Title: Indian Classical Music
1Indian Classical Music
- 1 History, scale, notation, soundworld
Lecturer Katherine Brown Email
k.r.brown_at_leeds.ac.uk Room 2.21
2Todays Lecture
- Introduction the practical stuff
- History and definitions
- Instruments and ensembles
- Scale and notation
- Listening and oral theory Rag Yaman
3Practical Stuff
- Outline of lectures and tutorials
- Essay (due Tue 8 May 4PM)
- Presentations (weeks 6, 8, 9, 10)
- Library and Internet resources
- Weekly readings and listening
4North Indian culture centres
5History and definitions
- Two classical or art music traditions, North
(Hindustani) and South (Carnatic/Karnatak) - 1) basis in theory or shastra
- Natyasastra sangitasastra sangit ragdar
- Strict use of raga and tala virtuosity
- 2) hereditary tradition
- Sampradaya (tradition) parampara (succession)
- Guru-shishya ustad-shagird master-disciple
- 3) socially elite patrons connoisseurs
6History and definitions
- Sastriya sangit goes back 2000 years to the first
Sanskrit musical treatise, the Natyasastra - Sound in Hindu religious texts has connection
with god nada (sound) IS Brahma (the supreme
deity) - Samaveda (ritual and chant c.1000 BCE)
bhakti/Sufism (personal devotion c.1000 CE) - Natyasastra irrelevant to musical practice c.1000
- Sangitaratnakara c.1250 distinction between
marga (universal way) and desi (regional)
traditions - Some modern ragas in Sangitaratnakara
7History and definitions
- Northern and Southern traditions bifurcate c.1500
- Influence of bhakti and Sufi devotion on the
development of main Northern vocal genres dhrupad
(15C) and khayal (16C) - Centrality of Mughal patronage from 1556
- Modern Hindustani music dates from period of
Mughal patronage (though change is constant)
8Hindustani music timeline
1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 Great
Mughals Lesser Mughals . . .
_____________________________________ 1526
(Akbar 1556-1605) 1707 1858 Princely
States __________________________ . . .
English East India Company Company
Rule Crown Rule ______________________________
____________ 1600 1757 1858 1947
Independence
_____ 1947
9History and definitions
- Centrality of Mughal patronage from 1556-c.1750
and of princely states (esp. Lucknow) until
c.1950 - both dhrupad and khayal become virtuosic courtly
(as opposed to devotional) genres. - Raga still an aesthetic as well as musical entity
- Court etiquette still dictates musical etiquette
- Transmission through hereditary Muslim households
called gharanas (ghar house) - Gharanas successfully transitioned to modern
period, change in patronage, technology, and
transmission
10Performance ensemble dhrupad
Two dhrupad singers c. 1600
11Performance ensemble dhrupad
Dagar brothers dhrupad
12Performance ensemble dhrupad
Drone instrument tambura
13Performance ensemble dhrupad
Mohan Shyam Sharma pakhawaj
14Performance ensemble khayal, thumri
Vidyadhar Das khayal
15Performance ensemble khayal, thumri
Tabla (bayan L, tabla/dayan R)
16Performance ensemble khayal, thumri
Sarangi
17Performance ensemble khayal, thumri
Harmonium
18Folk or devotional singers, c.1640
19Solo instruments sitar
20Solo instruments sarod
21Solo instruments santur
22Solo instruments bansuri
23Solo instruments violin
V G Jog
24Solo instruments rudra vina
Hindraj Divekar
25Solo instruments shenai
26Scale and melodic notation handout
- Indian scale has 12 notes, 7 natural notes with 5
variants. The oral notation system is sargam. - S R G M P D N
- Variants komal (flat) R G D N tivra
(sharp) M - Three octaves or registers, called saptak
mandra (lower) madhya (middle) tar
(upper)
27Bhatkhandes 10 scales (thath)
Bhairavi
Bilaval
Kalyan
Bhairav
Khamaj
Purvi
Marva
Kafi
Todi
Asavari
28Rhythmic notation handout
- Rhythmic notation only applies to the short
composition included in each performance of raga - Tal rhythmic cycle
- Sam first beat of the rhythmic cycle, marked
X - Vibhag subdivisions of the tal, marked with
numbers indicating claps, e.g. 2 (2) 3 (3), and
vertical lines - Khali empty subdivision, marked O,
indicating hand wave - Western score 1 line 1 cycle bar lines each
vibhag
29Wajahat Khan, sarodRag Yaman, alap
30Rag Yaman
System tonic is Sa (C) Sa and Pa (C and G) must
be avoided in ascent Most emphasised pitches Ga
and Ni (E and B) Evening raga, content, calm,
joyful
31Gundecha brothers, Rag Yamandhrupad, chautal
32Gundecha brothers, Rag Yamandhrupad, chautal
sthayi N D N D P DP M MG
P - M P M
P M- GRG Pra- tha- m? sha- ri- r?
gya- n? G - GR P G P/M MG P -
M GR S N R
R S Naa- d? bhe- d? tee- n? stha- n?
33Gundecha brothers, Rag Yamandhrupad, chautal
sthayi Pratham sharir gyan Naad bhed teen sthan
First the knowledge of the body The origin of
sound is from three places
34Gundecha brothers, Rag Yamandhrupad, chautal
antara Dvavin shakti shruti suchisvara Dvadash
vikarat bakhaana
There are 22 powerful microtones 12 notes
including altered and straight notes
35Gundecha brothers, Rag Yamandhrupad, chautal
sanchari Vansh, jati, varna, dvip, chhand, rishi
viniyoga Shruti jaati teen gram ikis murchana
Family, caste, country, verse, the tradition of
a mendicant In all there are three scales (or
registers) and twenty-one permutations
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