c
c 

c
 m


÷ Divine origin
÷ First sound- ´OMµ ²
Manifestation of Brahma
÷ In beginning only devotional
and restricted to religious and
ritualistic purposes
÷ Indian classical music is based on the
ragas ("colors")
÷ umburu was the first singer;
÷
araswati was the goddess of music
and learning; and
÷ Bharata was the first to draw up rules
for theatre, of which music was a major
and integral part.
÷ In beginning music was
devotional in content and was
restricted to religious and
ritualistic purposes and used
only in temples.
÷ Indian music developed from
the ritualistic music in
association with folk music
and other musical forms of
India and gradually derived
its own musical
characteristics.
÷ Indian classical music is based
on the ragas ("colors·)
÷ he main difference with
western classical music is that
the Indian ragas are not
"composed" by a composer, but
were created via a lengthy
evolutionary process over the
centuries. hus they do not
represent mind of the composer
but a universal idea of the
world.
÷ industani (North Indian)
ragas are assigned to specific
times of the day (or night) and
to specific seasons.
÷ here are thousands of ragas,
but six are considered
fundamental: Bhairav,
Malkauns, indol, Dipak,
Megh and
hree.
÷  raga is not necessarily
instrumental, and, if vocal, it
is not necessarily
accompanied.
÷ he main instrument of the
ragas is the sitar.
÷ Indian classical music is
mainly a vocal (not only
instrumental) art.
÷ Miyan ansen, who lived at the
court of the Mughal emperor
kbar in the 16th century, is
credited with codifying
industani (north Indian)
vocal music, notably the
dhrupad style that he learned
from his teacher
wami
aridas.
„
 


„
   


 
„


„
 

 V DIC MU
IC
÷ Music formed an important part of
the rituals, which structured sacrifice.
÷
inging, instrumental music and
dance were described as divine in
Vedic literature.
÷ Music in India has been passed on in
a tradition best described as Guru-

hishya Parampara
 „MN
 BC ² 2 BC
÷ he first Indian epic, „amayana, was
composed by the sage Valmiki. It was
written in shloka form. he word shloka
refers to a particular kind of easy tempo
and lilting rhyme.
÷ he knowledge of music was widespread.
„avana the demon-leader was proficient
in music.
÷ Mahabharata used the term gandharva
instead of sangeet.
 MB„ 
÷ Mahabharata used the term gandharva
instead of sangeet.
÷ he science of music was called
gandharvashastra.
÷ Both gandharva and their consorts, the
apsarasÄ were experts in singing,
playing musical instruments and
dancing.
÷ rjuna had learnt these musical arts
from Chitrasen gandharva.
 BUDDI
M- MU
IC
÷ atakas are stories written in
Pali around 3 BC about the
previous births of Buddha.
÷ he jatakas describe Buddhist
monks singing and dancing
to the accompaniment of
instruments like the veena
÷
culptures based on Buddhist
lore are a major source of
information on music.

culptures in Bharhut (2-
1 BC) and
anchi confirm
that music flourished during
the Buddhist period.
 Natyashastra
he
cience of heatre
÷ uthored by Bharata sometime between
2 BC and 2 D.
÷ Natyashastra devotes itself mainly to
theatre, dance and music.
÷ Gandharva music, the techniques of
playing musical instruments are
explained.
 he Gupta period
3-6BC
÷ alidasa, who was in the court of
Vikramditya (38-413 D),
epitomises the artistic
accomplishments of the Gupta
period.
÷ e was a lyrical poet and a writer
of epics and plays. he poem
'Meghadoot', the epic
'„aghuvamsha' and the play
'
hakuntala' are some of his
creative masterpieces that adorn
the Indian literary tradition.
÷ alidasa's works mention musical
instruments like the Parivadini vina,
Vipanchi vina, Pushkar, Mridang, Vamshi
and
hankha,
÷ Vatsyayana wrote his famous manual,
ama sutra (4 D) during this period.
In it, he lists 64 'ala's or arts essential to
refined living, which include singing,
playing musical instruments and
dancingu
÷ he Gupta king arshavardhan
(66-648 D), was himself a singer.
here are references to music making
in his plays, 'Nagananda',
'„atnavali' and 'Priyadarshika'. 
story in the 'Panchatantra' (fifth
century), one of the most celebrated
compilations of fables ever produced
by mankind, also refers to music.
÷ he tradition of Indian art music
flourished in four kinds of
performing spaces: sacrificial areas,
temple precincts, stages and platforms
and princely courts.
 ansen
÷ ansen, the legendary musician of
kbar's court.
÷ mong the many works are a
treatise named the '„agamala',
many 'Dohas' describing the
'lakshanas' or the attributes of ragas,
'
angeet
aar', and '
hri Ganesh

totra'.
÷ ansen reduced the 4 ragas into
a system of 4. e is said to have
created many ragas like 'Miyan
Malhar' and 'Miyan ki todi'
 MU
IC IN B„µ
COU„
÷ During the Mughal period, and
especially under kbar's reign, temple
music took a back seat and Darbar

angeet came into being.
÷ here were numerous musicians in the
court, indus, Iranis , ashmiris and
uranis, both men and women. he
musicians were divided into seven
orders. here was one for each day of the
week.
÷ eaded by the legendary ansen,
there were 19 singers, three who
chanted and several instrumental
musicians
÷ he main instruments were the
sarmandal, bin, nay, karna and
tanpura
÷ kbar's court was witness to a
complete fusion of the Persian and
Indian music systems.
 MOD „N P „IOD
÷ his modern period saw an
increasing number of
musicological works in
Persian, Urdu, indi and
other regional languages,
instead of
anskrit.
÷ he modern period saw the
birth of many of the
musical forms dominant
today, like hayal and
thumri.
MU
IC
IN
„UM N

BN
U„I

NG

„M

 NI
„MONIUM
 D„UM
&
P „CU

ION
DO 

G M
(south India,
Punjab)

MDG
CCI DO

NI„

mallsouth
indian frame drum

O
M„IDNGM
Most important in
arnatic music

MD

P

North indian
counterpart
 havil

abla
Queen of drums
the Bayan (big bass
drum) and the Dayanu

„OD

u Nextto the
itar,

the
arod is the most
well-known and
most important
Indian stringed
instrument of
classical northern
Indian music« li
kbar han

tringed Instruments

I „

DO „

N OO„
he Indian
antoor
which is played with
sticks has developed
out of the folk music
in ashmir. It took a
long time for it to
find acceptance also
in classical Indian
music...
he
antoor virtuoso

hivkumar
harma.
  „
k means "one" and ar
means"string". he ktar or
-as it is often called - the
Gopi antra, is a simple
instrument that is mainly
used in Bengal as a folk
instrument. It is made of
dried pumpkin, wood or
coconut to which a split
bamboo cane is attached as a
neck.
„UD„ VIN
he „udra-Vina is a very
old instrument around
which many legends of
magic powers have
developed. Most of the
instrument makers refuse
making a „udra-Vina
because they believe it is
bad luck to do so.

„

 I-VIN
he popularity of the
itar
in the north of India
corresponds more or less to
the
araswati-Vina in the
southern Indian tradition.
It is regarded as belonging
to the classical solo
instruments and is
similarly structured as the

itar. he whole instrument
is manufactured from one
piece of wood.

U„MND

he
warmandal mainly
serves to accompany female
singers in India who stroke
the open strings with their
fingers, similar to harp
playing, especially when
they want to bridge short
intervals.
 Bowed Instruments

„NGI
One of the most impressive
timbres of Indian
instruments is produced by
the
arangi.

ith its unique keen, slightly

nasal, melancholic sound it
has been a less important
melody instrument for a
long time which was used
mainly for singing and
dancing performances.

„
he sraj is a stringed
instrument that is mainly
popular in Bengal and is
used for instance for
accompanying agore
songs whereas it is hardly
ever played as a solo
instrument in classical
Indian music. It has six
playing strings and 1
resonance strings.
 NPU„
It is usually stringed
with 4 or  metal
strings (rarely with
6 strings) and it is a
basic note ale- length
instrument and as - 
such an important
component in
classical Indian
music« an ideal
companion for
musical meditation
Female
 MU
ICIN

ll musicians are poor; this is the law,
but they have a rich tradition to fall
back on.
Ustad li kbar han
Ustad li kbar han
was one of the most
accomplished Indian
classical musicians,
admired all over the
world for his brilliant
compositions and his
mastery of the sarod.
Ustad mjad li han
Ustad mjad li han
was born at Gwalior
Madhya Pradesh in
194, and is the sixth
generation sarod player
in his family.Infact , it
is said his family
invented the sarod.
ariprasad Chaurasia
Pandit ariprasad
Chaurasia, is a world-
renowned exponent of
the bansuri or bamboo
flute. e is one of those
rare classical
musicians who
expanded the peripheries
of classical music by
taking it to the
common masses.
M

ubbulakshmi
M

ubbulakshmi was a
legendary Carnatic
musician.
he was
popularly known as
Nightingale of India. er
rendering of bhajans
(devotional songs) was
divine and used to enthrall
and transfix listeners, and
transport them into a
different world
Ustad Bismillah han
he legendary shehnai
player, Ustad
Bismillah han was
one of India's most
celebrated classical
musicians. Bismillah
han has been credited
with taking the
shehnai from the
marriage mandap to
the concert hall.

u
Pandit „avi
hankar
„avi
hankar is a
legendary sitar player
and one of India's most
esteemed classical
musicians. Pandit
„avi
hankar has
made a major
contribution in
popularizing Indian
classical music in the

est

hiv umar
harma

hiv umar
harma's
name is synonymous
with santoor, Indian
classical music
instrument. Pandit

hiv umar
harma
is credited with single-
handedly making the
santoor a popular
classical instrument.

.
oakir ussain
oakir ussain is a
classical tabla virtuoso
and the most famous
tabla player in India
today. is contribution
in the field of percussion
and in the music world
at large is highly
appreciated
÷ „ „ahman
llah „akha „ahman,
who is better known as
„ „ahman, is a world-
class musician of India.
Born as .
. Dileep
umar on 6 anuary
1967 at Chennai in
amil Nadu, „
„ahman holds the credit
for totally overhauling
the style in which music
was being made in
India.
÷ Pandit Debu Chaudhuri
Pandit Debu Chaudhuri
also known as Debu, is
the leading
itar
exponent and a
prominent personality
in the field of Indian
classical music in India.
he Indian government
presented him with the
coveted Padma Bhushan
award.
 nnapurna Devi
nnapurna Devi, was
born as „oshanara
han in 1926 was a
secluded maestro of

urbahar or the bass

itar in the classical
music genre.
POP CNG

 O

, MON  O
MON . BU G„ 
MU
IC I
I
I „ U„ u
-„VI
N„