INDIC INSPIRATIONS

History of Indian Music & Musical Instruments

Nature is the fountain source of all music. The beginning of Indian musicography is traced to Vedic chants that were sung during religious rituals performed by priests named Udgatar. The origin of musical composition is traced to the Vedic chant of Samveda (the Veda of music) created by Lord Brahma. In Vedic times music was the medium for prayer in religious ceremonies as well as entertainment and social occasions. The development of notes originated in the Vedic period itself.

There was a lot of influence of Mughals on Indian music over a period of time. They contributed a lot for Indian music.

India has a rich musical history with its very own musical instruments. Some music instruments are used primarily in North Indian music (Hindustani Sangeet), some are used in the south Indian music (Carnatic Sangeet), while others are found in folk music. The music of ancient India has its roots from the many indigenous instruments that gained wide use at the time such as the seven-holed flute and various stringed instruments.  The oldest musical instrument of India is the Veena.

Photo: A Bin Player’; Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Sitar- Stringed Instrument

The Sitar, one of the most ancient Indian instruments, is a plucked stringed instrument used mainly in Hindustani music – North Indian classical music. It is said to have been introduced in India in the thirteenth century by Amir Khusrau, the first great Muslim musicologist of India.  The instrument’s name is derived from the Persian ‘setar’, or three-stringed. The influence of sitar can be largely seen towards the north side of India due to the Mughal dynasty impact. The captivating music from the strings of sitar has attracted many well known musical artists around the globe, musical bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones use sitar for their performance. The Sitar occupies a place of pride among Indian musical instruments. It is easily the most charming of all instruments.

Listen to the Sitar HERE.

Photo: Pandit Ravi Shankar, Sitar Player. Credit: Codeen

Violin- Stringed Instrument

Violin is a four stringed instrument played with a bow. Violin plays a prominent role in carnatic music. Violin has been introduced to Carnatic music during the end of 18th century and start of 19th century. Violin became popular with the Carnatic parlance not only as the accompaniment, but also as a solo instrument. The ancestor of the Violin is believed to be the Ravanahatha, a folk instrument of Rajasthan, in India. Ravanahatha, is said to have originated during the time of Ravana, the mighty king of Lanka. According to mythology, Ravana was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva. He played on the Ravanhatta as a musical offering to the Lord. The violin has often been described as a musical bridge between Europe and India, as it is the only European instrument that has been successfully integrated into Indian classical music. Although the construction of the violin is the same in Indian and Western music, the tuning, playing posture, and techniques are quite different. 

Listen to the Violin HERE.

Photo: Violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam. Credit: World Music Central

Dugi Tabla – Percussion Instrument

Dugi Tabla is an important rhythmic accompaniment to vocal, instrument and dance performances. Dugi Tabla  –  a percussion instrument which consists of a pair of single headed drums – Dugi/Bayan or the larger drum and Tabla/Dayan or the smaller drum. As an instrument of Indian heritage, Dugi Tabla has great importance in accompanying vocals and other types of instruments. There are many theories regarding the invention of the Tabla. The first assumption was that it was discovered by a drummer named Amir Khusru in the first half of the 18th century. The second assumption is connected with the Indian mythology which told that Lord Ganesh once while playing the parental Indian instrument pakhavaj, accidentally dropped it and that’s how the partition gave us Tabla. Tabla also has a great deal of importance in the accompaniment of dance. There are various Indian traditional dance forms such as Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, and many other south Indian dances. In all these dance forms, especially in North Indian dance Kathak, the tabla is popularly used for accompaniment. In vocals too, the tabla is used in showing the tala to the singer. 

Listen to the Tabla HERE.

Photo: Ustad Alla Rakha, Percussionist. Credit: Wikipedia

Harmonium – Wind Instrument – Reed Instrument

Harmonium, a keyboard musical instrument, is often used as an accompanying instrument by vocalists. During the mid-19th century missionaries brought French-made hand-pumped harmoniums to India. Though derived from the designs developed in France, the harmonium was developed further in India in unique ways, such as the addition of drone stops and a scale changing mechanism. It is extensively used to accompany folk, classical, Sufi, and ghazal compositions for both music and dance. The harmonium is also commonly accompanied by the Tabla.

Listen to Vidushi Kishori Amonkar sings playing harmonium HERE.

Photo: Vidushi Kishori Amonkar using Harmonium. Credit: The Guardian

Bansuri – Wind Instrument– Flute Instrument

Single or double flutes with only one hollow tube with finger holes for controlling the pitch of the note are very common in many parts of the country. The flute has a variety of names like Venu, Vamsi, Bansuri, Murali and so on in the north, and Pullankuzhal, Pillankarovi and Kolalu in the south. The bansuri ( bans [bamboo] + swar [a musical note] ) is a transverse alto flute made of a single length of bamboo and has six or seven open finger holes. The bansuri is revered as Lord Krishna’s divine instrument and is often associated with Krishna’s Rasa lila dance. 

Listen to the Bansuri HERE.

Photo: Flautist of India, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia . Credit: The Economic Times