Chandrashekhar H. Mendole

INDIAN ART MUSIC

A raga or raaga (IAST: rāga; also raagor ragam ; literally "coloring, tingeing, dyeing") is akin to a melodic mode in Indian classical music. ... Hundreds

of raga are recognized in the classical Indian tradition, of which about 30 are

common.

M U S I C …

Raag Marwa (hexatonic)

Raag Marwa is sung during the late afternoon hours up to

sunset. It is one of the major ragas in Hindustani classical

music and is sung widely and taken very seriously. One of the

interesting things about Raag Marwa is that it de-emphasizes

the root note "sa." Probably because of this, it is a somewhat

unsettling raga, and mainly evokes dark moods of foreboding

and anxiety. It can also portray compassion or resignation in

the face of some inner struggle.

M U S I CRAAG MARWA

.

MUSICAL GENRES IN PRESENT DAY INDIA

ART

(“CLASSICAL”)

SOUTH

INDIAN

(“CARNATIC”)

NON - ART

(“LIGHT/POPULAR”)

TRIBAL

FOLK

N O R T H

I N D I A N

(“HINDUSTANI”)

PROVINCIALCINEMA

MUSIC

THEATRE

MUSIC

NON-INDIAN

IMPORTS

RELIGIOUS

OR

PHILOSOPHIC

♣ Has religious/philosophic roots

♣ Has a highly formalised grammar,

dictated by textual as well as oral tradition

♣ Has different genres

(Vocal – Alap, Dhrupad/Dhamar,

Khayal, Sadra, Thumri, Bhajan, Geet etc

Instrumental – Alap, Masidkhani,

Rajakhani, Firozkhani, Amirkhani Gat etc)

♣ Has different styles (called Geeti, Bani or

Baaj)

♣ Has regional schools of presentation

(currently called Gharanas)

♣ Has regional variations in choice of

Ragas, Talas, etc.

“INDUSTRIAL”

Raag Bhairav (heptatonic)

Bhairav is another very important raga in the Hindustani classical tradition.

It is a morning raga, and solemn peacefulness is its ideal mood. It is very

easy, however, for this scale to deteriorate from majestically peaceful to

pathetically melodramatic, and artists must watch out for that. I think it was

Pundit Vilayat Khan who once described Raag Bhairav as the music in the

mind of Lord Shiva as he meditated in the Himalayas. That made an

impression on me. Picture Shiva-the-terrible, absorbed in the deepest

meditation in a dark cave in the Himalayas. Everything is still, except for the

occasional dripping of a stalagtite. Then dawn breaks and the first rays of

sunlight penetrate into the cave. Imagine the music in the mind of this man

of terrifying passions at that time in his state of perfect peacefulness. And

that, to me, is what Raag Bhairav should be

RAAG BHAIRAV

8. Sa – Shadja – Do – Tonic

7. Ni – Nishada – Si/Ti – Leading Note

♭7. Ni – Komala Nishada

6. Dha – Dhaivata – Lah – Submediant

♭ 6. Dha – Komala Dhaivata

5. Pa – Panchama – Soh – Dominant

# 4. Ma’ – Tivra/Kari Madhyama

4. Ma – Madhyama – Fah – Subdominant

3. Ga – Gandhara – Mi – Mediant

♭ 3. Ga – Komala Gandhara

2. Re – R’shabha – Re – Supertonic

♭ 2. Re – Komala R’shabha

1. Sa – Shadja – Do – Tonic

THE GAMUT OF NOTES

Static Note –

Unembellished tones:

Used for teaching or

analysing musical

phenomena but not

(except but rarely) in

performance

Ornamented Note –

Tones embellished by

different types of

ornaments, such as

Meend, Soot, Andolan,

Gamak, Krintan, etc. :

Used in performance

SOUND IN INDIAN ART MUSIC

⋆ Andolan – “oscillation” on a note

⋆ Gamak – fast Andolan. Gamak may range from the heavy and

guttural to the light and almost superficial. Again, Gamak may be of

varying speeds

⋆ Sparsha Svara, Kan or Krintan – grace note (acciaccatura)

⋆ Meend – glissando

⋆ Soot or Aansh – fast Meend from one note to another distant note

⋆ Mürki – akin to mordent

⋆ Khatka – akin to turn

⋆ Kampan – vibrato

ORNAMENTS (“ALANKAR”)

Melody – notes sounded successively

Harmony – notes sounded simultaneously

Rhythm – pulses in time

Dynamics – intensity (volume)

Timbre – tone colour

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

Melodic Organisation:

According to the

principles codified by

the system of

- RAGAs

- TALAs and

- performance practice

Harmonic organisation:

Against a fixed system

of static notes sounded

continuously but softly

in the background

and

in unintended

counterpoint, from an

imitating accompanist

ORGANISING NOTES

a melodic concept capable of intense emotional

communication and comprising:

-a given set of notes, ascending and descending

- characteristic microtones

- characteristic phrases

-relative importance of the notes

- characteristic ornaments or lack thereof

-the general speed to be adopted

-the register to be used (low or high pitch)

- an accepted time of performance

R A G A

ORGANISING TIME – TEMPO (LAYA, GATI)

Tempo (Laya)

Slow

(Vilambita)

Very Slow

(Ati

Vilambita)

Slow

(Vilambita)

Medium

Slow

(Maddhya

Vilambita)

Very Fast

(Ati

Druta)

Fast

(Druta)

Medium

Fast

(Maddhya

Druta)

Medium

(Maddhya)

Fast

(Druta)

“Cyclic”

(Tala-Yukta)

“Linear”

(Tala-Heena)

T A L A

Tala → the cyclic organisation of periodic beats (Matra) = an endlessly repeated series of ordered rhythmic syllables in time

Rhythmic syllables → Names of sounds on percussion instruments (Dha, Na, Dhin, Tin, Thum, Kat, Tita, Tirakita, Ghe, Dhita, etc.)

A Tala has:

Cycles – each cycle is called an “Avartana”

Divisions into bars, which may be equal or unequal

Accent points, which may be “beaten” (“Tali”) or “unbeaten” (“Khali”)

A primary accent point (“Sama”) – the point of rhythmic resolution

A vocal enunciation of the ordered rhythmic syllables in an Avartana, called “Theka”

TALA MATRATHEKA

Kaharva 4 Dhage Nati Naka Dhin | |

Dadra 6 Dha Tin Na | Ta Dhin Na | |

Roopak 7 Tin Tin Na | Dhin Na | Dhin Na | |

Jhaptal 10 Dhin Na | Dhin Dhin Na | Tin Na | Dhin Dhin Na | |

Ektal 12 Dhin Dhin | Dhage Tite | Thum Na | Kat Ta | Dhage Tite | Dhin Dha | |

Jhoomra 14 Dha –Dha Tirakita | Dhin Dhin Dhage Tirakita | Ta –Ta Tirakita | Dhin Dhin

Dhage Tirakita | |

Deepchandi 14 Dha Dhin - | Dha Dha Dhin - | Na Tin - | Dha Dha Dhin - | |

Adachoutal 14 Dhin Tite | Dhin Na | Thum Na | Kat Ta | Tite Dhin | Na Dhin | Dhin Na | |

Trital 16 Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Tita Dhin Dhin Dha

| |

… and many more, including fractional Matras (e.g. Jhampak Tala of 8½ Matras)

↠ Dügün – double speed

↠Tigün – triple speed

↠Choügün – quadruple speed

↠Panch, Chhey, Sat, Ath, Naü, etc gün – respectively 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 etc times

the original speed

↠Aad – 3/2 times the original speed

↠Aad ka Ülta – 2/3 times the original speed

↠Küad – two viewpoints: 5/4 or 9/4 times the original speed

↠Küad ka Ülta – 4/5 or 4/9 times the original speed

↠Biyad – there are several varieties of this: 7/4 or 27/8 (“Küad of Aad” =

9/4 of 3/2) times the original speed, etc.

↠Biyad ka Ülta – 4/7 or 8/27 times the original speed

↠Paun – 3/4 times the original speed

↠Paun ka Ülta – 4/3 times the original speed

RHYTHMIC IMPROVISATION (“LAYAKARI”)

PERFORMANCE PRACTICE

HindustaniRecital

Vocal

“Classical”

Dhrupad &Dhamar

Khayal

Tarana

“Light-Classical”

Thumri

Bhajan

Ghazal

Instrumental

PercussionMelodic

Instrument

“Classical”

Gayaki Ang

Dhrupad Ang

Khayal Ang

Tantrakari

“Light-Classical”

Dhun

※ Auchār-Ālāp

※ Vilambit (Bada) Khayāl

- Vistār (Badhat) ⇨ Sthāyi, Antarā

- Behlāvā

- Tān

※ Drut (Chhotā) Khayāl

⇨ developed similarly as above

KHAYAL RECITAL