about the artist - Mohamed Assani

A BRIEF HISTORY OF INDIAN MUSIC
The music of the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan & Bangladesh), referred to generally
as Indian music, is said to be one of the oldest unbroken musical traditions in the world. It
is said that the origins of this system go back to the Vedas (ancient scripts of the Hindus)
when it was incorporated as a part of sacred temple practices. Indian classical music has
evolved significantly since these ancient times.
A significant era of development for North Indian music as we know it now was during the
Moghul Empire. Influenced heavily by Persian music during this time, classical music
moved out of the temples and into the Courts, where it flourished under the patronage of
various Emperors - many who kept artists on their payroll to compose and perform
exclusively for the Court.
Indian music has developed within a very complex interaction between different peoples of
different races and cultures. It appears that the ethnic diversity of present day India has
been there from the earliest of times.
The present system of Indian music is based upon two important pillars: raag and
taal. Raag is the melodic form while taal is the rhythmic aspect.
Raag may be roughly equated with the Western term mode or scale. There is a system of
up to seven notes that are arranged in a means not unlike Western scales.
The taal (rhythmic forms) are also very complex. Many common rhythmic patterns
exist. They revolve around repeating patterns of beats.
The interpretation of the raag and the taal is not the same all over India. Today there are
two major traditions of classical music. There is the North Indian and the South Indian
tradition. The North Indian tradition is known as Hindustani sangeet and the South Indian
is called Carnatic sangeet. Both systems are fundamentally similar but differ in
terminology and performance practice.
Some of the common instruments used in Indian Classical music (both North & South) are:
• Sitar
• Tabla
• Sarangi
• Santoor
• Rabab
• Harmonium
• Veena
• Rudra Veena
• Bansuri
• Mridangam
• Sarod
• Pakhawaj
• Surbahar
• Tanpura
• Shehnai
• Violin
• Been
• Ghatam