Indian Classical Music

The origin of Indian classical music is found in the oldest Hindu scripture called Samaveda. It has the most complex and complete musical system with eight basic notes of Sa,Re,Ga,Ma,Pa,Dha,Ni and Sa. It is monophonic in nature.

The instruments used in Indian Classical music are veena, mridangam, tabla, kanjira, tambura, flute, sitar,violin, gottuvadyam and sarangi. The two main styles of Indian Classical music are Hindustani music(North India) and Carnatic music(South India).

The main themes of Hindustani music are Lord Krishna and the beauty of nature. Some notable advocates of Hindustani music are Allauddin Khan, Vilayat Khan, Bismillah Khan, Bhimsen Joshi and many more.

Carnatic music is an ancient form of music that originated in Southern India. Its origin is believed to be divine. Some of its leading composers are Mysore Sadasiva Rao, Tyagaraja , Muthuswami Dikshitar and others.

The various forms of Indian classical music are:

• khayal
• ghazal
• thumri
• dhrupad
• dhamar
• tarana
• trivat
• chaiti
• kajari
• tappa
• tapkhyal
• ashtapadi
• bhajan.