MUS 206 Music In India

Caste System

1. Brahmin

2. Kshatriyas

3. Vaisyas

4. Sudras

5. Parrah/Dalit

Karnatak Music

• improv

• time honored music making

• spirituality

• learned orally

• not usually written

• music is usually vocal

Kanjira

Tamburine like drum

Harmonium

most common accompaniment instrument

Kulal

• bamboo flute

Mridangam

• double headed drum

Nagasvaram

• Double reed

• temple ceremonies

Ghatam

• clay pot

Tavil

Shruti Box

• keyless harmonium

• works as a drone

Tambura

• 4 strings

• drone strings underneath

• works as a drone along with tambura

Bhajan

(to praise)

• a song form

• amateur performers

• repeat and chant names of gods

• spiritual setting

• “Destroyer of Demons” song for Rama

Kriti

• a song form

• pallavi - anapallavi - pallavi - caranam - pallavi

• concert genre

• “Unnai Nambinan”

• sit on floor and perform

Trinity of Composers

• thought to bring blessings

• Syama Satri (1742-1827)

• Tyagaraja (1767-1847)

• Muttusvami Dikshitar (1776-1835)

• Karnatic music comes from these 3

• all members of Brahmin class

Tamil Movement

• 1930s

• Promoting the Tamil culture, language/society, lower class/caste

• upperclass hesitant to allow their music

• Annamalai Chattiar

• Chattiar founded Tamil Music Academy

Tala

• Jatis

  • salkattu syllables (rhythmic solfege)

  • ta-ka-ta, ta-ka, ta-ka-di-mi, ta-ka-jo-nu

• 5 primary jatis

  • catarsura- 4 beats

  • tusra- 3 beats

  • misra- 7 beats

  • Khanda- 5 beats

  • Sankirna- 9 beats

• Kriya- hand gestures for rhythms

Raga

• Svara- the note

• Arohana- ascending

• Avarohana- descending

Melodic Solfege

sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni-sa

Gamaka

ornamentation:

• kampita- shake/vibrato

• Jaru- slide

• Janta- accent/stress

Characteristic Phrases

• kirivani raga

• kapi raga

• all usually learned aurally

Concert Repertoire and Setting

• center song is the main piece

• performers expected to bring rasa, emotion, depth

• no rehearsals

• repertoire learned by ear

• performers may be family

• a lot of music is improvised

• vocalist needs 2 octave range

• vocalist sets the pitch

• “if it was to happen” T. Brinda

Alapana

Part of Concert Structure

• introduction

• led by vocals

• 5-20 minutes

• no percussion

• all improvised

• introduces the raga

Kiri

Part of Concert Structure

• composed section

• percussion comes in

Niraval

Part of Concert Structure

• improvised lines

• call and response between vocal and instruments

• compliments the vocals

Svara Kalpana

Part of Concert Structure

• using solfege syllables

• all are improvising

• complimenting the vocalist

Tawa’if/Nautch

female musicians and entertainers, “courtesans”

Kotha Salons

• place where men go to relax

• like a brothel

Devadasi

• a female singer

• “ever auspicious woman”

• didn’t go to school

• had patrons

• finacialy well off

• less improv than men

• turned to prostitution at the end of 20th century

Bangalore

• full name Bangalre Nagarathnammal (1878-1952)

• successful singer of 20th century

• “Vaddni (didn’t I tell you not to girl?)”

  • recorded 1921

Guru

• music teacher

• life coach

• more informal setting

Music Academy of Madras

• founded 1937

• thought there was a fault in Indian Music

• founded by members of Brahman class

• took music out of the hands of hereditary musicians/music

• specified Ragas- what notes to use etc

• women were not involved in this

Kathakali

(dance drama)

• based on traditional sanskrit drama

• core repertoire of 36 plays connected to Hindu mythology

• costumes and makeup represent characters and have meaning

• dancers dont sing, spell out test through gestures

• kuti- paper frames on face

• traditionally men only

Pacca

Kathakali Dance Role

• green

• refined moral heros

• deities

• paper beards framing face

Minukku

Kathakali Dance Role

• played by women, traditionally men

  • less stylized, more realistic costume

Katti

Kathakali Dance Role

• mustaches

• rough, coarse character w/ redeeming qualities

Tadi

Kathakali Dance Role

• evil

• demons, malevolent characters

• color of the beards show how evil- white, red, black

Kari

Kathakali Dance Role

• supernatural

• female character

• black face w/ painted dots

Kathkali Ensemble

• 2 main players

  • lead singer played cennilam (single cymbal)

  • second singer plays to cymbals

• 2 drummers cerda and maddalam for male roles

• idakkya double headed drum, pitched for female roles

• srutti box

• conch shell for entrences

Slokam

Kathkali Song form

• opens scenes

• nonmetric

• singers can improv

Padam

Kathkali Song form

• 2 singers sing dialogue while actors mime

Bollywood

• one of the largest film industries in the world

• centered in bombay

• first sound film 1931

• sound dramas emerge in 1930s

• elaborate song and dance sequences

  • bridges different languages

• plots of love, romance

• popular music in south asia comes from bollywood songs

  • playback singers, voices for actors

  • sing in different languages and voices

• western influence in music

• indian movies very long

Hindustani Music

• music of north india

• instruments include sitar, tabla

• form Alap, Jar, Gat, Khyal

Alap

Hindustani Music Form

• intro

• no meter

Jar

Hindustani Music Form

• once meter is founded

Gat

Hindustani Music Form

• instrumental music performance

Khyal

Hindustani Music Form

• vocal performance

Ravi Shankar

• began as a dancer

• composer

• comes from Brahman class

• toured all over the world

• wrote music that combines indian and western

• one of the most famous in 1960s

• world famous sitar player

Sitar

Hindustani Instrument

Tabla

Hindustani Instrument