Category: Music Related

What is a Raga?

It is believed that the great sage Bharat invented the musical scale and divided the same into 22 divisions (Shrutis), some time between years 200 B.C. to 500 A.D. i.e., about 1500 years ago.  It is also believed that based on this scale, the raga system was conceived somewhere around 500 A.D. i.e. about 1500… Continue reading What is a Raga?

The Sitar and its Evolution

INTRODUCTION: Art is the spark that flies from the contact of the individual soul with the universal soul of nature. Art is Man added to Nature. It is something that reaches the innermost depths of the human being. A human being when he is stirred to the core, expresses himself by no other means but… Continue reading The Sitar and its Evolution

Synopsis – Raag as a Vehicle of Improvisation

  RAAG DEFINITION (6 Dimensions) Selection Combination Emphasis Emotional content Individual character Universal acceptance   WHAT IS IMPROVISATION (2 Aspects)   PHYSICAL ASPECT Treatment of individual note Formation of musical phrases Speed (laya) Emphasise Development of melodic centres   EMOTIONAL ASPECT Subjectivity The element of Raas Purity of notes   TECHNIQUE OF IMPROVISATION   DEEP… Continue reading Synopsis – Raag as a Vehicle of Improvisation

Programming and the Audience

INTRODUCTION The subject Programming and the Audience concerns itself at a fundamental level with the idea of a “concert as a happening”.  This idea describes the ideal end product of performed music characterized by a total sharing of the mood of the music between the performer and his audiences.  There is a mysterious or magical… Continue reading Programming and the Audience

Past and Present

PAST PRESENT 1 Clarity Sharper Mellow, dignified 2. Tone  Outgoing-lower Pancham  still used Introspective  Gandhar string introduced 3. Temperament  Sense of hurry More relaxed and involved 4. Maturity  Youthful eagerness  Experienced ease and depth 5. Creativity Beginning of search for new vistas (Bhatiali) other light classical forms Developed a new style ‘Gayaki Ang’ completely interwoven… Continue reading Past and Present

Origin of the Sitar

The Sitar is one of the most versatile and popular instruments in Hindustani music. Over the period of its evolution, it has become a very mature instrument, capable of expressing the raga form completely without any loss of the finest shade of the emotional expression. There are several theories regarding its origin.    The Sitar… Continue reading Origin of the Sitar

Indian Music – The Present Scenario

SLIDE 1 – INDIAN MUSIC – TODAY SLIDE 2 – STRUCTURE OF THE SPEECH   Introduction Traditional Indian music has very ancient roots. With an organized and structured beginning in the pre-vedic period i.e.. prior to 3000 B.C., the stream of evolution of music had an even flow through the centuries. In the process, it… Continue reading Indian Music – The Present Scenario

History of Indian Music

To be able to understand the intricacies of any musical system, it is essential to understand the people and their civilization as a preliminary exercise.  In other words, it would be useful to have a background of the people and their Civilization whose music we are to study and understand. I would like to refer… Continue reading History of Indian Music

Element of Improvisation in Indian Music

With the genius of Indian Music having evolved the Raga system, it is useful to discuss how the Indian Musician expresses himself within the framework of a particular Raga through the method of improvisation. We shall attempt to analyse the different aspects of this element of improvisation in Indian Music which would include sections on… Continue reading Element of Improvisation in Indian Music

Bandish on the instruments

The bandish, or composition, has been aptly described as the mainstay or the backbone of any classical music performance, be it vocal or instrumental. Though my subject should confine itself to Bandish or gat-compositions on instruments, it is necessary to refer to the importance and practical as well as aesthetic dimensions of the Bandish in… Continue reading Bandish on the instruments