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Music, Dance, Theatre & Festivals - Short Trick

Ragas, maestros, classical and folk dances, plays, cinema, fairs and festivals — one sentence each

2 trick sentences7 pairs8 parts
0 / 3 learned · 0%
How to read
  • Guru Ram Each coloured word = one name in the list, shown below in the same colour
  • Panda Two colours in one word = two names
  • ➜ Order the numbered order matters · ⇄ Any order no order
1

Ragas, Systems and Vocal Forms

The six ragas and their hours, the Carnatic states, and how to recognise each vocal form.

Trick 1

Six principal ragas — time of singing

➜ clockwise from 4 am

Bhaiya hired Meena’s shop to deliver mats.

  1. 1Bhairav4–8 am
  2. 2Hindol8 am–noon
  3. 3Meghnoon–4 pm
  4. 4Shri4–8 pm
  5. 5Deepak8 pm–midnight
  6. 6Malkaunsmidnight–4 am

The classical scheme has 6 ragas and 30 raginis · tala = a full rhythmic cycle, laya = tempo (vilambit, madhya, drut), matra = the smallest unit.

Trick 2

Five Carnatic-music states

⇄ Any order

Andy telephoned Tamanna while Karan boiled the kettle.

  1. Andhra Pradesh
  2. Telangana
  3. Tamil Nadu
  4. Karnataka
  5. Kerala

Voice-centred (Gayaki) · main patrons from the 18th to the 20th century: the rulers of Mysore and Travancore · four core elements — sruti, swara, raga, tala.

Pairs

Vocal forms — identity and patrons

7 sentences

Dhruv got a tan.

Dhrupad=Oldest, grave, devotional — Tansen; sung with tanpura and pakhawaj · the Dagar family is its best-known lineage

Dhamaka at Holi

Dhamar=Lighter variant of dhrupad — sung at Holi

Khayal dreams of Amir and Hussain

Khayal=Credited to Amir Khusrau (14th c.) · patronised by Sultan Hussain Shah Sharqi of Jaunpur (15th c.) · perfected by Sadarang–Adarang

Tarts come at the end.

Tarana=Built on syllables (bols) instead of words — usually sung at the end of a concert · the Carnatic tillana is modelled on it

Tapping camels along the shore

Tappa=Born in the songs of Punjab’s camel riders · shaped by Shori Mian at the court of Asaf-ud-Daula

A thumka in Nawabi style

Thumri=Under Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh (r. 1847–1856) · lyrics in Braj Bhasha; Poorab ang (Banaras), Lucknavi, Punjabi

Bhatura on ten thalis

Bhatkhande (Vishnu Narayan)=c. 1900 — grouped the ragas into 10 thaats (parent scales)

Gharana = a family of style · thaat = a parent scale for classifying ragas · the three classical vocal forms are dhrupad, khayal and tarana.

2

Instruments and Their Masters

The leading players of sitar, sarod, tabla, violin, flute and veena.

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3

Classical Dances

Which state each classical dance belongs to, the three Chhau styles, the Tanjore Quartet, Kathakali make-ups and Kathak gharanas.

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4

Folk Dances — North and West

Folk dances of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

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5

Folk Dances — South, East and North-East

Folk dances of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra, Assam, Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, and states with one or two famous dances.

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6

Theatre and Cinema

The Sanskrit playwrights’ plays, modern playwrights, where each folk theatre belongs, and India’s film firsts.

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7

Fairs and Arts Festivals

The Kartik Purnima fairs, the four Kumbh sites, where each fair is held and the dance festivals at heritage sites.

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8

Festivals

Which state each festival belongs to and why, UNESCO-listed festivals, Assam’s three Bihus and regional festivals.

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Read the full chapter for the complete notes — a trick helps you remember the list; understanding comes from the notes.