Tarana is based upon the use of meaningless syllables in a very fast rendition. There is an interesting legend concerning its origin:
The story refers to a music competition during the time of Allaudin Khilji. It had come down to two finalists; a Hindu by the name of Gopal Nayak, and a Muslim named Amir Khusru. Gopal Nayak was well aware that he was up against a formidable opponent. He therefore sang a very fast song in Sanskrit, knowing quite well that Amir Khusru did not know the language. Amir Khusru then sang the same song, note for note, but substituting Persian words for the Sanskrit. The resulting performance was thrilling even though it was unintelligible. In this way Amir Khusru won the competition and invented tarana.
This legend is entertaining but highly unlikely. It is likely that the transformation from intelligible Persian lyrics to the present unintelligible syllables took a long time.
Tarana is found all over India. In south Indian music it is called tillana or thillana and is commonly used in dance performances.
Other Indian Vocal Forms
Bhajan
Dadra
Dhammar
Dhrupad
Film Music
Folk Music
Gazal
Geet
Kheyal
Kirtan / Dhun
Lakshan Geet
Qawwali
Shabad
Tappa
Thumri
Streaming Video
Bageshri Tarana - A tarana in Bhageshri
Streaming Audio
Tilana - by Chandrakantha Courtney.
Kedar Tarana - A tarana based upon Rag Kedar by Chandrakantha Courtney
Fast Tarana - A drut (fast) tarana in rag Bhairagi Bhairav. It is set to tintal of 16 beats. This is by Chandrakantha Courtney
Durga Tarana - by Aswini Bhide
Saturday, July 10, 2010
THUMRI (THUMREE) - SEMICLASSICAL SONG
Thumri is a common style of light classical music. The text is romantic and devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna. The language is a dialect of Hindi called Brij bhasha. This style is characterized by a greater flexibility with the rag. The compositions are usually set to kaherava of 8 beats, addha tal of 16 beats, or dipchandi of 14 beats. It arose in popularity during the 19th century.
Streaming Audio
Chando Langar - A bhajan performed in a thumri style by Chandrakantha Courtney.
Bhanwara Re, Hum Pardesi Log - By Begum Achtar
Other Indian Vocal Forms
Bhajan
Dadra
Dhammar
Dhrupad
Film Music
Folk Music
Gazal
Geet
Kheyal
Kirtan / Dhun
Lakshan Geet
Qawwali
Shabad
Tappa
Tarana
Streaming Audio
Chando Langar - A bhajan performed in a thumri style by Chandrakantha Courtney.
Bhanwara Re, Hum Pardesi Log - By Begum Achtar
Other Indian Vocal Forms
Bhajan
Dadra
Dhammar
Dhrupad
Film Music
Folk Music
Gazal
Geet
Kheyal
Kirtan / Dhun
Lakshan Geet
Qawwali
Shabad
Tappa
Tarana
KHEYAL (KHYAL) - INDIAN VOCAL FORM
Kheyal (a.k.a. "Khyal) has a special place in Indian music. The word "kheyal" in Urdu means "idea" or "imagination". This term is indicative of its highly improvisational nature. It is generally an abstract and complete presentation of the rag; It is probably the most improvised of the Indian styles.
There are two major movements of kheyal. There is an extremely slow section which is called vilambit, or bada kheyal: and a fast section called drut or chotta kheyal. The vilambit section is extremely slow and usually played in ektal of 12 beats. Occasionally, other tals such as jhumra of 14 beats are heard but this is most rare. The fast section is usually played in drut tintal or drut ektal.
History
The history of the kheyal (khyal) is pivotal to the development of the modern style of Hindustani classical music. Previously, the common styles were the dhrupad, and dhammar. These earlier styles were more somber and generally associated with the royal court.
The early development of the kheyal reflected a system of sexual segregation; this is known as "pardah". In this system, men and women were kept in separate places in the royal palaces. The men's activities were commonly held in the royal courts, these are known as "durbar", while the women were relegated to their quarters, which is known as "zanaana".
Architecture played a surprising role in the development of both the kheyal as well as the dhammar and dhrupad. The men commonly sang in the royal courts. These were big, and had no sound systems, therefore the masculine forms (e.g., dhrupad, dhammar) became very loud and devoid of delicacy. The kheyal was sung in much smaller women's quarters so there was not the necessity to sing so loudly; consequently, the kheyal was able to develop much more delicacy. Men singing in the royal courts had to deal with very reverberant environments, so any attempt to sing very fast material would simply be washed out in the echoes of the durbar. In contrast, women singing in the smaller zanaanas could explore the full range from slow to fast material.
It is no surprise that kheyal, unfettered by the acoustic constraints of the royal court, should become very popular. However, there were social obstacles which hampered its formal acceptance into the larger system of North Indian music. These obstacles were reflected in the gender roles that were part of Indian society in that period.
These gender roles were reflected in a guild system known as "gharana". From the collapse of the Mogul empire (18th century) to the time of Independence (1947) these gharanas were important for such activities as the allocation of royal patronage, the definition of artistic styles, and the education of new musicians to replace those who were lost through sickness and death. These gharanas maintained a formalized syllabus that musicians would use for both performance as well as educational purposes. Such a body of educational material is known as "taleem". The gender roles were reflected in a simple way. Until the turn of the 20th century the teachers were almost exclusively male, therefore the feminine artforms were excluded from the formal taleem.
A very significant shift occurred in the 18th century. In this period, men began to sing the kheyal. This movement was spearheaded by two great musicians. One of them was Sadarang (1670-1748) and another was Adarang (18th century). The collapse of the gender obstacles heralded the mass acceptance of the kheyal in northern India.
Over the next few centuries, a number of gharanas of kheyal would develop. These were the Gwalior, Agra, Kirana, Jaipur, Rampur, Delhi, Mewati, Bhendi Bazaar, Benares, and Patiyala gharanas. Each would have its own style and repertoire.
Today, the kheyal is considered to be the benchmark for North Indian Classical music.
Radio Special on the Kheyal
Radio Special
Streaming Audio
Darbari Kanada (Part 1 - Alap) - Alap in rag Darbari Kanada by Chandrakantha Courtney
Darbari Kanada (Part 2 - Vilambit) - Vilambit Kheyal in Darbari Kanada by Chandrakantha Courtney
Darbari Kanada (Part 3 - Drut) - Drut Kheyal in Darbari Kanada by Chandrakantha Courtney
Kheyal in Maru Bihag - A fast kheyal in a strict rendition of Rag Maru Bihag by Chandrakantha Courtney
Bhairagi Bhairav (slow kheyal) - This is a vilambit (slow) kheyal based upon rag Bhairagi Bhairav by Chandrakantha Courtney. It is set to Chartal Ki Sawari of 11 beats.
Kheyal in Rag Durga - By Aswini Bhide
Drut Kheyal in Rag Deshkar - by Abdul Rashid Khan
Kheyal in Lalit - by Abdul Karim Khan
Kheyal in Bihag - by Rashid Khan
Other Indian Vocal Forms
Bhajan
Dadra
Dhammar
Dhrupad
Film Music
Folk Music
Gazal
Geet
Kirtan / Dhun
Lakshan Geet
Qawwali
Shabad
Tappa
Tarana
Thumri
There are two major movements of kheyal. There is an extremely slow section which is called vilambit, or bada kheyal: and a fast section called drut or chotta kheyal. The vilambit section is extremely slow and usually played in ektal of 12 beats. Occasionally, other tals such as jhumra of 14 beats are heard but this is most rare. The fast section is usually played in drut tintal or drut ektal.
History
The history of the kheyal (khyal) is pivotal to the development of the modern style of Hindustani classical music. Previously, the common styles were the dhrupad, and dhammar. These earlier styles were more somber and generally associated with the royal court.
The early development of the kheyal reflected a system of sexual segregation; this is known as "pardah". In this system, men and women were kept in separate places in the royal palaces. The men's activities were commonly held in the royal courts, these are known as "durbar", while the women were relegated to their quarters, which is known as "zanaana".
Architecture played a surprising role in the development of both the kheyal as well as the dhammar and dhrupad. The men commonly sang in the royal courts. These were big, and had no sound systems, therefore the masculine forms (e.g., dhrupad, dhammar) became very loud and devoid of delicacy. The kheyal was sung in much smaller women's quarters so there was not the necessity to sing so loudly; consequently, the kheyal was able to develop much more delicacy. Men singing in the royal courts had to deal with very reverberant environments, so any attempt to sing very fast material would simply be washed out in the echoes of the durbar. In contrast, women singing in the smaller zanaanas could explore the full range from slow to fast material.
It is no surprise that kheyal, unfettered by the acoustic constraints of the royal court, should become very popular. However, there were social obstacles which hampered its formal acceptance into the larger system of North Indian music. These obstacles were reflected in the gender roles that were part of Indian society in that period.
These gender roles were reflected in a guild system known as "gharana". From the collapse of the Mogul empire (18th century) to the time of Independence (1947) these gharanas were important for such activities as the allocation of royal patronage, the definition of artistic styles, and the education of new musicians to replace those who were lost through sickness and death. These gharanas maintained a formalized syllabus that musicians would use for both performance as well as educational purposes. Such a body of educational material is known as "taleem". The gender roles were reflected in a simple way. Until the turn of the 20th century the teachers were almost exclusively male, therefore the feminine artforms were excluded from the formal taleem.
A very significant shift occurred in the 18th century. In this period, men began to sing the kheyal. This movement was spearheaded by two great musicians. One of them was Sadarang (1670-1748) and another was Adarang (18th century). The collapse of the gender obstacles heralded the mass acceptance of the kheyal in northern India.
Over the next few centuries, a number of gharanas of kheyal would develop. These were the Gwalior, Agra, Kirana, Jaipur, Rampur, Delhi, Mewati, Bhendi Bazaar, Benares, and Patiyala gharanas. Each would have its own style and repertoire.
Today, the kheyal is considered to be the benchmark for North Indian Classical music.
Radio Special on the Kheyal
Radio Special
Streaming Audio
Darbari Kanada (Part 1 - Alap) - Alap in rag Darbari Kanada by Chandrakantha Courtney
Darbari Kanada (Part 2 - Vilambit) - Vilambit Kheyal in Darbari Kanada by Chandrakantha Courtney
Darbari Kanada (Part 3 - Drut) - Drut Kheyal in Darbari Kanada by Chandrakantha Courtney
Kheyal in Maru Bihag - A fast kheyal in a strict rendition of Rag Maru Bihag by Chandrakantha Courtney
Bhairagi Bhairav (slow kheyal) - This is a vilambit (slow) kheyal based upon rag Bhairagi Bhairav by Chandrakantha Courtney. It is set to Chartal Ki Sawari of 11 beats.
Kheyal in Rag Durga - By Aswini Bhide
Drut Kheyal in Rag Deshkar - by Abdul Rashid Khan
Kheyal in Lalit - by Abdul Karim Khan
Kheyal in Bihag - by Rashid Khan
Other Indian Vocal Forms
Bhajan
Dadra
Dhammar
Dhrupad
Film Music
Folk Music
Gazal
Geet
Kirtan / Dhun
Lakshan Geet
Qawwali
Shabad
Tappa
Tarana
Thumri
DHAMMAR
OLD FORM OF SINGING
Dhammar is a very old style of singing. The name is also applied to instrumental renditions of the same. It has many similarities to dhrupad. The major difference is that it is slightly more romantic. Themes of dhammar typically revolve around Krishna and the Holi festival. In fact the dhammar is often called "hori" (holi). It is typically performed in dhammar tal of 14 beats. Dhammar, like its cousin the dhrupad, is rarely heard today.
INSTRUMENTS USED IN THE DHAMMAR
Tanpura
Pakhawaj
Rudra Vina
Seni Rabab
Other Indian Vocal Forms
Bhajan
Dadra
Dhrupad
Film Music
Folk Music
Gazal
Geet
Kheyal
Kirtan / Dhun
Lakshan Geet
Qawwali
Shabad
Tappa
Tarana
Thumri
Dhammar is a very old style of singing. The name is also applied to instrumental renditions of the same. It has many similarities to dhrupad. The major difference is that it is slightly more romantic. Themes of dhammar typically revolve around Krishna and the Holi festival. In fact the dhammar is often called "hori" (holi). It is typically performed in dhammar tal of 14 beats. Dhammar, like its cousin the dhrupad, is rarely heard today.
INSTRUMENTS USED IN THE DHAMMAR
Tanpura
Pakhawaj
Rudra Vina
Seni Rabab
Other Indian Vocal Forms
Bhajan
Dadra
Dhrupad
Film Music
Folk Music
Gazal
Geet
Kheyal
Kirtan / Dhun
Lakshan Geet
Qawwali
Shabad
Tappa
Tarana
Thumri
DHRUPAD
ANCIENT NORTH INDIAN CLASSICAL VOCAL
Dhrupad is perhaps the oldest style of classical singing in north Indian music today. The heyday of this style was in the time of Tansen. It is a very heavy, masculine style performed to the accompaniment of the pakhawaj (an ancient mridang). It is known for its austere quality and strict adherence to the tal. The moods of dhrupad may vary, but themes revolving around the victories of great kings and mythological stories are common. Devotional themes are also very common.
The dhrupad usually adheres to a four-part structure of sthai, antara, abhog, and sanchari. It is usually set to chautal of 12 beats, tivra of 7 beats, or sulfak of 10 beats. Occasionally one hears matt of 9 beats, or farodast of 14 beats. Its formal structure makes it a very difficult style to master. Unfortunately, this rigidity has also made it very difficult for the average person to appreciate. Today this style is almost extinct.
Dhrupad is also an instrumental form. However as an instrumental form, it is a mere imitation of the vocal dhrupad
Instruments Used In Dhrupad
Tanpura
Pakhawaj
Rudra Vina
Seni Rabab
Other Indian Vocal Forms
Bhajan
Dadra
Dhammar
Film Music
Folk Music
Gazal
Geet
Kheyal
Kirtan / Dhun
Lakshan Geet
Qawwali
Shabad
Tappa
Tarana
Thumri
Dhrupad is perhaps the oldest style of classical singing in north Indian music today. The heyday of this style was in the time of Tansen. It is a very heavy, masculine style performed to the accompaniment of the pakhawaj (an ancient mridang). It is known for its austere quality and strict adherence to the tal. The moods of dhrupad may vary, but themes revolving around the victories of great kings and mythological stories are common. Devotional themes are also very common.
The dhrupad usually adheres to a four-part structure of sthai, antara, abhog, and sanchari. It is usually set to chautal of 12 beats, tivra of 7 beats, or sulfak of 10 beats. Occasionally one hears matt of 9 beats, or farodast of 14 beats. Its formal structure makes it a very difficult style to master. Unfortunately, this rigidity has also made it very difficult for the average person to appreciate. Today this style is almost extinct.
Dhrupad is also an instrumental form. However as an instrumental form, it is a mere imitation of the vocal dhrupad
Instruments Used In Dhrupad
Tanpura
Pakhawaj
Rudra Vina
Seni Rabab
Other Indian Vocal Forms
Bhajan
Dadra
Dhammar
Film Music
Folk Music
Gazal
Geet
Kheyal
Kirtan / Dhun
Lakshan Geet
Qawwali
Shabad
Tappa
Tarana
Thumri
(HINDUSTANI SANGEET)
THE NORTH INDIAN SYSTEM OF MUSIC
The north Indian system of music is known as Hindustani Sangeet or sometimes Hindusthani Sangit. It covers an area that extends roughly from Bangladesh through northern and central India into Pakistan and as far as Afghanistan.
The usual interpretation states that theHindustani system may be thought of as a mixture of traditional Hindu musical concepts and Persian performance practice. The advent of Islamic rule over northern India caused the musicians to seek patronage in the courts of the new rulers. These rulers, often of foreign extraction, had strong cultural and religious sentiments focused outside of India; yet they lived in, and administered kingdoms which retained their traditional Hindu culture. Several centuries of this arrangement caused the Hindu music to absorb musical influences from the Islamic world, primarily greater Persia.
Although this is the usual view, there are reasons to think that this is an over-simplification. This view gives excessive weight to the religious differences between the Hindus of South Asia and the Muslims of the greater Persian empire (present day Iran, Afghanistan, and portions of the former Soviet Union.) At the same time it ignores long standing linguistic, economic, and cultural ties which existed between the areas of present day northern Indian and the greater Persian world.
There are a number of musical instruments that we associate with Hindustani sangeet. The most famous is the sitar and tabla. Other less well known instruments are the sarod, sarangi and a host of others.
Some of the major vocal forms associated with Hindustani Sangeet are the kheyal, gazal, and thumri. Other styles which are also important are the dhrupad, dhammar, and tarana. This is just a small sampling for there are many other vocal styles that we will have to discuss elsewhere.
North Indian Musical Instruments
Sitar
Sarod
Surbahar
Vichitra Vina
Tanpura
Santur
Seni Rabab
Surmandal
Bansuri
Shehnai
Harmonium
Manjira
Ghungharu
Sarangi
Dilruba
Esraj
Mayuri Vina (Taus)
Tabla
Tabla Tarang
Pakhawaj
North Indian Vocal Styles
Kheyal
Bhajan
Tarana
Dhrupad
Dhammar
Dadra
Gazal
Geet
Thumri
qawwali
Kirtan or Dhun
Shabad
Lakshangeet
Film Songs
Folk Music
Swarmalika
North Indian Instrumental Styles
Alap
Jor
Gat
Jhala
Dhun
The north Indian system of music is known as Hindustani Sangeet or sometimes Hindusthani Sangit. It covers an area that extends roughly from Bangladesh through northern and central India into Pakistan and as far as Afghanistan.
The usual interpretation states that theHindustani system may be thought of as a mixture of traditional Hindu musical concepts and Persian performance practice. The advent of Islamic rule over northern India caused the musicians to seek patronage in the courts of the new rulers. These rulers, often of foreign extraction, had strong cultural and religious sentiments focused outside of India; yet they lived in, and administered kingdoms which retained their traditional Hindu culture. Several centuries of this arrangement caused the Hindu music to absorb musical influences from the Islamic world, primarily greater Persia.
Although this is the usual view, there are reasons to think that this is an over-simplification. This view gives excessive weight to the religious differences between the Hindus of South Asia and the Muslims of the greater Persian empire (present day Iran, Afghanistan, and portions of the former Soviet Union.) At the same time it ignores long standing linguistic, economic, and cultural ties which existed between the areas of present day northern Indian and the greater Persian world.
There are a number of musical instruments that we associate with Hindustani sangeet. The most famous is the sitar and tabla. Other less well known instruments are the sarod, sarangi and a host of others.
Some of the major vocal forms associated with Hindustani Sangeet are the kheyal, gazal, and thumri. Other styles which are also important are the dhrupad, dhammar, and tarana. This is just a small sampling for there are many other vocal styles that we will have to discuss elsewhere.
North Indian Musical Instruments
Sitar
Sarod
Surbahar
Vichitra Vina
Tanpura
Santur
Seni Rabab
Surmandal
Bansuri
Shehnai
Harmonium
Manjira
Ghungharu
Sarangi
Dilruba
Esraj
Mayuri Vina (Taus)
Tabla
Tabla Tarang
Pakhawaj
North Indian Vocal Styles
Kheyal
Bhajan
Tarana
Dhrupad
Dhammar
Dadra
Gazal
Geet
Thumri
qawwali
Kirtan or Dhun
Shabad
Lakshangeet
Film Songs
Folk Music
Swarmalika
North Indian Instrumental Styles
Alap
Jor
Gat
Jhala
Dhun
VOCAL MUSIC
GAYAKI - NORTH INDIAN VOCAL MUSIC
The vocal tradition is especially strong in Indian music. It goes without saying that the song is probably the most ancient form of music. Vocal music occupies a considerable part of the Natya Shastra.
One may argue that the Vedas, especially the Samaveda, is the oldest musical text in India. It is true that the Samaveda is written in a crude musical notation. However, it is probably more appropriate for us to look at contemporary music.
Contemporary musical forms are built up from very well defined structures. These structures such as a primary theme, a secondary theme and other elements form a structured framework in which a largely improvised system of music can work.
There are many genres, some old and some new. Dhrupad and dhammar are some of the oldest in use today; they go back to the Mogul era (circa 16th century). Equally old, but stylistically quite different, is the tarana; this is based upon meaningless syllables. More modern (by Indian standards) are the highly improvised kheyal, dadra, and thumri. Another classical style is the tappa of Punjab.
Most of the classical songs of north India are devotional in nature, but there are a few genre which are especially oriented toward religion. Most notable is the bhajan, dhun or kirtan for Hindus, the kawali (qawali) for Muslims, and the shabad for Sikhs.
Not all the music is serious, for there are also many popular genres. The gazal is one style which is known for it rich poetic, and romantic content. the Hindi geet is basically just a song. Undoubtedly, the most popular is the film song.
There are also a few genres which are oriented specifically toward musical education. The most notable example is the lakshan geet. In this style the words of the song actually describe the rag which is being performed. Another genre which is used for pedagogic purposes is the swarmalika. This style uses the sargam of the piece instead of words.
India also has a rich tradition of folk music. These will vary from region to region.
Vocal Forms
Kheyal
Bhajan
Tarana
Dhrupad
Dhammar
Dadra
Gazal
Geet
Thumri
qawwali
Kirtan or Dhun
Shabad
Lakshangeet
Film Songs
Folk Music
Swarmalika
The vocal tradition is especially strong in Indian music. It goes without saying that the song is probably the most ancient form of music. Vocal music occupies a considerable part of the Natya Shastra.
One may argue that the Vedas, especially the Samaveda, is the oldest musical text in India. It is true that the Samaveda is written in a crude musical notation. However, it is probably more appropriate for us to look at contemporary music.
Contemporary musical forms are built up from very well defined structures. These structures such as a primary theme, a secondary theme and other elements form a structured framework in which a largely improvised system of music can work.
There are many genres, some old and some new. Dhrupad and dhammar are some of the oldest in use today; they go back to the Mogul era (circa 16th century). Equally old, but stylistically quite different, is the tarana; this is based upon meaningless syllables. More modern (by Indian standards) are the highly improvised kheyal, dadra, and thumri. Another classical style is the tappa of Punjab.
Most of the classical songs of north India are devotional in nature, but there are a few genre which are especially oriented toward religion. Most notable is the bhajan, dhun or kirtan for Hindus, the kawali (qawali) for Muslims, and the shabad for Sikhs.
Not all the music is serious, for there are also many popular genres. The gazal is one style which is known for it rich poetic, and romantic content. the Hindi geet is basically just a song. Undoubtedly, the most popular is the film song.
There are also a few genres which are oriented specifically toward musical education. The most notable example is the lakshan geet. In this style the words of the song actually describe the rag which is being performed. Another genre which is used for pedagogic purposes is the swarmalika. This style uses the sargam of the piece instead of words.
India also has a rich tradition of folk music. These will vary from region to region.
Vocal Forms
Kheyal
Bhajan
Tarana
Dhrupad
Dhammar
Dadra
Gazal
Geet
Thumri
qawwali
Kirtan or Dhun
Shabad
Lakshangeet
Film Songs
Folk Music
Swarmalika
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