North Indian classical music had already been exposed to elements of Arabic and other Islamic music from the eleventh century onwards. Similar to the raga-that systems of Indian music, the Arabic system contained the twelve scales called Makamat that gave rise to melodies which were considered appropriate for certain times of day. Amir Khusro, the Persian poet and musician, is credited with bringing about a fusion of the two, and the creation of many ragas, such as Yaman and Zilaph. Sufi mysticism inspired the Qaul form leading in turn to the Qawwali and the Tarana genres.

Music flourished under Mughal patronage but with the emperor Aurangzeb and then the British at the helm, Indian classical music shifted base, as it were. It came under the patronage of the feudal lords, surfacing in the Mughal courts under Bahadur Shah the First (1707-1712) and later Mohammad Shah 'Rangila' (1719-1748).

The late nineteenth and early twentieth century saw a vigorous attempt to classify Hindustani music. Pandit Bhatkhande, writing under cover of the pseudonym Chatura Pandit, wrote the Shrimal Lakshasangitam. This was published in 1910. In 1932, he published the four volumes of his Marathi work, Hindustani Sangit Paddhati. Between 1920 and 1937, Pandit Bhatkhande published the six volumes of Karmik Pustak Malika. He has, apart from discussing a hundred and eighty ragas, presented extensions for the notes comprising these ragas. Plus, he collected more than two thousand compositions from different gharanas (here the word means schools, technically - households). Pandit Bhatkhande's efforts at compiling theory and musical practice are vital and continue to provide an important base for Hindustani music. The rules and the concepts governing thăts and the raga form are derived from his works.

SWARA - THĂT - RAGA

Hindustani Classical Vocal Music

Hindustani music makes a clear distinction between the open form (anibaddha) marked by the absence of definite parts and rhythmic accompaniment and the closed form (nibaddha) that has a clear-cut beginning and end, and a definite rhythm. Three major vocal genres have arisen from this categorization:
Dhrupad, Dhumar, and Khayal, and the three light classical genres of Thumri, Tappa, and Tarana.

Hindustani Classical Instrumental Music

In classical music, the instruments themselves occupy a very special place. The evolution of these instruments - rudra vina, sitar, sarod, tabla, tanpura, bansuri, santur and sarangi - and the traditions attached to the playing of each have a complexity that matches that of vocal music.

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