Introduction

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Be ready to:

- Examine the art music of South Asia, also known as Indian Classical Music, including the Indian sub-continent, such as the modern nation-states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
- Analyze Art music or Classical music that is performed primarily for listening with enjoyment, though it may also have religious or spiritual connotations.
- Examine the aesthetic principles and musical systems of the rāga and the metrical systems of tāla.
- Examine North Indian music (also known as Hindustānī music) by studying examples of both vocal (khyāl: North Indian classical singing) and instrumental music (tablā, tamburā, barrel-shaped drum pakhāvaj, and citar).
- Examine the cultural contexts (historical, religious and social perspectives) that religion plays in South Asian culture, and how music is often deeply associated with religious concepts, devotion, or ritual.
- Analyze the relationship of soloists and accompanists as social categories; the importance of oral transmission and heredity; and changes in the social status of music and musicians in the modern era.
- Identify classical Indian performers and their background.

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Khyāl: North Indian classical singing

Please listen to the following example, and consider the questions below. Make a note of your answers, which need not be definitive but may be impressionistic.

Composer: Vidyadhar Vyas

"Khyāl in Rāga Mīyān kī Malhār"

How many performers are taking part?

Which performer is leading the performance? What are the roles of the other performers?

Listen to the singer. Which of the following descriptions apply to his performance? Do they apply to the whole performance, or only parts of it?
- leisurely
- virtuoso
- melodic
- monotone
- unornamented
- ornamented
- passionate
- subdued
- dramatic
- repetitive
- joyful
- melancholy

Is the tempo slow or fast? Does it speed up or slow down at any point during the performance?

How many different pitches does the singer use? Can they be compared with any Western scale? Does he change the pitches or introduce any new ones during the performance?

How many different drum sounds can you hear? Do they form a regular pattern?

How many "beats to the bar" can you hear? Does this number change during the performance?

"There is not a single aspect of [Indian village] life which does not have its music."

-Manfred M. Junius

"For us, Hindu music has above all a transcendental significance. It disengages the spiritual from the happenings of life; it sings of the relationship of the human soul with the soul of things beyond."

-Sir Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet

An Indian dancer serves as an instrument, accompanying music by producing rhythms through footwork, ankle bells, and other body movements.

Smithsonian Folkways