Khyal
[2] Khyāl (خیال) is an Urdu word of Arabic origin which means "imagination, thought, ideation, meditation, reflection".
Rāga is a melodic framework for improvisation based on the idea that certain characteristic patterns of notes (svara) evoke a heightened state of emotion.
Instead such decisions are made on the basis of artistic preference, vocal quality, the nature of the composition and time of the day of the performance.
These compositions cover diverse topics, such as romantic or divine love, praise of kings or gods, the seasons, dawn and dusk, and the pranks of Krishna, and they can have symbolism and imagery.
It can also be sung to the text of the bandish in metrical form, in which case it is called bolālāp or rūpakālāpti (rūpaka is a Sanskrit word which means 'composition').
[16] Sargam passages are those enunciating the syllables for the pitches (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni) as they are sung.
[16] Nom-tom features rhythmic pulsations, achieved by pitch repetition, particular ornamentation, and enunciation of text syllables, vocables, or vowels.
Its features complement the rippling effects of tans and the lyrical element of alap while avoiding the rhythmic complexity of boltans.
[11] The bada khyal covers a wide range of possibilities, ideally giving attention to all musical elements - melody, rhythm and speed.
[18] The main portion of the khyal performance is often preceded by some kind of melodic improvisation which widely varies due to artistic preference.
Meanwhile, other artists prefer to skip the antara section, thereby reducing the textual density of the bada khyal, and instead sing the sthayi text in an antara-like melody.
The jugalbandi form of khyal is cooperative, as opposed to competitive, and it requires a considerable amount of skill and intimacy to create a performance in which both soloists contribute equally.
Rupakalapti was a creative and imaginative style of composition which consisted of ālap (musical improvisation), raga and tala, incorporated inside of a prabhanda.
The first generation of Persian poets, such as Abu al-Faraj Runi and Mas'ud Sa'd Salman, continued the literary traditions of the Samanids.
He served in the courts of various sultans and princes belonging to the Mamluk, Khalji and Tughlaq dynasties, and remained attached to the Chisti suffis of Delhi.
The term gharana carries multiple and diverse connotations, but the concept can be said to include a lineage of hereditary musicians, their disciples and the different musical style they represent.
A list of musicians at the court of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan included in Raga Darpan, a book written by Faqir Ullah, one-time governor of Kashmir, mention two khyal performers.
[32] One of his musicians, Niyamat Khan, who was adept in both dhrupad and veena, won the title Sadarang from the emperor for his talents and theoretical and practical knowledge in classical music.
He created the elegant classical form of khyal in a majestic and colourful slow tempo (vilambita laya) like dhrupad.
Sadarang heightened the classical form of khyal such that it was appreciated by the top-ranking musicians and royal sovereigns of the time.
As a result, khyal attained a similar high position to that enjoyed by dhrupad, and gradually came to be developed with many modifications and changes in forms and styles and decorative elements.
Others, such as the rulers of Gwalior and Rampur, preferred to patronize consistently and primarily musicians of one gharana, so that those courts are associated with a single style of performance.
In the nineteenth century, a large number of wealthy urban citizens became patrons of Indian classical music.
By the early twentieth century, some khyal players were leading efforts to introduce classical music to the general public, which helped in broadening the patronage base.
[35] During this period, particularly the early twentieth, two major ideas emerged about the study and transmission of Indian classical music.
The first had to do with the growing demand for institutional teaching, which led to a rising number of music schools being established though patronage by native princes and urban elites.
The Indian musicologist Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande played a major part in systematising the tradition while also opening it up for the general audience.
On the one hand, beginning in the 1960s, instrumental artists such as Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan introduced Hindustani classical music genres to mainstream audiences in Europe and North America through concerts, collaborations with popular musicians and training of non-Indian disciples.
On the other hand, the growing Indian diaspora implied transnational audiences, patrons and students for the classical form.
