Understanding Indian Classical Music: Instruments, Melodies, and Traditions

1. Chapter Seven Instrumental Melody

2. Melodic Styles • Vocal Melody Usually conjunct Motion Limited range • Instrumental Melody Often disjunct motion “Idiomatic” writing (for specific instruments) Wider ranges than vocal

3. Music of India • Great Tradition • Spread Extensively Throughout India • Common Musical Language Among People • Little Tradition • Limited Geographical Region • Folk and Religious Music

4. Great TraditionDistinctive Musical Instruments • Primary Role • Melodic-- Sitar • Secondary Roles • Rhythmic-- Tabla • Drone-- Tambura

5. Formal Process • Improvistory Organization • Melodic Formula • Raga • Rhythmic Formula • Tala • (Tal)

6. Instrument Classification According toNatya Shastra • Tata (Chordophones) • Avanaddha (Membranophones) • Ghana (Idiophones) • Susira (Aerophones)

7. Western Instrumental Classification • Indian system adapted by Hornbostel and Sachs in 1914. • Aerophones(column of air) • Idiophones(struck) • Membranophones(struck) • Chordophones(plucked or bowed)

8. Northern Indian Instruments • Sitar––plucked stringed instrument which plays the melody

9. Northern Indian Instruments • Tambura–– (also called “tanpura) is a plucked stringed instrument and plays the drone Same clip as previous slide—listen for continuous drone note beneath sitar.)

10. Northern Indian Instruments Tabla––(tabla and baya)––pitched percussion instruments

11. Northern Indian Classical Music Terms for Musical Elements • Raga––melodic formulae providing basis for improvisation • Tala (tal)––rhythmic formulae that increases in complexity as the piece is played

12. Standard Raga Format • Continuous Form Music • Alap –– Opening, unmeasured section––raga pitches introduced • Jor –– Section where a feeling of pulse (beat) is established • Gat –– Section where tabla enters with the tala

13. Other Indian Instruments Santur Bansuri

14. Other Indian Instruments Sarangi

15. The Harmonium • The instrument has 42 keys, corresponding to the tuning of Western music. The musician sits on the floor and plays it with the right hand while the left hand activates the bellows. This instrument poses some problem in Indian classical music, as its temper is equal, and does not match the unequal temper of Indian ragas. Therefore, it sounds “friendlier” to Western ears. This piece, “Mishra Pahadi,” follows a raga form with the tabla entering at the gat. The harmonium is accompanied by a santur.

16. Ravi Shankar • Performance Career • Studied 7 years with “Baba” Allauddin Kahn in traditional guru-shishya • Performed with dance troupe in Paris, age 10 • Performances on All-India Radio, 1939-1940 • Began to perform Indian music abroad, 1952