Dhrupad Influence

Indian classical music and its evolutionary pattern has left a mark in almost every region of the world and therefore, its roots can be traced from these very regions back to where it originated from, the subcontinent. The subcontinent is a region where cultures of various ethnic backgrounds have amalgamated and continued to do so, but three such nations, even after separation exist with vestiges of each other's culture and therefore the Indian classical music as heard today has been molded by each in some way or the other. These include the Hindus, the Muslims and the British. This report seeks to highlight the contributions made by each nation in order to understand the different influences and the impact these influences in turn had on this

The style of music that Dhrupad comprised of served as an epitome for the conception of numerous genres of music, consisting Padavali-Kirtan, Samaj-Gayan etc. Patronization of Dhrupad by the ruling elite, in Mughal courts and Hindu temples led to its promulgation as a classical form. Swami Haridas (ca 1500-1595) and Sur Das (16th century) are two of the most famous Hindu musicians where the former is claimed to be the father of Hindustani music and the latter, a blind musician-poet who was member of a group (Ashta-chap) responsible for transforming Dhrupad into Haveli Sangita, which is considered to be one of the predecessor of Hindustani music. Just as transformation is important for evolution, transmission plays an equally prominent role and that is where Swami Haridas’ student, the legendary Tansen (16th century) enters the pages of history. Transmission of Hindustani classical music through the Mughal period is attributed to the disciples of Tansen and various modern day gharanas of Hindustani music track their genealogy back to Tansen or Swami Haridas. V.N. Bhatkhande and V.D. Paluskar are two renowned musicians and scholars of later times (early 20th century), who dedicated their lives to the preservation and propagation of

The phenomenon of infused east-west music gained popularity when George Harrison of the Beatles studied with Ravi Shankar in the 1960s and from there onwards, a wide range of musicians devoted themselves to the progress of this premature genre. Warren Senders is one such musician who dedicated his soul to Khayaal while incorporating a bluesy bassline to the ragas he performed. This cross-cultural pollination led to the release of famous recordings such as ‘Boogie for Hanuman’ which gained global attention. Perhaps the most important figure in this context is Yehudi Menuhin who invited Ravi Shankar to perform at the ‘Bath festival’ in Great Britain. Being the first western musician to perform a classical raga on stage with Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha, it opened unexplored avenues that eventually led to the release of ‘West Meets East’. The album was awarded the 1967 Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance and in turn gave global recognition to Indian classical music. At such a time, when the audience for a particular genre exploded into global numbers, the improvisation of blending Indian classical and western music gave birth to an altogether new form, popularly known as Hindustani classical-Jazz fusion. Menuhin’s advocacy of Indian