Indian, Hindu, Dhrupad music has provided the base, the foundation and the grammer, on which the whole Hindustani music edifice has been erected by many many people starting from Amir Khusrau, who was a musical genius. For many years after him, Qawwali was the primary preferred mode of singing for the Sufis, with the Khayal preferred in Courts and by courtesans. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Khayal was taken by the artists from the courtesan's kothas to the living rooms of elite class and slowly got the middle class patronage after that. Hindustani style has predominant Muslim contribution in developing its current flavour and grammar and as Ustad Sami says, has mixed Turkic, Persian, Arabic, Uzbek, Afghan influences with Dhrupad. Aside from this a separate stream of music developed from Dhrupad in the region which was called Deccan, down south, which we now know as Karnatic. This style has preserved the basic form of Dhrupad, preserved the grammer fully, added the elaboration of the ragas with emphasis on the words. It was preserved by the Devadasis in the south Indian temples and has minimal Muslim contribution. Similar to Hindustani music, it was brought out from the temples in late 19th and early 20th century and got patronage frm the elite and the middle class slowly. Both Hindustani and Karnatic have very large number of common ragas, even though they are often called by different names. Thus India has preserved very well the contributions from both the Hindus and Muslims to the Indian music.
There are three Classical Music traditions - Hindu, Muslim and Sikh. The Sikh tradition at one time was the most developed one - in the 16th and 17th century. Because the Sikh music (called Gurmat Sangeet) has Raags (like Raag Tukhari, Raag Majh to name only two) that are unique to the Sikh tradition. It is sad to see that Bhatkhande's book of 19th century has played a major role in destroying the uniqueness of these separate traditions by directly or indirectly influencing virtually ALL of the Raag Music courses being taught in the universities of the subcontinent and beyond.
Ustad Sahab is a treasure because of his traditional education. Amongst the Sikhs, we are even losing our traditional terminology that our old teachers used to employ to teach our tradition to the next generation. I worry about same happening with the Muslim tradition down the line - if you start "translating" your traditional terminology in English (or Western musical terms).
Dhrupad is the base of all music in the subcontinent ... Its is well documented in history.. Dhurpad is very ancient and can be traced in texts... Now with identity crisis ...ppl can search and give whatever names and contribution they want to give... So much that very recent Sikhism of 16 th century no doubt have contributed to hindustani music. but claiming them as source and origin of this hindustani music is only a matter of laughter .. Dagar brothers of dhrupad fame since 20 generations alone have history older or comparative to sikhisim..
Great command over ragaas, at the same time I see a great skewing towards arabization, persianization of indian music history, lot of deviation. Perhaps to please pakistani audience.
Indian music history isn't after 1947..its before that too..so as he said sab kuch unka nhi hai but ek hissa zarooor hai..sabka hissa hai "indian music history" .. aur music kisiki jageer nhi hai..arab ka bhi influence ho skta hai turk ka bhi afghan ka bhi.. kisi ka bhi ho skta hai..
Many Salutes to Sami Saab and Ali Sethi for promoting pure music.... But discussing the music post Qasim was real injustice to the issue. This Music was here for thousands of years before Islam....it originates in the Vedas and Natyashastra by Bharat Muni. But still such senior learned people looks at it with Islami Nazaria is really sad... At one place he makes a small mention of Hindu tradition but again covers it with the glorification of Arab and Iran. This justifies the point that In Pak you have to demean your origin........!!!!!
Why does Ali Sethi keep interrupting Ustad Saami and make an ass of himself (apologies but he spoiled the otherwise fantastic lecture almost thoroughly ). How rude and disrespectful
I think he's doing that because he wants everyone to understand what Saami sahab is saying, it includes people who'll be watching this tens and twenty years after its upload. Currently, since we've been exposed to our music for a long time we do understand a fair amount of things out of what Saami sahab is saying...but, I'm sure that after sometime, it'll be difficult because of, yes westernization and etc etc. So if you look at it this way, Ali is doing a good job of explaining things once again a few times during the session and I believe Saami sahab himself understands this as well..
I am big fanof Ustad Naseeruddin Shami and love to listen him very often....But i felt betrayed when he cited all those non musical names right from Mohd Bin Qasim to Balwan and again his details about Amir Khusro. May I know , when music is Haraam in Islam, how come the Mohd Bin Qasim and Balwan was mentioned here? Please note when Islam was yet to emerge, the united India was full of music and dance. For me it is pure distortion of musical history as narrated here. Should we really be ashamed of our ancestors who taught us the musical notes and ragas? The country or the people who forget to give credits to their ancestors are sinners. But again it is no surprise that for Pakistanis who have disowned anything that culturally they inherited feel ashamed for their forefathers contribution in the field of music.
