Indian Vocal Music :(Gaayaki) Vocal form of music is the strongest and the most dominant component of Indian

music. Vocal music was considered to be a major part of Natya Shastra historically too. There are several old and new genres of Indian Vocal music such as: Dhruvpad (Dhrupad) Dhruvpad is the oldest style of North Indian classical music and it was very popular during the times of Tansen. Since it originated in King's court, by nature it is either devotional or depictive of King's glory. It is traditionally accompanied with Pakhawaj (an ancient Mridang), and has four characteristic components namely - Sthaee, Antaraa, Sanchari, Abhog. Dhruvpad is mostly sung in Chautal, Jhampa, Teevra, Brahma, Rudra and other ancient classical Taals. Taans are not used in Dhruvpad Dhamaar Dhamaar is similar to Dhruvpad, but romantic in nature rather than devotional. Its form is identical to Dhruvpad but it was traditionally employed to sing stories about Lord Krishna and his romantic adventures with Gopis, especially during the festival of Holi. It is traditionally sung in Dhamaar Taal of 14 beats, hence the name. Like Dhruvpad it also has Boltaans and tempo variations such as Dugun, Chaugun etc. and needs a lot of knowledge and expertise to be sung properly. For this reason it is also known as Hori and has evolved into a lighter version which is very popular form of folk singing in North India. but Boltaans and tempo variations such as Dugun, Chaugun etc. are inherent.

Khayal Khayal means a thought or an imagination in Farsi and Urdu. Musically speaking, Khayal means an imaginative elaboration of a Raag while being within its confines. Since this form of singing originated in quiet environment of small Mehfils as opposed to King's court, Khayals are characteristically sung softly and involve romantic compositions. Taans and Alaaps are employed frequently and abundantly in its rendition. It is sung in two basic tempos, Vilambit (slow) and Drut (fast). Those sung in slow tempo are called Bada or Vilambit Khayal and the ones sung in fast tempo are known as Drut or Chhota Khayal. Most common Taals used for singing Khayals are Teentaal, Ektaal, Jhaptaal and Adachautal. Tarana Tarana is a form of Khayal. It only differs from Khayal in that it doesn't have lyrics and is sung based on meaningless syllables such as Ta, Na, Da, Re, Dim etc. It is mostly sung in Madhya (middle) and Drut (fast) laya (tempo) and characteristically becomes faster and faster as the composition progresses. Taans and Boltaans are very common in Tarana. Sargam-Geet (Swarmalika) A composition comprising Swar (notes) of a Raag and bound in a Taal is called Sargam-Geet. Lyrics are absent and the chief objective is to become familiar with the notes of a Raag. Lakshangeet A descriptive song listing the properties of a Raag, such as its Vaadi, Samvadi swar, Jaati, Recital time etc., composed using the same Raag that it describes is called Lakshangeet of that Raag.

Tirvat Tirvat may be considered as a version of Tarana since its form and rendition are almost identical to Tarana except that it is sung to the bols of Mridang. Since it is difficult to master, it is less popular than Tarana. Chaturang A composition that comprises all the four basics namely Khayal, Tarana, Sargam and Tirvat in same order is known as Chaturang (Chatur means four and Ang means part, thus, four parts). First part has lyrics followed by Tarana bols followed by Sargam of the Raag and the composition ends with Tirvat. Thumari Thumari is a semi-classical form of Vocal music. It is considered semi-calssical since it does not remain loyal to one single Raag. It is a form of singing which gives prime importance to expressiveness rather than the lyrics or purity of Raag. It is also considered semi-classical since it does not use classical Taals often but rather the lighter versions such as Addha Tritaal, Keherva and Deepchandi. Its origin is considered to be in court of the famous Nawab Asifuddaula of Lucknow by a Punjabi singer named Miyan Shauri. Thumari singing is known for its variations, improvisations and experimentations with the structure of Raag in a bid to achieve the best possible expression. Probably this is why musicologists do not consider it a respectable form of singing. Tappa Tappa is Punjab's version of singing Khayals but with a faster tempo and more interesting Taals rather than the classical Taals. Tappa compositions are characteristically very catchy and employ a lot of short but melodious Taans. It is considered to be the fore runner to Thumari style of singing.

Hori Hori is a light classical form of singing Dhamaar. When Dhamaar is sung in lighter Taals rather than Dhamaar itself, the resulting composition is known as Hori. This is traditionally sung during the festival of Holi and describes the celebrations of Lord Krishna. Just like Dhamaar, use of tempo variations such as Dugun and Chaugun with Boltaans is very common in Hori. Kajari Kajari is the name given to songs sung in North India describing the rainy season. Since this season saw many brides waiting for their grooms to come back home, traditionally Kajari has also become associated with songs of separation. Its nature is romantic. Chaiti Chait is a month in Hindu calendar synonymous to March-April. Hence, the name Chaiti is given to traditional songs sung during spring in North India. This form of singing is very old and typically describes episodes from life of Lord Ram. Its lyrics are mostly Bhojpuri or Poorvi. Dadra Dadra is a lighter and easier version of Thumari. It is mostly sung in Madhya (medium) and Drut (fast) Lay (tempo), in Taals such as Dadra, Keherva or Roopak. Bhajan Devotional songs written in pure Devnaagari language and sung predominantly in Taals of 8 beats are known as Bhajans. This Taal is so typical that it is known as Bhajan Theka. Bhajans can be composed in pure Raags or in variations or combinations of Raags. Contemporary Bhajans are sung in almost all Taals including Dadra, Roopak, Deepchandi or even Teentaal. Keertan/Dhun These are devotional songs sung in praise of Gods such as Ram and Krishna. These have typically one or two line lyrics which are sung by a group of devotees in a repetitive composition that gains tempo as it progresses. Traditionally Keertans are accompanied with percussion instruments such as Kartal, Jhaanjhar, Manjeera or even mere claps. Membranous percussion instruments such as Tabla or Dholak are optional.

Ghazal Ghazals are melodious recitations of Urdu or Farsi poems. Since Ghazal singing originated from poems, lyrics are of supreme importance and the composition and its rendition are merely employed to embellish the lyrics. For this reason a good command on language is essential along with a profound understanding of music in order to sing Ghazals, so that the singer can do justice to the lyrics. Geet Literally, Geet means song. The term Geet is used to denote a verse in Hindi which is not Bhajan, Keertan or any other classical form of Hindi verse or poetry. The songs from movies fall into this genre. There is no hard and fast rule for composition of Geet and the composer and singer have full liberty for all kinds of improvisations and experimentations. Geet may or may not be based on a Raag. It is the lightest version of Indian Vocal music. Kawwali/Qawwali Qawwali is a form of spiritual singing originated by Sufis in the 12th century. Typically the Qawwali starts with simple lyrics sung in a melodious composition and as it progresses the singer or Qawwal strives to find deeper meaning of the lyrics by improvising the compositions. When sung perfectly the singer and the listener both go in trance. Its nature has been devotional traditionally but contemporary Qawwalis are often romantic. Lok-Sangeet (Folk Music) Rural and traditional communities throughout India have evolved with their own regional customs and festivals which are celebrated with Folk music unique to that community. It is almost impossible to identify all kinds of Folk music in India however, some of the more popular specimens are Banna, Virha, Chandaini, Sohar, Jhoomar, Savani, Lavani, Barahmasi, Maand, Gauri, Janeoo, Bhaat, Pandvani, Suaa etc.

INDIAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS :(VAADYA) Musical instruments have very important place in Indian Music. Indian musical instruments are divided into 2 major categories: 1. Percussion Instruments - A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit, shaken, rubbed, scraped or by any action which sets the object into vibration. The term usually applies to an object used in a rhythmic context or with musical intent. There are two types of percussion instruments in India.
a. Membranous Percussion Instruments (Avanaddh) - These are instruments that produce sound with strike-able membranes, mostly of weathered leather. Tabla, Dholak, Dhol, Daff, Damroo, Mridangam, Nagada, Pakhawaj, Khol (Mridangam), Nal (Dholki) etc. are examples of Membranous Percussion Instruments. b. Non-Membranous Percussion Instruments (Ghan) - These are instruments that do not have strike-able membranes, and sound is produced by striking metal or clay. Chimta, Ghatam, Manjeera, Ghungaroo, Jal-Tarang, Kartal etc. are examples of Non-Membranous Percussion Instruments.

2. Non-percussion Instruments - Instruments used to create melody rather than the rhythm are classified as Non-percussion Instruments. There are two types of Non-percussion instruments.
a. Wind Instruments (Sushir) - These instruments are sounded by blowing air through them. Bansuri, Harmonium, Shehnai, Nadaswaram, Shankh, Pungi etc. are examples of Wind Instruments.

b. String Instruments (Tantu)- Instruments sounded by striking or rubbing their strings. There are two types of string instruments.

i. Plucked String Instruments (Tat) - These instruments are played by plucking or striking the strings. Sitar, Tanpura, Veena, Vichitra Veena, Saraswati Veena, Ektara, Sarod, Surbahaar, Surmandal, Rebab, Santoor etc. are examples of Plucked String Instruments.

ii. Bowed String Instruments (Vitat) - These string instruments are bowed. Chikara, Dilruba, Sarangi, Ravanhasta, Taar Shehnai, Israj etc. are examples of Bowed String Instruments.

INDIAN DANCES : (NRITYA)

Classical Dances of India Natya Shastra, probably the oldest manual on science of theatre in the world, confers a prime place to dancers on the stage. In ancient Indian theatre, dancers performed to songs sung in the background. Although the context has changed, the same logic has been carried forward in Indian movies, where choreography and playback singing are still indispensable parts. History of Dance in India has been a very complex and controversial subject, but for the purposes of this site, we can conclude that whatever the process may have been, there exist only six classically acceptable dance forms in India, namely Bharatnatyam, Kathakali and Kuchipudi from South India, Odissi and Manipuri from East India and Kathak from North India. Each of these dance forms has been described in brief below. Bharatnatyam Originating in Tamilnadu, in its present form, Bharatnatyam is probably the youngest of the six classical dances of India, since it was formalized as recently as 1930s! But when taken in its entirety, it may be the oldest dance form of India. Whatever be the fact, Bharatnatyam is one of the two most popular classical dance forms of India outside of India, along with Kathak (see below). It is said to be a hybrid of two ancient dance forms, namely Dasi Attam performed by Dev-Dasis in temples, and Sadr, a dance form popular in palaces of South India. Thus, having its roots in temples, Bharatnatyam is understandably a predominantly devotional dance form that has components describing and praising the Gods.

Kathakali Hailing from Kerala and readily recognizable by the costumes and makeup of its artists, Kathakali is the most dramatic of the six classical dances of India. In fact, due to its evolution amongst the masses and partly due to its predominantly local recognition, this dance form has had to fight for its right to be counted as one of the classical dances. Even today, most hardliners consider it to be just an old and traditional dance form rather than classical. It is known for its strong hand gestures called Mudra. Although the dance itself has strong religious overtones, traditionally, Kathakali performances are major social events for the community and last for good eight to ten hours, usually from Dusk to Dawn! Initiated audiences can identify the characters as being good or bad merely by looking at their appearance. The evolution of this dance form can be dated back to 17th century. Kuchipudi Known for its graceful movements and intense narratives, this dance form from Andhra Pradesh is (arguably) the most beautiful dance form of South India. Although it originated as a devotional dance form like the other two South Indian dances, Kuchipudieventually also came to be regarded as a dance form for social reforms.

Manipuri The term Manipuri is a misnomer, as this is a term given to include a number of dance forms from and around the Eastern Indian state of Manipur. The most popular dance forms within Manipuri style are the Ras-Leela and Phung-Chholom. This form is unique in that the percussion instruments are part of the dance itself, rather than being mere accompaniments! For instance, the Phung-Chholom variety gets its name from Manipuri Mridang - Phung, which is played by the dancers themselves. There are several forms of local dances included within the term Manipuri and it would be unfair to single out a particular dance form as being the true representative of this style Odissi Best known for its attention to aesthetics and technical details, this ancient dance form from Eastern Indian state of Orissa has travelled a broken path to reach its present state, which is unfortunately a reconstruction of the actual classical dance form, which happens to be as old as 2000 years and is mentioned in Natya Shastra itself! It has three distinct roots - the Dev-Dasi form, the Royal court form and the transvestite form. Each one of these suffered a major blow during the colonial period and the entire Odissi tradition faced a near extinction except for a handful of surviving traditional performers, who helped rebuild this dance form in post independence era and re-established it as one of the classical dances of India.

Kathak Of all the dance forms of India, this dance form from the Northern states of India has the strongest national and international recognition, perhaps matched only by Bharatnatyam, if only the international presence was to be considered. So popular is this dance form that it is almost considered as the representative of the classical dances from India. Literally, the term Kathak means a storyteller. Thus, by definition this was a dance form devised to narrate stories of Gods in North Indian temples. But as the stage shifted from temples to royal courts, the emphasis of stories also shifted from Gods to entertainment. The present form of Kathak is that practised by Tawayafs (professional dancers), whose role is grossly misunderstood to this date. Tawayafs used to be professional female entertainers of Northern India and Pakistan, who were trained to sing and dance at the same time. Facial expressions and timing were given prime importance and it required the professionalism and discipline of the highest level to be a successful Tawayaf. Unfortunately, the contemporary form of Kathak has somehow forgotten the tradition of storytelling and what has survived is the mere technicality and grace, which are still sufficient to make it the most popular Indian classical dance!

Mohini Attam Bordering on the edge of being called a Classical dance, Mohini Attam is a very seductive dance form from Kerala, which is built on the story of Mohini (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu to save the Gods from Demons' plan of stealing the Amrit). Garba Garba is a folk dance of the Western Indian state of Gujarat performed mostly during weddings and Indian festival of NavRatri. It is performed to characteristic six beat taal with a pair of sticks.

Bhangra Probably the most popular folk dance form from India, Bhangrahas become the representative of Punjab all over the world. It is a powerful group dance performed to the beats of Dhol and is inherently merry in nature.