SOME INDIANS

FOLK,POPULAR,A
ND THEATRICAL
MUSIC
TRADITIONS.

PUNGI

A double clarinet with

the free reeds
encased in a gourd.
It is the actual
snake charmers
instrument despite
all the western
cartoon pictures of
oboe playing
fakirs.

THE EXAMPLES INSTRUMENT OF RAGA.

SITAR

HINDUSTANI RAGAS

INDIAN BOWED LUTES

SARANGI-

It has three to four main

playing strings and a
number of sympathetic
strings. The instrument
has no frets or
fingerboard; the strings
float in the air. Pitch is
determined by sliding the
fingernail against the
string rather than
pressing it against a
fingerboard (like violin).

SARINDA

is a stringedIndianand
Nepalifolk musical
instrument similar tolutes
orfiddles. It is played with a
bowand has between three
and thirty strings depending
on the region. The bottom
part of the front of its hollow
wooden soundbox is covered
with animal skin. It is played
while sitting on the ground in
averticalorientation.

THE POPULAR ORCHESTRA LEAN

HEAVILY ON A VIOLIN SECTION, WITH
NATIVE DRUMS PLAYING THE SIMPLEST
TALAS RECONSTITUTED INTO RUMBAS
AND BEGUINE RHYTHMS.

In addition too many

indigenous instruments and
such western substitutions
as the guitar,oboe,clarinet,or
muted trumpet, one often
hears an Indian adaptation
of the missionary harmonium
or reed organ.

Indian theatre and dance traditionally have been

connected with religious activities.

This is easily seen in the katakali dance-drama

of Malabar which originally presented its
tales from the Ramayana and Mahabharata in
the open air courts of temples .

the accompaniment of these pantomimes

and dances consists of drums ,cymbals,
and narrating singers.

Drums form the major part o of the accompaniment

for the kandyan dances of Ceylon, which relate to
the special Buddhist festivities of that island.

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A standard accompaniment for such

dancing is a singer, a mridanga
drum,and a vina. Plus a drone
instrument and perhaps a flute.
The lead singer may play the talam a pair
of small hand cymbals that are
essential in guiding the rhythmic
movements of the dancers.

Rhythmic mnemonics ;called

sollukkata and Indian solmization, in
addition to poetic texts, are used by
the singers.
Kathak-begun with a more secular
inspiration, the court dances of Persia
as introduced by the Moghul rulers
from the fourteenth century on.
Jalatarang-which are tuned by filling
them with different amounts of water
so that complete melodies can be
played by striking their edges with two
thin wooden sticks.