Music in India has a vibrant history. Music in India has many important functions and certain ceremonies are incomplete without music. There are some classifications of Indian music like; classical music, folk music, fusion of classical and folk, and modern music. Since India is a very diverse country and it has diverse culture as each state of India has a unique form of music. This diversification gave rise to several folk music in different states. Fusion music is a mixture of classical and folk music while modern music is very different from traditional Indian music.
Also Read: Classical Music of India
Indian Music – History and Anatomy
Pre-Historic Studies – Megalithic Culture
Popular Folk Music in India
Wanawan is a famous folk music of Kashmir sung during wedding ceremonies. Alha is a heroic ballad song of the state of Madhya Pradesh, usually sung in different languages like Braj, Awadhi and Bhojpuri. Baul is actually a type of Bengali religious sect and this tradition of preaching of mysticism through songs is very long in Bengal. Panihari is a folk music which is related to water is from Rajasthan.
Ovi are usually the songs of women of Maharashtra and Goa, sung during leisure time and when they completed their household work. Pai song of Madhya Pradesh which generally sung during the festivals of rainy season. Lavani is one the most famous folk music of India which is performed in state of Maharashtra with the beats of dholki. Powada is also popular folk of Maharashtra sung for heroes lie Shivaji.
Maand is a music of Rajasthan which usually about the bards singing the glory of Rajput rulers. Dandiya Raas is traditional folk music of Gujarat which is associated with the leela of Krishna and Radha. Bhavageete is musically very close to the Ghazals is associated with the state of Maharashtra. Mando is another popular folk art of the state of Goa which is unique Indian and western traditions.
Fusion Music
Fusion is the mixture of classical and folk music. The fusion music has some styles; Sugam Sangeet, Rabindra Sangeet, Gana Sangeet and Haveli Sangeet. Sugam sangeet is a devotional music which bring the classical and folk music together. There are also sub-categories of Sugam sangeet like Bhajan which is most famous devotional music in northern India, Shabad are the devotional songs dedicated to Sikh Gurus, sung in the Gurudwaras, Qawwalis are music in the praise of Islamic figures.
Rabindra sangeet is a famous form of comprising music which is produced by the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The basic themes of this music are worship of true god, devotion to nature and its beauty, love, and celebration of life. Gana sangeet is fusion music that is sung in chorus or groups and in large number and is about the patriot feelings. Haveli sangeet developed in Rajasthan and Gujarat and currently practiced by the community known as Pushtimarg Sampradaya.
Modern Music
Rock music in India prevalent which incorporated the elements of Indian music with mainstream rock music, popularly known as Indian Rock. The Jazz music in India developed in during the 1920s in Bombay. Both Indian classical and jazz music shares some similarities like they both involve improvisation. Other form of modern music prevalent in India is Pop music and the Indian version of this popularly known as Indi-pop.
Thus, the music in India has number of different types of folk music from different states. Fusion and modern music also evolved with time in India.
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