Fundamentals of Indian music

Indian music is like an ever-willing spring, which has become an ocean. It has passed through different periods primitive, prehistoric, classical, mediaeval and modern. Throughout the ages, the education in the fine art of Indian music has imparted through Guru-Shishya-Parampara or Gharana system. Indian music being entirely melodic has been conceived in terms of the human voice and is forwarded on relationships between sounds and is based on certain universal physical laws with an infinite variety of substitutes. Raga is the fundamental element of Indian music, which helps a musician to reach the prime goal, realization of Atman and the culture of Indian music is fruitful with this meaningful quest for eternal truth that lies in the art of music. The Indian musician brings an exalted personal expression of union with the infinite.
Indian music originated on the shadowy past, underwent gradual transformation through the process of evolution, making adjustment with the environment manners and customs of different human societies. Taste and temperament of the people of different countries are the cause for the variation on the forms of music. But in the ultimate analysis we find that music of all countries bear the same significance, the same idea with the pious motive of enriching the treasure of human knowledge.
This work covers some of the fundamental aspects of Indian Music-Sangeet, Hindustani and Karnatic music, sound, swara, shruti, thata, Raga, Raga-Ragini scheme, Classification of instruments, formation of thats in Karnatic and Hindustani Music, Layakaries origin of Sitar, Tanpura, Tabla different forms of music, Bibliographical studies of different musicians and description of few Ragas etc.