Indian Classical Music

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Indian Classical Music

• 1 History, scale, notation, soundworld

Lecturer Katherine Brown Email
k.r.brown_at_leeds.ac.uk Room 2.21
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Todays Lecture

• Introduction the practical stuff
• History and definitions
• Instruments and ensembles
• Scale and notation
• Listening and oral theory Rag Yaman

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Practical 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

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North Indian culture centres
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History 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

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History 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

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History 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)

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Hindustani 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
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History 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

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Performance ensemble dhrupad
Two dhrupad singers c. 1600
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Performance ensemble dhrupad
Dagar brothers dhrupad
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Performance ensemble dhrupad
Drone instrument tambura
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Performance ensemble dhrupad
Mohan Shyam Sharma pakhawaj
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Performance ensemble khayal, thumri
Vidyadhar Das khayal
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Performance ensemble khayal, thumri
Tabla (bayan L, tabla/dayan R)
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Performance ensemble khayal, thumri
Sarangi
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Performance ensemble khayal, thumri
Harmonium
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Folk or devotional singers, c.1640
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Solo instruments sitar
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Solo instruments sarod
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Solo instruments santur
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Solo instruments bansuri
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Solo instruments violin
V G Jog
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Solo instruments rudra vina
Hindraj Divekar
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Solo instruments shenai
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Scale 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)

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Bhatkhandes 10 scales (thath)
Bhairavi
Bilaval
Kalyan
Bhairav
Khamaj
Purvi
Marva
Kafi
Todi
Asavari
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Rhythmic 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

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Wajahat Khan, sarodRag Yaman, alap
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Rag 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
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Gundecha brothers, Rag Yamandhrupad, chautal
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Gundecha 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?
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Gundecha 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
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Gundecha brothers, Rag Yamandhrupad, chautal
antara Dvavin shakti shruti suchisvara Dvadash
vikarat bakhaana
There are 22 powerful microtones 12 notes
including altered and straight notes
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Gundecha 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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