Chapter Seven

1
Chapter Seven

• Instrumental Melody

2
Melodic Styles

• Vocal Melody Usually conjunct
  Motion Limited range
• Instrumental Melody Often disjunct motion
  Idiomatic writing (for specific instruments)
• Wider ranges than vocal

3
Music of India

• Great Tradition
• Spread Extensively Throughout India
• Common Musical Language Among People
• Little Tradition
• Limited Geographical Region
• Folk and Religious Music

4
Great TraditionDistinctive Musical Instruments

• Primary Role
• Melodic-- Sitar
• Secondary Roles
• Rhythmic-- Tabla
• Drone-- Tambura

5
Formal Process

• Improvistory Organization
• Melodic Formula
• Raga
• Rhythmic Formula
• Tala
• (Tal)

6
Instrument Classification According to Natya
Shastra

• Tata (Chordophones)
• Avanaddha (Membranophones)
• Ghana (Idiophones)
• Susira (Aerophones)

7
Western Instrumental Classification
Indian system adapted by Hornbostel and Sachs in
1914. Aerophones (column of air) Idiophones
(struck) Membranophones (struck) Chordophones
(plucked or bowed)
8
Northern Indian Instruments

• Sitarplucked stringed instrument which plays
  the melody

9
Northern Indian Instruments

• Tambura (also called tanpura) is a plucked
  stringed instrument and plays the drone

Same clip as previous slidelisten for continuous
drone note beneath sitar.)
10
Northern Indian Instruments

• Tabla(tabla and baya)pitched percussion
  instruments

11
Northern Indian Classical Music

• Terms for Musical Elements
• Ragamelodic formulae providing basis for
  improvisation
• Tala (tal)rhythmic formulae that increases in
  complexity as the piece is played

12
Standard Raga Format

• Continuous Form Music
• Alap Opening, unmeasured sectionraga pitches
  introduced
• Jor Section where a feeling of pulse (beat)
  is established
• Gat Section where tabla enters with the tala

13
Other Indian Instruments

• Santur

Bansuri
14
Other Indian Instruments

• Sarangi

15
The Harmonium

• The instrument has 42 keys, corresponding to the
  tuning of Western music. The musician sits on the
  floor and plays it with the right hand while the
  left hand activates the bellows. This instrument
  poses some problem in Indian classical music, as
  its temper is equal, and does not match the
  unequal temper of Indian ragas. Therefore, it
  sounds friendlier to Western ears.

This piece, Mishra Pahadi, follows a raga form
with the tabla entering at the gat. The harmonium
is accompanied by a santur.
16
Ravi Shankar

• Performance Career
• Studied 7 years with Baba Allauddin Kahn in
  traditional guru-shishya
• Performed with dance troupe in Paris, age 10
• Performances on All-India Radio, 1939-1940
• Began to perform Indian music abroad, 1952