The culture of India dates back to several thousands of years and is well-known all over the globe for its various art forms. Indian Classical Music is one of the oldest art forms of the nation, which is said to be one of the oldest unbroken musical traditions in the world. The origin of Indian Classical music dates back to the Vedic period and it is evident as it finds its mention in the Vedas, which is one of the ancient Holy Scriptures of Hindus. However, with change in time and evolution of Indian culture, Indian classical music has developed within a very complex interaction between different peoples of different races and cultures. Unlike Western classical music, which is written about a variety of themes, Indian classical music is primarily either based on tenets of the Hindu religion or about nature. It is based on seven notes, namely “Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni”, which is quite similar to the western music's Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do. Indian classical music is categorized under two genres. These are Hindustani and Carnatic. Broadly speaking, Carnatic music developed in the south of the country, while Hindustani is indigenous to the north. Hindustani Classical Music Hindustani music is based on the raga system. A raga is a melodious composition of notes from the basic seven notes sa, re, ga, ma pa, dha, and ni. Apart from sa and pa which remains unvarying, the other notes may be in major or minor tone, and this gives rise to incalculable combinations. Ten basic scales or thaaats are recognized, and other ragas are considered to have evolved from these. A raga must contain a minimum of five notes. Depending on the notes included in it, each raga acquires a distinct character. The form of the raga is also determined by the particular pattern of ascent and descent of the notes, which may not be strictly linear. Melody is developed by cobbling together and elaborating within the given scale. The creativeness is rhythm bound most of the times and in some instances, it is free from any obvious rhythm. Formal compositions (songs or instrumental compositions in a fixed meter) are put together with the improvised portion. Khyal and Dhrupad are two major forms within Hindustani music. Dhrupad is an older form and requires scrupulous training in rhythm control as well as voice culture. Khyal developed as a more popular option as it encloses both slow and lively compositions, retaining its complete classical character. Carnatic Music Carnatic music is a form of Indian Classical Music, which is practiced in the Southern part of the country. This form of music originated in the Southern State of Karnataka and thus gets its name as Carnatic (Karnatik) Music. This form is more rhythmically exhaustive and structured than Hindustani music and this is evident from the logical classification of ragas into melakarthas, and the use of fixed compositions similar to Western classical music. The elaborations of ragas according to this school are usually sung at a faster tempo and are shorter than their equivalents in Hindustani music. In addition, accompanists have a much larger role in Carnatic Musicthan in Hindustani Music. In this form, the opening piece is known as varnam, and is a warm-up for the musicians. Devotion and a request for a blessing follows along with a series of interchanges between ragams (unmetered melody) and thaalams (the ornamentation, equivalent to the jor). This is intermingled with hymns known as krithis. The pallavi or theme from the raga follows after this. However, both the genres are alike in the way both makes use of one raga and one tala per song and improvisation plays a significant role in their performance. Nevertheless, Hindustani Classical music tends to be more profoundly influenced by Persian music than Carnatic music and Carnatic music highlights a vocalist far more than Hindustani Classical Music.
