AN INTRODUCTION TO HINDUSTANI CLASSICAL MUSIC (Sampson Series)

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If someone tells you, you have to have a good knowledge about the sounds and voices , know everything about Raagas and raginis, rhythm and thaats and every thing about sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa, the key boards of harmoniums and about percussion instruments, before you can appreciate Hindustani music don’t believe it.

Simple introduction to Hindustani Music will enable you to appreciate the intricacies, subtleties and celestial elements of this Hindustani Music. Thanks to Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860-1936) of last century who went through all that arduous task of sifting, analyzing and synthesizing those innumerable ragas into just the ten basic frames from which the ragas (which have their own basic frames called bandishes ) draw their source from these ten main basic frames. These ten basic frames are called Thaats. Names of all these thaats are mentioned elsewhere in this booklet. Bilawal thaat is taken to be the basis or standard and other thaats are compared to it to understand the difference. Some variations here and there of Bilawal thaat make it easy to understand the other thaats.

Bilawal thaat has seven natural sounds corresponding these seven sounds we have seven reeds or notes on the keyboard. Each sound is recognized by its name as sa re ga ma pa dha ni.

Convention has it that we should write these sounds of Bilawal all in Capital letters except for ma, which is written in muniscule (small ) letter. These seven sounds of Bilawal thaat are called the natural sounds or Shuddha Swaras

(sounds). Besides these seven natural sounds we have four sounds of lower frequency value. These are re ga dha ni.

They are called komal equivalent and one of higher frequency value of ma equivalent. This higher value of ma is written by magiscule (Capital) letter M. This capital M has higher value and is called Teevra Ma. Komals are equivalents to flats and teevra is equivalent to sharp in the Western Music.

Two things we notice in this convention. First that there is no komal or teevra ( flat or sharp) equivalent to Sa and Pa. Hence these two sounds are called Achala meaning fixed without any variations. Secondly unlike in Hindustani music in Western music all the seven natural sounds have their equivalent flats and sharps but in Hindustani classical music only four sounds are of flat and one of teevra. Flats or Komals are of lower level in value of re ga dha ni and the sharp or Teevra ma has higher value compared to the natural ma. Therefore it is written by capital letter M.

Natural (shuddha) seven sounds,flat (vikrit) four sounds and one sharp (teevra) sound all together form a Saptak. Though the word refers to seven natural sounds the saptak has twelve sounds in its group. Normally there are three saptaks played or sung in Hindustani Classical Music. Lower saptak with bass voice is known as Mandar saptak, middle saptak is known as Madhya Saptak and higher value like soprano and alto is that of third saptak known as Taar saptak. Singer or player repeatedly sings or plays in Madhya saptak. This is the base for playing or singing.

Major difference while performing in Hindustani classical and Western classical is a performer of Western classical music concentrates on playing the piece of written notations before him . Hence it is skill oriented where as the Hindustani classical singer or player, following the frame work of sounds, also listens to his own performance to see if he has brought out the right emotions. Melody is the means. Therefore this performance is emotion oriented. In Western music it is the audience who is thrilled by skillful playing or singing and in Hindustani classical music both the performer and the listener are equally thrilled and are lifted to the higher level by the emotions they bring out.