Indian Music

Music is one of the oldest and finest forms of human expression. The Vedas are set to a distinctive melody that has been passed down through the centuries in an unbroken oral tradition. According to a Hindu legend, music is a divine gift to man. Sarasvati, consort of Brahma, is the goddess of music and all five arts. She holds a Vina (seven-stringed instrument) in one hand and plays it with another. The Svarga (heaven) has Gandharvas, the singers; Kinnars the instrumentalists and Apsaras, the dancers.

Panini (500 BC) made one of the earliest references to music. The Mahabharata mentions the seven Sabras, the Jatakas mention the four great sounds. The earliest musical theory is included in the chapter of the Natya Shastra of Bharata. The Vaishnava and Saiva Bhakti saints of Tamil of the 18tl1 and 191h century spread love of music through devotional hymns.

In medieval times Saangdeva (1210-1247 AD) of Devagiri in his Sangita Ratnakar showed his knowledge of south and north Indian forms of music. The Muslim kings in the 141h and 15th centuries introduced Iranian models which differentiated it from Carnatic music. Tansen (1550 - 1610 AD) became a legend in the realm of music.

Basic Principles of Music :

Nada : The chief property of music is Nada - Na means Prana of life - breath and Da means Agni or fire. The conception of Nada is inseparably connected with the intangible elements of breathing system and physical expellation of sound or nada Brahma.

Shruti : Shruti means sound that is capable of being distinctly heard by the ear. The gamut of seven blocks notes called the Saptaka (equivalent of the octave in western music) they are sa-re-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni. These Saptakas are further divided into 22 shrutis on which Indian music is based.

Raga : Raga is the basis melody in Indian music. The term Raga is defined in various ways. Raga means passion and each note is associated with a mood, emotion or passion. Some translate it as a tune.while others as air and as melody. Different combinations of octave gives rise to Ragas. There are still others 108 pure ragas. Any combination of two or more Ragas are called Misra (mixed) ragas which are numerous. Ragas have to be rendered at the right time of the day and in some cases in the right season as they are supposed to be associated with a particular time and season. All music has to be played in a variety of Talas (time measures) which are produced by hand and fingers on various types of drums. One requires practice under a guru for perfection.

There are two major systems of classical music today-the Hindustani and the Carnatic. However, the common thing among both is that they are based on the same shrutis. As performed today, the Hindustani and Carnatic genres of music are so different in practical approach that a listener whose ears are turned to one will not automatically appreciate the aesthetics of the other. Though sharing the history, science, theory and structure, the seeming paradox of these two systems turning out so differently can be explained by looking into four factors: regional, linguistic, technical and socio - political. In practical terms Carnatic music is imbued with a pre-dominance of devotional character Hindustani music has a virtuous quality that stems from its refinement as a chamber in the Mughal court art.

There are various types of melodies. The Kiratana and Kriti are two most important in Carnatic system. Some other Hindustani systems are Thumri (love songs), Tappa, Gazal (love lyrics) and Dadra. Indian musical instruments present a large variety originating thousands years ago some coming from Arabia and Iran. The main varieties of instruments in use are :

String Instruments : Played by the finger nail such as Dilruba, Sarod, Sitar, Sarangi, Rabab, Esraj and the Tambur which provide no melody but a resonant droning accompaniment.

Wind Instruments : These came into existence in ancient times. The Buffalo horn is the oldest. Brass horn; Conch. shells, flute (murali) and Nadaswaram.

Percussion Instrument : The drum takes the first rank and is one of the oldest and most important musical instruments. There are about 290 varieties of drums, some important ones being the Mridanga; Tabla (set of two drums); Pakhawaj and Tambourines of various kinds.

Indian music is like a river ever fluid and subtly changing. Indian music is attracting increasing patronage in the West as well as in the Far East. It is receiving the recognition that was long overdue.

Preservers of The India's Musical Culture :

Thyagaraja, Muthuswami, Deekshithar and Shyam Shastri, popularly known as the trinity of Carnatic music, laid the foundation for the development of Carnatic music with their innumerable compositions in hundreds of ragas. These compositions paved way for the present concept of a stage programme. The well known exponents of Violin are Dr. N. Rajam, VG.Jog (Hindustani), Prof. T.N.Krishnan, Lalgudi G.Jayaraman, M.S. Gopalakrishnan, V V Subramanyam and Dr. I.Subramanyam (Carnatic). Bhismillah Khan is the legendary exponent of Shehnai. Shemmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer, M.S.Subbulakshmi, D.K.Pattammai, Palghat K. VNarayanaswami (Carnatic), Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar, Jasraj are the most shining vocalists of Indian music.

Three instrumentalists handling stringed instruments Ali Akbar Khan (Sarod) Ravi Shankar (Sitar) and Vilayat Khan (Sitar) have achieved global eminence. Veena Doraiswamy Iyengar and Amjad Ali Khan (Sarod) have also made remarkable contribution. Zakir Hussain, the most well-known tabla player, is innovative in his renditions and is totally committed to his instrument-Tabla. M. S. Subbulakshmi excels in devotional singing. She has been honored with Sangeet Kalanidhi, Bharat Ratna, Sangeet Academy awards and has won international acclaim for her classical vocal renditions. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had called her the 'Queen of Songs'. Nation thrives on her notes on Bhakti. M.S. Subbulakshmi is known across the nation as the mellifluous voice that wakes up the deity with her suprabhatam. Girija Devi is part of the great thumri tradition of Benaras and has been instrumental in bringing respectability to the thumri form. At present she is settled in Benaras teaching students at home and in the music faculty of the Benaras Hindu University. Lata Mangeshkar, KJ. Yesudass and S.P. Balasubramanyam have l1lade significant contributions in popularizing semi-classical music there by attracting new sections towards serious music.