Indian Music
The music of India is said to be one of the oldest unbroken musical traditions in the world. It is said that its origins go back to the Vedas. It has developed within a very complex interaction between different peoples of different races and cultures.
The basis for Indian music is 'Sangeet'. Sangeet is a combination of three art forms: vocal music, instrumental music and dance, originally derived from the single field of stagecraft. These three forms have differentiated into complex and highly refined individual art forms.
The present system of Indian music is based upon two important pillars: 'rag' and 'tal'. Rag is the melodic form while Tal is the rhythmic. 'Tune' and 'Words' (Raga and Sahityam or Lyric) make music.
Rag may be roughly equated with the Western term, 'mode' or 'scale'. There is a system of seven notes which are arranged in a means like the Western scales. However, when we look closely we can see that it is quite different.
The Tal, the rhythmic forms, is also very complex. Many common rhythmic patterns are in existence. They revolve around repeating patterns of beats.
The interpretation of the Rag and the Tal is not the same all over India. There are two major traditions of classical music, the North Indian and the South Indian tradition. The North Indian tradition is known as Hindustani Sangeet and the South Indian is called Carnatic Sangeet. Both systems are fundamentally similar, but differ in nomenclature and performance practice.
Many musical instruments are peculiar to India. The most famous are the Sitar, Veena and Tabla and there are many more instruments.
All of this makes up the complex and exciting field of Indian classical music of which, Christian Music is a part. Its understanding perfectly consumes an entire lifetime.
Swaram: 'Swaram' is the sound of music, divided into seven parts, each part given a name. The seven parts together make a 'Sthai'. This Swaram consists of seven 'Varisas'. The next stage after learning the Swarams, is 'Geetham'.
Geetham: Geetham is an introduction to 'Varnam'. The Lyrics and Swarams are very simple.
Varnam: 'Varnam' means, decorating the deity with different colours. Once the decoration is finished, the deity is ready for the procession. Likewise, in music also, after learning the Varisas, Geetham and Varnam, the singer is ready for the performance.
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