Music of India (With 10 Awesome Examples)

Writing about India is kind of stressful. Any time you try to summarize an ancient land with 1.4 billion residents—existing as the type of chaotic tapestry that can thrive only in the absence of autocracy—you’re going to irritate a lot of people. And this summary is just a few hundred words and 10 songs! So sorry in advance. In any event, here is the music of India captured in those 10 songs, starting with some diluted history and presented in vaguely chronological order.

 

Really Brief History

India, as far as we know, might have been formed by various waves of migration from Eurasia—an earlier wave bringing the Dravidian languages that define modern-day South India and a later wave bringing the Indo-European languages that define modern-day North India. I didn’t make that up—I stole it from a book written by a super smart genetics professor at Harvard.

The exact timing of events is obviously tough to know for sure. Regardless, in the first millennium of the Common Era, the Indian subcontinent was made up of an assortment of kingdoms with all sorts of languages and customs, perhaps loosely tied together by Hinduism, whatever that means. Starting around the 13th century, Islamic influences came onto the scene in a pretty big way, bringing with them Persian, Turkic, and Arabic cultural elements. Based on simple geography, these elements generally influenced the North more than the South.

The Brits started showing up in the 17th and 18th centuries and did all sorts of stuff, the exact details of which vary by the storyteller. One undeniable fact is that they brought with them their favorite language, namely English. By the time they finally got the boot in 1947, they left two countries (later to become three when East Pakistan became Bangladesh) divided largely on religious lines, though the majority-Hindu India still has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world.

Over the past 80 years, modernization has taken hold, and India boasts the third largest GDP based on purchasing power parity in the world. That said, the linguistic, cultural, and religious differences rooted in the aforementioned history aren’t going away any time soon. Now on to the music.

 

The Tunes

As has become my custom, I like to point out that categorizing music isn’t always the easiest undertaking. Folk music can be popular, and popular music can have folk roots. Most music involves some sort of fusion, whether people want to accept that or not. So go ahead and humor me on this quick tour. I promise to go light on the music theory because, you know, I don’t really get it.

 

Classical (Carnatic)

Classical music in India dates back to the oldest Hindu scriptures called the Vedas. What is referred to as Carnatic music is felt by some to be the purest form of Indian classical music, representing a time before “external” influences started finding their way onto the subcontinent during the second millennium of the Common Era.

“Thillana” by Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna

Note the emphasis on the vocals, provided in this case by a legendary Carnatic vocalist from South India.

 

 

Classical (Hindustani)

As Persian, Turkic, and Arabic influences entered the picture, they had an impact on the tunes, giving rise to what is called Hindustani music. While Carnatic and Hindustani music are essentially part of a continuum, many like to put them into different buckets because it helps them make sense of the world.

“Evening Raga” by Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar introduced the world to Hindustani music, with the sitar being his stringed instrument of choice. Raga refers to a melodic framework common in Indian classical music.

 

“Swara Kakali” by Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin

Shankar was known for his collaborative spirit, captured brilliantly on the album West Meets East, where the classical music traditions of two different parts of the world are married to perfection.

 

 

Folk

Given the patchwork nature of India, it’s impossible to cover all folk traditions. In fact, a well-known tradition in one area could be unknown (or disliked) in another area.

“Wajle Ki Bara” by Bela Shende

This song is an example of Lavani, a popular folk form in the state of Maharashtra. It’s also an example of how a lot of music in India stems from its movie industry, one that uses playback singers to make the actors seem like they can actually sing.

 

“Shona Diya Bandhayachi Ghor” by Rishi Panda

I cheated here. The original version of this song is from Bangladesh, but the cover is from the part of India where they speak the same language (Bengali). My guess is that the folk tradition predates the current borders.

 

 

Popular/Pop

Yes, I know that popular music refers to any music that is popular, and pop typically refers to a specific genre that happens to frequently be popular. But I lumped it all into one category anyway.

“Tujhe Dekha To” by Lata Mangeshkar and Kumar Sanu

A classic tune from the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, sung in part by one of India’s most-beloved playback singers, Lata Mangeshkar.

 

“Chaiyya Chaiyya” by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi

This one is from the film Dil Se.. and composed by the gifted A. R. Rahman.

 

“Ek Tarfa” by Darshan Raval

Not all pop music has to be part of a movie—here’s an example. I’m not going to say it’s good, but since this sound has infiltrated the entire world, you might as well get on board.

 

 

Fusion

India today is known for its massive diaspora and techy-savvy English-speaking population, two demographic features that lend themselves rather well to blending musical influences from across the world.

“Mundian to Bach Ke” by Panjabi MC featuring Jay-Z

Panjabi MC was born in England, but that didn’t stop him from dominating bhangra, a type of folk music popular in Punjab in northern India. You know when Jay-Z wants to layer some hip hop on top of your jam, you might have a hit on your hands.

 

“Maktub” by Motherjane

Motherjane hails from Kerala in southern India and is known for blending progressive rock and Carnatic music. The vocals are in English, leaving absolutely no doubt that West has in fact met East.

 

 

As always, feel free to add, subtract, or ridicule in the comments below.