Musical Instruments of India
Rudra Veena
The name Rudra Vīṇā, 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 main differences between the Kinnarī Vīṇā and the Rudra Vīṇā are found both in the number of gourds or soundboards used, and in the arrangement and number of keys present. The Kinnarī Vīṇā has in fact three gourds: by choosing to place only two lateral gourds, space was created for the instrumentalist's body, thus creating a quite unique physical and psychic symbiosis between instrument and musician. Compared to the Kinnarī Vīṇā, keys are added in the Rudra Vīṇā so as to have one for each semitone, so as to be able to perform all the Rāgas more easily. The name Rudra Vīṇā may have been coined around the fifteenth century and according to Prof. Lal Mani Mishra*, the twelve keys of an octave represented the eleven aspects of the divine Rudra, plus one Mahā Rudra, that supreme aspect of the divine which includes the other eleven, thus assuming the form we know today, already towards the beginning of the Mughal period.
The Rudra Vīṇā adapted to Dhrupad's style of chanting, and many great dhrupadīya were also excellent Rudra Vīṇā players, as it was often played as an accompaniment to chanting. Unlike other instruments that have only seen a solo role in recent decades, the Rudra Vīṇā quickly established itself as an instrument capable of producing all the subtlest nuances and intricate embellishments of vocal music.
Zia Mohiuddin Dagar of Udaipur, one of the two most important Rudra Vīṇā players of the last century, made some important changes both in the structure of the instrument, with the help of the master violin maker Kanhai Lal of Calcutta, and in the playing techniques, changing the sitting position and positioning the Vīṇā obliquely instead of the traditional vertical position. His son, Bahauddin Dagar and many other Indian and Western disciples continue the transmission of this style defined as dagar style or dagar bani.
The traditional āsana to be maintained while playing the Rudra Vīṇā is called vajrāsana, but Zia Mohiuddin Dagar used to sit in sukhāsana.
The other great Rudra Vīṇā player, Asad Ali Khān, owned an instrument made by a master violin maker from Calcutta named Shiv Ram. Asad Ali Khān used vajrāsana and had a much more aggressive style than Zia Mohiuddin Dagar who instead developed the contemplative aspect much more through the perfection of movements between notes and microtones. As they say in India, it is useless to argue about which flower is the most beautiful or fragrant.
To play the Vīṇā, two plectrums called mizrab are worn on the right hand, one on the index finger and one on the middle finger, while the strings of the cikārī are stimulated with the nail of the little finger.
The Vīṇā consists of a handle on which the handle is mounted, two large gourds that act as resonators, seven keys for the strings and three bridges. The length of the instrument can reach one meter and 20 centimeters, and the two large pumpkins average thirty-six centimeters in diameter. Previously the handle was made of bamboo, but approximately every two years it had to be changed. For this reason, bamboo has been replaced by teak wood, which guarantees a longer life and a better timbre to the instrument.
The twenty-two wooden frets that end with brass plates are fixed on the neck and made immobile with the help of laces and a wax specially prepared by the luthiers.
The Rudra Vīṇā has seven strings in all, of which four are the main strings. The other three strings, two on the right side and one on the left side, have a rhythmic and drone function. The four main strings pass over the main bridge called Meru. The other three strings, two on the right and one on the left, are mounted on two side jumpers, one on each side.
The Vīṇā is a rare instrument, almost on the verge of extinction. It is not easy to buy a new Vīṇā because there are very few craftsmen left who continue this tradition and construction times can easily extend up to twelve months.
*Prof. Lal Mani Mishra (1924 -1979) was an emeritus scholar and multi-instrumentalist, Director of the Faculty of Performing Arts of the Benares Hindu University. He wrote various texts on Indian music and was a highly regarded musician on the Vichitra Vīṇā, Sitar and Surbahar. Given the scarcity of musicians specialized on this instrument, he became, together with Gopal Krishan (1926-2004), a point of reference regarding the techniques, dimensions and setting of the instrument and strings. See the paragraph dedicated to Vichitra Vīṇā below
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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.
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