The classical music tradition of the ancient and medieval Indian subcontinent (modern Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) were a generally integrated system through the 14th century, after which the socio-political turmoil of the
Delhi Sultanate era isolated the north from the south. The music traditions of the North and South India were not considered distinct until about the 16th century, but after that the traditions acquired distinct forms. North Indian classical music is called
Hindustani, while the South Indian expression is called
Carnatic (sometimes spelled as
Karnatic). According to
Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy, the North Indian tradition acquired its modern form after the 14th or the 15th century. Indian classical music has historically adopted and evolved with many regional styles, such as the Bengali classical tradition. This openness to ideas led to assimilation of regional folk innovations, as well as influences that arrived from outside the subcontinent. For example, Hindustani music assimilated Arabian and Persian influences. This assimilation of ideas was upon the ancient classical foundations such as
raga,
tala,
matras as well as the musical instruments. For example, the Persian
Rāk is probably a pronunciation of
Raga. According to Hormoz Farhat,
Rāk has no meaning in modern Persian language, and the concept of
raga is unknown in Persia.
Carnatic music If
Hindustani music is taken in as an entirely new form of music created from Indian classical music and
Persian music, then Carnatic music was a form from the south of the sub-continent that developed further natively after this divergence. Carnatic music is the ancient Indian classical music that became distinct after Hindustani music was established. It is dated back to ancient periods, but was only distinct after Hindustani music was established.
Purandara Dasa (1484–1564) was a Hindu composer and musicologist who lived in
Hampi of the
Vijayanagara Empire. He is considered
Pithamaha (literally, "great father or grandfather") of the Carnatic music. Purandara Dasa was a monk and a devotee of the Hindu god
Krishna (Vishnu,
Vittal avatar). He systematised classical Indian music theory and developed exercises for musicians to learn and perfect their art. He travelled widely sharing and teaching his ideas, and influenced numerous South Indian and Maharashtra
Bhakti movement musicians. is the goddess of music and knowledge in the Indian tradition. Carnatic music, from
South India, tends to be more rhythmically intensive and structured than Hindustani music. Examples of this are the logical classification of ragas into
melakartas, and the use of fixed compositions similar to Western classical music. Carnatic raga elaborations are generally much faster in tempo and shorter than their equivalents in Hindustani music. In addition, accompanists have a much larger role in Carnatic concerts than in Hindustani concerts. Today's typical concert structure was put in place by the vocalist
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. The opening piece is called a
varnam, and is a warm-up for the musicians. A devotion and a request for a blessing follows, then a series of interchanges between
ragams (unmetered melody) and
Tanam (the ornamentation within a melorhythmic cycle, equivalent to the
jor). This is intermixed with
hymns called
krithis. The
pallavi or theme from the raga then follows. Carnatic pieces also have notated lyrical poems that are reproduced as such, possibly with embellishments and treatments according to the performer's ideology, referred to as Manodharmam. Primary themes include worship, descriptions of temples, philosophy, and nayaka-nayika (Sanskrit "hero-heroine") themes.
Tyagaraja (1759–1847),
Muthuswami Dikshitar (1776–1827) and
Syama Sastri (1762–1827) have been the important historic scholars of Carnatic music. According to
Eleanor Zelliot, Tyagaraja is known in the Carnatic tradition as one of its greatest composers, and he reverentially acknowledged the influence of Purandara Dasa.
Hindustani music , who about the age of 60 joined the Mughal
Akbar court. For many Hindustani music gharanas (schools), he is their founder. It is unclear when the process of differentiation of Hindustani music started. The process may have started in the 14th century courts of the Delhi Sultans. However, according to Jairazbhoy, the North Indian tradition likely acquired its modern form after the 14th or after the 15th century. The development of Hindustani music reached a peak during the reign of
Akbar. During this 16th century period,
Tansen studied music and introduced musical innovations, for about the first sixty years of his life with patronage of the Hindu king Ram Chand of
Gwalior, and thereafter performed at the Muslim court of Akbar. Many musicians consider Tansen as the founder of Hindustani music. Tansen's style and innovations inspired many, and many modern
gharanas (Hindustani music teaching houses) link themselves to his lineage. The Muslim courts discouraged Sanskrit, and encouraged technical music. Such constraints led Hindustani music to evolve in a different way than Carnatic music. Hindustani music style is mainly found in
North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Prior to the Taliban's ban on music, it also had a strong presence in Afghanistan. It exists in four major forms:
Dhrupad,
Khyal (or Khayal),
Tarana, and the semi-classical
Thumri. Dhrupad is ancient, Khyal evolved from it, Thumri evolved from Khyal. There are three major schools of Thumri: Lucknow gharana, Banaras gharana and Punjabi gharana. These weave in folk music innovations. Tappa is the most folksy, one which likely existed in Rajasthan and Punjab region before it was systematized and integrated into classical music structure. It became popular, with the Bengali musicians developing their own Tappa. Khyal is the modern form of Hindustani music, and the term literally means "imagination". It is significant because it was the template for
Sufi musicians among the
Islamic community of India, and
Qawwals sang their folk songs in the Khyal format. Dhrupad (or Dhruvapad), the ancient form described in the Hindu text
Natyashastra, is one of the core forms of classical music found all over the Indian subcontinent. The word comes from
Dhruva which means immovable and permanent. A Dhrupad has at least four stanzas, called Sthayi (or Asthayi), Antara, Sanchari and Abhoga. The Sthayi part is a melody that uses the middle octave's first tetrachord and the lower octave notes. The Antara part uses the middle octave's second tetrachord and the higher octave notes. The Sanchari part is the development phase, which builds using parts of Sthayi and Antara already played, and it uses melodic material built with all the three octave notes. The Abhoga is the concluding section, that brings the listener back to the familiar starting point of Sthayi, albeit with rhythmic variations, with diminished notes like a gentle goodbye, that are ideally mathematical fractions such as
dagun (half),
tigun (third) or
chaugun (fourth). Sometimes a fifth stanza called Bhoga is included. Though usually related to philosophical or
Bhakti (emotional devotion to a god or goddess) themes, some Dhrupads were composed to praise kings. Improvisation is of central importance to Hindustani music, and each
gharana (school tradition) has developed its own techniques. At its core, it starts with a standard composition (bandish), then expands it in a process called
vistar. The improvisation methods have ancient roots, and one of the more common techniques is called
Alap, which is followed by the
Jor and
Jhala. The
Alap explores possible tonal combinations among other things,
Jor explores speed or tempo (faster), while
Jhala explores complex combinations like a fishnet of strokes while keeping the beat patterns. As with Carnatic music, Hindustani music has assimilated various folk tunes. For example, ragas such as Kafi and Jaijaiwanti are based on folk tunes.
Persian and Arab influences Hindustani music has had Arab and Persian music influences, including the creation of new ragas and the development of instruments such as the sitar and sarod. The nature of these influences are unclear. Scholars have attempted to study Arabic
maqam (also spelled
makam) of Arabian peninsula, Turkey and northern Africa, and
dastgah of Iran, to discern the nature and extent. Through the colonial era and until the 1960s, the attempt was to theoretically study
ragas and
maqams and suggested commonalities. Later comparative musicology studies, states Bruno Nettl – a professor of music, have found the similarities between classical Indian music and European music as well, raising the question about the point of similarities and of departures between the different world music systems. According to John Baily – a professor of ethnomusicology, there is evidence that the traffic of musical ideas were both ways, because Persian records confirm that Indian musicians were a part of the
Qajar court in
Tehran, an interaction that continued through the 20th century with import of Indian musical instruments in cities such as
Herat near Afghanistan-Iran border.
Odissi music Odissi music is a distinct type of Classical music of Eastern India. This music is sung during performance of classical
Odissi dance. The traditional ritual music for the service of
Lord Jagannatha, Odissi music has a history spanning over two thousand years, authentic sangita-shastras or treatises, unique Ragas & Talas and a distinctive style of rendition. The various aspects of Odissi music include odissi prabandha, chaupadi, chhānda, champu, chautisa, janāna, mālasri, bhajana, sarimāna, jhulā, kuduka, koili, poi, boli, and more. Presentation dynamics are roughly classified into four: raganga, bhabanga, natyanga and dhrubapadanga. Some great composer-poets of the Odissi tradition are the 12th-century poet
Jayadeva,
Balarama Dasa, Atibadi
Jagannatha Dasa, Dinakrusna Dasa,
Kabi Samrata Upendra Bhanja,
Banamali Dasa,
Kabisurjya Baladeba Ratha,
Abhimanyu Samanta Singhara and Kabikalahansa
Gopalakrusna Pattanayaka. ==Features==