Music of Punjab
The Punjab has diverse styles of music, ranging from folk and Sufi to classical, notably the Patiala gharana.
[2] It is notable that the instruments used today serve a function that exceeds musical necessity in that they are closely tied to Punjabi culture and heritage.
Additionally, the popularity of certain instruments encourages people to continue learning to play them; therefore, maintaining their relevance in Punjabi events.
Kanjari: This is a shallow one sided drum, round or sometimes octagonal, 18 to 28 cm in diameter and set with rattling discs around the rim- in essence of a tambourine.
The body of this instrument is made from mango, mulberry or sheesham wood and the heads are covered in goatskin held taut with cords.
[9] Dance traditions of Punjab represent a collection of folk art forms that have evolved significantly and changed in meaning throughout the centuries.
Punjab's rich repertoire of folk dances include jhummar, sammi, luddi, dandas, nachar, and giddha.
Summi is a simple female dominated dance traditionally performed by women in the Sandal Bar region of Punjab that has existed from at least the eighteenth century that was revived after the Partition of 1947.
Examples of Shabad in other Sikh scriptures, include the hymn Deh Siva Var Mohe in Dasam Granth.
There is a wide range of folk songs for every occasion from birth to death including marriage, festivals, fairs and religious ceremonies.
“In almost every wedding ceremony family members, friends, and professional folk musicians perform different sets of folk songs which use themes from a nostalgic past, but communicate themes of separation, joy, fear, and hope in the present.”[14] The lyrical content of many of these wedding songs have the paternal home depicted as a source of love and nurture, while the in-laws home is a source of tyranny and torture.
The notion of the traditional or folk music remains a critical part of Punjab society because it aids in the preservation of long-established customs.
Life-cycle songs mostly “coincide with ritual occasions and they often mark stages in a ceremony” and can vary in topic ranging from birth to marriage.
[16] For example, family members and friends sing these songs during wedding festivities, by doing so help protect the traditional rituals associated with each step of the marriage.
[15] With the subject of these songs varying from praising God to simply discussing the qualms of an agrarian lifestyle, they provide greater insight into Punjabi daily life.
Professional performing communities in Punjab represent endogamous ethnic groups who generally occupy a lower-class status of service providers and are patronized by higher classes.
[24] Shortly afterward, cinema with sound became available in India, and throughout the 1930s-1950s film songs dominated the recordings of popular music in Punjab.
Many of the most famous actor-singers in India came from Punjab, including Kundan Lal Saigal, Noor Jahan, and Shamshad Begum.
The majority of these songs were not orally transmitted, anonymous compositions, and many were composed by contemporary songwriters, in a parallel to the folk movement in the UK and the United States.
Another famous example is Surinder Kaur, who was born into a Sikh, Jat family that did not approve of singing, but who had a very successful career.
The rise in popularity in Punjabi music in London and in the suburb of Southall, which has a sizeable South Asian population, can be attributed to the diaspora of immigrants from both the east and west Punjab to the United Kingdom in the 1970s.
This inclusion of Punjabi music in popular culture has continued and become more salient today, as exemplified by UK-based Panjabi MC's “Mundian to Bach Ke” becoming a Top 40 hit in the United States, being listened to widely by non-Punjabis.
Urban sounds including hip hop, R&B, and reggae are mixed with the more traditional Indian genres of bhangra and Hindi film music.
Shinda became renowned for his production ability and inclusion of vigorous dhol beats, while Jazzy B exemplified the influence hip-hop had in Punjabi music in his image and tough lyrics.
Diaspora music has been spread back to India through media, including radio, cassettes and the TV channels MTV and ETC Panjabi.
With the mixture of styles of both Punjabi and Western culture, there became a fusion in both the music and the identity formation of those living abroad.
[30] Dr. Zeus for example produced club-friendly instrumentals and collaborated with established Punjabi artists to take the fusion sound to a higher and more sophisticated level.
While Punjabi MC became famous in the late 1990s for his hit “Mundian tho Bachke Rahin,” he has continued to produce music that reflects a similar style and is extremely popular with the first and second generation South Asian population.
"[citation needed] The post-2020 Punjabi music scene saw a surge of new stars like Shubh, AP Dhillon, Karan Aujla alongside Diljit Dosanjh.
Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh made a memorable debut on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,' performing his hit tracks 'G.O.A.T' and 'Born To Shine.'
