Hindustani classical music

Hindustani classical music, also called North Indian classical music or Shastriya Sangeet, is the classical music from the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. It is played on beautiful instruments such as the veena, sitar, and sarod.

This style of music began to form in the 12th century, separating from Carnatic music, the classical tradition from southern India.

Hindustani music often uses songs written in many languages, including Sanskrit, Hindustani (a mix of Hindi and Urdu), and others. Learning this music is usually done through special schools known as gharana, where students study under expert teachers.

This type of music is very important to the culture of North India and is enjoyed all over India and around the world. Famous musicians like Ustad Bismillah Khan, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, and Ravi Shankar have received India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, for their work in Hindustani classical music.

History

Around the 12th century, Hindustani classical music developed separately from Carnatic classical music. Both styles use a melodic musical mode called a raga, sung to a rhythmic cycle known as a tala. These melodies are performed without harmony.

Important texts like the Natya Shastra and Dattilam helped shape these musical rules. Later, Persian influences, especially from Sufi composers like Amir Khusro, mixed with local traditions. Famous musicians such as Tansen brought new ideas during the Mughal era.

In the 1900s, Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande organized Hindustani music into groups based on notes. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar started schools to teach music to everyone. These efforts helped Hindustani classical music reach more people beyond royal courts.

Characteristics

Indian classical music uses seven basic notes with five extra notes in between, making a 12-note scale. Unlike the 12-note scale in Western music, the starting note can change, and the spaces between notes can also vary.

A performance follows a special pattern called a raga. A raga has specific ways to go up and down the notes, important notes, and special phrases.

Ragas can come from many places, like religious songs, folk music, or music from other countries. For example, the raga Khamaj came from folk music, while ragas like Hijaz started from music in Persia.

Principles of Hindustani music

The Natya Shastra is an old book about music. It says there are two kinds of sound: one we can hear and one we cannot. The sound we cannot hear is the base of everything.

Hindustani music uses seven main notes, like steps in a scale. These notes are split into low, middle, and high ranges. Music follows rhythm patterns called tala and tune patterns called ragas. Ragas are grouped into families called thaats.

Musicians use a system called Sargam, like a do-re-mi scale, to name the notes. These notes can change a little to create different feelings. A Hindustani music performance has two parts: a free-flowing part called an alap, and a fixed melody called a bandish or Gat, played with rhythm by instruments like the tabla. There are slow, medium, and fast versions of these melodies. Hindustani music is mainly for singing, and many instruments try to sound like a human voice.

Types of compositions

The major vocal styles in Hindustani classical music include dhrupad, khyal, and tarana. There are also lighter forms like dhamar, chaiti, kajari, tappa, thumri, dadra, ghazal, and bhajan. These lighter forms are more relaxed.

Dhrupad is an older style of singing usually performed by men. It uses instruments like the tambura and pakhawaj. Khyal is a newer style that is very popular. Tarana are fast songs that create a happy mood. Thumri focuses on storytelling. Ghazal is a poetic form that explores feelings of love.

Instruments

Hindustani music is mostly known for singing, but it also uses many instruments. Today, many people enjoy listening to instruments more than singing, especially outside South Asia, because the music can be faster and easier to understand without words.

Some of the most famous instruments are the veena, sitar, and sarod. The tambura helps set the background sound for other instruments. Other popular instruments include the sarangi, violin, bansuri, shehnai, harmonium, tabla, and pakhavaj. There are also less common instruments like the surbahar, sursringar, santoor, and different kinds of slide guitar.

Festivals

Some important music festivals for Hindustani classical music began in the late 1800s. One of the first was the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan, started in 1875 in Jallandhar. Other well-known festivals include the Sankatmochan Sangeet Samarth in Varanasi, the Dover Lane Music Conference which began in 1952 in Kolkata, and the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival that started in 1953 in Pune. There are also events like the ITC SRA Sangeet Sammelan from the 1970s and SPIC MACAY since 1977.