Unlike the 12-note scale in Western music, the base frequency of the scale is not fixed, and intertonal gaps ( temperament) may also vary. Indian classical music has seven basic notes with five interspersed half-notes, resulting in a 12-note scale. An aspect of Hindustani music going back to Sufi times is the tradition of religious neutrality: Muslim ustads may sing compositions in praise of Hindu deities and vice versa. This is a very flawed system but is somewhat useful as a heuristic.ĭistinguished musicians who are Hindu may be addressed as Pandit and those who are Muslim as Ustad. Around 1900, Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande consolidated the musical structures of Hindustani classical music, called ragas, into a few thaats based on their notes. In medieval times, the melodic systems were fused with ideas from Persian music, particularly through the influence of Sufi composers like Amir Khusro, and later in the Mughal courts, noted composers such as Tansen flourished, along with religious groups like the Vaishnavites.Īfter the 16th century, the singing styles diversified into different gharanas patronized in different princely courts. These principles were refined in the musical treatises Natya Shastra, by Bharata (2nd–3rd century CE), and Dattilam (probably 3rd–4th century CE).

It is melodic music, with no concept of harmony. The central notion in both these systems is that of a melodic musical mode or raga, sung to a rhythmic cycle or tala. Hindustani music places more emphasis on improvisation and exploring all aspects of a raga, while Carnatic music is primarily composition-based. 3.2 Hindustani music’s influence during the Delhi SultanateĪround the 12th century, Hindustani classical music diverged from what eventually came to be identified as Carnatic classical music.

Raaga top 10 hindi songs