South Asia

SOUTH ASIAN COUNTRIES

Country Capital

Afghanistan Kabul

Bhutan Thimpu

Bangladesh Dhaka

India New Delhi

Maldives Male

Nepal Katmandu

Pakistan Islamabad

Sri Lanka Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

Colombo

MUSIC OF INDIA

Vedas (from véda, "knowledge") are a large

body of texts originating in ancient India.

Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts

constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature

and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism

MUSIC OF INDIA

The Rigveda (ṛc "praise, verse" and veda

"knowledge") is a sacred Indo-Aryan

collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns still

being used in India. It is counted among

the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of

Hinduism known as the Vedas.

MUSIC OF INDIASama Veda, Samveda, or Samaveda (from sāman "melody"

and veda "knowledge"), is the third of

the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu

scriptures, along with the Rig Veda,

Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda. It

ranks next in sanctity and liturgical

importance to the Rigveda.

MUSIC OF INDIA

The Rigveda (ṛc "praise, verse" and veda

"knowledge") is a sacred Indo-Aryan

collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns still

being used in India. It is counted among

the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of

Hinduism known as the Vedas.

MUSIC OF INDIAIndia is the largest country in South Asia.

Its music is as vast as its geographic

location and as large as its demographic

population. The music of India reflects

different aspects of Asian culture through

its timbre, rhythm, melody, texture, form,

and style. In general, Indian music remains

fundamental to the lives of the people of

India as a source of spiritual inspiration,

cultural expression, and entertainment.

VOCAL MUSIC

India's classical music tradition, includes

Carnatic and Hindustani music which have

developed over many centuries. Music of India

also includes several types of folk and popular

music. One aspect of vocal music uses

melismatic singing with nasal vocal quality,

when compared with the Philippine music which

uses melismatic singing is only used in chanting

epics and the pasyon.

VOCAL MUSIC

Singing based on a set of pitches was popular

even during the Vedic times. The Samagana

style of singing developed into a strong and

diverse tradition over several centuries,

becoming an established part of contemporary

tradition in India. The hymns in Sama Veda, a

sacred text, were sung as Samagana and not

chanted. Sama Veda is the third of the four

Vedas of Hinduism but ranks next to Rig Veda

(Rigveda) in terms of its sanctity and liturgical

importance.

VOCAL MUSIC

Rig Veda is also sung in the Samagana

traditional singing style. Because of its

liturgical importance, Rigveda is counted

as first among the four canonical sacred

texts of Hinduism known as Vedas. Rig

Veda is an ancient Indian sacred collection

of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. Some of its

verses are still recited as Hindu prayers at

religious functions and other occasions.

Characteristics of Traditional Music from

India:

1. Carnatic music refers to music from South India

directed to a Hindu god, which is why it is called

“temple music”

unlike Hindustani music, Carnatic music is unified

where schools are based on the same ragas, the

same solo instruments (veena, flute, violin) and the

same rhythm instrument (mridangam and ghatam)

music pieces are mainly set for the voice and with

lyrics

compositions called krti are devotional songs

2. Hindustani music goes back to Vedic period times around 1000 BC

ofurther developed in the 13th and 14th centuries

AD with Persian influences and from existing

religious and folk music

predominantly found in the northern and central

regions

oinfluenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions,

historical Vedic religion/Vedic philosophy, native

Indian sounds and enriched by the Persian

performance practices of the Mughal era

nasal singing is observed in their vocal music

in North India, the most common style of singing is

called khyal, a word which means imagination

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

There are many musical instruments in

India. Some instruments are used primarily

in North Indian music (Hindustani Sangeet)

while many other instruments are used in

South Indian music (Carnatic Sangeet).

Instrumental music is often similar to vocal

music but sometimes they have distinctive

instrumental styles. There are five known

traditional systems for classification of

instruments.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Classification of Musical Instruments from India:

1. Ghan – described as a non-

membranous percussive instrument

but with solid resonators. It is one of

the oldest classes of instrument in

India. It may also be a melodic

instrument or instruments to keep tal.

Ghatam is nothing

more than a large

clay pot. It is very

commonly played in

South Indian

classical performances. There are

two actions of resonance. The

primary one is the ringing of the

pot caused by striking.

A very low

resonance is

also produced by

the cavity. This

pitch is raised or

lowered by

opening or

closing the hole

with the

stomach.

Manjïrà (manjeera)

is a traditional

percussion

instrument of Bhàrata

India. In its simplest

form, it is a pair of

small hand cymbals.It

is also known as

manjeera, taal, jalra,

khartàl or kartàl.

Kartal are a pair

of wooden blocks or

frames with small

metal jingles

mounted in them.

They are simply

beaten together to provide a rhythmic

support to bhajans, kirtan, folk and

other light music.

The term

kartal is

also

applied to

wooden

claves

Nout (a.k.a.

Nuht), is a

small pot used

in Kashmir as a

percussion

instrument. It

may be thought

of as a north

Indian ghatam.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

2. Avanaddh - described

as a membranous percussive

instrument. This class of

instruments typically comprise

the drums.

Daf (dap) is a

large Persian

frame drum

used in popular

and classical

music. The frame is usually made of

hardwood with many metal ringlets

attached, and the membrane is

usually goatskin.

A man and a

woman

playing a Daf

instrument

Tabla (or tabl, tabla)

is a membranophone

percussion

instrument (similar to

bongos-Afro-Cuban/

Latin-American drum),

which is often used

in Hindustani

classical music. It is

used in Indian folk music and is a part of

Hindustani music art. bongos.

The instrument

consists of a pair of

hand drums of

contrasting sizes and

timbres. It appears

similarto their Afro-

Cuban/Latin-American

drum-based relatives

The right hand drum is called a tabla and

the left hand drum is called a dagga or

baya. It is claimed that the term tabla is

derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which

simply means "drum.

The dhol is a double-

sided barrel drum

played mostly as an

accompanying

instrument in regional

music forms. In

qawwali music, the term dhol is used to

describe a similar, but smaller drum used

with the smaller tabla, as a replacement for

the left hand tabla drum.

The dhol is played using

two wooden sticks, usually

made out of bamboo and

cane wood. The stick used

to play the bass side of the

instrument, known as the

dagga in Punjabi, is thick

(roughly about 10 mm in

diameter) and is bent in a

quarter-circular arc on the

end that strikes the

instrument. The other stick, known as tihli, is much

thinner and flexible and used to play the higher note end

of the instrument.

.

Someone who

plays the dhol is

known as dholi

special

expression of

face and frequent rotation of whole

body is associated with a particular

dholi to perform a realistic

performance

Mr ̥idangam

is a barrel shaped

double-ended

drum (the right

head being smaller

than the left). It is

played with both hands. It is the

primary rhythmic

accompaniment in a Carnatic music

and Newa music ensemble.

The word "Mridangam" is Sandhi

or union of the two Sanskrit

words mŗda (clay or earth) and

anga (body),

as early

Mridangam

were made of

hardened clay.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

3. Sushir -also known as

blown air. It is characterized by

the use of air to excite the

various resonators.

The bansuri is a

transverse flute of India

made from a single

hollow shaft of bamboo

with six or seven finger

holes. An ancient

musical instrument

associated with cowherds and the pastoral

tradition, it is intimately linked to the love story of

Krishna and Radha and is also depicted in

Buddhist paintings from around 100 CE.

The word bansuri originates in the Sanskrit bans[bamboo] + sur [melody]. There are two varieties

of bansuri: transverse, and fipple. The fipple flute

is usually played in folk music and is held at

the lips like a whistle. Because it enables superior

control,variations

and

embellishments,

the transverse

variety is

preferred in

Indian

classical music.

The shehnai, shahnai, shenai or mangal vadya, is a double reed oboe,

common in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Iran,

made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the

end. Its sound is thought to create and maintain a

sense of auspiciousness and sanctity and, as a

result, is widely used during marriages,

processions and in

temples although it

is also played in

concerts. Shenai is

similar to South

India's nadaswaram.

This tubular

instrument

gradually

broadens

towards the

lower end. It

usually has

between six and nine holes. It employs one

set of quadruple reeds, making it a

quadruple reed woodwind. By controlling

the breath, various tunes can be played on

it.

Shankha is a conch shell which is

of ritual and religious importance in

both Hinduism and Buddhism. The

shankha is the shell of a species of

large predatory sea snail, Turbinella

pyrum, which

lives in the

IndianOcean.

Shankha is a conch

shell.This instrument

has a strong

Association with the

Hindu religion. It is

said that when it is

blown it announces the

victory of good over

evil. This instrument

has limited musical

applications.

The surpeti,

also called swar

pethi, swar peti,

swarpeti, surpeti,

sur peti, sruti

box,or shruti box, is an Indian drone

instrument. It is a small box whose

only function is to provide the drone.

There are two, basic forms, one is

manual and the other is electronic.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

4. Tat -– referred to as vina

during the old civilization.

Instruments in this class are

plucked (stringed instruments).

Sitar is a plucked

Stringed instrument used

mainly in Hindustani

music and Indian classical

music. A sitar can have

18, 19 or 20 strings. Six or

seven of these are played

strings which run over curved, raised frets, and

the remainder are sympathetic strings (tarb, also

known as taarif or tarafdaar) which run

underneath the frets and resonate in sympathy

with the played strings.

The instrument is

believed to have been

derived from the

veena, an ancient

Indian instrument,

which was modified by

a Mughal court musician

to conform with the

tastes of his Persian

patrons and named after a Persian

instrument called the Setar (meaning

"three strings").

Ektara (literally "one-

string", also called iktar,ektar,

yaktaro gopichand)

is a one-string

instrument most

often used in

Traditional music

from Bangladesh,

India, Egypt, and

Pakistan.

In origin the ektara was

a regular string

instrument of wandering

bards and minstrels

from India and is

plucked with one finger.

The ektara is a drone

lute consisting of a gourd resonator

covered with skin, through which a

bamboo neck is inserted.

The chitravina

(also known as chitra

veena,chitraveena,

chitra vina,hanumad

vina, or mahanataka

vina, is a 20 or 21-

string fretless lute in Carnatic music. Around

the late 1800s and early 1900s, it started to

be known by another name, Gotuvadyam

(often mis-spelt as gottuvadyam,

gottuvadhyam, kottuvadyam etc.)

According to ancient classification of Indian stringed instruments, Gottuvadyam is also one

type of veena. Though both of them have

resemblance, Gottuvadyam (Chitra veena) is

unfretted, where as Veena is fretted. Veena has

got only seven strings, where as Gottuvadyam

has nine main strings and twelve sympathetic

strings. It is more difficult

to gain mastery over this

instrument, yet capable

of bringing out finer

nuances if played by

expert hands

Veena is a classical

Hindu Lute belonging to

the family of string

musical instruments. It

is an ancient musical

instrument which is said to have been

invented by Narada, one of the seven great

rishis, who was also a Veena maestro.

The Veena is a plucked string

instrument, four feet long, carved and with a

hollowed structure made of wood, generally,

jackwood.

Rubab, robab or rabab is a lute-like

musical instrument originating from central

Afghanistan.It derives its name from the

Arab rebab which means "played with a

bow" but in Central Asia the instrument is

plucked and is distinctly different in

construction.

Rabab is a national

music instrument

of Afghanistan.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

5. Vitat – described as bowed

stringed instruments. This is of the

oldest classifications of

instruments and yet did not

occupy a place in classical Indian

music until the last few centuries.

Sārangī is a

bowed, short-

necked string

instrument from

South Asia which

is used in Hindustani

classical music. It is

said to most resemble

the sound of the human voice – able to

imitate vocal ornaments such as gamaks

(shakes) and meends (sliding movements).

Chikara is a bowed stringed musical

instrument from Bengal, India used to play

indian folk music. The chikara is a simple

spike fiddle played,similarly to the sarangi

or saringda, by sliding fingernails on the

strings rather than pressing them to touch

the fingerboard.It has 3 strings, two horse

hair and one

steel

Esraj (also called

the Indian harp) is

a string instrument

found in two forms

throughout the

north,central, and

east regions of India. It is a young

instrument by Indian terms, being only about 200 years old. The dilruba is found

in the north, where it is used in religious

music and light classical songs in the urban

areas.

Esraj is a combination

between saringda and

sitar. The base of the

instrument is like

saringda while the neck

and strings are like

sitar. It gives a sound

very much like sarangi without being as difficult

to play. This instrument is often confused with

dilruba. Both have a similar construction and

technique. The approach to tuning is somewhat

similar to the sitar. The esraj is popular in the

Bengal area of India.

Banam is a class of folk

fiddles found among the

Santal people of North East India

and

Bangladesh.

The importance

of the banam to

the Santals is

well

represented by

the artwork on

the instruments.

TALA

Rhythm plays an important role in Indian

music. It is fundamental to the creation of

any musical system. Certainly, from a

historical stand point, rhythm existed many

centuries ago before the word “rag” was

ever used. Given this historical pre-

eminence, it is not surprising that rhythm

occupies an important position in the

Indian system of music.

Tala - literally meaning ‘clap;’ variously

transliterated as “tal”, “taal” or “taala”

- is a regular, repeating rhythmic phrase,

particularly as rendered on a

percussive instrument with an ebb and

flow of various intonations

represented as a ''theka''

- is the common Indian system of rhythm

The basic concepts of tal are:

Tali is the pattern of clapping. Each tal is characterized

by a particular pattern and number of claps.

Khali is the wave of the hands. These have a

characteristic relationship to the claps.

Vibhag is the measure. Each clap or wave specifies a

particular section or measure. These measures may be

of any number of beats, yet most commonly 2, 3, 4, or 5

beats are used.

Matra is the beat. It may be subdivided if required.

Bol is the mnemonic system where each stroke of the drum has a

syllable attached to it. These syllables are known as bol. It is

common to consider the bol to be synonymous to the stroke itself.

Theka is a conventionally established pattern of bols and vibhag

(tali, khali) which define the tal.

Laya is the tempo. The tempo may be either slow (vilambit),

medium (madhya), or fast (drut). Additionally ultra-slow may be

referred to as ati-vilambit or ultra-fast may be referred to as ati-

drut.

Sam is the biginning of the cycle. The first beat of any cycle is

usually stressed.

Avartan is the basic cycle.

Hindustani talas

Beats Division Vibhaga

Tintal (or Trital or Teental)

16 4+4+4+4 X 2 0 3

Jhoomra 14 3+4+3+4 X 2 0 3

Tilwada 16 4+4+4+4 X 2 0 3

Dhamar 14 5+2+3+4 X 2 0 3

Ektal and Chautal 12 2+2+2+2+2+2 X 0 2 0 3 4

Jhaptal 10 2+3+2+3 X 2 0 3

Keherwa 8 4+4 X 0

Rupak (Mughlai/Roopak)

7 3+2+2 X 2 3

Dadra 6 3+3 X 0

Theka - a sequence of drum-

syllables or ''bol''

- in Indian classical music, both

Hindustani classical music and

Carnatic music use complex

rules to create elaborate patterns

of rhythm

Tabla - most common instrument

for keeping rhythm in Hindustani

music

Mridangam - most common

instrument for keeping rhythm in

Carnatic music

- also transliterated as “mridang”