Festive season in India is still ON !!!

Although Diwali is over now but still November and December remain more colorful in India. Welcome of winters with lots of other small special days. And these days all US festivals/special-days are more important in India as well. Christmas is next big day in next few months...

Classical Muscians @ BIG HORN FEST 2011 inside India Habitat Center, Delhi

 

A Sitarist coming towards Stage @ BIG HORN FEST 2011 inside India Habitat Center, Delhi

Recently Big Horn Fest held at IHC in Delhi and it continued will 6 evenings of April 2011 ! I also planned to go during one of th evening and it was dedicated to Classical Indian Music.. I reached early and grabbed appropriate seat in Open Amphitheater of IHC... Here comes the first music performer of the evening along with various other folks in Tabla, Dholak, another sitarist along with main classical singer !!

Sitarvadak @ BIG HORN FEST 2011 inside India Habitat Center, Delhi

A Sitar-vadak @ Big Horn Fest 2011 in IHC Amphitheater, Delhi !!!



The Sitar a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Indian classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages. It derives its resonance from sympathetic strings which is a long hollow neck and a gourd resonating chamber.
Used throughout the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Northern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, the sitar became known in the western world through the work of Pandit Ravi Shankar beginning in the late 50s, particularly after George Harrison of The Beatles took lessons from Shankar and Shambhu Das and played sitar in songs such as "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and "Within You Without You". Shortly after, The Rolling Stones used a sitar in "Paint It Black" and a brief fad began for using the instrument in pop songs !!!

Sounds of Classical Music @ BIG HORN FEST 2011 inside India Habitat Center, Delhi

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Recently Big Horn Fest happened in Delhi during 6 days of April 2011 !!! Different evenings were dedicated to one type of music and  I also attended one evening of Indian Classical music !!!



Indian classical music has its original in the Vedas which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition !!! Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda which is one of the four Vedas, describes music with lots of details... 


Indian classical music is considered as very elaborate and expressive form of music. Like Western classical music it divides the octave into 12 semitones of which the 7 basic notes are in ascending tonal order, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa for Hindustani music 
and "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa".  But Indian music uses just-intonation tuning unlike most modern Western classical music which is more about equal-temperament tuning system.


Indian classical music is monophonic in nature and based around a single melody line !!! The performance is based melodically on particular ragas and rhythmically on talas. Because of the focus on exploring the raga, performances have traditionally been solo endeavors, but duets are gaining in popularity.