No. 25)Going classical for a change... Review on Tips on Hindustani Classical Music in General

I am not sure how many people are going to bother reading this review since there are very few takers for classical music nowadays. Most people either deal with it as boring, or conveniently claim it is beyond their comprehension. I am not claiming that I have any grip in this genre of music, but having played the sarod for about a decade, I have some insight into this wonderful legacy, and thus I want to do my bit in spreading awareness about a cultural aspect of India that is unfortunately, fast losing interest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Indian Classical Music has originated since the ages of the Vedas, thus making it one of the oldest known art-forms in history. There are two traditions of Classical Music in India - The North Indian(Hindustani) and the South Indian(carnatic). There have been numerous gharanas or schools of Indian Music as well.

A combination of three kinds - vocal, instrumental and dance are the three expressive forms of Indian classical music.

The pillars of classical music are on raga or scale(well it's more complicated, but we can assume so for simplicity...its actually a seven/lesser note combination...) and tal or rhythm.

There are several scales in Western Music and hence Eastern Classical Music has many ragas as well, and many are sub-divisions to a major raga. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa is called a ''shuddha'' saptak(seven notes), ie all the notes are unchanged and original. A note can become flat or sharp, ie komal or kadi, making all the difference between two ragas.

As for taal, the most simple or common forms are teental, a 16 beat rhythm, and the jhaaptal which is a 10-beat cycle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vocal Aspect

There is a strong influence in the vocal tradition of Indian Music. Some outstanding classical vocalists of India are Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Amir Khan, D.V. Paluskar, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, to name a handful.

The oldest forms of vocal music in India is the Dhrupad. Most vocal forms of classical music are devotional in nature. Some of them have a religious message, such as the Kirtan of Hindus, the Qawali for Muslims, and the Shabad for Sikhs. The modern side of vocal music is presented throughGhazals, Kheyal, Thumri and Tappa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Instrumental Aspect

The instrumental portion of classical music is very old as well, and there have been several improvements and innovations in the instruments over the years. The oldest classical instrument is the rabab, a primitive stringed instrument.

The instruments are closely linked to the vocal form in the sense that the raga retains the same form, and the different instruments express the raga in their unique styles. For example, while the sitar has more flair, the sarod is more subtle.

When a raga is played on a stringed instrument, it is usually divided into four major sections. The alaap, a slow rhythmless indication of things to follow(the painter sketches a rough version of a human being), the jor, a phase which connects the alaap to the main portion of the raga(he adds the limbs and gives it a gender), the gat is the development and expression of the raga(he draws the muscle and clothing) and the jhala, a fast interplay between the main strings and the accompanying jhaankar strings which leads to the climax and the final touches of the raga.(here the expressions and unique postures are finalized).

Ustad Alla Rakkha(tabla), Ustad Allaudin Khan(sarod), Ustad Bismillah Khan(shehnai), Pt. Ravishankar(sitar), Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan(both sarodists) are the some of the most popular instrumentalists of Indian Classical Music.

Some major ragas are

Bilawal - All the notes are shuddha. A simple but classy raga.

Bhairav - Morning Raga. Has a mellow feel, very expressive. The famous Lata song jaago Mohan Pyare is a Bhairavi raga.

Shree - A haunting raga which brings out deep emotion.

Malkauns - Intricate raga having a devotional attire.

Khamaj - Sober emotions are expressed through this raga.

Malhar - As a tribute to the weather...perfect for a rainy afternoon.

Des - Seductive and alluring. The original rendition of Vande Mataram is composed in this beautiful raga.

Dance Form

The visual aspect of classical music is portrayed through the dance form. Needless to say, this is an extremely old culture as well. The visual and rhythmic sensations of music are richly explored in this field.

Unfortunately, I have very little knowledge in this field and so will refrain from mentioning the obvious dance forms that everyone is aware of.

• Looking back on the review, I don't think I have been able to do complete justice to the depth in Indian Classical Music since my knowledge is very much limited to the instrumental form. However, it was an honest effort without research, so I had to dwell upon what little I know.

Hope it will be an enjoyable and informative read.