Classical Music in Pakistan is based on Hisdustani classical music, which is of a

distinct type in the Indian subcontinent. Hindustani Classical music prevails in the
regions of present Northern India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, and also Nepal and
Afghanistan. The sub-continent, however, has also had another form of classical
music, known as Carnatic music, which is prevalent in the southern parts of India.
India first institutionalized its musical literature upon the realization of preserving its
sacred scriptures, primarily the four vedas, which are seen as apaurasheya (lit. uncreated by man). The holiness of these scriptures was not confined to the text
matter, but also extended to the act of chanting and prosody. Prosody and chanting
were thus of great importance, and were enshrined in the two vedangas (bodies of
knowledge) called Shiksha (pronunciation, chants) and Chhandas (prosody); these
remained a key part of the brahminic educational system till modern times. Priests
promoted these ritual chants and singing, and innovated a number of musical
instruments; these included the conch (shankh), lute (veena), flute (bansuri),
trumpets and horns. Initially the above sanskrit traditon dominated the sphere of
music.
Second in line, among the sacred vedas , came the Samaveda, which literally meant
melody knowledge. It outlined the ritual chants for Hindu prayers and offerings. It
proposed a tonal structure consisting of seven notes, which were known as Atiswr,
Mandra , Mandra, Chaturth, Tritiya, Dwitiya, Pratham and Krusht. These refer to the notes
of a flute, which was the only fixed frequency instrument. Other important sanskrit
texts on music include the Natya Shastra and the Valmiki Ramayana.
When Muslims established the Delhi Sultanate and, later on , the Mughal Empire,
they brought with them a new vibrant culture. This new Middle Eastern and Central
Asian Culture intermingled with the indigenous one. The new rulers soon started to
take interest in local music forms , which helped let new trends adopt to the Hindu
atmosphere. New forms of music emerged, from this synthesis of ideas, such as
Qawwali and Khaval.
The Delhi Sultanate period produced great poet composers such as Amir Khusro,
who is perticularly credited for enriching classic music by introducing Persian and
Arabic elements in it. He also introduced several ragas such as Sarpada, Yaman
Kalyan, and Zeelaf. The Qawwali genre, which fuses Persian melody and beat on a
dhrupad like structure, is said to be originated by him. During his time a number of
instruments (such as the sitar and tabla) were also introduced. Other notable
composers, such as Kabir , Nanak and Sadarang, helped shape music during this
time. The driving force of their success may be credited to their usage of the
popular local idiom, Hindi, as opposed to the elitist obsolete language, Sanskrit.
After the dissolution of the Mughal Empire, the patronage of music continued in
small princely kingdoms like Banaras, Lucknow, and Patiala. This diversified the
musical culture and made it Gharana-centered. Gharanas, meaning Families or

Houses, were social organizations linking musicians/dancers by lineage and/or

apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. This system was,
however, based on guru-shishya [Mentor-protg] tradition, which passed on its
heritage on an one-on-one basis. This led to the confinement, of the Hindustani
cultural music, to the realms of a specific elite and intellectual class.