Northern Indian classical music is one of the oldest forms of music to exist on this planet. North Indian classical music has such a history that it is said to have been dated back to the Vedas, which are the ancient scripts of the Hindus. It is much more than a form of entertainment; it is a defining element of Indian culture. Northern Indian music is based on sang eet, a combination of three traditional forms, including: vocal music, instrumental music, and dance. Each of these forms has developed into distinctive art forms. There are two main genres within Northern Indian Classical music, dhrupad and khayal.
Dhrupad is the older of the two genres, and then there is khayal the contemporary genre, which is more popular presently. Acting as a foundation for both of these genres are two different musical entities, melody and rhythm. Melody in Northern Indian Classical music is primarily the silence of sound and how the artist or performer manipulates the space to create the art form. Melody is also embedded in the system called raga.
There is also a rhythmic foundation that is found in tala. The raga system exemplifies musical moods which frame the time of year and day which are then outputted by the musical performer. The raga has many defining characteristics, it has to be based on ascending and descending formations of no less than five notes, the nature of each note must be definitive, the composition must have characterizing parts, the ascending and descending formation must also be definitive, and there must be an order within the notes themselves. The product of this framework allows for an easy realization of the melody within the piece of music. In an actual raga performance there are three main parts, A lap which is the first movement and is the most difficult to play because there is no existent time or rhythm. Then there is the second movement Jor which has an implied rhythm which provides a tempo but no particular meter.
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Typically there is a transition between the end of Jor into Jhala which is the third movement. Jhala is usually played with stringed instruments and provides a climax for the first part of the raga. The raga provides a structure for the melody, whereas the tala provides a structure for the rhythm. The bol is the main foundation for the tala. These bols are usually represented by hits on the tabla a common percussion instrument. There are many different combinations of tabla bowls the most common being Dha, Dhi/Dh in, Ti/Tin, Ra, Ki, Ta, Na, Tin, and Te.
When bols are arranged and played they make up the kas. Each bol takes up a quarter of a beat in a the ka, somewhat similar to a beat in a measure. When raga and tala are combined they lay a strong foundation for Indian music. With the dying out of the utilization of dhrupad, khayal has become increasingly popular and is now called the standard vocal style for Indian classical music.
The specific denotation of the word khayal is imagination. Khayal is centuries old, first displayed to Moghul emperors as a change from the dhrupad style. However, it is said to have originated by with Amir Khusru who lived from 1251 to 1326. He was known as a well known musician and poet who fused Perso-Arabic and Indian musical systems. Due to his origination in this fusion many thought he responsible for the birth of khayal. Yet others believe that Khayal was not discovered, but was an evolutionary process throughout the existence of Northern Classical Indian music.
Within the past fifty years the form has changed greatly and its defining characteristic of innovation still remains prominent. Sticking true to its root word imagination Khayal singers are praised not for following in the foot steps of their teachers but in the presence of their own innovation. Most of the language used is taken from Hindu and Muslim and is put in the form of poetic expression, usually emphasizing romantic and devotional themes. The amazing thing about khayal is that it does not stress the importance of using actual words within languages, but finds its passion in the actual phrasing and syncopation of the words.
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There are two main movements in the style of khayal, the slower section vilambit, and a faster section called drut. The vilambit section is characterized by its slowness and is usually played in a meter of twelve beats. The fast section on the other hand is played in drut t inal. In a performance of Khayal there are typically longer a laps, and a large amount of improvisation accomplished by the metrical singing. When compared with dhrupad, khayal possesses more personal in notations within the music by the artist himself. Khayal performances start with the vilambit section played very slowly and rhythmic.
Every beat within the rhythm is accented by the strokes on the tabla, which allows for the singer to keep time while improvising. After the vilambit is played there is a transition to a faster, more up beat rhythm. As the singer switches from slow to fast the skill and technical abilities of the singer is conveyed through his command over the rhythm he is singing over. Since Khayal is a very contemporary and popular vocal art form in Northern Indian Music there are many prominent artists. One of which is Bhimsen Joshi, one of the most prolific Hinduistic singers today. He started recording in the 1950’s and now has well over thirty cd’s with his voice on them.
He is known as an inspirational leader to many young musicians in India. One of his most popular songs is called Raga Bha irvin, which was written in the later part of this century. As the song starts the beginning vilambit section is clearly recognizable, because of the slow pace of the music. Joshi uses all of his talent to prolong the essence of the note. Then midway through the raga, an underlying beat comes in, discreetly played on a tabla. As the tabla begins to pick up the vocals start to be improvised.
The expression within his voice is fabulous, showing the control of his range. A catch phrase or chorus is heard throughout the piece which is evident through the middle. As a transition to the ending, the instruments, mainly the sitar, emulates Joshi’s vocal style. As the end approaches, the rhythm definitely picks up, and there is climaxing within the music and his vocal styling. North Indian classical music is much more than an entertainment medium, it serves the purpose of solidifying Indian culture. When I listen to Indian classical music I can not help but feel entranced but the soothing vocals and the hypnotizing percussion, which allow me to relax.
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I have to respect this type of music so much because it is so different from what I am used to hearing, growing up in a generation that is surrounded and engulfed in only popular music it is hard to respect any new artist in popular culture. Further, in American culture many of the musical acts are based many on superficial value, whereas in Indian classical music, the music itself is given the highest respect. As an instrument player myself I also respect the closeness the musician has with the music he is playing. As the musician is playing he has to develop his own characteristics within the music itself, developing a melody as he progresses. Even though Indian classical music is vastly different from that of western music, the music which I was brought up upon, I still hold a very high admiration for it. Why I appreciate it so much is that it holds improvisation to the highest extent, and that’s what I think music should be, an expression of the soul not just reading notes from paper.
Now that I have learned the fundamentals of Northern Indian classical music, I feel that I can grasp a full appreciation and respect for the art form.
