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Glossary of terms
Amlan and Adrian
Alankar: the generic term for melodic ornaments.
Alap: Slow or medium tempo elaboration of musical ideas. It unfolds the melodic character of a raga by
developing key notes and phrases. Usually placed at the beginning of the performance of a raga, it is not set
to a definite rhythmic measure. In instrumental music, it properly includes the sections designated as jod
and jhala, though sometimes its use is restricted to the part preceding the jod. Different forms of alap
rendition are recognized such as vistar alap, rupak alap, aochar alap and qaid alap.
XAlapi: the introductory part of a khayal recital, in which the bandish is introduced to the audience. The
elaboration is also called vistar.
Anga: subdivision or part; also used in distinguishing between different stylistic possibilities (i.e,
dhrupadanga / khayalanga).
Antara: the second part of the musical composition. See `tuka'.
Aroha: ascending scale of a raga.
Astai: from the word `sthayi', used to designate the first part of the musical composition. In common usage,
astaiantara, or even astai by itself, came to stand for the musical composition (usually the khayal
composition) as a whole. See `tuka'.
Audav: ragas using five notes in either ascent or descent.
Avaroha: descending scale of a raga.
Baaz: Style of playing, especially in the context of of instrumental music. Related to Hindi `baza', meaning
musical instrument.
Badhat: The controlled progression maintained in the elaboration of a raga.
X Bahalwa: type of elaboration in khayal singing: slow or medium tempo passage using vowel sounds.
Gwalior singing is particularly noted for its use of bahalwa.
Bol: that which can be uttered. Often used to denote the verbal content of a composition: also to distinguish
the various striking techniques in instrumental music.
Chalan: the distictive progression of notes in a particular raga.
Chamra (Khaal): skin (commonly goatskin) covering for soundbox used in sarod.
XChaturang: A form of musical composition with a text containing four different elements, namely verbal
text, sargam, tarana syllables and pakhaewaj or tabla bols.
Chhanda: lit., rhythm; used in Hindustani music to distinguish the particular kinds of rhythm employed in
rhythm cycles. Comparable to Jati
Chikari: high pitched drone strings on instrument tuned to the upper tonic; played for rhythmic articulation.
XDandi: Name given to neck or stem of stringed instruments like been, sitar and surbahar. It is covered
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with a strip of wood which is called the patri.
Dhaivat: sixth note of seven note scale; abbreviated as `Dha’.
Dhari: (dhadhi) Originally an occupational caste of musicians from western India. In the nineteenth century
it became a term (like Dom) to describe musicians with a military association or background.
Dhrupad: From `dhruva', `definite', `fixed', and `pada' `word': type of musical composition. Thought to
have evolved from the earlier style of `pravandha' singing, the dhrupad was the major form of vocal music
from the 15th to the 19th centuries. In more recent times, it has become less popular, perhaps because of the
rise of the khayal as the principal form of vocal music. Dhrupad texts are usually in a dialect of Hindi and
are in praise of gods, goddesses, kings and noblemen as well as on natural and seasonal events.
Dom: Originally hereditary occupational communities of musicians from the west of the subcontinent. In the
nineteenth century the term began to refer to musicians with some sort of military association or
background.
Drut: fast tempo
Ekhara: singlenote melodic passages played in faster tempo using alternate strokes, with one note to each
stroke.
Gandhar: third note of seven note scale; abbreviated as ‘Ga’.
Gat: A fixed instrumental composition, set to definite rhythmic measure, with drum accompaniment.
Gat Toda: Traditional form of instrumental music based on the idea of theme and variation and utilizing
different bol patterns.
Gamak: technique by which each note is sounded with adjacent upper and lower notes. One of the principal
musical embellishments, with many traditional varieties, used in both vocal and instrumental music.
Gayaki: style of singing. It is used to distinguish the styles appropriate to partocular forms of music as also
to describe the styles of individual schools and performers.The term `gayaki anga' is used in instrumental
music to indicate an attempt to approximate the effect of vocal music.
Gharana: literally `family' or `family tradition' . School or centre of musical culture possessing certain
characteristic stylistic traits, which are preserved in the process of transmission from teacher to pupil. The
term acquired prominence from the 19th century.
Jajman/Anudatta: literally "patron". The jajmani system or networks of patronage, when found in the context
of music, refers to the various forms of exchange between groups of hereditary occupational music specialists,
generically known as mirasis, and their traditional jajmans.
Jati: lit., class or type. Used to distinguish the basic kinds of rhythmic patterns used in music. The forms
usually recognized are teesra, chatasra, misra, khanda and sankeerna.
Java (Jawa): Triangular plectrum used for playing sarod, Sarod and Rabab. Sarod javas are made of
coconut shell, Sursringar ones of stiff wire and Rabab javas out of bamboo.
Jawari: A special bridge used for supporting the strings on tanpura, sitar, sarod, sarod, been and sursringar
(also referred to as sawari). Jawari is also used to designate a particular quality of resonance of the voice or
the sound of the instrument.
Jod: generally, the second part of dhrupad alap; it is characterized by rhythmic movements, but is not set a
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fixed timecycle. In instrumental music, the part lying between the vilambit alap and the jhala.
Jhala: Third section of instrumental alap. Evolved in the Beenkar style, it is characterized rhythmic patterns
which combine repeated strokes on the chikari strings with melodic improvisation. The speed of the jhala is
increased creating expectation and excitement and this leads up to a climax. Sometimes applied to the final
section of fast gats which utilize the same technique within the bounds of the composition.
Kaan: peg for securing and adjusting string in instrument.
Kalawant: hereditary caste of musicians, also an honorific title for accomplished musicians formulated in
the Mughal emperor Akbar’s court.
Krintan: in instrumental music, the technique of sounding a note by striking or `cutting’ a string with a
finger of the left (i.e., nonstroking) hand.
Khandaan: lit., family.
Khayal: Literally, `imagination, fancy’. Currently the predominant vocal style in North Indain classical
music, commonly characterized by greater scope for improvization, ornamentation and individual artistry
when compared to dhrupad.
Ladi: chain of stroke combinations (generally based on strokes `di ri’) forming continuous linked pattern.
LadiJhala: combination of ladi and jhala.
Ladlapet: derived from word meaning `winding’; combination of ladi with meend.
Ladant: derived from word meaning `to fight’; interplay between main instrument and percussion, usually
involving complex rhythmic patterns.
Ladguthao: derived from word meaning `to knot’; combination of ladi with clusters of notes.
Laya: one of the central concepts of Indian music. Commonly understood as `tempo’ or `speed’; classical
musical theory, however, distinguishes ten different concepts in the disposition of musical time.
Madhya (laya): medium tempo.
Madhyam: fourth note of seven note scale; abbreviated as ‘Ma’.
Mind (meend): slide from note to note, connecting their sounds through use of microtones or shrutis; in
instrumental music accomplished by left hand movement on basis of single righthand stroke.
Mirasi: (miras, literally ‘inheritence’) Originally identified those communities of traditional occupational
music specialists, but in the 19th century it became a term associated with musicians who accompanied
courtesans.
Mizrab: Plectrum made of stiff wire worn on fingertip; used to play sitar, surbahar and been.
Murki (also known as khatka): type of musical ornamentation, usually that of `embellishing’ or highlighting
a note by the use of a supporting phrase.
Nishad (nikhad): seventh note of seven note scale; abbreviated ‘Ni’.
Qawwal-bacchhe: the musical descendants of the legendary court musician of the Delhi Lodi dynasty, Amir
Khusrau.
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Patri: piece of wood used to cover the neck (stem) of instrument.
Pancham: fifth note of seven note scale; abbreviated as `Pa’. Does not admit of vikriti or alteration.
Pakhawaj: also sometimes called `mridanga’ in Hindustani music. Double headed barrel shaped drum used
for solo performance and accompaniment to dhrupad and been.
Raga: one of the central concepts of Indian music. Melodic form consisting of particular scale notes,
affording distinct possibilities for combination, and characterized by identifiable melodic phrases. Its
individual melodic shape distinguishes it from other ragas and creates an emotional impact on listeners.
Rishav (rikhab): Second note of seven note scale. Abbreviated as Re or Ri.
Sampoorna: ragas with complete sequences of notes, i.e., using all seven notes in ascent or descent.
Samvadi: the secondmost important note in a raga.
XSangati: the distinctive combinations of notes in ragas.
Sargam: The deployment of the abbreviated names of the notes (Sa Re Ga Ma etc) in vocal music
(principally khayal).
XSargamgeet: compositions in which the text is made up of the abbreviated names of the
musical notes.
Seniya: direct descendant of Tansen, the legenday court musician of the Mughal emperor, Akbar.
Shadaj: first note of seven note scale; abbreviated as ‘Sa’. Does not admit of vikriti or alteration.
Shadav: ragas using six notes in ascent or descent.
Shruti: concept of `microtone' in the Hindustani musical scale. Between Sa and Ni 22 shrutis are
recognized, arranged in irregular groups of two, three or four. Sa and Pa are thought to have no Shrutis, and
to be fixed in musical value.
Shuddha: pure.
XSparsh: technique of instrumental music; technique of sounding an adjacent note while holding down the
original one
Swara: musical note. One of the key concepts in Hindustani music, and used in many contexts.
XSwarasthana: the position of a note in relation to the previous or succeeding note in a raga.
Taal: rhythmic cycle characterized by recurring pattern of beats arranged in definite sets of subdivisions.
Taan: fast melodic passage sung or played in khayal and in instrumental music.
Tawa’if: courtesan.
Tabli: piece of wood covering the gourd in stringed instruments like the sitar and the surbahar.
Talim (taleem): training.
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Tappa: A particular kind of musical composition or bandish. The words are rendered in a particular stylized
manner, with rapid embellishments such as zamzama being used. Adjacent notes are sounded in quick
succession, giving the impression of a vibration.
Taraf (tarab): sympathetic strings on string instruments such as sitar, sarod esraj, sarangi. Not actually
touched while playing.
Tarana: A composition usually using apparently `meaningless’ sounds – syllables, drum and solfa
mnemonics, set to a particular raga and tala. One theory holds that the sounds utilized in the tarana
compositition are corruptions or fragments of Persian words. Some taranas also use distinct Persian words.
Thumri: genre of classical music; usually regarded as being `lighter’ than dhrupad or khayal. Also adopted
into performative style of instrumental music.
Toda: instrumental counterpart of vocal taan, but incorporating a greater degree of rhythmic elaboration.
XTribat: A musical composition with a text made up of three elements, usually tarana syllables, sargam and
pakhawaj (or tabla) bols.
Tuka: the parts or sections of the musical composition. Four parts were traditionally recognized in the
dhrupad: sthayi, antara, sanchari, abhog. Khayal compositions in most cases had only the first two parts.
Ustad: teacher, preceptor. Used as honorific for musician.
Vadi: the principal note of a raga.
Vansh: lineage, clan, family, dynasty.
Vilambit: slow tempo.
Zamindar: feudal landlord.
Zamzama: a series of embellishments (such as murki, sparsh, krintan) or combination of them played in fast
succession resulting in a taan with a zigzag pattern.
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