Compositions: Bandish, Tarana and Song Forms
Domain 5 tests whether you can name the parts of a composition, distinguish a bandish from a tarana, and match a form to its language and tala.
Bandish
A bandish is a fixed, composed song set in a raga and tala. A khayal bandish has sthayi, usually opening on sam in the middle register, and antara, which moves into the tar saptak. Dhrupad adds sanchari and abhog, giving four sections, and is sung with pakhawaj to nom-tom syllables. Bada khayal is vilambit; chhota khayal is drut and shorter.
Tarana
A tarana sets rhythmic syllables - tana dere na, tom, nom, yalali, yala - instead of meaningful text, usually in drut laya after a khayal. It has sthayi and antara and is judged on clear articulation and tala placement, not on meaning.
Other forms
Sargam geet uses svara names as its text; lakshangeet describes the raga in its own lyrics; thumri, dadra, ghazal and bhajan are lighter forms with greater textual expression.
Worked example
A piece begins with the words Ja ja re apne mandirva in Teentaal at drut laya, has a sthayi and an antara, and is followed by a piece on nom tom tana dere. The first is a chhota khayal bandish: meaningful text, raga-bound, two sections, drut laya. The second is a tarana because its syllables carry no dictionary meaning and exist purely for rhythm.
Traps
Calling every composition a bandish; treating tarana bols as lyrics to be explained; writing the antara in mandra saptak; ignoring the tala when describing the form.