Hindustani Music

Hindustani Music is the form of Indian Classical Music prevalent in the northern regions of the Indian Subcontinent, such as North India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Hindustani Music is influenced in a big way by the invaders and conquerors who settled in India. The ancient Vedic Music transformed with the influence of the Aryans, the Persians as well as the folk traditions. This gave way to the present Hindustani Classical Music.

The singing in Hindustani Classical Music follows the system of the Ragas. Ragas are combinations of notes that evoke a specific mood or emotion. In the Hindustani Music system, most of the ragas are categorized under 10 Thaats namely

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

Some of the legendary singers of Hindustani Classical Music emerged over the medieval times. These included Swami Haridas, Mia Tansen and Baiju Bawra.

Mia Tansen paying respect to the great devotional singer 

Swami Haridas with the Mughal Emporer Akbar.

Over time Hindustani Classical Music, has further specialised into different music styles. These are Khayal, Thumri and Dhrupad.

Khayal literally means 'thought'. In Khayal Gayaki, the singer has the freedom and flexibility to sing as he wishes to, while following the boundaries and limitations of the raga he is singing. The melodies are based on certain songs, known as Bandishes which generally express the mood of the raga.

Dhrupad Gayaki, is the oldest form of Hindustani Classical Music, traceable to the Vedic times. However, it is not as popular as Khayal Gayaki in todays times.

Thumri Gayaki is regarded as Semi-Classical Music. It has been developed with the Persian and Muslim influence in India and is widespread in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh. It may be romantic or devotional in nature.

The various Khayal Gharanas that exist in the present times are 

• Gwalior Gharana
• Kirana Gharana
• Patiala Gharana
• Agra Gharana
• Jaipur - Atrauli Gharana
• Rampur - Sahaswan Gharana
• Delhi Gharana
• Bhendi Bazaar Gharana
• Indore Gharana
• Benaras Gharana
• Mewati Gharana
• Sham Chaurasia Gharana
• Qawwal Bachhe Gharana

In Dhrupad Gayaki, the various gharanas are generally differentiated on the basis of the main musical families who follow that tradition of music such as

• Dagarvani Gharana
• Bishnupur Gharana
• Darbhanga Mallik Gharana
• Bettiah Gharana

While on the other hand, Thumri Gayaki does not have any gharanas, but rather 2 'Angs' or parts. These are the 'Benaras Ang Thumri Gayaki' which has had legendary singers like Siddheshwari Devi, Rasoolan Bai, Smt. Girija Devi among others.

The other ang is the 'Punjab Ang Thumri Gayaki' which has been followed by singers such as Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Ali Baksh Khan and the great Ustad Badhe Ghulam Khan Sahib.

Here are some examples of singers of different gharanas singing the same Raga Malkauns, to illustrate the difference in their styles of singing.

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan

Kirana Gharana - Khayal Gayaki

Raga Malkauns

Ustad Badhe Ghulam Ali Khan

Patiala Gharan - Khayal Gayaki

Raga Malkauns

Pt. D.V. Paluskar

Gwalior Gharana - Khayal Gayaki

Raga Malkauns

Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan

Agra Gharana - Khayal Gayaki

Raga Malkauns

Kesarbai Kerkar

Jaipur Atrauli Gharana - Khayal Gayaki

Raga Malkauns

Ustad Amir Khan

Indore Gharana - Khayal Gayaki

Raga Malkauns

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.