Lacava Thumri
'Lacāva' Ṭhumrī is a distinctive form where the term 'Lacāva' signifies 'arching' or 'bending.' This style predominantly conveys the heroine's inclination towards sacrifice. Bharata's Natyasastra recognizes eight types of heroines, manifested in both dance and song, known as Ashta Nayika. These heroines represent the various emotional states of a woman concerning her beloved. It is noteworthy that secular love frequently conceals the pursuit of union with the Divine.
Ladaguthao
This term blends "Laḍī," signifying 'garland,' and "Gutthī," meaning 'to strike.' Essentially, it represents a Laḍī with more intricate rhythmic movements.
Ladalapeta
It fits into the category of Laḍaguthāo and Laḍī, incorporating Alaṁkāra elements like Syuṁt (Āśa) and Chūṭ for melodic expression.
Ladi
In Hindi, this term translates to 'garland' and is predominantly associated with the Tāraparaṇa category. Typically, percussion makes its entrance here as an accompaniment.
Within the Dhrupad style, the Pakhāvaj serves this purpose, while in the more contemporary Khayal style, the Tabla takes its place. It's worth noting that from this phase onward, rhythm takes precedence, although the melodic aspect, previously thoroughly explored, is not disregarded and still adheres to the essential criteria of the Rāga.
The Laḍī, in essence, represents a 'garland' of strokes or Bola, utilized by percussionists. The focus is on a concise phrasing by Bola, which is then expanded into a series of variations, combinations, and arrangements on both the melodic and percussive fronts.
Traditionally, the melodic instrument mimics the bola of percussion during this stage, maintaining simplicity in the rhythmic alphabet. For instance, a Pakhāvaj phrase like 'DhumaKita Tāka Tāka' could evolve into:
'DhumaKita Tāka Tāka, DhumaKita Tāka Tāka, DhumaKita DhumaKita, Tāka Tāka DhumaKita, TākaDhuma KitaDhuma, Kitakita TākaDhuma,' and so forth.
On a stringed instrument, the corresponding Bola might be:
Dārāḍāḍā Rāḍāḍārā, Dārāḍāḍā Rāḍāḍārā, Dārāḍāḍā Dārāḍāḍā, Rāḍāḍārā Dārāḍ āḍā, Rāḍāḍārā Dārāḍāḍā, Rāḍārāḍā Rāḍāḍārā, and so on.
While there are no direct correspondences between the Bola of percussion and those of the instrument, the instrumentalist individually imitates the rhythmic effect as deemed suitable. The conclusion of this phase, replacing the Moharā, is marked by the Tihāī, which can be varied at the discretion of the musicians, ensuring it remains engaging and avoiding monotony (see Ālāpa).
Lagdant
An overarching aspect of the entire performance.
When a performance captivates the audience with a magical influence that pervades the entire show, it possesses the quality of Lāgdāṁṭ. This attribute is less tied to the quality of the sound itself and more to the thoughtful choices of phrasing within a Rāga and their juxtaposition, aimed at creating an attractive and pleasing auditory experience. Conversely, if these phrasings are presented in an inappropriate or poorly chosen manner, the performance may become monotonous. This is where the distinction between a great artist and an ordinary one becomes evident.
While the unexpected use of notes and phrasing can sometimes elicit an excellent reaction from the audience, it may, on other occasions, be a source of disturbance.
In a literary context, we can liken Lāgdāṁṭ to a writer's skill in keeping the reader glued to the chair.
Laggi
Within Tabla and percussion compositions, particularly in Laggi, the shortest compositions find application as Kaida. Comprising bols that adhere to the chalan of Theka, Laggi follows the Kaida pattern for variations but allows more freedom in its execution. The Laddi pattern serves as a foundation for crafting Paltas or variations.
Laghu Sangeet
The term can be rendered as 'light music,' encompassing forms that lie outside the classical domain, including Laharā-Gat, Ghazal, Ramya Gīti, Bhajana, and diverse contemporary songs.
Lahak
Within the Dagar tradition, there exist ten Svara-Lakṣanas, denoting "tonal subtleties." Lahak, a distinctive maneuver, involves a protracted glissando that seamlessly links two tones with considerable separation, originating from a lower note.
Lehra or Lahara
This term, translated as 'waves,' refers to a scenario where the percussionist takes center stage in the music, skillfully playing Bols in a well-arranged sequence. The resulting performance is known as Laharā. During Laharā, a melodic instrument accompanies the percussionist, contributing to a composition called Laharā-Gat. This composition serves to maintain both Tāla and Laya consistently, allowing the percussionist the freedom to engage in rhythmic improvisations. The program unfolds through specific phases:
1. Uṭhān
2. Ṭhekā
3. Pharāsbandī
4. Peśkār
5. Kāyadā (Qāedā)
6. Gat
7. Ṭukḍā
8. Cakradāra
9. Relay
10. Laggi
It's noteworthy that the last two phases are occasionally omitted based on the artistic inclination of the musician. Each term is explained in detail within its relevant section in this context.
Lehra Gat
A fixed, consistent, and standardized composition designed to be played as an accompaniment for a solo percussion concert. The distinctive features of this type of composition include the simplicity of the Bola, each occupying one Mātrā, presenting a single line lasting for one cycle, although occasionally the entire composition may be transposed up by an octave.
Lasya
Lasya is the dance attributed to the Goddess Parvati, the consort of the God Shiva. Typically, dances executed by women are termed Lasya, characterized by feminine grace and charm. On the other hand, dances performed by men are known as Tandavas and are closely linked with Shiva.
Laya
The execution of rhythm consistently relies on the tempo, known as laya, measured in bpm (beats per minute), representing the pulse or meter in the music. The pulsation is explicitly evident during accompanying phases, and even during Alap, adherence to the structural timing rules is essential.
Indian classical music primarily features three tempo speeds:
1. Vilambit or slow tempo: 30/60 bpm
2. Madhya or medium tempo: 60/160 bpm
3. Drut or fast tempo: 160/320 bpm or more
Compositions have specific Laya, and presenting them in excessively fast or slow tempos would be inappropriate. According to Saṁgītaratnākara, the interval between two beats or Mātrā is termed Laya, representing the duration between successive beats. Faster rhythms have shorter intervals, while slower rhythms have longer intervals.
The reference unit is the average time, with fast and slow times being relative to it. Doubling a Mātrā's duration labels it as 'Guru,' and tripling it is called 'Pluta.' In contemporary considerations, Laya is categorized into seven types:
1. Vilambit
2. Madhya or Barābar
3. Āḍi
4. Kuāḍi
5. Perāḍi
6. Barāḍi
7. Suluph
For both singers and instrumentalists, maintaining a regular Laya is preferable for accompanists during Layakārī, facilitating improvisation. In contrast, when percussion dominates a concert, instrumentalists should maintain a consistent tempo.
Layakari
The distinct rhythmic variations in Indian music are characterized by Layakari, the skill of introducing polyrhythms within a fixed tempo. When executed by a singer or melodic instrumentalist, the variations in different tempos and rhythms concerning a standardized tempo and rhythm are termed Layakārī, while an accompanist ensures the maintenance of the standard. These variations are presented in contrast to the regularity maintained by the percussionist, serving as embellishments to the Laya.
There are five types of Layakārī:
1. Catasra: When the basic Laya is divided into equal portions, it is known as Catasra Layakārī. For instance, a Tāla of sixteen Mātrā divided into four groups of four beats each.
2. Tisra: In a Tāla of sixteen Mātrā, the variation is executed in a way that each interval is one-fourth less in value than the standard one. It is equivalent to Āḍi.
3. Khaṇḍa: In a Tāla of sixteen Mātrās, the variation occurs with each interval being one-quarter greater in value than the standard one, lasting 1 and ¼ beats.
4. Miśra: The interval of the variation in Miśra has the value of 1 and ¾ compared to the standard one.
5. Saṁkīrṇa: In Saṁkīrṇa, the interval of the variation has the value of 2 and ¼ compared to the standard one.
An alternative interpretation of the first four categories is as follows:
1. Catusra: Tāla composed in groups of four Mātrā each.
2. Tisra: Tāla composed in groups of three Mātrā each.
3. Khaṇḍa: Tāla composed in groups of an unequal number of Mātrā.
4. Miśra: Tāla composed of both groups of four and three Mātrā.
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The main instruments of Indian Classical Music
The Sitar is the icon of Indian Classical music. The structure and tonal quality of this instrument is the result of several years of hard work and dedication of both the musicians and the master luthiers.
Goṭu Vādyama is a modified and developed form of Ektantri Veena, appeared on the scene of the Carnatic music system about hundred fifty years ago, it can be considered the Vichitra Veena of South India.
The name Rudra Vina, often written Rudra Veena, first appears in Nārada's Saṃgīta Makaranda between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and is supposed to be a derivation of the Kinnarī Vīṇā.
The Taus, the Dilruba and the Esraj are North Indian bowed instruments, all three with hybrid characteristics of the Sitar, such as long necks, fingerboard and metal strings, and of the Sāraṅgī such as the crafted soundboard Leather.
The Saraswati Veena, is very different from the Vīṇā of northern India. In fact, the arrangement of the main strings and cikari, the posture and the sound production techniques remain the same.
The Vichitra Vina, often written Vichitra Veena, saw its splendor towards the beginning of the twentieth century but many indications lead us to think that it is a developed and modified version of a very ancient instrument.
The Surabahar, often written Surbahar, was created, according to tradition, by Gholām Mohammad Khān, disciple of Piyār Khān and Omrāo Khān. Much larger than the Sitār, it is used, both in the Dhrupad and in the Khayal.
The Tampura is a fundamental instrument of Indian classical music, present in both the northern and southern systems. The function of this chordophone is to provide a sound in the background, that acts as a drone for improvisation.
In Arabic the term rebab indicates a bowed instrument; in fact the two half-moon inlets that characterize the shape of the Rabab's sound box suggest that it was only later converted into a direct pluck instrument.
The Svaramandala is a chordophone used by singers for accompaniment. Kallinatha in his commentary on Śārṅgadeva's Saṅgīta Ratnākara coincides the matakokilavīṇā of Bharata Muni's time with the Svaramaṇḍala,
The Sanṭoor is a dulcimer that has only recently entered Indian classical music scene. It is considered one of the most important developments of the twentieth century in Indian Classical music.
The transverse flute used in Indian classical music, is capable of reproducing all the delicate movements, ornamentations and nuances of the human voice. This instrument finds references in many sacred texts.
Among the main contributions of Indian instrumental technology, both in terms of production quantity and timbre quality, bifacial convex diaphragms occupy a place of primary importance in Indian Classical Music.
In the folk and tribal music of different regions of India, various types of stringed instruments are found with a very varied tradition. In the Rajasthani tradition there are more than ten types of Sāraṅgī.
This name derives from two sanskrit terms "pakshe vadya", or from the Persian "pakh awaz" which means soft sounding. The pakahwaj became the main percussion in the north, while the mridangam assumed centrality in the south.
The term Sarod, of Persian origin, means "song" or "melody". All hypotheses regarding the origin of the Sarod, are based on many assumptions and inferences. The general opinion is that it is a developed version of the Rabab,
One of the oldest and most widespread percussion instruments are the timpani, with a conical-shaped body, the skin of which is often struck with beaters modeled in an arched shape or simply straight, with a knobbed head.
The terms Shahana, Shahanay or Shennay identify the zurna, a wooden aerophone typical of Persian musical culture. In Iran we can still find various styles of this instrument which vary both in size and in the quality of wood used.
Tabla are the percussion instruments that best represent Indian musical culture. This instrument, used mainly in the Hindustani style, accompanies singing, instrumental music and dance.
The khol is the most used percussion in the north-eastern region of India, often linked to the Vaishnava cult of Bengal and Assam, it is also often called mridang since the body is made of terracotta (mrit means clay).
Probably in the past the pakhavaj and the mridangam presented much fewer differences and are in fact to be associated with a single archetype, but they developed over the centuries within two different styles,
Frame drums are very popular in India and the simplicity of manufacturing these instruments has facilitated their diffusion. They are in fact a thin strip of iron or wood bent into a circular shape with the two ends joined on which a membrane is applied.
The sound production techniques and the structure are identical to the shennay, the differences are mostly related to the dimensions and some small details. The double reed is fixed on a metal support which fits onto the wooden body.
The violin, which in India is also called Behalā, as we know, is one of the first Western instruments to have been introduced, more than a century and a half ago, into Indian music by Baluswamy Dikshitar (1786-1858), a great music scholar caranatica.
The Suraśṛṁgāra, often written Sursingar in many respects similar to the Surabahar, is a reinterpretation of the Rabab created in Benares under the supervision of Zafar Khān.
The moorchang, is a typical example of a universal instrument. In Italy it is a popular instrument called the wind chime or marranzano and although it takes on different forms, it is used all over the world.
The tavil belongs to the folk music tradition of South India, and is often played with a wind ensemble called periya melam. This percussion has a barrel shape with a single-layered stem, obtained from a single cylindrical block of wood.
Frame drums are very popular in India and the simplicity of manufacturing these instruments has facilitated their diffusion. They are in fact a thin strip of iron or wood bent into a circular shape.
The term bhanda vadya is used to indicate all terracotta percussion instruments with a spherical body, practically real vases of various shapes and sizes.
The term "Mohan veena" can denote one of two distinct plucked string instruments utilized in Indian classical music, particularly in Hindustani classical music, which is traditionally associated with the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent.