Hindustani Classical Music

2.1 Key Concepts

• Raga: Organised into "thaats" (parent scales) in the system codified by musicologist Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande in the early 20th century, who classified ragas into 10 thaats (e.g., Bilawal, Kalyan, Khamaj, Bhairav, Bhairavi, Purvi, Marwa, Kafi, Asavari, Todi).
• Tala: Rhythmic cycles counted in "matras" (beats), with common talas including Teentaal (16 beats), Ektaal (12 beats), and Jhaptaal (10 beats), kept by a percussion instrument (usually tabla).
• Gharana system: Hindustani music is organised into hereditary/stylistic schools called gharanas, each associated with a particular lineage of teachers, region, and distinctive stylistic approach (e.g., Gwalior, Kirana, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Patiala gharanas for vocal music).

2.2 Vocal Genres

• Dhrupad: The oldest and most austere surviving vocal genre, associated historically with temple and later Mughal court traditions (notably patronised at Akbar's court); characterised by a slow, meditative elaboration of the raga (alap) without light ornamentation, traditionally accompanied by the pakhawaj.
• Khyal (Khayal): The dominant, more flexible and ornamented vocal genre in modern Hindustani music, allowing for greater improvisation; believed to have been developed/popularised significantly by the poet-musician Amir Khusrau and later systematised further under the patronage of the Sharqi rulers of Jaunpur and Mughal-era musicians.
• Thumri: A lighter, more romantic/expressive semi-classical genre, often associated with themes of love (frequently Radha-Krishna devotional romantic themes) and closely linked historically to the Lucknow court and also to Kathak dance accompaniment.
• Ghazal: A poetic song form of Persian/Urdu origin, structured around couplets (sher) exploring themes of love and loss, immensely popular as a semi-classical/light-classical genre in the Indian subcontinent.
• Other lighter genres: Tappa (fast, rhythmically intricate, originating among camel drivers of Punjab, later refined in courts), Qawwali (a Sufi devotional genre associated with the Chishti order and closely linked to Amir Khusrau).

2.3 Legendary Figures

• Tansen: One of the "Navaratnas" of Akbar's court, legendary for his mastery and for compositions/ragas attributed to him (e.g., Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, Darbari Kanada); regarded as a foundational figure of modern Hindustani classical music.
• Amir Khusrau: 13th–14th century poet-musician at the Delhi Sultanate courts, credited with significant innovations in Hindustani music (including, by tradition, the invention or early development of instruments like the sitar and tabla, and the Khyal and Qawwali genres) — though some of these attributions are debated by music historians as later legendary accretions.
• Baiju Bawra: A semi-legendary contemporary rival of Tansen, celebrated in folklore for his musical genius.
• 20th-century greats: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (Kirana gharana), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (Patiala gharana), Kishori Amonkar (Jaipur-Atrauli gharana), Pandit Ravi Shankar (sitar, credited with popularising Indian classical music internationally), Ustad Vilayat Khan (sitar), Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (bansuri/flute), Ustad Bismillah Khan (shehnai, first Bharat Ratna awardee among Hindustani instrumentalists), Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (santoor).