Indian classical music
Classical music of the Indian subcontinent with two major traditions.
Indian classical music, the classical music of the Indian subcontinent, is often referred to as Shastriya Sangeet or Marg Sangeet. It encompasses two major traditions: Hindustani music from North India and Carnatic music from South India. Hindustani music places a strong emphasis on improvisation and exploring every facet of a raga, while Carnatic performances tend to be shorter and more focused on compositions. Despite these differences, the two systems share more common features than not. A distinct classical tradition from eastern India is Odissi music, which has developed over roughly two thousand years. The foundations of Indian classical music lie in the Vedic literature of Hinduism and the ancient Sanskrit text on performing arts, the Natyashastra, attributed to Bharata Muni.
The music is built on two core elements: raga and tala. Raga, drawing from a varied set of swaras (notes, including microtones), creates a complex melodic structure, while tala provides the rhythmic cycle. Raga gives the artist a palette to construct melody from sound, and tala offers a framework for rhythmic improvisation over time. In this tradition, the space between notes is often considered more important than the notes themselves, and it typically avoids Western classical concepts like harmony, counterpoint, chords, or modulation.
The origins of music in ancient India are rooted in Vedic literature. Early Indian thought combined three arts: syllabic recital (vadya), melody (gita), and dance (nrtta). As these developed, sangeeta emerged as a distinct art form, likely before the time of Yāska (around 500 BCE), as he includes these terms in his nirukta studies. Some ancient Hindu texts, such as the Samaveda (from around 1000 BCE), are entirely structured around melodic themes, being sections of the Rigveda set to music.
The Samaveda is organized in two formats: one based on musical meter and another by ritual purpose. The text uses embedded coding, with swaras (octave notes) shown above or within the text, or the verse divided into parvans (knots or members). This embedded code acts as the skeleton of the song. Swaras have about twelve different forms, and their combinations are named after different ragas. The code specifies which combination of swaras is in a given song.
- Field
- Classical music
- Known for
- Two major traditions: Hindustani and Carnatic; foundational elements raga and tala
- Origins
- Vedic literature of Hinduism and the ancient Natyashastra
- Definitive text
- Sangeeta-Ratnakara (13th century) by Sarangadeva
Lore & Background
Indian classical music has two foundational elements: raga and tala. The raga, based on a varied repertoire of swara (notes including microtones), forms the fabric of a deeply intricate melodic structure, while the tala measures the time cycle. The space between the notes is often considered more important than the notes themselves, and it traditionally eschews Western classical concepts such as harmony, counterpoint, chords, or modulation. The roots of this music are found in the Vedic literature of Hinduism, with the Samaveda (c. 1000 BCE) structured entirely to melodic themes. The classic Sanskrit text Natya Shastra is at the foundation of the numerous classical music and dance traditions of India. The 13th century Sanskrit text Sangeeta-Ratnakara of Sarangadeva is regarded as the definitive text by both the Hindustani and Carnatic traditions.
Reader's Guide
Indian classical music represents a continuous tradition spanning millennia, with its origins in the Vedic literature and the Natyashastra. The two major traditions, Hindustani and Carnatic, share more common features than differences, though Hindustani music emphasizes improvisation and exploration of raga, while Carnatic performances tend to be short composition-based. The music has historically adopted and evolved with many regional styles, such as the Bengali classical tradition, and assimilated influences from outside the subcontinent, including Arabian and Persian influences in Hindustani music. The foundational elements of raga and tala provide a creative framework for melodic and rhythmic improvisation. The tradition is documented in numerous ancient and medieval texts, primarily in Sanskrit, but also in regional languages such as Kannada, Odia, Pali, Prakrit, Tamil, and Telugu. The Sangeeta-Ratnakara remains a definitive text for both major traditions, and the music continues to be practiced and evolved in the modern era.
Did You Know?
- Indian classical music has two major traditions: Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian).
- The 13th century Sanskrit text Sangeeta-Ratnakara is regarded as the definitive text by both Hindustani and Carnatic traditions.
- The Samaveda, structured entirely to melodic themes, is one of the earliest roots of Indian classical music.
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