| Word/Term | Definition |
| Ahata nada | ‘Struck sound – that which is audible to human ears |
| Alaap | Pulse-free introduction for a vocal or instrumental raag recital |
| Anahata nada | ‘Unstruck sound’ inaudible to the ears but felt by discerning listeners |
| Annupallavi | In Karnatik music, the second section of a kriti |
| Antara | Song/compositional section with musical development in the upper octave |
| Aroha | Note pattern of a raag in its ascending scale |
| Avroha | Note pattern of a raag in its descending scale |
| Bani | Hindi word originating from Sanskirt, meaning ‘language’ or ‘doctrine’ generally; in music it specifically means ‘type,’ mostly used to define four distinct types of dhrupad which exist today. (See dhrupad) |
| Beenkar | An exponent of the been (veena) of North India. |
| Bhakti (or Bhagti) | A movement which stressed the unity of mankind, employing music and poetry in ‘loving devotion and service’ to one God |
| Bhajjan | Religious hymn in the Hindu religious tradition |
| Bharatanatyam | Literally meaning ‘dance of India’ |
| Bhava | A mood and, in dance, its specific delineation |
| Bol[s] | Recited syllable(s) in dance and tabla |
| Chalan | Literally, ‘walk’ in the musical sense, the way a raag is driven, or ‘walked’ which can make it distinct from other raags with the same notes |
| Charanam | Literally ‘feet,’ in Karnatik music, the third section of a kriti recital |
| Cheez (or chiz) | A song-composition for singers of the khayal style |
| Dadra | A light classical song; also the name of a six-beat rhythm cycle |
| Dastgah | Persian musical mode/scale |
| Desi | Pertaining to the ‘homeland’ or country |
| Desi sangeet | Secular music |
| Devdasi[s] | Temple courtesans trained in music and dance |
| Dhamar | A type of rhythm cycle; also the name of songs sun |
| Dhrupad (or dhurpad)ancient name: dhruvapada | A pure classical austere song style, originally with lyrics in Sanskrit (now usually in Braj Bhasha). Four banis or ‘types’ of dhrupad named according to their origin: Gaurhar bani, Nauhar bani, Khandar bani and Dagar bani. |
| Dhrupadiya[s] | Exponents of dhrupad |
| Drut laya | Fast tempo |
| Gamak | Ornamentation or grace note, in vocal as well as instrumental music |
| Ganda-bandhi | Ritual initiation of a music/dance disciple when a guru formally accepts them in pupilage. A symbolic string is tied to the wrist of the pupil’s right-hand, making them son/daughter for life. |
| Gath | Usually the fourth, and final, section of an instrumental performance, usually a structured composition but also allowing for improvisation |
| Gharan | From the word ‘ghar’ which means home in many North Indian languages. In musical terms it means ‘school/style’ or ‘family/style.’ Many such gharanas were established by seminal teachers and maestros and, to this day, many retain their distinctive styles and conventions. |
| Gayaki | ‘Singing’– used as a suffix defining style of singing, e.g. ‘Khayal gayaki’ or the style of a particular gharana, e.g. ‘Agra-gharana gayaki’ |
| Ghazals | Urdu poems, consisting of measured couplets, set to music |
| Gopi[s] | Milkmaid[s], specifically those of Vrindavan, the legendary forest of Lord Krishna |
| Guru-shishya parampara | The traditionally sacred relationship between teacher and pupil through which knowledge is passed down for generations |
| Hindustani sangeet | The music of North India (including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh) – a distinct tradition of classical music compared to that of South India |
| Holi | A playful spring festival with associations with Lord Krishna when people spray coloured water and powders on one another. In music there is a body of light-classical songs, also known as ‘holi’ or ‘hori’ which describe Krishna’s antics during the event |
| Jaati[s] | Now means ‘class,’ ‘caste’ or ‘type.’ In ancient times it referred to sequences of musical notes. Jati[s] are also complex rhythm patterns in Bharatanatyam dance |
| Jaatigaan | Old musical form which depended on jati[s], or sequences of notes, the precursor of raag system |
| Javaabi sangeet (or “sawaal-jawab”) | A performance section in which the percussion instrument closely follows and imitates the soloist – whether instrumental, vocal or dance |
| Jhala | The third performance section of a raag, played after the jorh, in a very fast tempo |
| Ji | An honorific, appended to first names or titles, e.g. Guru-ji, Pandit-ji etc |
| Jorh | The second section of a raag performance, played after the alaap, when some elements of rhythm are introduced |
| Jugalbandi | A duet involving two soloists who have an equal part in the recital |
| Kalaa | Generic word for ‘art.’ In music also the name of a quarter-beat. |
| Karnatik sangeet | The classical music of South India, a distinct tradition of music from that of the North |
| Kathak | Classical dance style of North India |
| Kathakali | Classical dance style of Kerala in south-west India |
| Kirtan | A prayer that is sung |
| Khali | Literally, ‘empty.’ In music it defines the unstressed beat in a rhythm cycle. |
| Khayal | A North Indian classical song style that relies on ‘imaginative’ improvisation |
| Khayaliya[s] | One who performs the khayal style of singing |
| Kriti[s] | Religious songs of South India; the larger part of a Karnatik music recital |
| Lay[a] | Tempo |
| Madhya | Medium or middle, e.g. ‘madhya lay’ i.e. ‘medium tempo,’ ‘madhya drut’ i.e. ‘medium-fast tempo’ etc |
| Marga sangeet | Sacred or religious music |
| Matra | A rhythmic beat |
| Meend | Slide or glissando between two musical notes |
| Melakarta | Basic parent scale of South Indian classical music. There are 72 melakartas classified during the 17th century |
| Miyan | An affectionate honorific added as a pre-fix for younger or worthy Muslim men |
| Morchana | A musical mode |
| Nada | Sound; also ‘cosmic energy’ symbolised in chanted words such as ‘Om’ |
| Nayak[a] | Hero, lover, a man of some worth. A woman is ‘nayika.’ |
| Niraval | Improvisation with a new melodic setting for a line or part of a kriti, whilst keeping its rhythmic structure intact |
| Nom-tom | A kind of alaap sung in dhrupad with the emphasis on rhythm using repeated sounds like nom, tom, na, re, de, ne, etc. |
| Nritta | Pure dance, (as opposed to “nritya” which is a dance that tells a story or enacts emotion) |
| Odav | A raag that uses five musical notes |
| Oduvaar[s | Vocalist[s] who perform antiquated hymns in Shiva temples |
| Padam | A love-lyric which is danced in bharatanatyam |
| Pakard | Literally to ‘catch’ or ‘hold,’ in music it means a ‘catch phrase’ by which a raag is easily identified and distinguished from others with similar note patterns |
| Pallavi | Literally ‘sprouting’ – in Karnatik music the first section of a kriti and other genres |
| Qawwals | A performer of qawwali, the devotional music of South Asian Sufis, based on North Indian classical raag[s] |
| Rababiya[s] | An exponent or specialist of the string instrument, rabab |
| Rabindrasangeet | Literally ‘Tagore-Music,’ a lyrical style invented by the philosopher-poet-musician Rabindranath Tagore |
| Raag or raga | A combination of aesthetically pleasing notes – technically a scale or melodic archetype |
| Raagam-Taanam- Pallavi (R.T.P) | In Karnatik music, a 3-part set of improvisational genres, built on a brief composition/theme |
| Ragini | Literally a female raag i.e. ‘wife’ of a raag, traditionally it referred to the feminine aspects of a raag, when raags were classified as male heads of a family with many female relations. The term is now obsolete in music but still used in colloquial speech. |
| Ras (or rasa) | An emotion or sentiment expressed in the arts. There are now, officially nine such emotions known as the Navrasas. |
| Sampuran (or sampurna) | ‘Complete’ – in music a ‘sampuran raag’ is one that uses all seven notes |
| Samvadi | The sub-dominant, or second most prominent note of a raag |
| Sangat | Accompaniment. The term usually applies to the percussion instrument. |
| Sangathi[s] | Musical phrases in Karnatik music |
| sangeet | Widely meaning music of any kind: vocal, instrumental, theatre, dance or film |
| Saptak | The seven musical notes, abbreviated to: SA-RE-GA-MA-PA-DHA-NI of the Indian octave |
| Sargam | Term for the seven notes of music, derived from the solfege names of the first four notes: SA RE GA MA |
| Sarva-Laghu | In Karnatik music, the concept of time-flow requiring expert mathematical ability; a vital mode of rhythmic thinking |
| Sawaal-javaab | (see Javaabi sangeet) |
| Shabad-kirtan | Literally ‘word-song’ unique to the Sikh religion where mystical verses are sung to classical raags |
| Shadav | A raag with an ascending or descending scale of 6 notes – a hexatonic scale |
| Shashtras | Books/texts held sacred by the Hindus |
| Shishya | Disciple. The equivalent Urdu word is ‘shagird’ also in common use for music students |
| Sloka (or Shlok) | Sanskrit verse |
| Sollukuttu[s] | Dance syllable[s] in bharatanatyam, literally meaning ‘a bundle of syllables’ |
| Sruti | Literally ‘to hear’ – in Sanskrit, it refers to what may be roughly translated as ‘microtones.’ There are generally 22 recognised ones. |
| Sthayi (sometimes pronounced “asthayi”) | Repetition, unchanging – in musical terms also ‘refrain.’ Known as ‘pallavi’ in Karnatik music. A sthayi establishes the theme of a song, usually in the lower octaves. |
| Shuddh (or shuddha) | Pure, natura |
| Sufism | Mysticism within the Islamic tradition, similar to the Hindu bhakti movement and relying heavily on music and poetry |
| Sum (also spelt “sam”) | The most important beat in a rhythm cycle, marking the end of one and the beginning of another new cycle |
| Swara (also “sur”) | Musical note, it is thought to be related to the word ‘swarna’ which means ‘gold’ in Sanskrit |
| Swara kalpana | In Karnatik music, literally ‘invented’ or ‘created’ swars (musical notes) |
| Taan | A melodic phrase or succession of notes |
| Taal (or tala) | Time measure or rhythm cycle with each tala having a set name of beats, divided into bars of equal, or unequal measurement |
| Taali | Literally ‘clap’ or stressed beats of percussion instrument |
| Tappa[s] | Songs of the camel drivers of Punjab, refined and introduced into the classical vocal repertoire by ‘Miyan’ Shori. The style is well known for its elaborate ornamentations. |
| Tarana | A song style in fast tempo – often performed at the end of a classical vocal recital – which uses syllables – forming mystical codes – from Persian words |
| Tawaif[s] | Courtesans of North India who specialise in music and dance |
| Thaat | A group of raags – there are ten such thaats commonly accepted, devised by the musicologist Bhatkande |
| Theka | A basic percussive phrase which identifies a tala |
| Thumri | Light classical song, usually romantic, which has strong associations with dance |
| Thillana | An upbeat tempo pure dance section in bharatanatyam, but also performed in vocal concerts |
| Tivra | Sharp, as in a sharp note |
| Trimurti | Trinity or Trio, particularly the triad of Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; also refers to South India’s most famous trio of composers: Shyama Shastri, Thyagaraja & Muthuswami Dikshitar |
| Ustad | ‘Master’ – the title given to Muslim maestros. The Hindu equivalent is ‘Pandit.’ |
| Vadi | ‘Dominant’ – the most important or dominant note in a raag |
| Vikrit | Altered, adjusted or modified – usually refers to individual musical notes being treated this way |
| Vilambit | Slow i.e. ‘vilambit laya’ or slow tempo |
| Vistaar | Elaboration or improvisation; extended exposition |
| Vivadi | Dissonant notes which normally spoil a raag, but sometimes used by expert musicians for a special effect |
GLOSSARY OF INDIAN MUSIC TERMS
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