Sacred Music Traditions of the World - 1

Hindu Devotional Music
Indian classical music has two main sub-genres: Carnatic and Hindustani. These come from the South and North, respectively. Carnatic music is focused on vocals, but can also feature violin (for melody), mridangam (for rhythm) and tambura (for drone). Carnatic music is believed to have divine origins in the Hindu tradition.

In this photo, Indian Hindu devotees play musical instruments during a procession in Allahabad, India. Allahabad, in Southern India, is one of the main gathering sites for the annual Magh Mela festival (and the massive Maha Kumba Mela, which occurs once every 144 years and hosted some 60 million people in 2001, making it the largest gathering in recorded history) on the banks of the Ganges river. The festival is part of one of Hinduism's holiest pilgrimages. Devotional music is a large part of the gathering.

In the next slide is video of a modern take on Carnatic music.

Hindu Carnatic Music
Indian classical music began as Vedic chants several thousand years ago and developed into a sophisticated musical system by the 3rd century.

The music is based on a single melody line, which is played over a fixed drone and can be quite meditative. The music has been passed down orally. Improvisation is an integral component of Indian devotional music.

In this video from the 2009 Darbar International South Asian Music Festival, rising UK musicians from the south Indian carnatic traditions sing beautifully crafted vocal melodies, backed by violin, flute and dynamic percussion from the north and south of the sub-continent.

Hindustani Music
Hindustani music also developed from Vedic chants, diverging from Carnatic music in the 12th century. It is the main form of Indian classical music practiced in the north and surrounding countries, such as Pakistan. Both Hindus and Muslims are accomplished Hindustani musicians, as this form of music is spiritual, yet religiously neutral.

In this photo, artists from India, South Korea and Canada of the Rythm Riders Music Productions rehearse "Tabla" ahead of World Music Day in Ahmedabad on June 19, 2010. A versatile percussion instrument of north Indian music, tabla is now used in everything from Indian classical music to techno and jazz.

Qawwal is Beautiful
Qawwali is the devotional music of Muslim Sufis, practiced predominately in Pakistan and having Persian and Indian roots. It developed at the same time as Hindustani music and features incredible vocal acrobatics, repetitive and emotive harmonium, as well as infectious tabla-charged rhythms.

Sufi poetry, used in Qawwali music, is devotional in nature and speaks explicitly in a language of love and longing. A group of Qawwali singers is called a party. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1948-1997) certainly threw the most illustrious parties. In the next slide is a video Nusrat and his crew.