Musical forms
Khayal, dhrupad, thumri and the forms around them.
Understand musical formsBrowse the entries
11 entries
BhajanA devotional song expressing praise or spiritual longing.›Dadra (form)A light vocal form related to thumri; distinct from the tala of the same name.›Dhamar (form)A composition type in the dhrupad tradition, associated with Holi and Dhamar tal…›DhrupadA vocal tradition combining expansive melodic development and rhythmic compositi…›GhazalA poetic form with a rich musical tradition, built from a sequence of couplets.›KhayalRaga improvisation built around a fixed bandish and a rhythmic cycle.›Lakshan geetA composed song whose words explain features of a raga.›Sargam geetA fixed composition sung with swara syllables.›TappaA vocal form recognised by quick, intricate and closely connected melodic runs.›TaranaA vocal form using rhythmic syllables as its text.›ThumriA semi-classical vocal form led by the expressive meaning of its words.›
Understanding musical forms
A musical form describes how a piece or performance is organized. It is distinct from the raga, which shapes the melody, and the tala, which organizes time.
Words such as alap, bandish, sthayi, antara, bol-alap and taan describe different aspects of presentation. Their use depends on the form: the same outline should not be imposed on khayal, dhrupad, thumri and every other tradition.
Presentation vocabulary
13. Presentation vocabulary
- Sthayi / antara — common opening/returning and later sections; the exact structure depends on the composition. Alap — free melodic exposition; bol-alap — alap using a composition's words; bol-bant — rhythmic division of words; bol-banao — expressive melodic development of words; sargam — singing swara names, in fixed compositions or improvisation; taan — fast melodic runs. See Khayal.
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