BSEH SS Music Melodic flashcards

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

Swara

A single musical tone in Hindustani music. There are seven shuddha swaras: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Sa and Pa are fixed; the others have komal or tivra variants.

Shruti

The smallest perceptible interval of pitch. Bharata's Natyashastra describes 22 shrutis in an octave; they are a theoretical framework for locating swaras, not separately sung notes.

Saptak

The octave span of seven notes. Hindustani performance uses three registers: mandra (lower), madhya (middle), and tar (upper) saptak, marked in notation by dots below or above.

Vadi and Samvadi

Vadi is the principal swara of a raga, most often emphasized. Samvadi is the second most important, usually a fourth or fifth from the vadi. Anuvadi swaras support; vivadi swaras are foreign.

Jati of a raga

Classification by number of swaras used: audav (five), shadav (six), sampurna (seven). It is stated separately for aroha and avaroha, giving labels like audav-sampurna.

Alankar

A melodic ornament or systematic exercise pattern, such as Sa Re Ga, Re Ga Ma. Alankars train pitch accuracy, fluency in a raga's phrases, and correct placement within tala.

Pakad

A short characteristic phrase that identifies a raga immediately. It captures the raga's essential movement and is the standard test of raga recognition in practical examinations and viva voce.

Aroha and Avaroha

The ascending and descending scales of a raga. They may differ in swara count or omit different notes, so both must be stated when describing a raga's lakshana.

Lakshana of a raga

The defining attributes: aroha, avaroha, vadi, samvadi, pakad, jati, time of performance, and any special rules such as varjit swaras or vakra (zigzag) phrases.

Time theory of ragas

Ragas are assigned to prahars (three-hour periods) of the day. Twilight ragas such as Ahir Bhairav and Marwa are sandhi-prakash, sung at the junction of day and night.

Bhairav raga

A morning raga using komal Re and komal Dha with a slow oscillating andolan. It is sampurna and is often compared with Bhairavi, which uses all komal swaras.

Yaman and Yaman Kalyan

Yaman is sampurna with tivra Ma, an evening raga. Yaman Kalyan adds komal Ni in the descent. The pair is a standard comparative question on vadi, pakad, and varjit swaras.

Teentaal theka

Sixteen matras in four vibhags of four. Tali falls on 1, 5, and 13; khali on 9. Theka: Dha Dhin Dhin Dha, Dha Dhin Dhin Dha, Dha Tin Tin Ta, Ta Dhin Dhin Dha.

Jhaptaal

A ten-matra tala in four vibhags of 2+3+2+3. Tali is on 1, 3, and 8; khali on 6. Theka: Dhi Na, Dhi Dhi Na, Ti Na, Dhi Dhi Na.

Ektaal

A twelve-matra tala in six vibhags of two matras. Tali falls on 1, 5, 9, and 11; khali on 3 and 7. It is common in dhrupad and vilambit khayal.

Tali and Khali

Tali is a clapped vibhag marking a stressed position. Khali is a waved, unstressed vibhag. Sam is the first matra and the point of resolution for compositions and tihais.

Laya and its multiples

Laya is tempo: vilambit (slow), madhya (medium), drut (fast). Barabar is single speed; dugun doubles and chaugun quadruples the syllables per matra in recitation.

Bhatkhande notation

The standard Hindustani notation system. Shuddha swaras are S R G M P D N; komal swaras take a lower stroke and tivra Ma an upper stroke; dots mark register.

Notating tala and duration

Matra numbers or theka syllables are written above the swaras, with X for sam and 0 for khali. A dash shows a held note; brackets group notes within one matra.

Natyashastra

Bharata's early treatise, dated roughly 200 BCE to 200 CE. It is the oldest surviving Indian text on music and theatre, defining shruti, swara, grama, and murcchana.

Sangita Ratnakara

Sarngadeva's thirteenth-century treatise, the major medieval systematization of raga and tala. It predates the split into the Hindustani and Carnatic systems.

Tansen

A sixteenth-century court musician of Akbar, regarded as the greatest figure of his era. Ragas such as Mian ki Malhar and Mian ki Todi are traditionally attributed to him.

V. N. Bhatkhande

Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860-1936) created the ten-thaat classification of ragas and the modern Hindustani sargam notation system used in examinations.

V. D. Paluskar

Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872-1931) founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in 1901 and pioneered institutional music teaching and the public music concert.

Gharana

A school of performance tracing lineage to a founder. Transmission is guru-shishya, and each gharana has signature ragas, ornamentation, and repertoire distinguishing its style.

Khayal

The dominant Hindustani vocal form, with sthayi and antara sections. Sung in vilambit or drut laya, it permits improvisation through alap, taan, bol-taan, and sargam.

Dhrupad

The oldest surviving vocal form, using pakhawaj accompaniment. It emphasizes gamak, a steady expansive alap, and four parts: nom-tom alap, dhrupad, dhamar, and a closing piece.

Thumri and Tarana

Thumri is light classical, with romantic text and bol-banao, murki, and khatka in Punjabi, Banaras, and Lucknow styles. Tarana sets meaningless syllables such as nom-tom and yala to fast tala.

Fourfold instrument classification

From the Natyashastra: tata (stringed), avanaddha (skin/membrane), sushira (wind), and ghana (solid). Examples are sitar, tabla, bansuri, and jal tarang respectively.

Sarangi

A bowed, fretless instrument with sympathetic strings, prized for its closeness to the human voice. It accompanies khayal and thumri and is associated with Ram Narayan and Sultan Khan.

Sarod and Sitar

Sarod is a fretless plucked lute with a metal fingerboard, known for meend. Sitar is a fretted plucked lute with sympathetic tarab strings, linked to the Maihar and Imdadkhani gharanas.

Khayal performance order

Begin with unmetered alap, then vilambit khayal with sthayi and antara, then taans, then a drut khayal, ending with a tihai that lands on sam.

Padhant

Tala recitation with hand gestures: clap for tali, sideways wave for khali. Dugun and chaugun are shown by doubling or quadrupling theka syllables per matra.