Ancient Indian Music

Indian Classical Music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian Classical Music tradition is called Hindustani, while the South Indian expression is called Carnatic. These traditions were not distinct till about the 16th century. There on, during the turmoils of Islamic rule period of the Indian subcontinent, the traditions separated and evolved into distinct forms. Hindustani Music emphasizes improvisation and exploring all aspects of a raga, while Carnatic performances tend to be short and composition based. However, the two systems continue to have more common features than differences.

Nagendra Jha is a Professor of Sociology, University of Hyderabad. He achieved his degrees M.A. (Sociaology) and PhD (Moral Values of Hinduism in Veda) from BHU, Varanasi. He is a teacher of Dance, Music and Indian Philosophy. He has specialized in Indian Dance and Music. He has also specialized in Indian Philosophy, Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. He has authored more than three books and over twenty five research papers and articles published in national and international journals. He has travelled widely teaching Indian philosophy and culture.

The tradition of Hindustani music dates back to Vedic times where the hymns in the Sama Veda, an ancient religious text, were sung as Samagana and not chanted. It diverged from Carnatic music around the 13th-14th centuries CE, primarily due to Islamic influences. Developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, it has contemporary traditions established primarily in India but also in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In contrast to Carnatic music, the other main Indian classical music tradition originating from the South, Hindustani music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions, historical Vedic philosophy and native Indian sounds but also enriched by the Persianperformance practices of the Mughals. Classical genres are dhrupad, dhamar, khyal, tarana and sadra, and there are also several semi- classical forms. In the earlier days, when Indian music was just coming of age, the music was devotional in nature. It was restricted only to temples and used for ritualistic purposes. It is said that the sound that pervades the whole universe, i.e. Nadabrahma, itself represents the divinity. Organized Indian music owes its origin to the Samaveda. The Veda has all the seven notes of the raga karaharpriya in the descending order. The earliest Raga is speculated to be 'Sama Raga'. Theories and treatises began to be written, how the primitive sound 'Om' gave rise to the various notes.

Then later on forms like 'Prabandh Sangeet', which was in sanskrit, and 'dhruvapad', in hindi became popular. With the coming of the Gupta era, which is considered as the golden era in the development of Indian music, the music treatises like 'Natya Shastra' and 'Brihaddeshi' were written. Indian music got divided after the 14th century. Hindustani music seems to have been profusely influenced by the music of Persia and Arabia. It emphasizes on the musical structure and the possibilities of improvisation in it. The main architect of the existing system of Hindustani music was Pandit V N Bhatkhande, who was responsible for the classification of the Ragas into the 10 'thats'. Hindustani music has a number of and ornamentations or Gamaks like Meend, Kana, Murki, etc. which enhances its aesthetic appeal. The tabla plays a very important role in maintaining the rhythm during a Hindustani concert. There are a number of Tals like Ek-Tal, Jhap-Tal, Dadra, Teen-Tal and so on. Each Tal has its own characteristics. Dhrupad is the oldest and perhaps the grandest form of Hindustani vocal music. It is said to have descended from an older form called the prabandha (nonexistant today) and adapted for court performance during the reign of Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior. Dhrupad has been on the decline since the 18th century. Khayal is the most prominent genre of Hindustani (vocal) music.

Its origins are a mystery. Some people trace its origins to "Sadarang" Nyaamat Khan - a beenkaar in the Mughal court of Muhammad Shah "Rangila". Thumree originated from Lucknow and Banaras in the 19th century. This genre is considered to be "light classical" music. Thumrees are composed in lighter raagas and have simpler taalas. There is no aalaap-type improvisation in this genre. Daadra is another genre of "light classical" music. It bears a close resemblance to the Thumree. Carnatic music is 'kriti' based and 'saahitya' (lyric) oriented. It is said to have maintained the pure form of Classical music based on 'ragas' and 'taalas' retaining the traditional octave. Spiritualism has always been the prominent content of Carnatic music. One of the greatest influences in the development of Karnatic music was that of the immortal bard, Purandara Dasa. He composed the 'Swaravali'(simple exercises based on the Scale), 'Alankaras' (exercises based on the seven basic Talas) and 'Gitams' (simple melodic compositions in praise of the various deities). He also created the musical form, 'Kriti' which was later perfected by the great composer 'Thyagaraja'.

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