Compositions: Dhrupad, Khyal, Thumri and Other Forms
What this domain tests
You must identify a form from its structure, tala, accompaniment and style, and describe the parts of a bandish without mixing dhrupad and khyal vocabulary.
Major Hindustani forms
- Dhrupad: four parts, sthayi, antara, sanchari and abhog; pakhawaj accompaniment; austere, deliberate exposition; Dagar tradition.
- Dhamar: 14 matras, Holi theme, pakhawaj.
- Khyal: sthayi and antara; bada khyal in vilambit laya and chhota khyal in drut; taan and bol-taan; tabla.
- Thumri: lighter Braj text, romantic or devotional; bol-banao; Lucknow and Banaras gharanas; often Dadra or Keherwa.
- Tappa, Tarana, Chaturang, Sadra.
Bengali forms
- Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti, Shyama Sangeet and Kirtan each have their own textual and rhythmic conventions; Rabindra Sangeet uses talas such as Jhampak and Sasthi.
Structure of a bandish
- Sthayi states the refrain and establishes the raga. Antara moves to the upper octave. In dhrupad, sanchari and abhog follow.
- A bandish fixes raga, tala and bols; it is not a free improvisation.
Worked example
Identify the form: a four-part text with pakhawaj, no taan and a solemn pace is dhrupad. A two-part text with tabla and taans in vilambit laya is bada khyal. A light Braj text with romantic sentiment in Dadra is thumri. Reasoning rests on part-count, percussion and ornament, not on the raga alone.
Traps
- Calling thumri a small khyal.
- Giving khyal four parts.
- Forgetting Dhamar's 14 matras.
- Ignoring Bengali forms because they are not in the Hindustani list.