| Aa |
The
primary enunciation of Raga. It is also called Aakar,
the open mouthed enunciation of 'aa' as in bar. |
| Abhog |
Summing
up of the entire development of a raga. |
| Aditala |
Played
at ½ speed measure, with 8 matras on a 4-2-2 ratio. |
| Alap |
Introductory
movement with irregular phase, unaccompanied and
without rhythm. |
| Anupallavi |
In
Carnatic Music, it is the second section of the
raga. |
| Antara |
Second
section of a raga. Register above and including
upper tonic. |
| Aroha |
The
ascending scale of a raga. |
| Atidrut |
Very
fast tempo. |
| Avaroha |
The
descending scale of a raga, slightly changed from
the ascending scale. |
| TOP |
|
| Baaj |
Style
of playing an instrument. |
| Bandish |
Fixed
vocal or instrumental composition bound by rhythmic
cycle; A composition consisting of words i.e. the
text, notes and rhythm of the Taal. Literally refers
to that which is tied. Also used to refer to song
text. |
| Barhat |
Gradual
progression in a musical exposition. |
| Bhajan |
Devotional
song. |
| Bhatiyali |
Folk
song of the boatman of Bengal. |
| Bol-tans |
Musical
phrases interlinked with bols (words). |
| TOP |
|
| Chakradar
Tihai |
A
tihai in three sections, each section consisting
of a smaller tihai. |
| Cheez |
The
"song", a raga-based composition in words. |
| Chikari |
Drone
strings of a sitar. |
| Chhota
Khyal |
Fast
khayal song, also called Drut. |
| TOP |
|
| Dadra |
Musical
style sung in Dadra. A Taal of six mantras with
3+3 units usually used for semi-classical music
such as Thumri: therefore, also a light -classical
genre |
| Dhamar |
A
style of classical vocal music, using more grace
notes than Dhrupad. It is set to a tala of 14 beats. |
| Dhrupad |
The
most ‘massive and sublime’ form in Indian
Classical vocal tradition. Its form strictly follows
a fixed pattern of four stanzas : the sthayi, antara,
sanchari and abhoga having rigid notes, words and
majestic talas, usually in chautala of 12 beats. |
| Dhun |
It
represents a light tune, a mixture of sweet melodies,
free from the disciplines of a raga. Usually played
in a fast tempo and creates a mood of ecstasy. |
| Drut |
Fast
tempo. |
| Duet |
Partnership
in vocal or instrumental music has been in vogue
since the day of Dhrupad. Presentation of instrumental
duets by Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan,
began a new era in the history of Classical music.
Great musical pairs have started playing "jugalbandi". |
| TOP |
|
| Ek
taal |
A
Taal of 12 beats divided into six divisions with
two beats in each. |
| Farmaish |
Request
from members of audience for specific musical presentation
of their choice. |
| Gamak |
Grace
note, a form of embellishment on musical notes. |
| Gat |
All
sections in a tala and accompanied by Tabla. |
| Gayaki |
A
certain style of singing following a gharana the
musician belongs to. |
| Gharana |
A
school of music, representing a specific musical
tradition. Each gharana is famous for certain individualistic
style of renderings. Some famous gharanas are Gwalior,
Rampur, Lucknow, Baroda, Patiala, Kirana, Maihar
etc. |
| Ghazal |
A
love-lyric in Urdu, of Persian Muslim origin. |
| Guru-Shishya |
Guru,
a teacher ; shishya, a pupil. Guru-shishya parampara
is the teacher-student relationship, creating a
person-to-person tradition. |
| TOP |
|
| Hem-Khem |
Refers
to the knowledge of a musician. Two ragas, Hem Kalyan
and Khem Kalyan are closely allied ragas whose distinction
is so difficult to see that only a master can produce
that indisputable characteristic which separates
the two ragas. Hem is a compound of ragas Kamod
and Shuddh Kalyan and Khem is a compound of Kamod
and Yaman Kalyan. |
| Jati |
Combination
of matras to form unit of any tala. |
| Jhala |
Melody
interpolated with strokes on the chikari strings.
Final section and the climax of the Alap. |
| Jor
(Jod) |
Movement
with rhythmic accompaniment on chikari strings (without
tabla). |
| Jugalbandi |
a
musical duet vocal or instrumental; A duet involving
two artists both having an equal role in the performance. |
| TOP |
|
| Kharaj |
Octave
below and including middle tonic. |
| Khayal |
In
Urdu, ‘Khayal’ means creative thought.
Hence, less rigid than dhrupad-singing. It is the
most popular classical type of Hindustani vocal
music. Sometimes, instrumentalists play in Khayal
styles. There is no time-measure. |
| Kirtan |
A
devotional song, theme associated with Lord Krishna,
does not strictly adhere to the raga scale, musical
value subdued by sentimental emotion. |
| Krithi |
A
devotional type of set composition in Carnatic music.
As rigid as Dhrupad. A fixed pattern is as follows:
Pallavi, Anupallavi and Carana. |
| TOP |
|
| Laraj |
Lowest
octave. |
| Laya |
Rhythm,
the overall tempo of the raga. |
| Layakari |
Rhythmic
virtuosity. |
| Lehra |
An
instrumental refrain provided to a percussion solo
recital; A melodic pattern performed as an accompaniment
for the solo Tabla performance by the Sarangi or
harmonium. |
| TOP |
|
| Madhya |
Medium
tempo. |
| Matra |
A
specific musical beat within the cycle of the tala. |
| Mattatal |
A
9-beat cycle divided 2+2+2+3. |
| Meend |
Sliding
over notes. |
| Mehfil |
Concert
or soiree. |
| Mishra |
lit.
Mixed. The introduction of melodic movement foreign
to the established raga. |
| Mukhda |
opening
passage or profile (of raga or taal). The first
phrase of the bandish from the start and upto the
syllable containing the Sam. |
| TOP |
|
| Odava |
Pentatonic
raga consisting of five notes. |
| Pallavi |
The
first section (asthayi) of a composition in Carnatic
music which follows ragam and tanam. |
| Pandit |
Learned
one, a master-musician. |
| Prakar |
A
variety or type( of a raga or a Taal and the like). |
| TOP |
|
| Raas |
A
dance form associated with Lord Krishna and his
Gopis. |
| Raga
Rasa |
Mood
or sentiment enshrined in a melody. |
| Raga |
The
raga is an Indian scale which utilises varying ascending
and descending patterns – certain notes on
the way up and certain notes on the way down –
but always in the set sequence. The raga never has
less than five notes – the minimum required
for a tune. |
| Ragam |
Alap
in Carnatic music. |
| Ragamala
/ Ragamalika |
A
composition in Carnatic music. Here, one raga leads
to another forming a ‘malika’ (garland)
of ragas. |
| Rasa |
Essence
of experiencing in music, it implies strong connection
between musical ideas and their emotional impart
on listeners. |
| TOP |
|
| Saath
|
Accompaniment. |
| Samvadi |
The
next important, concordant note after the vadi. |
| Sanchari |
It
is the third movement in the development of a melodic
line. |
| Saptak |
Scale,
octave. |
| Sargam |
Sol-fa
syllables – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni. |
| Shadja |
The
beginning note. |
| Shloka |
A
Sanskrit verse, devotional or philosophical. |
| Shruti |
'To
Hear' (Sanskrit). A microtonical interval less than
a semitone. |
| Shuddha |
A
pure note. |
| Sthayi |
Register
above middle tonic. |
| TOP |
|
| Tala |
Rhythmic
cycle. |
| Tan |
A
rapid succession of notes. |
| Tanam |
Muslim
love song, reconstructed and refined by Shouri Mian,
who introduced it to Lucknow in 19th
century. Before him, they were simply folk songs
of Punjabi camel riders. |
| Tarana |
A
fast moving popular melody using syllables like
‘ta’ and ‘nu’. |
| Teental |
A
16 beat cycle divided 4+4+4+4. |
| Thillana |
A
lively musical form, usually set to and rendered
in brisk pace. It is the Carnatic counterpart of
the North Indian ‘tarana’. |
| Thumri |
Described
as the expression of the singer’s soul and
temperament, thumri is purely romantic or devotional
in its content. It came into vogue in the eastern
region (Purab) of Uttar Pradesh towards the close
of the 18th century as an accompanying
song of dance. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Avadh was
probably the greatest known patron of thumri. Lucknow
and Varanasi (Benaras) are the two centres from
where thumri evolved into several varieties. |
| Tihai |
Short
phrases played three times, ending on the first
beat of the rhythm cycle. |
| Tora |
Fast
runs and repeated note passages. |
| TOP |
|
| Upaj |
Secondary
phrase derived from basic Swara structure of a raga.
Extempore improvisation. |
| Ustad |
A
learned one, a master-musician. |
| TOP |
|
| Vadi |
The
predominant note of the scale. Acts like centre
of gravity; often translated as "dominant" or "sonant". |
| Vadya |
Instrument. |
| Vikrit |
Variant
note, flat or sharp. |
| Vilambit |
Slow
tempo. |
| Vistara |
Improvisation
or elaboration upon the note. |
| TOP |
|
| Zamzama |
a
type of embellishment notably employed in Thumri
and lighter varieties. |
