Indian classical music

Indian classical music
Name	Indian classical music
Cultural origins	Vedic period, Gupta Empire
Instruments	Sitar, Tabla, Sarod, Veena, Harmonium, Flute, Shehnai, Mridangam
Subgenres	Hindustani classical music, Carnatic music

Indian classical music is a principal musical tradition originating on the Indian subcontinent with deep roots in Vedic period literature, medieval courts such as the Gupta Empire and later patronage from dynasties like the Mughal Empire and the Maratha Empire. It encompasses complex systems of melody, rhythm, and improvisation developed by figures associated with courts, temples, and urban cultural centers including Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, and Madras Presidency. Performers and theorists linked to institutions such as the Bharatiya Sangeet Sangh and conservatories like the Bhatkhande Music Institute University and the Ali Akbar College of Music have codified traditions transmitted through guru–shishya lineages and modern pedagogy.

History

Early foundations derive from texts connected to Vedic period, especially the Samaveda and treatises attributed to scholars like Bharata Muni and Matanga, which influenced medieval codifications such as the Sangita Ratnakara by Sarngadeva. Court cultures of the Gupta Empire and regional kingdoms including the Chola dynasty and the Pala Empire fostered temple and court music traditions; later syncretic growth occurred under the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire where musicians served in royal durbars alongside poets and painters. Colonial encounters with the British Raj and figures like Ravi Shankar and institutions such as the All India Radio shaped 20th-century dissemination, while musicologists like V. Raghavan and Bhatkhande formalized notation and curricula.

Theoretical foundations

The melodic framework centers on the raga system developed in treatises by Matanga and expounded by scholars such as Venkatamakhin and later codified by Bhatkhande; raga families and classifications were debated by theorists including N. Ramanathan and O. Goswami. Rhythmic cycles rely on tala structures analyzed by medieval authors and modern researchers like S.N. Ratanjankar and S. Balakrishnan, with formal tala examples such as Teental, Ektaal, Adi tala, and Rupaka tala. Concepts of ornamentation (gamak, meend) and modal development were systematized in schools influenced by masters like Tansen and documented by 20th-century scholars including V. N. Bhatkhande and A. K. E. Narayanaswamy.

Performance practice and instruments

Performance typically features improvisation within raga and tala, enacted in formats such as alaap, bandish, khayal, dhrupad, kriti, and tani avartan; practitioners train through guru–shishya transmission seen in lineages associated with personalities like Alaapadula Ganesh, Allauddin Khan and A. V. Krishna Rao. Instrumental traditions center on Sitar virtuosi such as Ravi Shankar and Vilayat Khan, Sarod exponents like Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan, and violinists in the Carnatic tradition including Lalgudi Jayaraman. Percussion is represented by Tabla masters such as Ustad Zakir Hussain and Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, and Mridangam exponents like Palghat Mani Iyer. Vocal lineages include proponents of Dhrupad such as the Dagar family and khayal maestros including Kumar Gandharva and Bismillah Khan in related genres.

Major gharanas and schools

Hindustani gharanas include Gwalior Gharana, Agra Gharana, Patiala Gharana, Kirana Gharana, Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, Lucknow Gharana, and instrumental schools like the Maihar gharana associated with Allauddin Khan and disciples such as Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan. Carnatic schools center on lineages tracing to composers and teachers including Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri, and pedagogues at institutions like Madras Music Academy and the Sangita Kalanidhi tradition. Academic and revival movements involve figures like Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and institutions such as The Dhrupad Sansthan.

Compositional forms and genres

Genres include vocal forms such as Dhrupad, Khayal, Thumri, Tappa, Bhajan, and composed kritis by the trinity Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri. Instrumental repertoires adopt these forms and produce gat, ragam-tanam-pallavi, and instrumental tans developed by maestros like Ravi Shankar and N. Ravikiran. Light-classical and devotional forms intersect with regional genres such as Hindustani Thumri and folk-influenced styles promoted by artists like Ghulam Ali and ensembles associated with festivals such as Tansen Samaroh and Thyagaraja Aradhana.

Influence and modern developments

Cross-cultural collaborations involved artists like Ravi Shankar and collaborations with Western musicians including George Harrison and ensembles such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra; fusion movements spawned projects by Shakti (band) members such as John McLaughlin and Indian musicians integrating with electronic and film industries including Bollywood composers like A. R. Rahman. Pedagogical and archival work by institutions including Sangeet Natak Akademi, All India Radio, and universities in Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad have promoted research and global dissemination. Contemporary scenes feature festivals such as Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav and artists engaging with technology platforms and labels like Hindustanee Music and international conservatories such as the Royal Academy of Music.

Category:Classical music