Assam ASSEB Higher Secondary Skill Subject Hindustani Vocal flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Swar

A musical note in Hindustani music; seven shuddha swaras (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni) exist, with komal and tivra variants giving twelve swaras in the octave.

Swaralipi

The Indian system of writing music in notation, marking swara names, register dots, komal/tivra strokes, and tala matras above the line.

Saptak

The octave in Hindustani music, divided into mandra (lower), madhya (middle) and tar (upper) registers, indicated in notation by dots below or above the swara.

Alankar

A patterned exercise (palta) moving through the swaras in fixed sequences, used to fix swar-sthana and to build fluency across the saptak.

Thaat

Bhatkhande's classification of ten parent scales - Bilawal, Khamaj, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi, Bhairav, Kalyan, Marwa, Poorvi, Todi - under which ragas are grouped.

Vadi swara

The sonant or most important note of a raga, frequently emphasized and often the resting point of phrases; the samvadi is the second most important.

Jati of a raga

The note count of a raga in ascent and descent: audav (5), shadav (6) or sampoorna (7), stated separately for aroha and avaroha.

Pakad

A short characteristic phrase that identifies a raga; it captures the raga's essential movement and is used to recognize and to develop it.

Sam

The first matra of a tala cycle, marked by a clap; compositions and theka resolve on sam, making it the structural anchor of the cycle.

Khali

A wave of the hand marking a specific matra in a tala cycle, usually with a lighter theka syllable; it contrasts with tali (clap).

Laya

Tempo in Hindustani music, classed as vilambit (slow), madhya (medium) and drut (fast), and measured in matras per minute.

Theka

The mnemonic syllable pattern (e.g., dha dhin dhin dha) that percussionists play to mark a tala cycle; singers use it to keep time.

Teental

A 16-matra tala in four vibhags of four; tali falls on matras 1, 5 and 13, khali on 9, with theka dha dhin dhin dha.

Jhaptal

A 10-matra tala in four vibhags (2+3+2+3); tali on 1, 3 and 8, khali on 6, theka dhi na dhi dhi na.

Ektaal

A 12-matra tala in six vibhags of two; tali on 1, 5, 9 and 11, khali on 3 and 7; used for vilambit khayal.

Rupak tala

A 7-matra tala in three vibhags (3+2+2) whose first matra is khali, so sam is marked by a wave rather than a clap.

Keherwa tala

An 8-matra tala in two vibhags of four, tali on 1 and khali on 5; common in light classical and folk-influenced forms.

Bandish

A metered composition set in a raga and tala, with sthayi (first line) and antara (second line); the main khayal or dhrupad text.

Sthayi

The first section of a bandish, in the middle register, usually ending on sam; it establishes the raga and the tala cycle.

Antara

The second section of a bandish, moving into the upper register (tar saptak) and often highlighting the raga's higher phrases.

Tarana

A fast composition using rhythmic syllables such as nom, tom, dere and na instead of meaningful text, set in a raga and tala.

Lakshan-geet

A composition whose text literally states a raga's lakshana - vadi, samvadi, time and swara set - used for teaching and testing knowledge.

Natyashastra

Bharata's ancient treatise on drama and music, treating swara, tala and the grama-murchhana system; the earliest surviving Indian music source.

Sangita Ratnakara

Sarangadeva's 13th-century treatise systematizing raga, tala and prabandha; it bridges ancient and medieval Indian music theory.

Bhatkhande

Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860-1936), author of Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati, who created the ten-thaat system and a standard notation.

Paluskar

Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872-1931), founder of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in 1901, who standardized notation and public music education.

Tansen

A court musician of Akbar (c. 1500-1586), associated with the Senia gharana and credited with ragas such as Miyan ki Todi and Miyan ki Malhar.

Allauddin Khan

Maihar-based sarod player (c. 1862-1972) who trained Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar, shaping 20th-century Hindustani instrumental music.

Kumar Gandharva

A 20th-century khayal singer (1924-1992) known for a highly individual style and unconventional, concentrated elaboration of ragas.

Bhimsen Joshi

A Kirana-gharana khayal singer (1922-2011), celebrated for his khayal renditions and for the devotional abhang tradition.

Shruti

The smallest perceptible interval of pitch; tradition assigns 22 shrutis to the octave, though their exact ratios remain debated.

Ahata and anahata nada

The classical division of sound into ahata (struck or produced sound) and anahata (unstruck, internal or mystical sound) in Indian music theory.