WBCHSE HS Music key terms

The smallest perceptible interval of pitch recognised in Indian music theory; twenty-two shrutis are traditionally said to divide the octave, though their exact placement and function are debated.

A musical note or pitch position in the Indian scale, named Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni; each swara has a fixed relationship to the tonic rather than an absolute pitch.

The seven-note octave formed by the seven shuddha swaras, sung in three registers: mandra (lower), madhya (middle) and taar (upper).

A natural or unaltered note of the octave. In the Bilawal scale all seven are shuddha; other thatas alter particular degrees to produce komal or tivra forms.

An altered note, either komal (flattened Re, Ga, Dha, Ni) or tivra (raised Ma). Vikrit swaras give each raga its distinctive colour and mood.

The principal or sonant note of a raga, the pitch on which the raga's identity most depends and which is emphasised most in performance. Also called the king note.

The second most important note of a raga, the consonant note that supports the vadi. It usually lies a fourth or fifth away and is called the queen note.

An assonant note of a raga, present in the scale but neither vadi nor samvadi; it fills out the melodic shape without carrying the raga's main weight.

A dissonant note in relation to a given raga, generally avoided in that raga's melodic development because it clashes with the vadi and disturbs the raga's character.

The ascending order of notes used in a raga. Some ragas omit certain notes on the way up, giving aroha and avaroha different shapes.

The descending order of notes in a raga. Ascent and descent may differ, and this asymmetry is one of the main identifying features of a raga.

A zigzag or crooked movement in a raga's phrase, where the notes do not proceed in simple order but turn back on themselves, as in ragas with vakra aroha or avaroha.

A short characteristic phrase that captures the essential identity of a raga; hearing it lets a listener recognise the raga immediately, and it is used as a teaching and testing device.

The characteristic melodic movement or gait of a raga, covering its typical phrases, emphasis and direction of travel, more elaborate than the pakad.

A parent scale of seven notes from which ragas are derived, as systematised by V. N. Bhatkhande; ten thatas classify the widely performed Hindustani ragas.

One of the seventy-two parent scales of Carnatic music, each containing all seven notes in ascent and descent, arranged in a systematic numerical scheme by Venkatamakhin's tradition.

A melodic framework of Indian music defined by a chosen set of notes, a principal note, characteristic phrases, and rules of ascent and descent, used as the basis for improvisation and composition.

A metrical cycle in Indian music built from a fixed number of beats grouped into sections, marked by claps and waves, and repeated throughout a performance.

A single beat or count of a tala. The number of matras in a cycle defines its length, from a short cycle such as Keharwa's eight to a long one such as Teental's sixteen.

A section of a tala cycle containing a group of matras. Sections are separated by tali (clap) and khali (wave) positions that the performer marks with the hand.

The first and most important beat of a tala cycle, where the cycle begins again. Melodic and rhythmic phrases commonly resolve on sam, giving a strong sense of arrival.

A clapped beat marking the start of a vibhag in a tala; talis are shown by claps and are numbered, with the sam being the first tali.

An unaccented section of a tala cycle shown by a wave of the hand rather than a clap; it is the 'empty' counterpart of tali and creates a swing in the rhythm.

The tempo or speed of a performance, conventionally described as slow (vilambit), medium (madhya) and fast (drut), and sometimes doubled or halved to create layakari.

Slow tempo, used for the opening section of khyal and for the expansive, ornamented elaboration of a raga before the speed increases.

Fast tempo, used for the concluding section of a performance, where short phrases and rapid patterns bring the rendering to a lively close.

The art of playing with laya, dividing or multiplying the beat to produce patterns at double, half or fractional speed against the underlying tala cycle.

Written notation of Indian music, in which swaras are written with symbols for register, alteration and duration, and tala cycles are marked alongside the text.

Musicologist (1860-1936) who collected and published traditional compositions, devised the ten-thata classification of Hindustani ragas, and created the notation system widely used in teaching today.

Singer and educator (1872-1931) who founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, championed open music education, and developed a notation system alongside his revival of devotional and classical song.

A fixed composition in Hindustani music, usually in a raga and tala, with text, melodic setting and a structure of sthayi and antara that anchors improvisation.

The first section of a bandish or composition, setting the opening text in the lower and middle register; it returns as the refrain after each subsequent section.

The second section of a composition, moving into the upper register with new text and melody, after which the sthayi is usually repeated.

The oldest surviving major vocal form of Hindustani music, austere and devotional in character, set to Chautal or Dhamar, with a four-part structure and elaborate alap.

The most widely performed Hindustani vocal form, a lyrical composition in a raga and tala that allows wide improvisation through alap-like phrases, taans and ornamentation.

A light classical Hindustani vocal form, usually in a romantic or devotional text, sung with flexible tala and expressive ornamentation rather than extended raga development.

The unmetred, unaccompanied opening section of a raga performance in which the notes and phrases of the raga are unfolded gradually, without percussion.

A rapid melodic passage of notes sung or played in a raga, often in patterns of ascending or descending runs, used to build excitement in khyal and instrumental music.