MUSIC OF INDIA

• Region of world: South Asia• 2nd most populous country in world (2007: 1.12

billion)• Birthplace of 4 major religions (Hinduism,

Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism)• Official languages: Hindi, English and 21 other

languages• Was British colony until independence in 1947• Over 5,000 years of recorded history• Largest film industry in the world; great source of

popular music

India at a glance

Indian Music

• Carnatic vs. Hindustani classical traditions

(music and dance)

• Raga and Tala

• Improvisation and Composition

Indian InstrumentsSITAR

SAROD

TAMBURA

Indian Instruments

MRIDANGAM

TABLA

Indian Classical Ensemble

RAGA

• Series of pitches• Rules for ornamentation• Rules for ascending• Rules for descending• Associated with mood, time of day and

– North India 200 ragas– South India 72 main, several secondary

Raga Basant

TALA

• Fixed metrical cycle consisting of shorter units, often of unequal length

• Basis for improvisation for soloist and drummer

• Hindustani audience participates by clapping tala

TALA EXAMPLES

Ata tala 5 + 5 + 2 + 2 = 14 beats

1 2 3 4 5 /6 7 8 9 10/11 12 /13 14//Clap * * * * Clap * * * * Clap Wave Clap Wave

Tintal: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 16

Clap 2 3 4/ clap 2 3 4 /wave 2 3 4 /clap 2 3 4

Indian Music Theory

• 5th cent. BC – earliest treatises on music theory

• Concerned SAMA VEDA (arrangements of the Rig Veda poems set to music)

• Theorists divided the octave into 22 intervals, including the 12 Western intervals plus additional inflections up or down

The Kriti

• Most well known form of Carnatic music• Originally vocal with religious texts• Modern kriti repertoire composed in 18th-19th

cents.

Saint Tyagaraja (1757-1847)

Kriti Structure• Alapana (improvised opening, introduces

the raga)• 3 sections (no breaks):

– Pallavi: opening section and “refrain”– Anupallavi: introduces secondary theme,

moves towards climax– Caranam: final section (may be relaxed or

may be virtuosic restatement of previous material)

“Banturiti” by Tyagaraja

• Voice, violin, mridingam• Raga: Hamsanadam (c e f# g b)• Adi Tala (4 + 2 + 2)

• Clap 2 3 4 / clap wave /clap wave

“Devi Niye Tunai” by Papanasam Sivan (20th cent.)

• Voice, mridangam• Raga: Keervani• Tala: Adi Tala (4 + 2 + 2)• To the goddess Devi (with the fish-

shaped/always open eyes). Text is in Tamil language.

Kriti: “Devi Niye Tunai”

• (Pallavi) devi neeye tunai ten madurai vaazh meena lochani

• (Anupallavi) devaati devan sundaresan cittam kavar bhuvana sundari-amba)

• (Repeaat pallavi)• (Caranam) malayadhvajan maadavame

kaancana maalai pudalvi mahaaraagjni alaimahal kalaimahal pani keervaani amudanaya iniya muttamizh valartta

• (Repeat pallavi)

“Sarasiruha”

Pallavi: “O Mother who loves the lotus seat,”Anupallavi: “Save me who have taken refuge in you!”Charanam: “Complete Being, who holds a book in her hand which bestows all dominion.”

“Sarasiruha” by Pulaiyar Doraismy Ayyar (19th cent.)

• Instrumental but based on song with words

• Vina, mridangam• Raga Natai: ancient raga associated with

god Shiva in form of Lord of the Dance• Adi Tala• Alapana/Tanam//Pallavi/Anupallavi/

Caranam

Listening Guide to “Sarasiruha”

0 – 3:15” = Alpana

3:20” – 8:15” = Tanam (rhythmic exposition of raga – no tala yet)

8:25” = Pallavi section

10:27” = Anupallavi section

12:33” = Caranam section• 14:33”-15:10” motif “Saraswati” repeated• 15:46” Kalpana Svaras (“imagined notes”)• 18:06”s Tani Avartanam (drum improvisation)