MUS 111: India Study Guide
gīta - song
tani āvarttanam - improvised percussion solo
pallavi - beginning of carnatic kriti song
Nad-Brahma - idea that sound is holy
gamaka - techniques to add nuance to notes and phrases in carnatic singing
melakarta system - carnatic system for creating a raga from sound ranges
sruti [whine] - drone layer, establish foundational pitches
svara - set of notes to create ascending and descending melodies
raga [melody] - the melodic system used, system for organizing melody
tala [beat] - rhythmic cycle of certain # of beats, loop
bandish [singing] - type of vocal composition (the people singing it/their vocal ranges)
gat [singing]- instrumental composition (ex. the instruments that make up the band/song)
ustad - muslim word for master/elder
pandit - hindu word for master/elder
guru - teacher
shishya - student
gharānā [music school] - schools/communities, learn to chant vedas, pass down to next gen
hindustani - north classical
carnatic (karnatak) - south classical
sangita - vocal music
bhakti - ancient movement to follow music and religion instead of wealth/power
People
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 - sitarist
Amjad Ali Khan - sarod player
Ali Akbar Khan - Sarodist, opened school of music in California
Baba Allauddin Khan - founded modern gharana, studied classical music from Wazir Khan
Ustad Asad Ali Khan - instrumental dhrupad, famous rudra veena player
M.S. Subbulakshmi - from south india (carnatic), child prodigy, won award, mother was a devadasi
Sudha Ragunathan - female carnatic vocalist
Purandara Dasa - carnatic, joined bhakti movement, created kriti composition
Alla Rakha - hindustani tabla player
Bharata - wrote the natyasastra, the four reasons for music, relating to hindu religion
Amir Khusro - sufi/muslim mystic, sung devotional songs to god
Swami Haridas - hindi mystic, bhakti movement, taught court musician Miyan Tansen
Miyan Tansen - student of swami haridas, bhakti (Devotion of music)
Dagar Brothers - Performed ancient tradition that is dying out
Kishori Amonkar - one of the greatest vocalist of her time, performed bandish (vocal comp)
Chanulal Mishra - male hindustani classical singer
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - “King of Kings of Qawwali”, international star, improv on Khyal singing
Anup Jalota - known as the “emperor of Bhajan” (devotional) music
Mirabai - mystic poet, follower of krishna
Genres
Bharata Nātyam - south indian dance, devadasi
Kriti - carnatic creation, composition, enchantment
sangati - singing with gamaka techniques
niraval - Improvisation of melodic variations on a line of the kriti
svara kalpana - Rhythmic/melodic improvisation using solfege syllables
Dhrupad [old music] - hindustani style of court music by Tansen, court of ahkbar, meditative
alāp [beat] (Ālāpana) - improvised introduction vocal/instrumental, slow, introduced raga
jor [beat] - dhrupad, pulsation, medium speed
jhala [climax] - dhrupad, climactic section, fast strumming,
Khyal [new wave music] - hindustani (alap -> bada -> chota)
New style of raga performance, freedom in improvisation, displays of virtuosity versus the devotional nature of dhrupad, court of Muhammed Shah, imagination or fantasy,.
alāp [beat] (Ālāpana) - improvised introduction vocal/instrumental, slow, introduced raga
bada khyal) - slow bandish (composition)
chota khyal) - fast Tala bandish (composition)
Thumri [folk] - light pieces, folk music, virtuosic manner, ending of the show
Qawwali - sufi devotional songs
Bhajan - hindu devotional song with religious theme
*- has sympathetic strings
Instruments (images attached as comments)
tāmpura - 4 or 5 string lute, plays the drone/sruti, guitar-like — – – - - – – - - - – - - >
*sitar - plucked lute, guitar-like – – — – — - —- —- —- – - ->
*sarod - plays instrumental alap, guitar-like — —- — — – – – —- —- —- —- –->
*sārangi - 3 bowed lute — — —- – - – -->
rudra veena [globes] (bin) - instrumental dhrupad (zither), low bass ->
saraswati veena - carnatic, plucked lute —--->
tablas - two drums, plays the tala, most common drum for classical, tuned to the raga ->
pakhawaj - double sided drum, dhrupad - – – – - - - – - – - - – - - - – - >
mridangam - primary percussion in carnatic ->
violin - similar to ours, most played in south india (carnatic)
harmonium - pump organ ->
Culture
Vishnu - hindu god
Krishna [flute] (and Radha) - avatar of Vishnu, plays flute, lived among cow herders
Rama [virtue] (and Sita) - avatar of Vishnu, representation of virtue, following path
Saraswati - goddess of wisdom
Vedas - foundational scriptures of hindu faith (Oral Poems w/ melody and rhythm)
Natya Shastra - book about music written by sage Bharata in 3rd century
Sufi - islamic worship
Dēvadāsi - women who serve the deities through music and dance
History
Vijayanagara Empire - secured south india border, shielded hindu culture from invading muslim
Kingdom of Mysore - south indian kingdom, devoted themselves to arts/religion
Mughal Empire - invaders who took over northern india, classical mus trad. in court music, blended with existing religious devotional music
Silk Road - path of trade along eurasia, connected cultures across the world