North Indian Classical Music

1. The two traditions separated c1200-1300CE
2. Raga means colour, passion, melody
   1. Combination of scale, mode, tune without being any of these
      1. It is a framework for composition and imporv
   2. based on a scale called a 'That'
      1. specific order and hierarchy of notes
      2. ornamentation and intonation
      3. Swara scale
         1. SA, RE, GA, MA, PA, DHA, Ni, SA
            1. C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
               1. Shuddh - Natural
                  1. Komal - Flat
                     1. Tivra - Sharp
                        1. only Ma can be Shuddh or Tivra
                           1. Re,GA,Dha,Ni can be Shuddh or Komal
                              1. Sa and Pa are immoveable
            2. Written : S,R,G,M,P,D,N
            3. Swara - names of the notes in the scale
         2. That - Scale
      4. That
         1. That is usually translated as a framework
            1. That is a heptatonic scale
               1. Every That contains both the tonic (Sa) and the fifth (Pa)
                  1. all other notes are natural or altered versions of other notes
   3. ragas must have at least 5 notes
      1. tonic, 4th and 5th are essential
         1. the shape of the notes is descibed as aroha - avaroha
            1. very often a difference between ascending and descending forms
      2. Ragas can be complete, hexatonic, pentatonic or mixed
      3. Two notes of significance vadi and samvadi
         1. Vadi- the most emphasised note
            1. (Sonant) Played and used for long durations
         2. Samvadi- secondary emphasis
            1. (Consonant) Theoretically this should be a perfect 4th / 5th away from Vadi
3. Melodic outline
   1. Raga contains a set of phrases called CHALAN
      1. not all the phrases are obliatory
      2. phrases contain certain motifs called PAKAD
         1. these contain the essence of the raga
            1. Barhat: unfolding, the growth, expansion of the range of the notes of the raga
4. Raga is associated with the idea of rasa
   1. there are 9 moods that serve as a foundation for emotion
   2. Love, Comic, Sadness, Fury, Heroic, Terrible, Peace, Disgusting, Wonderment
   3. A raga is meant to evoke a certain emotion and create a mood
      1. E.G. Raga Shri
         1. Associated with Hindu God Shiv
            1. Associated with Heroic, Raga of Warrior, Majesty, seriousness
               1. Time; early evening, after sunset
                  1. Season: Winter
      2. Puriya Dhanashri
         1. After sunset
            1. Sweet,colourful, deep
               1. Sobriety, darkness
   4. Aesthetic Element
5. Raga Form
   1. The basic form constitutes a progression from unmetred to metred sections
      1. Begins always with ALAP - an unmetred, imporv section
         1. May then proceed to JOR - has rhythm but is usually not in a fixed cycle
            1. The third section is the GAT - this has a fixed rhythmic cycle, is regarded as a composition
               1. In between the JOR and the GAT there may be sections called JHALA, which are rapid rhythmic patterns

Annotations:

• until 1947 (democratising)

1. music learnt through imitation and practice
2. Oral Tradition
3. Gharana System (schools)
4. Solo art
   1. Solo/Melody
      1. Sitar, Sarod, Voice/Sarangi
   2. Drone
      1. Tanpura
         1. Chordal drone emphasis of 'tonic' :-Sa
            1. no absolute pitch in Indian music but usually tonic is C#
   3. Rhythm
      1. Tabla

1. Melodic accompaniment
   1. 'Sangat'
2. 1) Imitation 2) Doubling 3) Continuation
3. Imitates human voice

1. Tala is divided into sections( vibhag )
2. Theka - is the pattern of the tala
3. Bol - drum stroke
4. Sam - point of resolution / departure
5. Khali - empty / wave
   1. unaccented beat of the tala
6. Specific number of beats matra
7. North Indian rhythmic cycle
8. 350 Talas
   1. 10 in common use
      1. Tintal
         1. X,2,0,3

1. It is sung in a strict style and is pure and elevated
   1. In performance it is played with an extended alap ( 30 mins)
      1. no improv in the Gat
         1. Alhaiya Bilaval scale