Clarice Mae B.

Dacasin III - Helium MUSIC OF INDIA The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and, developed over several eras, it remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as sources of spiritual inspiration, cultural expression and pure entertainment. India is made up of several dozen ethnic groups, speaking their own languages and dialects, having very distinct cultural traditions. The basis for Indian music is "sangeet". Sangeet is a combination of three art forms: vocal music, instrumental music and dance. Although these three art forms were originally derived from the single field of stagecraft. Today these three forms have differentiated into complex and highly refined individual art forms. Many musical instruments are peculiar to India. The most famous are the sitar and tabla. However there are many more that the average person may not be familiar with. All of this makes up the complex and exciting field of Indian classical music. Its understanding easily consumes an entire lifetime. CHARACTERISTICS Indian music is often based around several things: a) Raga scale b) Pentatonic scale c) Drones d) Melismatic singing Instrumental wise Indian music uses the Sitar frequently, which is guitar like instrument with 12 strings, only some of which are plucked, the others vibrating sympathetically. The player traditionally maintains a drone while playing, and improvises around the raga scale and pentatonic scale. There exist other Hindustani treatises which prescribe rhythms to be used in song, consult Messiaen for more information about this. Indian rhythms are often polyrhythmic and use complex time signatures and syncopation. Remember also the use of the tabla, which is a small drum played with the tips of the fingers. It has a mellow hollow sound and often accompanies a sitar. Finally, Indian music often has a meditative or spiritual meaning. IMPORTANCE India was colonized by the British but was able to retain its culture. Their music was used to portray what they were thinking of at that time and at other events to come. The music was said to be originated in the Vedas (ancient scriptures of the Hindus). However the advent of modern historical and cultural research has also given us a good perspective on the field. This has shown that Indian music

has developed within a very complex interaction between different peoples of different races and cultures. It appears that the ethnic diversity of present day India has been there from the earliest of times. The Samaveda which is one of the four Vedas (scriptures) that includes hymns and describes the Indian music. The Samaveda states that music originated as a tool for meditation and spiritual awakening. The era starting from 1500 BC to 500 BC witnessed the Vedic music. Vedic music was supposed to be closely intertwined with the Vedic religion, since music was an imperative element of the religious Vedic rituals. Vedic music was mainly played for two reasons please the Gods and as an accompaniment to the sacrificial offerings in the Vedic rituals. The prominent instruments of the Vedic era include veena, tunav, dundubhi, bhoomi-dundubhi and talav. . The Rigveda contains the richa which are the recited Vedic hymns. Samaveda is supposed to be the origin of Indian music. The word sama is actually a compound word made up of sa that refers to the hymns and ma, which refers to the musical notes. MUSICAL ELEMENTS The present system of Indian music is based upon two important pillars: rag and tal. Rag is the melodic form while tal is the rhythmic. Rag may be roughly equated with the Western term mode or scale. There is a system of seven notes which are arranged in a means not unlike Western scales. However when we look closely we see that it is quite different what we are familiar with. The tal (rhythmic forms) are also very complex. Many common rhythmic patterns exist. They revolve around repeating patterns of beats. The interpretation of the rag and the tal is not the same all over India. Today there are two major traditions of classical music. There is the north Indian and the south Indian tradition. The North Indian tradition is known as Hindustani sangeet and the south Indian is called Carnatic sangeet. Both systems are fundamentally similar but differ in nomenclature and performance practice. Both the streams of classical Indian music rest on two basic elements which are the raga which refer to the melodic formulae made up of constituent musical notations, and the tala which are the rhythmic cycles in Indian classical music. The rag is the most important concept that any student of Indian music should understand. The Hindi/Urdu word "rag" is derived from the Sanskrit "raga" which means "colour, or passion" (Apte 1987). It is linked to the Sanskrit word "ranj" which means "to colour" (Apte 1987). Therefore rag may be thought of as an acoustic method of colouring the mind of the listener with an emotion. This is fine as a general concept but what is it musically? It is not a tune, melody, scale, mode, or any concept for which an English word exists. It is instead a combination of different characteristics. It is these characteristics which define the rag. Here are the characteristics. There must be the notes of the rag. They are called the swar. This concept is similar to the Western solfege. There must also be a modal structure. This is called that in North Indian music and mela in carnatic music. There is also the jati. Jati is the number of notes used in the rag.

There must also be the ascending and descending structure. This is called arohana /avarohana. Another characteristic is that the various notes do not have the same level of significance. Some are important and others less so. The important notes are called vadi and samavadi There are often characteristic movements to the rag. This is called either pakad or swarup. In addition to the main characteristics of rag, there are some other less important ones. For instance rags have traditionally been attributed to particular times of the day. They have also been anthropomorphize into families of male and female rags (raga, ragini, putra raga, etc.). There is a tendency to downgrade the importance of these aspects due to their irrational and unscientific nature. SCALE The word "saptak" has two meanings. The first is the English word "register". The second meaning translates to the English word "gamut" or "the series of seven notes". The word "saptak" in Sanskrit means "containing seven" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "sapta" which means "seven". (Incidentally, the English month "September" was original the seventh month in the old Roman calendar). To understand the nature of the saptak we must return to our concept of the swar. Remember that Sa and Pa are immovable. This forms our perfect fifth. Every other note has various forms. However Hindusthani sangeet (North Indian system) and Carnatic sangeet (south Indian system) take different views as to how many, and what these positions shall be. In Hindusthani sangeet (North Indian system) the movable notes have two forms. Therefore, the notes; rishabh (Re), gandhara (Ga), dhaivat (Dha), and nishad (Ni) may be either natural (shuddha) or flattened (komal). Madhyam (Ma) is unique in that its alternate form is augmented or sharp. This note is called tivra ma. Therefore, we find that we are actually dealing with 12 swar. This extended concept is shown in the table below. These are roughly comparable to the keys on a harmonium, or piano (chromatic scale). Indian Swara (Hindustani) Shadj Sa Komal Rishabh Re Shuddha Rishabh Re Komal Gandhara Ga Shuddha Gandhara Ga Shuddha Madhyam Ma Tivra Madhyam M'a Pancham Pa Komal Dhaivat Dha Shuddha Dhaivat Dha Komal Nishad Ni Shuddha Nishad Ni The situation in Carnatic sangeet (the south Indian system) is a bit more complex. In the South the movable notes Re (Ri), Ga, Dha, and Ni may occupy one of three positions. Ma however still only occupies two positions, ether natural or augmented position (sharp).

Indian Swara (Carnatic) Shadj 1st Rishabh 2nd Rishabh / 1st Gandhara 3nd Rishabh / 2nd Gandhara 3rd Gandhara 1st Madhyam 2nd Madhyam Pancham 1st Dhaivat 2nd Dhaivat / 1st Nishad 3nd Dhaivat / 2nd Nishad 3rd Nishad In the previous tables we evoked a model which is somewhat similar to the Western chromatic scale. This is not exactly correct. We must not forget that the Western scale is based upon the equal tempered scale while the Indian scale is based upon pure tones. Therefore the exact level of intonations will vary. INSTRUMENTS SITAR Probably the most popular string instrument from India is the sitar. String instruments have gained popularity because strings are considered to be the best accompaniment to singing, a prime element of Indian music. A main body of the sitar is made of wood, however, the main gourd (toomba) is made of pumpkin. The pumpkin acts as a resonator or a sound box. It consists of seven main strings and 11 sympathetic strings. The frets in a sitar are curved, a brilliant innovation which helps the artist to play different scales and vary the pitch while playing the instrument by pulling the strings on the sides. Its pitch range is three or more octaves. The origin of sitar actually goes back to Iran. It used to be called "setar" which means three strings. However, the modern sitar as we know it was developed in India in the 18th century. TABLA The tabla is a very popular percussion instrument of India. It consists of two drums called tabla & dagga (bayan) respectively. The treble drum (tabla) is generally made of wood and the top is covered with a stretched skin. To produce the distinct treble sound of the tabla; the artesan has to make a hard mixture in the center of the tabla ( shahi ). The skin is wrapped around the wood frame with the help of leather strings (wadi ) and round wooden blocks (gatta). The tuning is

done with the help of a hammer which is struck on the gatta to tense or relax the skin. The dagga pot is generally made of brass or copper. It is the bass accompaniment of the Tabla. The tabla is about 11 inches long while the dagga is about 10 inches long. SHEHNAI The shehnai belongs to the woodwind family of instruments. It has double reeds to produce that characteristic vibrating sound. It is played with the fleshy parts of the fingers rather than the tips of the fingers. The shehnai is capable of producing a sound very similar to the human voice. The outer body of the shehnai is made of wood with a metal bell at the tip of the instrument. It has a pitch range of two octaves. The melody of shehnai forms a integral part of music at Indian marriages. The shehnai is about 20 inches long. MRIDANGAM ( PAKHAWAJ ) The mridangam belongs to the percussion family and has been played by Indians for more than 2000 years. It consists of a wooden shell approximately 27 inches long, covered with stretched skins on each side. It is famous for its distinctive buzzing sound and is used extensively for dance performances. Mythologically it is believed that God himself created tabla and dagga by cutting the mridangam into half. HARMONIUM Peti or baja are the Indian names for the harmonium. This instrument has its origins in Europe, and ever since it came to India in the 19th century it has become an essential part of Indian musical compositions. This musical instrument is a blend of the east and west. Its keyboard is similar to that of the piano and the body with its other parts creates sounds for Indian classical compositions. The harmonium is a portable instrument in the shape of a rectangular box. The musician can sit comfortably on the floor playing it, using both his hands. One hand dances along the keyboard and the other is engaged in pumping the instrument. The body of the harmonium houses bellows that are the pumps, which push the air through the instrument. There are external bellows that are pumped manually and the internal ones that are reservoirs for the air pumped by the external ones. This instrument has stops, which are a series of valves that controls the way in which air flows. There are also drone stops that determine the flow of air over the reeds that do not have keys. The keys, called chabi in Hindi, are controls made from wood. The keyboard, as mentioned earlier, is like that of the piano, minus the chords. When the harmonium is not in use it is protected by a cover either made from wood, cloth or glass. The harmonium is most commonly played while sitting. However, one could also sling this instrument across their shoulder and play it as they walk. The harmonium belongs to the wind family of instruments. The basic working of a harmon-ium is a wooden box in which air is trapped with the help of bellows. There are normally two to

three chambers in which metal reeds are fixed; the sound is produced when the air is forced out of the reeds. The working of the reeds is controlled by the white and black keys on the surface of the instrument. It is a constant companion for most ghazal singers. TANPURA A tanpura is always conspicuous by its absence. Nobody would feel the necessity of having a Tanpura till the time he would listen to any performance without it. It is also gaining popularity in meditation centers because of its beautiful, rich, soothing sound that has a very relaxing effect. A tanpura is made of wood and has a larger base (toomba) than a sitar. The toomba, like that of sitar, is made of pumpkin. It has four strings and comes in two pitches, male and female. It is used to produce deep resonating sound to give continuity to the music and a sense of balance. SAROD The sarod is a stringed instrument that is generally carved out of a single piece of teakwood. Its belly is covered with goatskin. This instrument is played with plectrum made from coconut shell. This is probably one of the oldest instruments of Indian music. Carvings of it have been found in the Champa temple that was constructed in the 1st century. One also comes across paintings and carvings of this stringed musical instrument in the Ajanta caves. The history of Indian classical music claims that the famous musician of the 13th century, Amir Khusrao had modified the sarod, creating the sitar; and later Ustad Ali Akbar Khan modified the shape of the original instrument thereby improvising the tonal quality. SARANGI The name derives from Sau Rangi meaning 100 colors. Sarangi is played with a bow and has four main strings and as many as forty resonant strings. It is generally used to accompany singers but can also be a solo instrument. SANTOOR The santoor is a musical instrument that originated in the beautiful lands of Kashmir, also known as heaven on earth. The ancient or rather original santoor had over a hundred strings and was considered the forerunner of the piano. This instrument was formerly known as the Shatatantri Veena since it had a hundred strings. The modern day instrument has eighty-seven metal strings that are strung across a hollow trapezoidal box carved either from walnut or maple wood. The top and bottom of the instruments framework is covered by either veneer or plywood. The strings are clubbed together in sets of three, thus there are 29 sets of strings. Steel tuning pegs are fixed on the right side of the instrument. While playing the santoor the musician is required to keep the instrument in a particular manner. He or she has to bear in mind that the wide side should be facing them and the narrow

end should be towards the audience or listeners. Also, the musician could either place this musical instrument on their lap or on a stand, which is of comfortable length. VEENA The veena is probably the most ancient of all the Indian stringed instruments. It basically has a large body with a hollow belly; a stem; and the neck, which is generally carved into a strange figure that resembles the head of a dragon. This instrument has seven strings. Four of them are the main strings that are attached to the pegs, which are fixed on the neck. The other three are attached to the side. They are used as rhythmic accompaniments. The musician plays this instrument by being seated on the ground. They then place the instrument in front of them resting the neck on one of their shoulders. The right hand is generally used for plucking the main strings and the left hand for tuning the pegs as per requirement. BANSURI Bansuri is a type of flute that is carved from bamboo. It is generally played in the vertical position. It has six to seven finger holes, and some of them have additional one or two holes for tuning. Apart from being one the oldest Indian musical instruments, it is presently used in the west too. A large number of fusion bands as well as musicians belonging to other genres of music use this variation of the flute. The music from this instrument is soothing and relaxing. The bansuri is mainly played in north India. Venu is a south Indian variation of this flute and has eight holes. This Indian music instrument is known by varied names such as algoza, bansi, kolalu, kolavi, kukhl, murali, nar, pava, pillankuzhal, pillangrovi, pulangoil and vamsi. According to Hindu mythological texts and certain scriptures Lord Shiva chose the bansuri to play the role of goddess of destruction. Apart from that is was the musical instrument of Lord Krishna. Radha and the gopis are known to have danced to Lord Krishnas tunes. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS Indian music shows the thoughts of Hindus and their religion through music. This makes it different from others in a way that it presents religion as its main message.