MUSIC IN HINDU FUNCTIONS

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Origins

Classical Indian music can be traced back to the Vedic hymns of the Hindu temples, particularly the Sama Veda. Sound is believed to have originated from the Creator, Nada Brahma. Therefore, many classical compositions are sung in praise of various Deities and incarnations of the Supreme Lord. Even in a contemporary performance, genuine devotion is not lost in the mechanics of the music. This belief in the divine origins of music has affected musical practice tremendously. For example, it can be attributed to the steadfastness of the oral tradition of Vedic music and worship. There are essential elements to the nature of classical Indian music, and these are common to both North and South India.

Raaga

• A raaga is the basic principle for structuring a musical performance. It is a precise melodic form consisting of either a seven-note octave, or a series of five or six notes, or a combination of the above. There are seventy-two melas, or parent scales, upon which all raagas are based.
• In both the Hindustani and Karnatak systems, the pitches are represented by sargam syllables: sa · re · ga · ma · pa · da · ni · sa.
• A raaga is comprised of several procedures related to how these notes are played. These include:

• the classification or jati of the raaga,
• the determination of the main pitches: vadi ("King") and samvadi ("Queen"),
• the aroh (ascent) and avroh (descent) of the scale,
• the norms for approaching certain notes in the scale,

the typical ornaments and melodic formulae that give special character to the raaga, and the rasa or "mood", related in part to the pitch and tempo at which the raaga is played. Therefore, a raaga is more than just the notes; it includes the scale and rules governing how the notes are played.

Jatis

A raaga consist of a fixed, unchangeable number of notes which are presented in the form of ascending and descending orders. The minimum numbers of notes which a raaga may have is five and the maximum is seven.Pentatonic scales are called Odava and Hexatonic scales are called Shadava and the Heptatonic is called Sampurana. By the combination of these three, nine types are found.

Ascending Scale	Descending Scale
5 notes	5 notes Odava - Odava
5 notes	6 notes Odava - Shadava
5 notes	7 notes Odava - Sampurna
6 notes	5 notes Shadava - Odava
6 notes	6 notes Shadava - Shadava
6 notes	7 notes Shadava - Sampurna
7 notes	5 notes Sampurna – Odava
7 notes	6 notes Sampurna – Shadava
7 notes	7 notes Sampurna - Sampurna

There are definite rules governing melodic ascent and descent. For example, the scale of Raaga Yaman is:

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni

But ascending phrases are always as:

Ni Re Ga Ma Dha Ni

Thus the performer is bound by such rules and he can improvise only within a strictly delineated framework.

Rasa.

• The performing arts in India, music, dance, drama and poetry, are based on the concept of the nava rasa, or nine sentiments. Literally, rasa means juice, but in a musical context, it refers to the mood or sentiment created by a raaga.
• The order of these rasas is as follows: shringara, romantic and erotic; hasya, humorous; karuna, [sym]pathetic; raudra, anger; veera, heroic; bhayanaka, fearful; vibhatsa, disgustful; adbhuta, amazement; shanta, peaceful.
• Each raaga is principally dominated by one of these nine rasas, although the performer can also bring out other emotions in a less prominent way. The more closely the notes of a raaga conform to the expression of one single idea or emotion, the more overwhelming the effect of the raaga.

Bhava

• In music, the artist communicates the state and workings of her mind and emotions through tones (raaga) which are outward manifestations of her psychological states (rasa). In the performance, that which is added by the performer in her rendering of the notated music is called bhava, or expression.
• The ideal performer is one who succeeds in bestowing upon the composition a personal and original bhava within the regulated framework of the raaga.

Tala

• A tala is the rhythmic cycle of a raaga. (Tala is not subsumed under raaga; rather, it is an equal counterpart.) The drum player is entrusted with the meticulous task of maintaining the tala. In a recital, a tablist accompanies the vocalist in either a slow, medium or fast tempo in the tala of the soloist’s choice. The division in a tala, and the stress on the first beat (called sam), are the most important rhythmic factors.

Some of the older talas, associated with dhrupad, are chautal and dhamar, which are played on a two-faced drum known as pakhawaj. Today, most vocal and instrumental music is based on the contemporary khyal form and is therefore accompanied by the two-piece tabla drums. A captivated audience is likely to follow the tala via (in)conspicuous hand gestures during a performance.
Teental is the most common tala of the North, followed by ektal and jhaptal. The eight-beat adi-tala is the most common tala of the South.

Sitar

  Sitar is one of the common stringed instrument of Northern India. The invention of the Sitar is commonly credited to Amir Khusrau, the great musician and statesman at the court of the Khilji. The name Sitar is derived from the Persian expression 'Seh-tar' meaning 'three strings'.

In appearance Sitar is very much similar to Tambura. The body of Sitar is more or less spherical gourd at the lower end. The gourd is almost flat, like the back of a tortoise. Such a Sitar is called 'Kachchawa'. The finger-board of the Sitar is about three feet long and three inches wide, hollow and deeply concave, covered with a thin piece of wood. There are sixteen to twenty-two slightly curved frets of brass or silver which are secured to the finger-board by pieces of gut. The Sitar originally had only three strings, but themodern one's has a total number of seven strings which are fastened to pegs on the neck and the sides. These include the side strings (Chikari). Side strings are used both for the droneand rhythmic accompaniment. There are eleven or twelve sympathetic strings (Tarab) which runs almost parallel to the main strings under the frets. These tarabs are secured to small pegs fixed at the side of the finger-board. These strings are tuned to produce the scale of the melody. The Sitar is played by means of wire plectrum (Mizrab) worn on the forefinger of the right hand. All the styles peculiar to instrumental music namely; alap, jod, meend etc. can be played on this instrument with marked effect.

Veena

Veena is a stringed instrument. It consists of a large body hollowed out of a block of wood. The stem of the instrument is also made of wood. The bridge is placed on the flat top of the body of the veena and the neck attached to the stem is usually carved into weird figure like the head of the dragon.

A gourd which is smaller than the rounded part of the body is fixed underneath the neck. Twenty one metallic frets are fixed on the stem by means of a resinous substance.

The veena has seven strings. Of them four are main strings that pass over the frets and are attached to the pegs of the neck. The other strings are used as side strings for rhythmic accompaniment. These strings pass over an arched bridge made of brass. They lie flat over the top of the body and are secured to the main bridge.

The veena is played by sitting cross-legged upon the floor and holding the veena in front. The small gourd on the left touch the left thigh, the left arm passing round the stem so that the fingers rest easily upon the frets. The main body of the instrument is placed on the ground, partially supported by the right thigh.