AN INTRODUCTORY STUDY ON THE CONCEPT OF MODERN MUSIC IN INDIA

ABSTRACT

The music of India includes multiple varieties of Indian classical music, folk music, filmi and Indian pop. India’s classical music tradition, including Hindustani music and Carnatic, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. Music in India began as an integral part of socio-religious life.Modern developments in Indian music could be said to have begun with the songs of the world famous Indian poet, author and painter, Rabindranath Tagore. The lyricist and music composer of more than 2,000 songs drew his inspiration mainly from classical, folk, and devotional music. The result was a unique individual expression in which words and melody blend together in an extraordinary way. For Tagore, words without melody were like butterflies without wings, an attitude which captures one of the essences of Indian society. Purists in classical music have sometimes found objection to Tagore’s songs on the grounds that they are not composed in pure ragas. This is indeed true, but the popularity of these songs in West Bengal, especially among the in-tellectuals, shows that they are not without sophistication, and succeed in their intent.

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