by Prof. Leena Sidenur
The Indian music tradition can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries AD. There are two schools of music in India – The Hindustani (North Indian) and the Carnatic (South Indian).
The tradition of Hindustani music dates back to Vedic times when the hymns in the Sama Veda, an ancient religious text, were sung as Samagana and not chanted. It diverged from Carnatic music around the 13th–14th centuries, primarily due to Islamic influences. Developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, the genre of Hindustani music took firm roots not only in India but also in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Hindustani music was influenced not only by ancient Hindu musical traditions, historical Vedic philosophy and native Indian sounds but also by the Persian performance practices of the Mughals. Hindustani music is governed by breath control while rendering the 'swaras' or notes and stresses on pure notes. The 'Sawai Gandharva' fest held every year in Pune, initiated in 1953 by Late Pt. Bhimsen Joshi is a major event featuring celebrated artists in the country. The festival is conducted every year in the first two weeks of December over three days.
A classical genre such as thumri or dhrupad is a type of semi-classical form of 'gayaki' as it is called.
Listen to the scintillating rendition of 'Saiyyan Bina Ghara Suna Lage' by Begum Parveen Sultana
Listen to the scintillating rendition of 'Saiyyan Bina Ghara Suna Lage' by Begum Parveen Sultana
Carnatic music can be traced to the 14th - 15th centuries AD and thereafter. It originated in South India during the rule of the Vijayanagar empire through the 'keerthanas' composed by Purandara Dasa, the immortal saint and devotee of Lord Vishnu. Like Hindustani music, it is equally melodious and divine with improvised variations but tends to have more fixed compositions. Carnatic music is governed by 'gamakas' and is more based on Kriti.
Every December, the city of Chennai has its eight-week-long music season, which is one of the world's largest cultural events, featuring all the classical artists.
The 'tillana' is an elegant style of singing in Carnatic music, in which an interesting story is narrated in tandem with the beautiful expressions of the artist. You can actually imagine the scene that is being described through the 'tillana'.
Watch Vidushi Aruna Sairam render the tillana to enjoy this unique experience
Watch Vidushi Aruna Sairam render the tillana to enjoy this unique experience