Traditional Indian Music Traditionally, Music

Traditional Indian Music

Traditionally, music plays a very important part in the culture of India. There are many classical and traditional genres of music that make up the rich musical culture of the country today. The North Indian Classical Music tradition (Cowdery & Scott, 1999, p.87), for example, is practiced even today, with its learning incorporating both modern and traditional elements. In the past, classical Indian music was taught via the "master-disciple" tradition, or the guru-sishya parampara. Students and masters had a very close relationship, with students even sharing the master's home for periods of time. While the aristocracy were the main patrons of classical music in the past, this changed during the twentieth century, when this role shifted to the urban middle-class in the country (Cowdery & Scott, 1999, p. 88).

Another form of traditional Indian music is the folk tradition, which catered to the general population of the country. There are many different fold styles, including the Bhangra, the Lavani and the Thumri, among others (IndianetZone), in order to cater for the many different cultures within the Indian population. Bhangra was popular among the Punjabi people, and is a combination of singing, music and drums. Lavani was popular in southern Madhya Pradesh, India, and is combination of song and dance. The Thumri also combines song and dance and is generally devotional, depicting the love of a girl for Krishna.