|
To an extent , it is established now that
Indian Music has its origin in the Vedas
where it found its moorings. As centuries
rolled on it developed into an integrated
well-codified form. Development of music
commenced with the folk idiom evolved in
consonance with regional ingenuity, and
slowly blossomed into classical forms.
Though classical music in India differs from
region to region, thee is an underlying
current of unity.
There are two systems of music in India, the
carnatic and the Hindustani,
which are highly dramatized. These are
supplemented by folk music, bhajans
and kirtans.
Raga is a melodic scheme covered with
certain traditional rules, at the same time
leaving enough freedom for improvising.
These rules determine and define the notes
of a scale for each raga, their order, and
their essence which give a particular co
lour to the scheme. The Melakarta
embracing 72 ragas governs the Carnatic
scheme. Based on this structure innumerable Janya
ragas (derivative ragas) have blossomed.
A
raga should have a minimum of four notes to
ensure a personality. In the earlier years
of its evolution, Hindustani music did not
have a Melakarta system. Later on due
to the efforts of Shri Bhatkande, a
streamlining has been done.
The basic character of Indian Music is its
emphasis on melody. As melody is a movement
of one-tone-at-a-time it naturally becomes
progressions of sound patterns in a liner
fashion. As a raga is basically an incipient
melodic idea, it has perforce to be
elaborated to brig forth its aesthetic
potentialities. As a result these formal
constructions are either rhythmically bound
of free. Also they assume slightly different
colorings according to the genius of the
masters and these are known as Gharanas
or Bhanis.
 A
degree of difference exists in the approach
to raga formation in the Hindustani
and Carnatic systems. The Hindustani
system has got a peculiar characteristic
that it constantly emphasizes the Vadi and
Samvadi notes in a raga; all
phrasings gravitate towards this. In simple
terms Vadi and Samvadi are the two pivotal
notes of a raga structure like the reins of
a horse. The result is that a number of
ragas can be created having the same notes
and syntax by altering these centers of
gravity. A Carnatic raga, on the other hand,
has a way of distributing tonal emphasis
thereby giving greater freedom to the
musician in creating patterns. Also the Gamakas
or graces are characteristically different.
The
Hindustani system has its broad sweeps and
glides and the Carnatic its almost coiled
coil technique. And finally unlike the
Carnatic system, Hindustani music is based
on the time theory. The morning
ragas, the midday ones, the dusky varieties
and of course the night and mid-night, not
to mention the dawn. In carnatic music,
though there are indications in this
regard., in concerts this rigor is not
strictly adhered to. Like derivative ragas
in the South, there are the Raginis
in the Hindustani idiom. There is also an
element of gender in Hindustani music.
Raginis sport the female gender and of
course Ragas the male.
 Talas
are rhythmic cycles. They have a universal
unity. Two plus two cannot but be four.
Indian music has got the most complicated
variety of tala structures in the world. And
this is specially so in Carnatic music where
even fractions are harnessed. In the world
everything is rhythmic, even the rattle of a
train. But that would be linear rhythm. Only
when thee is a feeling of coming back to the
origin a form is ensured, though repetitive
or cyclic; say, like, the days of the week,
Monday to Sunday and Monday again.
The fundamental units of the Indian
rhythmic-structure are three; thisram,
four; chathusram, five; khandam,
seven; misram and nine; sanskeemam.
On a closer lock, it would be dissembled
that the last two are only mixtures of the
second and third. Three + four and four +
five. We may leave the vulgar fractions to
the virtuosos. As talas are simple
arithmetic, there cannot be any difference
in the 
manner of their operations. But while in
Hindustani music, the transit from the Vilambit
stage (slow tempo) to the Dhrut (fast
tempo), is without any strict sense of
temporal proportions, in Carnatic music the
duration values are definite. The Dhruta
is double the Madhya (middle) which
in turn is twice the Vilamba.
|
