/accompaniment
B. Drum accompaniment
C. Drone-static accompaniment
Selected Instruments & Their
Classifications
North/Hindustani
Percussion - Rhythmic layer
tabla - pair of drums
Strings - Melodic layer
sitar (guitar-type)
sarod
(guitar-type)

Winds- Melodic Layer
bansuri (bamboo flute)
shennai (oboe-like)
South/Karnatic

Percussion - Rhythmic layer
mridangam – conical double
headed drum

Strings - Melodic layer
vina
(guitar-type)
violin (western violin)
Karnatic Inst. (cont.)

Winds- Melodic Layer
nagasvaram (long oboe-like inst.)
Saxophone (western sax)
Vocal - Melodic Layer
Three Important Musical Elements:

The Drone
Since Indian music is modal music, based on the relations
between a permanent fixed sound, the tonic, and successive
notes, it is the independent relationship that each note has
with the tonic that determines the meaning of the particular
note. The tonic, therefore, needs to be repeated and
constantly heard, as is done in a vocal or instrumental
recital, where the tamboura provides the tonic note in the
background. Thus, the sounding of a constant melodic pitch
that provides the basis for the notes, the melody and the
melodic improvisations, is important in Indian music. It
provides for tonality by providing a basis for comparison and
contrast for the different notes in the piece. Although the ear
unconsciously analyzes the notes being sung or played into
its constituent partials, even without accompaniment, it is the
sustained accompaniment by the tonic that makes this
analysis a conscious exercise and allows the singer to check
the voice to avoid dissonance.

Raga
Raga refers to a “scale” or collection of notes and is the
discernable melodic form underlying all classical Indian music.
These raga , which are based on the ancient Vedas ( religious
chants), are highly ornamented by intricate glissandi or slides
called Gamaka.
This practice of sliding between notes in a Raga is what gives
Indian music its unique sound. Many musicologists have
described Indian music as being “micro tonal.” In fact, these
scales that both Hindustani and Karnatic Ragas use are
comprised of smaller intervals (22 steps to an octave) when
compared to the12 step octave of a western scale. Since each
note is, in terms of frequency, either higher or lower than
another, movement from one note to the other in any melody
involves either ascent or descent. The movement which results
when one ascends from one note to the next is known as
aroha, while a descending motion is known as avaroha. While
we can conceive of other types of melodic movement, the
aroha and avaroha are of great importance as they provide the
basis for the raga form.
Raga(cont.)

Every raga, in fact, consists of a fixed and
unchangeable set of notes, presented in the
form of an ascending or descending scale. At
the simplest level, this defines the raga as a
melodic form and tells us that there are
specific notes, also called “pillar tones”
forming a particular raga and the basic shape
of the raga is determined by their inter se
arrangement within the ascending or
descending order.
Raga (cont.)

The term Raga is also however much more
than a technical collection of notes. Its literal
translation which means “that which colors
the mind”implies that the raga itself has
some metaphysical and non-musical
attributes as well. It is the intent of these
ragas to invoke certain feelings and
emotions from the listener. These emotions
can range from amorous love and happiness
to great sadness and melancholy.
Raga (cont.)

A raga can also describe a certain part of
the day such as with a morning raga or an
evening raga or be intended to be
performed only during certain seasons of
the year such as the spring or summer.
There are devotional ragas as well which
are used to praise various deities in the
Hindu pantheon of gods such as Brahma,
Vishnu, and Shiva.
Tala

In the matter of musical time, India has contributed a most
sophisticated and scientifically developed system of rhythms.
Tala, a term which is used to describe the meter or time cycle
which a composition uses, is the root or basis of every form of
Indian music: vocal, instrumental and dance. Tala is an
organized metric cycle composed of traditionally determined
rhythmic units and is performed through a series of
conventional hand gestures such as claps, finger counts and
waves. Adi tala which is subdivided (4+2+2) may also be
counted with these hand gestures. There are hundreds of talas
covering a vast range of time cycles, and each tala has its own
characteristic structure or divisions. The different structures of
talas give rise not only to a variety of cycles but also influence
the patterns in singing and drumming to a great extent. There is
an elaborate and systematic theory of tala which details all the
important principles of rhythm.

The rhythmic complexity and variety which dominates Indian
music has been an intriguing area of research and
performance practice for scholars and musicians from the
West. Some devices which are commonly used in relationship
to the tala are : rhythmic diminution (rhythmic figures which
decrease systematically in size through repetition), rhythmic
augmentation (rhythmic figures which increase systematically
in size through repetition), and tripartite repetitions. These
repetitions which occur three-fold in succession usually end a
section of music or melodic phrase and are called tihai and are
common to both the Hindustani and Karnatic musical
traditions. For both the performers and audience alike it is the
relationship between these ever-changing rhythmic devices
and the static time cycle that provide metric interest in a
composition. Through manipulation of rhythmic groupings
performers create a sense of tension and release much like
the effect that consonant and dissonant intervals achieve in
Western style harmony.

Another important device of the tala system is
Solakattu. Solakattu is the practice of reciting
syllables called “jati” which correspond with
various drum strokes and are used as both a
performance practice and a mnemonic device
(special word to help a person remember
something) for teaching rhythmic composition.
During a performance these jatis may be
recited to accompany dance movements, or
act as percussive accompaniment for a singer
or solo instrumentalist without having to use
musical instruments.
Improvisation in Indian Music

Improvisation (or creating music from ones own
imagination during a performance) is the
lifeblood of Indian classical music and is found in
both the melodic and rhythmic counterparts. This
free improvisation has a foundation in the basic
raga and simple rhythmic patterns associated
with each tala respectively.

In the area of raga, we find improvisation which
can take on two distinct forms:

I. Free Improvisation
A. Melodic - Based on the scale or raga
Purpose: 1.Introduces the raga to the audience
2.Demonstrates the performers ability
3.Acts as a “warm-up” for the musician
B. Melodic & Rhythmic - Based on the Raga &
and loosely organized simple rhythms
Purpose: 1.Introduces rhythm
2.Gives the performer more variety during
free improvisation

II. Theme and Variations : Occurs during the main
composition
A. Theme
1. A non-improvised composition
2. The main melody used is based on
the raga and the tala (meter)
B. Variation
1. A series of improvisations
2. Melody and tala established during
the theme are varied and developed