Dadra [MIDI] Rupak [MIDI] Jhaptal [MIDI]Ektal [MIDI] Tintal [MIDI]Indian classical music is a very ancient art and its origin can be traced to the Vedic period (1500-500 B.C.). During this period the practice of chanting of Vedic Hymns in a highly codified manner became an integral part of many types of ritual ceremonies. Indian musicians and scholars look back to this practice known as Samagana as their intellectual and spiritual source of the classical music tradition of India.
Although at present, one can identify two related but distinct classical music traditions of India, the Kamatic (or Carnatic) tradition of the South and the Hindustani (or North Indian) tradition of the North , it is important to note that the earliest treatises of Indian music do not make any distinction between the Northern and the Southern traditions.
The two most important concepts of Indian classical music are the "raga"and the "tala". The raga, is a scientific, precise, subtle and aesthetic melodic form with its own specific ascending and descending movements consisting of either a full seven note octave, or a series of six or five notes. The subtle difference in the order of notes, an omission of a dissonant note, an emphasis on a particular note and the use of microtones and other effects, all distinguish one raga from the other. Each raga is also characterized by its own particular rasa or the mood, and via the rich melodic phrases and rhythmic patterns, an accomplished musician can project nearly every human emotion and very subtle feelings during the rendering of that raga.
The tala, or the rhythmic cycle, is an abstract organization of time and it is expressed through mnemonic syllables that are generated on the drums such as the tabla. Although theoretically a large number of rhythmic cycles can be organized, in practice, a relatively small number of them are commonly used during a North Indian music recital. These include the following: (1) Dadra - a cycle of 6 beats, divided 3-3, (2) Rupak - a cycle of 7 beats, divided 3-2-2, (3) Jhaptal - cycle of 10 beats, divided 2-3-2-3, (4) Ektal - a cycle of 12 beats, divided 4-4-2-2, and (5) Teental or Treetal - a cycle of 16 beats, divided 4-4-4-4.
A Recital of North Indian Classical Music (instrumental)
The improvisational nature of Indian classical music requires the musician to take into consideration his mood, the setting, time allowed for a concert and the type of audience present.
The traditional instrumental recital begins with the alap, which is a slow, serene and almost invocational exploration of the chosen raga. It is in the alap where the artiste reveals his maturity and the vision that demands complete concentration as well as the experience of handling abstract melodic ideas. After this, the musician moves to jor in which numerous variations on the raga's basic theme with a rhythmic framework are presented. The tempo gradually increases to the concluding section called jhala in which various complex rhythmic patterns are presented. At times the artiste may decide to present only a very short alap which serves as a brief introduction to the raga to be presented.
After such an elaboration of the raga, the musician is joined in by the percussionist in presenting the gat part of the concert. Gat usually starts in a slow tempo in a particular rhythmic cycle. The musician improvises by presenting a variety of musical phrases, always ending a particular phrase on the first beat of the particular rhythmic cycle. As the performance continues, each artiste may take turns playing solo improvisations while the other plays enough to reinforce the rhythmic cycle (the tala) or the melodic theme (the raga). Later simultaneous or alternate improvisations may be presented as each artiste tries to outwit the other through the use of syncopation and complicated phrasing techniques. The presentation usually culminates with a very fast tempo that stretches the technical ability of each of the performers to the limit. It is also not uncommon to present more that one gats, each one set to a different rhythmic cycle.