Indian Music.

 Classical Indian music is a highly revered and sophisticated art form that has a rich history and a unique set of characteristics that make it truly exceptional.

Indian classical music. Its deep spiritual roots, complex rhythmic and melodic structures, and improvisational nature make it a truly immersive and engaging listening experience.

The father of Indian classical music is generally considered to be Bharata Muni, an ancient musician and scholar who composed the Natyashastra. The Natyashastra is a Sanskrit text on music, dance, and drama that is one of the oldest and most comprehensive treatises on music in India.

Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of all knowledge, music, arts and science, with her instrument, the veena. Like all art forms in Indian culture, Indian classical music is believed to be a divine art form which originated from the Devas and Devis.

The roots of Indian classical music can be traced back nearly five thousand years to its origin in the Vedic hymns of the Hindu temples, the fundamental source of all Indian music.

The very heart of Indian music is the raga - which refers to the melody and tala - which refers to the rhythm.

Rāgas, in the Hindu tradition, are believed to have a natural existence. Artists do not invent them, they only discover them. Music appeals to human beings, according to Hinduism, because they are hidden harmonies of the ultimate creation.

The first reference to music can be credited to Panini in 500 BCE and the first reference to the musical theory can be credited to

Rikpratisakhya

in 400 BCE. The ancient classical text, Natyashastra, by Bharat Muni.

Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music, Haveli Sangeet, and also related to the South Indian Carnatic tradition. 

The word 'Dhrupad' is derived from 'dhruva,' meaning that which is 'fixed' or 'constant' and 'pada', meaning 'word' or 'set-composition'.

Ragas and North Indian classical music are a great example of an amalgamation of cultures. The roots of classical music are in the Vedas (Hinduism scriptures).

Ancient Indian classical music followed a single uniform style modeled after the melodic patterns of Vedic chanting, beginning with Rigveda and Samaveda--collections of hymns written nearly 5,000 years ago. This is where the first three swaras evolved from.

The core elements of Hindustani classical music are swara (notes), raga, taal (rhythm), alankaar (ornamentation), bandish (compositions), and improvisation.

The present standardised system that is popularly used is said to have been formulated by Govindacharya in the 18th Century. The 72 ragas in this system form the fundamental parent scales and are hence known as janaka ragas. 

The mēḷa system of ragas was first propounded by Raamamaatya in his work Svaramelakalanidhi c. 1550. He is considered the father of mela system of ragas. 

Venkatamakhin, a gifted musicologist in the 17th century, expounded a new mela system known today as mēḷakarta in his work Chaturdandi Prakaasikaa.

Yaman is regarded one of the grandest and most fundamental ragas in Hindustani music. It is one of the first ragas taught to students but it also has great scope for improvisation.

Carnatic music. In ancient texts, the southern region of the Vindhyas is often referred to as Karnatakam. Possibly, this is where the music of South India gets its name from. 

Sangeet Rathnakar literally "Ocean of Music and Dance", is one of the most important musicological texts from India. Composed by Pandit Sarandeva in Sanskrit during the 13th century.

Among the four Vedas, Sama Veda is considered as the origin of Indian music. During that period, music was the medium for prayer in religious ceremonies as well as entertainment and social occasions.

The Bhairav raga itself is extremely vast and allows a huge number of note combinations and a great range of emotional qualities from valor to peace.

Raga is the melodic element and is crafted by improvisation on fixed patterns of ascent and descent. Conversely, tala is the rhythmic structure on which the melody is laid.