Indian Classical Music

Indian Classical Music has been around for over 3000 years. It has its origins in the Vedic times, in about 1000 BC. The Sam Veda talks about Classical Music at great length. This style of singing has evolved over the centuries. It incorporates inputs from the ancient chant system of the vedic times, the equally ancient Persian tradition of Mausiqi-e-Assil and the folk and native traditional music prevalent in the respective regions.

Indian Classical Music like Western Classical Music is based on the standard 7 notes

Sa    Re    Ga    Ma    Pa    Dha    Ni 

Indian Classical Music is further classified into to broad categories : 

• Hindustani Music
• Carnatic Music

Indian Classical Music is based on the system of Ragas. A Raga is a combination of 5 or more notes to form a melody. These ragas generally evoke a mood or emotion, and are hence given a certain time of the day or season to categorize them. For example, Raga Yaman is sung in the early evening, just as the lamps are lit, for its pleasant and joyous mood. 

In Hindustani Classical Music, the ragas are categorised into 10 thaats by Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. These thaats are : 

• Bhairav
• Bhairavi
• Bilawal
• Aasavari
• Todi
• Marwa
• Purvi
• Kalyan
• Kafi
• Khamaj

On the other hand, in Carnatic Music, the ragams, as they are called there, are classifies more systematically in the malakarta system, where the ragas are classified under 72 parent (melakarta) ragas.

Here are a few examples to differentiate the singing styles of Hindustani Music and Carnatic Music.

This is Raga Charukeshi. Primarily a Carnatic Raga, it has been adopted into the Hindustani Music and is sung quite widely too.

Here are 2 renditions of this raga, one by the legendary Carnatic singer, Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi, and the other one by Ustad Rashid Khan.