It takes centuries for the music of a country or a people to acquire its distinctive features. It evolves and grows with new technological skills, a wider range of mental faculties and deeper and higher spiritual aspirations. With the advent of Muslims into South Asia, music gained a fresh life and elan. Different styles of classical musical modes like Dhrupad, Dhammar, Sadra, Khayal, Tappa, Tarana, and Thumri were developed to a high degree of refinement and different types of musical instruments—the sarod, sitar, tabla, and the sarangi—were introduced. Some of the old traditional ones were modified and improved in range and timbre and tone. New Ragas and Raginis were devised and embellished with the amalgam of what already existed in the subcontinent with the traditions brought in by Muslims from Persian, Arab, Turkish sources.
This book presents a descriptive sketch of the formative influences brought in by Islam—those that have left their permanent imprint on the music of the region. It also includes a compilation of different Ragas prevalent in the subcontinent in a compact format.
Musician, music researcher and writer, Mobarak Hossain Khan has made a valuable contribution to music as a Surbahar player. He is currently a Director of Radio Bangladesh. He comes of a family of music lovers and practitioners. He is the third son of Ustad Ayet Ali Khan, a great musician of the subcontinent.
ISBN: B9999
Publisher: VANGUARD BOOKS