The Journey of the Sitar in Indian Classical Music: Origin, History, and Playing Styles

Copyright © 2010, 2013 by Dr. Swarn Lata

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ISBN: 978-1-4759-4706-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-4708-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-4707-6 (ebk)

iUniverse rev. date: 02/06/2013

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1

The Meaning Of Music

Chapter 2

Stringed Instruments

Chapter 3

Origin Of The Sitar

Chapter 4

Changing Vaadan Shailies Of The Sitar

Chapter 5

Sitar Gharanas

Chapter 6

The Sitar In Indian Classical Music

Glossary

Bibliography

To my mother Sheela, and, father, Late Krishan Chand

PREFACE

This book discusses in-depth the sitar, a stringed, plucked instrument of India, with particular reference to the sitar’s place in Indian classical music. I explore its origin, structure, changing vaadan shailies, and practical techniques relating to the instrument’s structure. I have attempted to search out how the continuity of tradition has been maintained by bringing out the similarities between the modern instrument and the earliest musical instruments, such as old veenas and their variants. This work is primarily a survey of origin of the sitar, styles of different Gharanas , and the techniques of playing with reference to their historical evolution. I have attempted to follow the evolution of the instruments on the basis of descriptions in Sanskrit and other texts from earlier times. Representations of instruments in sculptures and paintings from the various historical periods provided supplementary information.

As far as it is known, this field has generally remained unexplored. While Dr. Lal Mani Mishra has worked on different varieties of Indian musical instruments, I have confined myself to the study of only the sitar, the plucked variety of stringed instrument used in Hindustani classical music. I was fascinated by different instruments in my childhood, but I loved the sitar the most. So I took this subject and proceeded. I collected the materials and necessary information pertaining to this work from various universities, institutions, libraries, museums, temples, ancient monuments catalogued in the Archaeological Survey of India, eminent sitar players, and musicologists.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I offer my humble obeisance to God Almighty for providing me the mental courage and physical strength to finish this work. I owe my sincere thanks and gratitude to Dr. Saroj Ghosh, my guide, for her valuable scholarly guidance when I was doing my PhD. She provided me with many valuable materials and much necessary information.

I am very much thankful to the library staffs of Punjabi University, Patiala, Shimla University, Kurukshetra University, and Delhi University. I do not have enough words to thank the library and office staff of the Department of Music, Panjab University, Chandigarh, which provided full cooperation and supplied the relevant material whenever required.

My gratitude is due to Shri Buddhadittya Mukerjee, Shujaat Hussain Khan Sahib, Shri Gopal Krishan, Ustaad Vilayat Khan Sahib, Debu Prasaad Chakarborthy, Mohsin Ali Khan Sahib, Piare Lal, and Salil Shankar, who spared their precious time for interviews during my research work.

I thank my brother, Dr. Anant, for his moral support, and Vijay, who arranged interviews with Dr. C. Lawrence House and Dr. David Kaplin, Department of Music, University at Saskatoon, Canada, when I visited Saskatoon in regard to my research. Dr. Kaplin was really nice to take me to his personal museum of instruments, where I took pictures of instruments of the sitar family.

I give my sincere thanks to my parents, who always encouraged and helped me to pursue my studies.

I would like to thank my daughters, Geetika, and Ritu for understanding my long nights with a pile of books around me, searching for the answers to my questions. I love them for their faithful support and for bearing the difficulties of life with me. They are my inspiration.

Words cannot express my gratitude to my editorial team at iUniverse for their professional advice and assistance in polishing my manuscript. The list of helpers is long, and I express my gratitude to all.

INTRODUCTION

The work embodied in this book has been divided into six chapters. Each chapter has further been divided into subcategories. The book will take the reader through an evolutionary journey of the sitar. The origin of the sitar goes back to the thirteenth century on the basis of the tri-tantri veena of Ameer Khusro. As change is the law of nature, this instrument went through many changes. The development of sitar techniques may be traced to a number of sources—the bin, rabab, dhrupad ang, khayal ang, vocal music, and other instruments. Of these sources, the most important seems to have been the veena. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, sitar techniques developed to a great extent, and a unique system originated of raga prastaar, known as gat shaily . Previously, the sitar was used as an accompaniment or gap-filler for vocal music. Gradually, the right-hand technique grew with enlarged mizraab bols . Then, the left hand started showing its capacity with swara vistaars, meend work, elaborations, kan-swara, gamak, ghaseet , and the sitar became a full-fledged instrument, having the capacity to depict the chirping of the birds, burst of clouds, waterfalls, and all the nine rasas of Indian music. Creative compositions by great ustaads have made this instrument a favorite of millions in India as well as in foreign countries.

Compositions for the sitar have also gone through vast changes. Every ustaad has composed gats to his own taste and in his own name, such as Ameer Khani gat, Raza Khani gat, Maseet Khani gat, Zafar Khani gat, and others. Maseet Khani, Raza Khani, and Imdad Khani gats are the most popular, easy, and attractive gats. For swara vistaar and raga vistaar, the right- and left-hand techniques have played the most important roles, and flourishing artists of the sitar continue to experiment.

The first chapter deals with the meaning of music, its origin, kinds of music, swaras, old and new, light and classical music, and the importance of music.

The second chapter is a historical survey of old veenas. First of all, I describe the meaning of musical instruments. There are hundreds of instruments in the world. They must be classified; otherwise, one cannot differentiate them. For this purpose, I have shown musical instruments under four categories: Tat Vadhyas, Sushir Vadhyas, Avnadh, and Ghan Vadhyas. I cover the stringed instruments of Vedic and ancient periods in this chapter and discuss the historical background of stringed instruments. I trace the structure of old veenas, their vaadan shaily, and the evolution of veenas from ancient times, as well as covering the modification of veenas.

Chapter 3 is a detailed historical survey that traces the origin of the sitar and includes pictures of instruments from one-stringed to thirteen-stringed, which I have collected from various library books, museums, and art galleries. I have searched for swaras of Vedic, ancient, and modern periods and for the tuning systems. My research includes vaadan shaily from olden times to present. For this purpose, I consulted books on world history that tell the traditions, living methods, art, sculpture, paintings, music, and musical instruments of almost all the countries of the world. To find the place of origin of the sitar and by whom it was invented, I had to study vast literature, including Hindu scriptures—Ramayan, Mahabharta, and Upanishads—as well as books on Western music, and the entire history of music had to be traced.

What were the swaras in the Vedic and ancient periods and what swaras are used in the modern period? The changes in basic swaras and their development, shruties and their division, and gram from the ancient as well as modern periods have been covered as the passage of time changed the forms of the sitar. I have searched for different types of sitars and their prevailing structure in different periods.

The structural form of the sitar, its playing position, mizraab strokes, and, most importantly, care of the instrument all are covered under one roof in this chapter.

Chapter 4 describes in detail the systematic approach to vaadan shailies of the sitar. I have covered the famous sitar players who have contributed toward the progress and development of sitar vaadan. A historical survey of changing mizraab strokes has also been included, as well as changing techniques of Jhala playing. I have researched basic techniques of playing sitar Khani, Zaafar Khani, Ameer Khani, and Imdad Khani gat shailies. Unfortunately, no recordings of old sitar players are available, although some written records have been preserved and collected.

Chapter 5 traces the evolution and origin of Gharana and its meaning and current existence. A section of the chapter deals with gats of different laya with different bols, and it covers changing vaadan shailies of different Gharanas.

Chapter 6 describes the place of sitar in Indian classical music, its use in almost all the musical functions, and its future.

The entire presentation is like a garland linking one chapter to another. Besides my own research work, there are thoughts of various authors and poets given as quotations from the original sources. These are identified in my text, and I give more formal citations in my bibliography.

The oldest detailed exposition of