Hindustani Music[Edit] Carnatic Music[Edit]
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music andR&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. Music in India began as an integral part of socio-religious life and that Indian music is essentially melodic: sounds follow one another expressing an emotional state in an aesthetic unity.[1] Two main traditions of classical music are Carnatic music, found predominantly in the peninsular regions, and Hindustani music, found in the northern and central regions.[2] The basic concepts of this music includes Shruti, Swara, Alankar, Rāga, and Tāla. Its tonal system divides the octave into 22 segments called shrutis, not all equal but each roughly equal to one quarter of a whole tone of Western music. Melody is based on the system of ragas, which are melody types used as the basis for improvisation. Hindustani music[edit] Main article: Hindustani classical music Hindustani music tradition was developed around 13th and 14th centuries AD with Persian influences and from existing religious and folk music.[3] The practice of singing based on notes was popular even from the Vedic times where the hymns in Sama Veda, a sacred text, were sung as Samagana and not chanted. Developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, it has contemporary traditions established primarily in India but also in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In contrast to Carnatic music, the other main Indian classical music tradition originating from the South, Hindustani music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions, historical Vedic philosophy and native Indian sounds but also enriched by the Persian performance practices of the Mughals.
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