MUS 111: India Study Guide

gīta

Song.

tani āvarttanam

Improvised percussion solo (Carnatic)

pallavi

Beginning of a Carnatic kriti song.

Nad-Brahma

The idea that sound is holy.

gamaka

Techniques to add nuance to notes and phrases in Carnatic singing.

Melakarta

Carnatic system for creating a raga from sound ranges.

sruti

Drone layer that establishes foundational pitches.

svara

Set of notes used to create ascending and descending melodies.

raga

The melodic system used to organize melody.

tala

Rhythmic cycle of a certain number of beats.

bandish

Fixed melodic composition.

gat

Instrumental composition.

ustad

Muslim word for master or elder.

pandit

Hindu word for master or elder.

guru

Teacher.

shishya

Student.

gharānā

Schools or communities that learn to chant Vedas.

hindustani

North Indian classical music.

carnatic (karnatak)

South Indian classical music.

sangita

Vocal music.

bhakti

Ancient movement to follow music and religion instead of wealth/power.

Tyāgarāja

Saint and composer of Carnatic kriti music.

Dr. L Subramaniam

Carnatic violin player.

Veena Dhanammal

Carnatic Saraswati Veena player.

E. Gayathri

Carnatic female Saraswati Veena musician.

Ravi Shankar

World famous sitarist, played at monterey in california (Hindustani)

Amjad Ali Khan

Sarod player (Hindustani)

Ali Akbar Khan

Sarodist who opened a school of music in California (Hindustani)

Baba Allauddin Khan

Founded modern gharana, studied classical music (Hindustani)

Ustad Asad Ali Khan

Famous rudra veena player (Hindustani)

M.S. Subbulakshmi

Carnatic child prodigy from south India

Sudha Ragunathan

Female Carnatic vocalist.

Purandara Dasa

Joined bhakti movement, created kriti composition (Carnatic)

Alla Rakha

Hindustani tabla player.

Bharata

Wrote the Natya Shastra.

Amir Khusro

Sufi mystic, known for devotional songs.

Swami Haridas

Hindu mystic associated with the bhakti movement (Hindustani)

Miyan Tansen

Student of Swami Haridas (Hindustani)

Dagar Brothers

Performed/preserved ancient tradition of Dhrupad (Hindustani)

Kishori Amonkar

One of the greatest vocalists of her time (Hindustani)

Chanulal Mishra

Male Hindustani classical singer.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Famous Qawwali singer (Devotional)

Anup Jalota

Known as the emperor of Bhajan music (Devotional)

Mirabai

Mystic poet and follower of Krishna.

Bharata Nātyam

South Indian dance originated from Tamil.

Kriti

Carnatic creation and composition.

sangati

Singing with gamaka techniques (Carnatic)

niraval

Improvisation of melodic variations (Carnatic)

svara kalpana

Rhythmic/melodic improvisation using solfege syllables (Carnatic)

Dhrupad

Hindustani style of court music (Hindustani)

jor

Dhrupad, medium speed pulsation (Hindustani)

jhala

Dhrupad climactic section (Hindustani)

Khyal

New style of raga performance (Hindustani)

alap

Slow, improvised introduction vocal/instrumental (Hindustani)

bada khyal

Slow bandish in Khyal (Hindustani)

chota khyal

Fast bandish in Khyal (Hindustani)

Thumri

Light pieces of folk music (Hindustani)

Qawwali

Sufi devotional songs.

Bhajan

Hindu devotional song.

tāmpura

4 or 5 string lute that plays the drone.

sitar

Plucked lute, guitar-like instrument.

sarod

Plays instrumental alap.

sārangi

3 bowed lute.

rudra veena

Instrumental Dhrupad zither (Hindustani)

saraswati veena

Carnatic plucked lute.

tablas

Two drums, plays the tala (Hindustani)

pakhawaj

Double-sided drum used in Dhrupad (Hindustani)

mridangam

Primary percussion in Carnatic music.

violin

Similar to Western violin, commonly used in Carnatic.

harmonium

Pump organ.

Vishnu

Hindu god.

Krishna

Avatar of Vishnu known for playing flute.

Rama

Avatar of Vishnu representing virtue.

Saraswati

Goddess of wisdom.

Vedas

Foundational scriptures of Hindu faith.

Natya Shastra

Book about music written by Sage Bharata.

Sufi

Islamic worship.

Dēvadāsi

Women who serve deities through music and dance.

Vijayanagara Empire

Secured South India border and protected Hindu culture.

Kingdom of Mysore

Devoted to arts and religion.

Mughal Empire

Invaders who took control over Northern India.

Silk Road

Trade route connecting cultures.

Brian Jones

guitarist and multi-instrumentalist for the Rolling Stones is playing sitar

George Harrison

american musician playing sitar, who briefly took lessons with Ravi Shankar

Apache Indian

Bhangramuffin artist (jamaica)

John McLaughlin

guitarist who got involved in indian music

Zakir Hussain

Tabla player known for his contributions to Mind Ecology.

Panjabi MC

Contemporary Bhangra artist recognized for his fusion of traditional and modern sounds.

Talvin Singh

Tabla player, DJ, and music producer associated with Asian beat style of EDM.

Master D/Asian Dub Foundation

Electronic music band that blends South Asian influences with contemporary sounds.

Alaap

Kickstarter of electric Bhangra music.

Channi Singh

Organizer and singer of Alaap.

Johnny Kalsi

Dhol drummer for the band Alaap.

Sangeeta

Vocalist known for her contributions to Indian music.

Lata Mangeshkar

Legendary playback singer known for her standard sound and contributions to filmi music, with 10,000 songs.

Naushad

Influential composer in Indian music.

R.D. Burman

Notable figure in the music industry and son of S.D. Burman.

S.D. Burman

Prominent music director known for his impact on Indian music.

Asha Bhosle

Sister of Lata Mangeshkar, married R.D. Burman, and known for 12,000 songs portraying 'bad girl' characters.

Alka Yagnik

Playback singer from a family of classical musicians, known for voicing young female characters.