Classical music of India, its influences and Origins

Indian classical music has its fundamental roots in the culture and ways of the Indian people. As a genre Indian classical music is comprised of the North Indian classical music tradition of called Hindustani and the South Indian tradition known as the Carnatic. While the two sub-genres were initially one, the invasion of Indian by Moguls around 13th century divided them into distinct genres as each culture evolved independently. Hindustani spread in the northern regions of India where the Mogul empire thrived and ruled while the Carnatic spread in the Southern areas where the Empire did not conquer (Ahmad, 2). While they are different, however, both sub-genres trace their roots to the Raga Sangeet system that existed for over 2000 years before the invasion of the Indian by Moguls. Unlike western music, Raga is primarily based on melody (known as ragas) and rhythm (known as talas) which means that it does not rely on harmony, chords, and other structural elements. For this reason, either of the sub-genres was influenced by different factors. The Hindustani genre for example, was influenced by the Mogul culture which included major aspect of Persian culture. Therefore the genre became an expression of the local culture influenced by Persian and Middle Eastern cultures that characterized the Mogul Empire. But the emergence of the Hindustani genre can be traced further to the initial contact of India with Turkish invaders, who were Persian by culture, in the 10th century. The Carnatic genre on the other hand, thrived in the Southern regions of India where the Mogul rule. Thus the sub-genre got no Persian influence and continued to be influenced by local cultures. Differences between Hindustani and Carnatic music The main difference between Hindustani and Carnatic music is the region where both have evolved. Hindustani is the classical music of the Northern region of India while Carnatic is based in the South. Although they were initially one genre of music the invasion of India by Islamic rule led to the separation and evolution of both sub-genres in accordance to the predominant cultures of each region. The Hindustani became influenced by Turkish rulers of Persian cultures while the Carnatic developed along the Indian culture of the south that was not ruled by the Mughals. Hindustani developed and evolved in an organic way, the Islamic influence notwithstanding, while Carnatic music’s evolution and development was specifically under organized effort to make it different and to reflect local cultures.