Classical Indian Music

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi sings through this long piece with his aged voice quite methodically. His voice vibrates with the instruments and sometimes the instruments vibrate to imitate him, this imitation is highlighted usually by higher notes. Very rarely does the background singer even hymn a note, the entire ten minute piece is sung primarily by Pandit. The song itself is seemingly void of a meter and just floats on, quite similar to Gregorian chant. The difference between the two primarily comes from the musical accompaniment. The instruments themselves are different with two guitar-like instruments, a conga, and a music box of some sort which bears a little resemblance to the accordion if it were shaped like a box. The texture of the piece is polyphonic with long melismas on certain words. The conga isn’t introduced until about one minute into the piece and from then on keeps a steady pulse for the group to play around with slight variations in his patterns. The notes are ambiguous as far as the mode is concerned, it is difficult to determine if the notes are major or minor because they seem to blend and are altogether somewhere in the middle. Even the cadences are very unpredictable and seemingly blend with the music as they all are one piece rather than many separate parts it’s all just one flowing piece of music; in and out as it pleases.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghIwsPNJlP0&feature=PlayList&p=3786E62F6052A973&index=0