Indian music

Indian music
Dhanyasy School of Music · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Indian music

Indian music is a complex set of musical practices rooted in the South Asian subcontinent with millennia of documented development across religious, royal, and popular contexts. Its traditions encompass courtly systems, temple ritual, oral folk genres, and mass-mediated popular forms, linking figures, institutions, and places from ancient Vedic period to contemporary Bollywood and global diasporas. Scholarship and performance intersect through scholars, composers, and performers associated with sites such as Tāntamātra-era texts, princely courts like Mysore and Tanjore, and modern conservatories such as Ali Akbar College of Music and the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

History

Early textual foundations appear in sources tied to the Vedic period and later codifications in works associated with authors and patrons from the Gupta Empire and medieval courts. Treatises attributed to figures connected with the Nātya Śāstra tradition influenced practices at temples in Kanchipuram and royal centres like Pataliputra; subsequent medieval synthesis involved composers patronized by dynasties such as the Chola dynasty, Vijayanagara Empire, and Mughal Empire. Colonial encounters with agencies like the British East India Company and cultural interactions with institutions like the Royal Albert Hall and festivals in Bombay shaped modern patronage, while 19th–20th century reformers connected to Serampore mission presses and schools influenced notation and pedagogy. Independence-era national institutions including the Sangeet Natak Akademi and the All India Radio archive and broadcasted repertoires that standardized repertories and codified performance norms.

Classical traditions

Two principal systems—one centered in the north associated with courts of Delhi, Lucknow, and Patna, and one in the south associated with temples in Tanjore and royal houses in Mysore—developed distinct repertoires, theory, and pedagogy. North Indian lineages linked with gharanas emanate from figures tied to Khayal masters, court musicians patronized by the Mughal court, and exponents such as those connected to the Gwalior gharana and Kirana gharana. South Indian traditions grew through composers associated with the Tiruvaymoli milieu and trinity composers resident in courts of Tanjore and temples at Tiruvarur, further propagated by families linked to composers like the trinity whose works are performed in Tyagaraja repertoire circles. Theoretical frameworks cite raga treatises and tala systems discussed by scholars connected to Natyashastra commentarial traditions and later commentators in the scholarly networks centered on Benares, Madras and Kolkata.

Folk and regional music

Folk genres persist through communities across regions such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Odisha, often performed in ritual, agricultural, and market contexts connected with local festivals like those at Pushkar and Puri. Distinct regional styles tie to performers and traditions associated with castes, tribes, and guilds documented by ethnographers working with institutions like the Anthropological Survey of India; examples include singer-stories connected to Baul practitioners of West Bengal, ballad singers linked to Rajasthani courts, and drum-centered ensembles tied to temple celebrations in Kerala and the islands of Lakshadweep. Cross-regional transmission occurred along caravan routes and pilgrimage circuits to sites such as Varanasi and through itinerant performers patronized by princely states including Baroda.

Popular and film music

Popular forms emerged in urban centres like Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras through recording industries and studios associated with labels such as Hindusthan Records and film studios such as Prabhat Studios and later Yash Raj Films. Film music composers and playback singers affiliated with studios and award institutions such as the National Film Awards and figures linked to the All India Radio era shaped mass taste; notable networks include composers who collaborated with lyricists and directors in the Hindi film industry and regional industries centered in Tollywood and Kollywood. Pop and fusion movements connected performers associated with western circuits, festivals at venues like the WOMAD circuit, and labels that exported recordings to diasporic communities in London, New York and Singapore.

Instruments and notation

Instrumental families maintained lineages tied to workshop centres in cities such as Miraj and Kolkata where luthiers produced instruments associated with court and temple ensembles. Stringed instruments linked to royal patronage include lutes and bowed instruments used in courts of Mughal and Maratha patrons; plucked instruments associated with specific gharanas and makers in Benaras coexist with percussion traditions originating in temple contexts at Tirunelveli and court ensembles in Hyderabad. Notation systems evolved through adaptation by scholars connected to conservatories like the Bhatkhande Music Institute and the Vishnu Digambar Paluskar school, with modern transcription practices used by researchers at institutions including the Indian Musicological Society.

Performance practice and pedagogy

Pedagogical methods historically relied on guru–shishya relationships traced to lineages patronized by courts such as Gwalior and temple institutions in Tanjore; modern conservatories and universities like the University of Madras introduced formalized curricula and examination systems adopted by colleges and state boards. Performance contexts range from intimate sabha concerts organized by societies in Mumbai and Kolkata to ritual performances at temples in Srirangam and state-sponsored festivals administered by bodies such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Recording and broadcast institutions such as All India Radio and the Doordarshan network significantly shaped concert programming and pedagogy through archival dissemination.

Contemporary developments and global influence

Contemporary developments feature fusion collaborations between artists affiliated with diasporic networks in London, Toronto, and New York and ensembles performing at international festivals like Edinburgh International Festival and venues such as the Southbank Centre. Academic research at universities including SOAS, Columbia University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University engages with archival projects and digital initiatives by organizations such as the Smithsonian and national archives, while award platforms like the Grammy Awards and collaborations with artists signed to multinational labels have amplified global profiles. Policy discussions and cultural diplomacy involving ministries and institutions such as the Ministry of Culture (India) and international cultural centres continue to influence touring, pedagogy, and preservation initiatives.

Category:Music of India