Indian Music

The Hindu god Shiva as Nataraja (Lord of the Dance)

 

      Indian is the  one of the oldest and most evolved music system in the world.Indian music begins with the religious and philosophical aspects of Indian music. They also believed that music was a gift from heaven. They thought that sound is God and everything is a manifestation of God. Thus, they believe that music was created by the Indian gods Shiva (the destroyer), brahma (the creator), and vishnu (the preserver). There are important aspects that form the "heart" of the musical tradition of India.

    The 3 aspects:

* Guru
-teaches the vedas through oral tradition.

* Vinaya
-teaches students to be humble towards elders,or those who are in authority.

* Sadhana
-teaches practice and discipline.

The next important period of musical development took place during the fifth and seventh centuries. It was during this period that rhythms were applied to verses in a uniform manner; at the same time ragas were classified by season and by the different times of the day. it was between the 12th and 13th centuries when Indian's musical development came to a  sudden halt brought about by the invasion of the Muslim rulers from Asia Minor, now modern day Turkey and Anatolia, who were spreading the Islamic religion throughout the region.

The history oh India has contributed to the growth and development of her own music. In northern India, for example, traditional music underwent several changes brought about by the Muslim invasion. Meanwhile, Indian music in the south remained untouched by the foreign influences.

        The two distinct cultural styles:

* Hindustani
-northern Indian style

* Carnatic
-the southern Indian style

Both are basically the same in terms of their spiritual characteristics, but the Hindustani style has foreign elements.

       Elements of Indian Music
       The rhythmic time cycle of Indian music is called Tala. Tala is composed of long and short beats that are accented and unaccented,may total from 3 to 128 beats in length though 7 to 16 beat are common. It is characterized by:

* Sam
-the first beat of the tala and the point to which all variations eventually return.

* Khali
-the empty

* Tali
-the accented beat

In the Tala , beats have different degrees of emphasis that are marked by:

• hand claps
• hand waves
• movements of the fingers.

The tala is divided into smaller rhythmic patterns called angas. Each kind of tala has a specific number of beat pattern. The shortest kind of tala is called darda, which has only 6 beats, while the tintal has 16 beats.

To execute the tala, the percussionist taps the drum on the beat where the number is marked X. Then he claps his on the other unmarked beats and waves his hand only in the beat marked O to suggest silence.
Try to perform these talas:

X - tap the drum
O - wave hand for silence
    - clap hands for unmarked beats

Dadra       1  2  3   4  5  6                                    
                X            O                                    
Tintal        1   2  3  4    5  6
                     X               O                        
Ektal         1  2   3  4  5  6  7  8   9  10
                    X       O         X      O    

Jhaptal       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8    9  10
                     X      X         O      X

     One of the reason why Indian music is difficult to explain to a western listener is because it is based on a different tonal organization called raga.
Raga – is an aesthetic melodic form with a peculiar ascending and descending movement.
  * Indian Tonal System
Sa   re   ga   ma     pa    dha    ni
1     2     3     4      5      6       7
D    E     F     G     A+   B      C

Different mood of raga:

• Happiness
• Sorrow
• Tranquility
• Heroism
• Devotion etc.

            Indian Vocal Music

         Vocal music in India is a way to express deep devotion to God. It is manifested through Vocal the art of vocalization, which becomes more than just a vocal warm-up but an act of worship. This is accompanied by long hours of practice and yoga. By the time the singer is ready to perform the song; his or her mind is cleared and focused to sing the song with precision and accuracy.

        Most of the classical songs of North India are devotional and religious. The most notable are the Dhun  or Khirtan for the Hindus, Bhajan the Shaba for sikho, and the Kawali(qawali) for the Muslims.

        Most Indian music is conservative in nature and intent. Gangal is one style known for its rich romantic and poetic content. The lakshan Geet is a style oriented toward musical education. Swarmalika is used for pedagogic purposes. In this style, sargam is used instead of words.

    Hymn to Shiva

Pon – nai    ma – ta – rai   bhu – mi – yai  na – di – de

Yen -  nai   na – di – ya   yen  u  yir – na – tha – ne

Un – nai   na – du – van  un – na –rul – ve – li

Tan – nai na – du – van tan nan tan ni ya ne

    English Version

Silver coins, pleasures full, no more am I wanting

Only thee do I hope to find and purify my soul

Gladly now do I seek for thy holy goodness

And in truth I shall pray and seek in my heart for thee.
   
         India`s instruments

Tabla

* Non-membranous percussion (Ghun)
   - This group of instruments consists of percussion instruments which have solid resonators. They are either      melodic or rhythmic in nature. The ghatam is a percussion instrument that is made out of clay. It is                  actually a clay pot. It is played by striking the pot with the bare hands. This instrument produces a ringing      sound and low-resonating from its cavity. Its pitch could be lowered or raised by closing and opening the      hole of the clay with the stomach.
* Membranous percussion (avanadoh)
    - This group of percussion instruments consists of stretched membranes that are struck or tapped by the          hand. The tabla drum is a pair of drums most common and popular in Northern India. It is made of                wood and has a head made of stretched animal skin. Both drums have a black spot at the center that is          made of manganese and iron dust. It is played by tapping the fingers on the surface of the drums.
* Blown or Wind Instruments (sushir)
    - These instruments are played by means of blowing air to excite the resonators. The flute is one of the             oldest and most commonly used wind instruments in southern and northern India. It could be made of           different materials like bamboo, ivory, ebony, sandalwood, or metal. There are two types of flute in                India. The flute found in the southern part of India is called venu. This has eight holes. In contrast, the            flute from the northern part of India called bansuri has six holes.
  
  Summary

• In Indian music, a song is a means of communication and interaction.
• Vocal music is a way to express deep devotion to God.
• Most of India`s classical songs are devotional but a few are religiously oriented.
• India`s intricate musical system is accompanied by three main instruments: the sitar, the tabla, and the tambura.
• Its musical instruments are grouped based on how they produce sound.
• The sitar is the most popular stringed instruments in northern India.