Classical & Folk Music Traditions
India has one of the oldest and richest musical traditions in the world, and its music is broadly divided into the classical systems of the north and the south, along with a vast body of folk traditions spread across the country. The classical traditions are known as Hindustani music in North India and Carnatic music in South India, while folk music expresses the daily life, festivals, devotion and regional identity of ordinary people. This topic is important for competitive examinations because questions are frequently asked about the origin of Indian music, its technical terms, the gharanas and composers, the classification of instruments, famous folk forms, and the institutions and awards connected with music. The notes below cover all these aspects in a clear and exam-oriented manner, moving from theory and history to forms, instruments, folk traditions and the modern institutional framework.
Origin and theory
The traditional origin of Indian music is traced to the Sama Veda, one of the four Vedas, which is regarded as the earliest source of musical recitation and melody. The theoretical foundation of Indian music is provided by the Natya Shastra, a treatise on dance, drama and music written by the sage Bharata Muni roughly between 200 BCE and 200 CE. Indian music is based on the seven basic notes called swaras, namely Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni, which correspond approximately to the Western tonic, supertonic and so on. The full set of seven notes is called a saptak or saptaka, equivalent to an octave. The notes Sa and Pa are fixed or achala, while the others are variable or chala and can be sharpened or flattened. A raga is a melodic framework built from these notes with a specific ascending and descending order, and a tala is the rhythmic cycle that measures time. The three fundamental elements of Indian music are raga, tala and swara. Hindustani and Carnatic music share this basic theory but differ in their styles, forms and performance practices.
Hindustani music of North India
Hindustani music is the classical music tradition of North India, and it was shaped by the interaction of Indian and Persian traditions during the medieval period. The great musician Tansen, one of the Navaratnas of the Mughal emperor Akbar, is regarded as the most important figure in this tradition and is credited with many ragas, and his tomb is in Gwalior. Hindustani music is organised into stylistic lineages called gharanas, such as the Gwalior, Kirana, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli and Patiala gharanas. The oldest major vocal form is Dhrupad, a solemn and devotional style. Khayal is the most popular vocal form and gives the singer freedom for improvisation. Thumri is a lighter, romantic form of semi-classical music, and Tarana uses rapid rhythmic syllables instead of words. Other forms include Dadra, Ghazal and Bhajan. The main Hindustani instruments are the sitar and sarod, both stringed instruments, the santoor, a hammered dulcimer, the sarangi, a bowed instrument, the tabla, a pair of drums, and the shehnai, a wind instrument played with great fame by Bismillah Khan.
Carnatic music of South India
Carnatic music is the classical music tradition of South India, and it developed mainly in the regions of present-day Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Purandara Dasa, a sixteenth-century composer and saint of the Haridasa movement, is called the father of Carnatic music because he systematised its teaching and composed graded lessons. The tradition reached its height in the compositions of the Trinity of Carnatic music, namely Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, who lived in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and composed thousands of songs. The most important vocal form is the kriti, a devotional composition usually in three parts, and the varnam is a technical exercise that teaches raga and tala. Carnatic music is built on raga and tala, and it recognises seventy-two parent scales called the seventy-two melakarta ragas, which are arranged in a systematic mathematical scheme. The main Carnatic instruments are the veena, a large stringed instrument, the mridangam, a barrel-shaped double-headed drum, the ghatam, a clay pot used as percussion, and the nadaswaram, a long wind instrument. The violin is also widely used in this tradition.
Classification of musical instruments
Indian music traditionally classifies musical instruments into four families based on the way sound is produced, and this classification appears in the Natya Shastra. The first group is the tat vadya or stringed instruments, which produce sound by the vibration of stretched strings, and examples include the veena, sitar, sarod, sarangi, santoor, violin and ektara. The second group is the sushir vadya or wind instruments, which produce sound by the vibration of air or a column of air, and examples include the flute or bansuri, shehnai, nadaswaram, nagaswaram and harmonium. The third group is the avanaddha vadya or percussion instruments covered with skin or membrane, and examples include the tabla, mridangam, dhol, dholak, damaru and pakhawaj. The fourth group is the ghan vadya or solid idiophone instruments without strings or membranes, which produce sound from solid material, and examples include the jaltarang, ghatam, morsing, manjira and ghungroo. This fourfold classification is a very common examination topic, and students are often asked to match an instrument with its correct family.
Folk music traditions
Folk music is the music of the common people, and it varies from region to region and is closely tied to festivals, agricultural cycles and religious life. In Bengal, the Baul tradition is a mystical folk music associated with the Baul singers and the saint Lalon Fakir, and the Bauls were declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Bihu geet is the folk music of Assam, sung especially during the Bihu festival, and the dhol, pepa and gogona are its characteristic instruments. Lavani is a popular folk music and dance form of Maharashtra known for its rhythmic beats and energetic performance. Garba and Dandiya are folk forms of Gujarat, performed during the festival of Navratri using rhythmic clapping and decorated sticks. Pandavani is a folk narrative form of Chhattisgarh in which the performer recites the stories of the Mahabharata. Alha is a heroic folk ballad of the Bundelkhand region, usually sung during the monsoon. Powada is a Marathi ballad that narrates heroic deeds, and Wanawan is a folk song of Ladakh. These forms preserve local dialects and traditions.
Institutions, awards and exponents
Several national institutions protect and promote Indian music. The Sangeet Natak Akademi, established in 1952, is India's national academy for music, dance and drama, and it confers the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship. The Akademi also runs the National School of Drama and awards the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar to young artists. The highest civilian honours, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma awards, are given to outstanding musicians; among musicians who received the Bharat Ratna are M. S. Subbulakshmi, Ravi Shankar, Bismillah Khan, Bhimsen Joshi and Lata Mangeshkar. Famous exponents include Ravi Shankar on the sitar, Ali Akbar Khan on the sarod, Shivkumar Sharma and Rahul Sharma on the santoor, Ram Narayan on the sarangi, Zakir Hussain on the tabla, and Bismillah Khan on the shehnai. All India Radio, founded in 1936, and Doordarshan, the national television network, have played a major role in broadcasting classical and folk music to a wide audience. Carnatic vocalists such as M. S. Subbulakshmi and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer are also celebrated.
Key Facts at a Glance
- The Sama Veda is regarded as the earliest source of Indian music.
- The Natya Shastra was written by the sage Bharata Muni.
- The seven notes are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.
- The set of seven notes is called a saptak, equivalent to an octave.
- Sa and Pa are fixed notes; the others are variable.
- The three elements of music are raga, tala and swara.
- Tansen was one of the Navaratnas of Akbar.
- Dhrupad is the oldest major Hindustani vocal form.
- Khayal is the most popular Hindustani vocal form.
- Purandara Dasa is the father of Carnatic music.
- The Trinity of Carnatic music are Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri.
- Carnatic music has seventy-two melakarta ragas.
- Instruments are classified as tat, sushir, avanaddha and ghan.
- The veena, sitar and sarod are tat or stringed instruments.
- The flute, shehnai and nadaswaram are sushir or wind instruments.
- The tabla, mridangam and dhol are avanaddha or percussion instruments.
- The ghatam, jaltarang and morsing are ghan or solid instruments.
- Baul is a folk tradition of Bengal; Bihu geet belongs to Assam.
- Lavani and Powada are folk forms of Maharashtra.
- Pandavani belongs to Chhattisgarh and Alha to Bundelkhand.
- The Sangeet Natak Akademi was established in 1952.
- All India Radio was founded in 1936.
Quick Revision Points
- The core theory of Indian music rests on raga, tala and swara.
- Hindustani music belongs to the north and Carnatic music to the south.
- Gharanas are the stylistic schools of Hindustani music.
- Tansen is the central figure of Hindustani music; Purandara Dasa and the Trinity dominate Carnatic music.
- Instruments are divided into four families: tat, sushir, avanaddha and ghan.
- Folk music is region-specific and tied to festivals, harvests and devotion.
- The Sangeet Natak Akademi and All India Radio promote and broadcast music.
How to Prepare This Topic
- Learn the meaning of swara, saptak, raga and tala before memorising names.
- Remember the Hindustani forms and the well-known gharanas in order.
- Memorise the Trinity of Carnatic music and the number of melakarta ragas.
- Classify instruments into the four families and keep two or three examples for each.
- Match each folk form with its state, such as Baul with Bengal and Bihu with Assam.
- Note the years of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and All India Radio.
- Revise the list of Bharat Ratna and Padma awardees in the field of music.
Common Exam Traps
- Confusing tat or stringed instruments with sushir or wind instruments.
- Mixing up Dhrupad and Khayal in questions about the oldest and the most popular vocal forms.
- Mixing up the names and compositions of the Carnatic Trinity.
- Confusing Purandara Dasa with the Trinity; he is the father of Carnatic music, not one of the three.
- Wrongly matching a folk form with its state, for example calling Lavani a Gujarati form.
- Misclassifying the ghatam, which is a ghan instrument and not an avanaddha one.
- Getting the establishment year of the Sangeet Natak Akademi wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
From where does Indian music trace its origin?
The traditional origin of Indian music is traced to the Sama Veda, which is regarded as the earliest source of musical recitation and melody. Its theoretical foundation comes from the Natya Shastra, a treatise on dance, drama and music written by the sage Bharata Muni roughly between 200 BCE and 200 CE.
What is the difference between Hindustani and Carnatic music?
Hindustani music is the classical tradition of North India and was influenced by Persian and Mughal culture, while Carnatic music is the classical tradition of South India. Both share the same basic theory of raga and tala, but they differ in their vocal forms, instruments and performance styles. Hindustani music has gharanas, while Carnatic music is centred on the kriti and the melakarta system.
Who is called the father of Carnatic music?
Purandara Dasa, a sixteenth-century composer and saint of the Haridasa movement, is called the father of Carnatic music because he systematised its teaching and composed graded lessons. The tradition later reached its height with the Trinity of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri.
What are the four classes of Indian musical instruments?
Indian instruments are classified into four families: tat or stringed instruments such as the veena and sitar, sushir or wind instruments such as the flute and shehnai, avanaddha or percussion instruments covered with skin such as the tabla and mridangam, and ghan or solid instruments such as the ghatam and jaltarang.
What is the Sangeet Natak Akademi?
The Sangeet Natak Akademi, established in 1952, is India's national academy for music, dance and drama. It confers the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Fellowship, runs the National School of Drama, and gives the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar to young artists.