Indian Classical

Page 2

Music Theory

Microtonality: the variety of approaches to microtonal music in world cultures

In theory, microtonal music describes a piece that contains one or more intervals measuring below a semitone. Although...
SAROD

Sakhawat Hussain's sarod cast a magical spell rooted in the Afghan rubab traditions

Sakhawat Hussain Khan was an Indian musician whose outstanding performing technique on sarod could serve as a starting...
TECHNOLOGIES

Gauhar Jaan: India's first-ever recorded musician

The first-ever recording of Indian music was made by Fred Gaisberg, an American musician and engineer traveling around... 1 comment
Poetry

The best Qawwali lyrics performed by prominent singers of the century

Phool Khil Jaaye by Abida Parveen and Asrar Shah Mere dil ki banjar zameen pe Oh maula Mere dil ki banjar zameen pe Mere...
Nadaswaram

Krithi lyrics in Tyagaraja's songs defined South Indian classic tradition of the 18th century

Tyagaraja was a South Indian poet, musician, and composer whose devotional and philosophical songs—written mainly in...
SITAR

The world's first sitar recording by Imdad Khan

In 1904, the Gramophone Company sent its team to India in order to record the best Hindustani classical musicians and... 2 comments
GUITAR

Ry Cooder & Vishwa Mohan Bhatt: the unlikely fusion of two guitar greats

A Meeting by the River—is one of the most striking cross-cultural works of the 1990s which brought Grammy Awards for...
SAROD

The mohan veena: classic instrument developed by Radhika Mohan Maitra is a child of veena, sarod, and sitar

Radhika Mohan Maitra was an outstanding Bengali musician who enriched the Hindustani classical tradition by not only... 2 comments
SITAR

The tapped harmonics of Balaram Pathak's sitar

Balaram Pathak was not only one of the most talented Indian classical musicians of the 20th century but also the mind...
Veena

Muthuswami Dikshitar: South Indian composer and poet who embellished Carnatic repertoire 200 years ago

Muthuswami Dikshitar was the most influential Indian composer representing Carnatic tradition which is most present in... 2 comments
Veena

Sundaram Balachander: the veena musician and filmmaker who introduced Carnatic culture to the world

The veena is the oldest string instrument of the Indian subcontinent, first mentioned in the Rigveda dating back to 1500...
SITAR

The sitar virtuoso who introduced Indian classic to the British parliament

Budhaditya Mukherjee is one of the brightest virtuosos who to this day refines the rich legacy of Hindustani classics.... 1 comment
Shehnai

Shehnai oboe and its greatest virtuoso proclaimed the Indian Independence Act of 1947

For several centuries most ceremonial or festive events in India, Pakistan, and Nepal have been accompanied by lively...
Sarangi

The Hindustani maestro who arranged the Sārangī fiddle for a classical solo

The sārangī fiddle, mainly used on the Indian subcontinent, is perhaps one of the most complex bowed string instruments...
ORCHESTRA

Only 3 Mantras survived from Sanskrit opera Avatara by John Foulds

One of the greatest areas of music history still remaining largely uncharted is the influence of Indian philosophy on...
SITAR

Vilayat Khan enriched his sitar technique by giving it human voice

Brilliant sitar player Vilayat Khan is broadly known in India and worldwide as a prominent maestro of the Hindustani... 1 comment
Ravanahatha

The Ravanahatha: from Hela civilization to the primary instrument of Rajasthani folk

The ravanahatha (also known as ravanhatta or rawanhattha) is an ancient stringed musical instrument that is suggested to... 1 comment
Violin

The fifth string of the Maihar school lead violin

For more than a century, the tiny town of Maihar—now the de facto cradle of the Indian Classical—has been breathing with... 1 comment
SONGWRITER

Sūrsāgar: ocean of poetry that expanded for five centuries

Sūrdās was a North Indian devotional poet, musician, and saint who lived in the 16th century. His lyrics, addressed...
Poetry

Sufi lyrics expanded all over the world thanks to Qawwali songs

Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia. It is part of a musical tradition that stretches back... 1 comment
SAROD

Vasant Rai's fretless guitar arrangements for Indian classical

Vasant Rai (1942-1985) was one of the world's most acclaimed masters of Indian music. Born in Unjha, in the province of...
SAROD

Malkauns night music was composed to tame Shiva's dance

Malkauns is one of the oldest music pieces in North Indian tradition that equivalent to Hindolam raga of Carnatic...
FESTIVAL

Neverending musical whirlpool at the sacred oasis of Pushkar

Bordering with the Thar Desert, Pushkar town is set on Pushkar Holy Lake, a revered site for many Hindu followers. ...
Bansuri

Pannalal Ghosh: magic flute came to the Indian classics from the river

Born in Barisal, East Bengal (now Bangladesh) Pannalal Ghosh (1911–1960), was an Indian composer and virtuoso of the...
SONGWRITER

Rabindra Sangeet have been an essential part of Indian culture for more than a century

A native of Calcutta, Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913—the first Asian person to receive...
SAROD

Legendary Tansen could bring rain with music

The history of Indian classical music is enriched with numerous artists who were able to channel very specific moods set...
SAROD

100 years for 1 career: the great artist and teacher Allauddin Khan

Allauddin Khan was the great Bengali multi-instrumentalist and composer who, to this day, remains one of the most...
SITAR

Humid Kolkata air sways with Nikhil Banerjee's sitar

Nikhil Banerjee (1931–1986) was an Indian classical musician who emerged as one of the leading masters of the sitar. In...
SITAR

Desh Raag as universal music scale

Desh Raag is a beautiful and melodious indian classical piece, also called Monsoon Raga, which is often played at night... 2 comments
Bansuri

Gandhi's devotional song was arranged on Galgibaga beach

Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram is a famous devotional song that was widely popularized by Mahatma Gandhi. While the origins...

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