Musical elements in the Natya Shastra
The Natya Shastra, linked to the sage Bharata, was put together roughly between 200 BCE and 200 CE. It is a huge book on drama, and music is a big part of it.
- Swara: 7 notes (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni).
- Shruti: 22 small pitch steps in an octave; notes sit on chosen shrutis (4, 3, 2, 4, 4, 3, 2).
- Grama: parent scales, the shadja grama and madhyama grama.
- Murchhana and jati: scales and melody types, early ancestors of ragas.
- Tala: time cycles for songs and dance.
- Four families of instruments: tata (strings), sushira (wind), avanaddha (skin-covered drums), ghana (solid, struck).
Avanaddha vadya (membrane drums)
The Natya Shastra gives special care to drums. The main group is the pushkara drums: mridanga, panava and dardura. A story in the text tells how the sage Swati got the idea for drums from the sound of rain falling on lotus leaves. The book explains how to make them, tune them, the strokes and how drums support singing and acting.
Medieval texts: Sangeet Ratnakar and Sangeet Parijat
Sangeet Ratnakar
Written by Sharngadeva in the 13th century at Devagiri (in the Deccan). It collects earlier theory in 7 chapters: swara, raga, prakirna (miscellany, including qualities of a singer), prabandha (compositions), tala, vadya (instruments) and nartana (dance). Both Hindustani and Carnatic music treat it as a key text.
Sangeet Parijat
Written by Ahobal in the 17th century. Its big idea: it fixed the position of each of the 12 notes (shuddha and vikrit) by the length of the veena string. For example, Pa is placed at two-thirds of the string. This made pitch exact and measurable. It also describes many ragas of its time.
Tansen, Bhatkhande and Paluskar
- Tansen (16th century): learned from Swami Haridas and in Gwalior; became one of the "nine gems" at Akbar's court. A great dhrupad singer; ragas such as Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi and Darbari Kanada are linked to him. His descendants formed the Senia tradition.
- Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860–1936): travelled widely, collected thousands of compositions, created an easy Hindustani notation and grouped ragas into 10 thaats. Wrote Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati and the Kramik Pustak Malika series; helped start a music college in Lucknow (now Bhatkhande university) and music conferences.
- Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872–1931): founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Lahore in 1901, so anyone could learn music in a school. Made his own notation, sang bhajans for the public and lifted the respect of musicians in society.
Origin and growth of the tabla
There are several ideas about where the tabla came from:
- A popular legend says Amir Khusrau cut a pakhawaj in two. Historians doubt this, as there is no proof from his time.
- Another idea is that it grew from older Indian paired drums and pot drums, with influence from West Asian drums.
- Most agree that the tabla became important in the 18th century, when the lighter, faster khayal and courtly dance needed a quick, crisp drum. Siddhar (Sudhar) Khan of Delhi is seen as founder of the first tabla gharana.
Growth: Delhi → Ajrada, Lucknow, Farukhabad, Banaras, Punjab gharanas; then concerts, radio, films and world stages in the 20th century.
Great musicians: life sketches
Drummers
- Kudau Singh (19th century): a celebrated pakhawaj player who served royal courts in central India. Known for a powerful open style and many parans; stories say he could calm even a wild elephant with his playing. Founder of the Kudau Singh gharana.
- Nana Panse (19th century): pakhawaj guru from Maharashtra. His style is gentle, sweet and balanced, and suits dhrupad, kathak and bhajan alike. He left a large collection of compositions.
Instrumentalists
- Inayat Khan (1894–1938): sitar and surbahar master of the Imdadkhani (Etawah) line; father of Vilayat Khan.
- Mushtaq Ali Khan (1911–1989): sitar player of the Senia style, known for pure, traditional playing.
- Alauddin Khan (about 1862–1972): sarod master at Maihar; guru of Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Annapurna Devi; formed the Maihar band.
Singers
- Faiyaz Khan (1886–1950): Agra gharana; powerful voice; called "Aftab-e-Mausiqui" (sun of music).
- Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1902–1968): Patiala gharana; famous for khayal and thumri, with a sweet, flexible voice.
- Krishnarao Shankar Pandit (1893–1989): Gwalior gharana; strong teacher who kept the old Gwalior style alive.
Key formulas and definitions
- Timeline: Sama Veda → Natya Shastra (~200 BCE–200 CE) → Sangeet Ratnakar (13th c.) → Tansen (16th c.) → Sangeet Parijat (17th c.) → tabla grows (18th c.) → Bhatkhande & Paluskar (~1900)
- Natya Shastra: 7 swaras, 22 shrutis, 2 gramas, jatis, 4 instrument families
- Instrument families: tata (string), sushira (wind), avanaddha (membrane), ghana (solid)
- Shruti split: Sa 4, Re 3, Ga 2, Ma 4, Pa 4, Dha 3, Ni 2 = 22
- Sangeet Ratnakar: Sharngadeva, 7 chapters; Sangeet Parijat: Ahobal, notes by string length
- Bhatkhande: notation + 10 thaats; Paluskar: Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, 1901
Worked examples
1. Into which Natya Shastra family do these go: sarangi, shehnai, tabla, manjira?
Sarangi – tata (string); shehnai – sushira (wind); tabla – avanaddha (membrane); manjira – ghana (solid).
2. Check that the shruti split 4-3-2-4-4-3-2 adds to 22.
4 + 3 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 2 = 22. ✓
3. Arrange in time order: Bhatkhande, Natya Shastra, Tansen, Sangeet Ratnakar, Sangeet Parijat.
Natya Shastra → Sangeet Ratnakar (13th c.) → Tansen (16th c.) → Sangeet Parijat (17th c.) → Bhatkhande (~1900).
Common mistakes
- Saying Sangeet Ratnakar is by Bharata: it is by Sharngadeva; the Natya Shastra is linked to Bharata.
- Thinking there are 22 swaras: there are 7 swaras and 22 shrutis.
- Treating the Amir Khusrau tabla story as proven fact: it is a legend.
- Mixing up Bhatkhande and Paluskar: Bhatkhande gave the 10 thaats; Paluskar founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.