Indian Music, Essay Example

Sarod is a string musical instrument that is common with the Indian Classical music. In Pakistan, northern India and Bangladesh, the instrument played along with sitar is the most prominent and popular instrument for performing the Hindustani classical music. The instrument is identical for its deep, introspective sound that is weighty. This sound contrast the sweet and overtone-rich texture produced by the sitar which has sympathetic strings common for reverberant quality.

The instrument is also able to produce continuous slides along the notes making it produce the unique Indian sound that is the glissandi. The other unique characteristic of sarod is that its unique is that it is smaller than sitar and sits comfortably on the player’s lap. It also has leaner and cleaner sound making it produce a sympathetic sound made from its resonant sympathetic strings.

The close connections between India and Afghanistan can eloquently be spoken by this instrument that speaks more about the Persian world. Its sound as it has come to be commonly known in the modern day India is distinctively an Indian character and has been closely linked to the sinewy, muscular style. Some of people believe that the instrument descended from the Afghan rubab. The name Sarod in its closest translation refers to a beautiful sound or melody. There is also a wide spread speculation that sarod may have originated from the oud though sarod maestro has been favored as having the ancestors who invented sarod.

This is attribution among the many contesting and conflicting histories of sarod is where Ali Khan’s ancestors, like Mohammad Hashmi came from. It is believed that rabab was translated to the current day sarod one of Khan’s ancestors Gwalior who become a prominent court musician. Ali Khan according to history was motivated to create his Sarod Ghar in Gwalior after visiting Beethoven’s house a man who was famous for playing sarod.

Like many of the classical status instruments, sarod is quite limited and played using the soft tips of the player’s finger imitating the duller. The strings must be pressed hard against the fingerboard making it a very demanding instrument to play. There are however to approaches to playing sarod. One involves using the fingernails to stop the strings while the other is the use of both the nails and the fingertip to stop the strings. This possible by pressing the strings against the fingerboards that are largely depend on the musicians’ preference. There those who prefer using the index, middle and ring fingers while other prefer the use of third finger for slides and hammers.

Indian classical music also commonly known as the Hindustani classical music or the North Indian is found in most part of the northern Indian subcontinent. This is famous tradition in Indian that originated from Vedic ritual chants and has been widely common in Pakistan and the modern day North India. Amjad Ali Khan is one of the Indian classical musicians of his time who played sarod. Born in 1945 to a family of musicians, Khan as performed internationally since the late 1960s.This has worn him the one of the India’s second highest honor for civilian, the Padma Vibhushan which he earned in 2001.

During his early life, Khan is believed to have invented the sarod which he played throughout his youthful musical life. Having received his education through homeschooling, he learned music from his father who taught him music and studied music intensively under a strict musical father who moved most of the time. While in the USA, Khan performed in the 1960s through to the 2000s most of which he performed with his farther and other sons who were also musicians.

Throughout his career, Khan has experimented a lot with the modification of sarod. One memorable performance is the 2001 Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra where he performed. He subsequently played the instrument in the University of New Mexico where he was a visiting professor where he performed on Carrie Newcomer’s album has was famously debut Everything is Everywhere in the company of his sons. While performing, Amjad Ali Khan has been widely characterized with deep human spirit and a warm feeling and a seen of caring. This is according to His Holiness the Dalai Lama has uniquely made Khan the greatest master of the Sarod and composer in the 20^th century.

On the raga and tala performed in this music according to Hindustani traditions is according raga classification is Rageshri, based on that it’s referred to as Khamaj. On its samay category, it’s played in the late evening. Its Swaras used include Komal Nishad, it’s however slightly used of Shuddha Nishad while Pancham is not used. Some of the noticeable notes include the shuddha. Gharana, raga, ghazal, Khayal and dhrupad are among the key things that represent the Hindustani art music which in the real sense give a clear picture of the classical Indian music today.

Through these, Indian music has grown through the complex interactions of different cultures and peoples through several years. This has offered clue on how on how styles and historical eras that explain the musical scales and scales are preserved. Just like most Indian music, Ali khan Sarod is based on the raga that is melody and its rhythmic cycles commonly known as the tala. Some of the other major forms that are associated with Hindustani classical music is the Khyal, ghazal and thumri which follow strict classical rules. Ghazal for instance originated from the Persian form of poetry and has rose to become the most famous Urdu poetry popularizing the by classical poets like Mir Taqi and other Northern India literacy elite. The music which is mostly vocal has multiple variations across most countries like Afghanistan and turkey. Ghazal also exist in various variations which include but not limited to folk, pop and semi-classical forms making it the most common form of poetry in the Indian-sub continent. Thumri on the other hand is an Indian semi-classical whose main specialty is based on a construction that is subtle, knotty and fast.