PRARAMBHIK

Teentaal ka parichay(description of teentaal)

Teentaal or tritaal is one of the most famous taals of Hindustani music. It is also the most
common taal in North India. The structure of teental is so symmetrical that it presents a very
simple rhythmic structure against which a performance can be laid. There are 16 beats in
teentaal and it has 4 section(khands). Each section contains 4 beats(matras) .In particular
language we can say that it has 4 Vibhaag and 16 matras.

Taal signs X 2 0 3

Maatra 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Bols dha dhin dhin dha dha dhin dhin dha dha tin tin ta ta dhin dhin dha

Kathak nrity ka parichay(description of kathak)

Kathak (Hindi: कथक) is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance. The name Kathak is
derived from the Sanskrit word katha meaning story, and katthaka in Sanskrit means he who tells a
story, or to do with stories. The word "Kathak" is derived from the name given to its
practitioners "Kathakars".

A Katha meaning story and it's practitioners being those who told these stories. They told stories from
the Ramayana, Mahabharata and other Puranas. There is a popular saying that ‘Katha kahe so kathak’,
(one who tells a story is a kathak). Etymologically the word kathaka is related to katha, the art of story
telling. From literary evidence it appears that in ancient times a class of professional story-tellers
recited the epics and the mythological stories with an added eliment of abhinaya-acting. While
reciting they sang, danced and acted. The art was handed down from one generation to the next
generation in a hereditary manner as an oral tradition.From its early form as a devotional expression
dedicated to the Hindu gods, Kathak gradually moved out of the temples and into the courts of the
rulers; the Hindu maharajas and the Muslim nawabs (kings).

It was prior to the advent of the Mughal dynasty in North India. With Mughal rule these performing
bards were banned from performing in temples and were made to serve in courts for entertainment.
The Kathakars had to change with history and it is in the Mughal courts that they developed a style for
pure entertainment of the emperors. Medieval traditions imparted Kathak a distinct Hindu-Muslim
texture. Thus, with the passage of time Kathak went on changing its form and character.

During the nineteenth century Kathak enjoyed a revival and gained prominence among the kings and
zamindars (feudal lords) not only as a form of entertainment but also as a classical art form. After the
power of the Mughal empire declined, these performers were patronized by kings such as those in
Rajasthan and other minor princely states such as the Nawab of Oudh, etc. Slowly and gradually
Gharanas or schools of Kathak emerged - the Jaipur gharana and the Lucknow gharana.

The Jaipur Gharana of Kathak emphasized technical mastery of pure dance. In the court of Wajid Ali
Shah, the Nawab of Oudh (a student of Kathak), Kathak dance emphasized dramatic and sensuous
expression and developed into a distinct style called the Lucknow Gharana. This Gharana is said to
have originated with Wajid Ali Shah's court dancer Thakur Prasadji.

Gharanas.
Because of the linear nature of the passing of knowledge from guru to shishya, certain stylistic and
technical features began to fossilise and became hallmarks of a particular school, guru or group of
teachers. The different styles are known as gharanas, and these are:
Lucknow Gharana
The Lucknow Gharana of Kathak dance came into existence mainly in the court of Nawab Wajid Ali
Shah the ruler of Awadh in the early 19th century. It was in this period that the Lucknow Gharana of
Kathak attained maturity, through the efforts of Thakur Prasad Maharaj, the court dancer and guru of
Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and subsequently by his sons Bindadin Maharaj and Kalka Prasad Maharaj.
Kalka Prasad's sons Achchan Maharaj, Lachu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj also contributed to the
further development of this gharana style.
The Lucknow style or Kathak dance is characterized by graceful movements, elegance and natural
poise with dance. Abhinaya, concern for movement shape and creative improvisions are the hallmarks
of this style. Presently, Birju Maharaj is considered the chief representative of this gharana.
Jaipur Gharana
The Jaipur Gharana developed in the courts of the Kachchwaha kings of Jaipur in Rajasthan.
Importance is placed on the more technical aspects of dance, such as complex and powerful footwork,
multiple spins, and complicated compositions in different talas. There is also a greater incorporation
of compositions from the pakhawaj, such as parans. The Jaipur gharana has many more branches and
off-shoots than the Lucknow style and requires a detailed tree diagram to show these. However, in the
last century, the work of the Jaipur gharana dancers Jai Lal, Sunder Prasad and Narayan
Prasad, Kundanlal Gangani and Sunderlal Gangani and Durga Lal was instrumental in developing the
gharana. Presently the prominent artist of this gharana is sangeet natak academy awardee Rajendra
Gangani son of Kundanlal Gangani, sangeet natak academy awardee Gitanjali Lal wife of Renowned
kathak dancer Devi Lal, Prerana shrimali & celebrity kathak dancer Pratishtha Sharma desciple
of Rajendra Gangani.
Benares Gharana
The Benares Gharana was developed by Janakiprasad. It is characterized by the exclusive use of
the natwari or dance bols, which are different from the tabla and the pakhawajbols. There are
differences in the thaat and tatkaar, and chakkars are kept at a minimum but are often taken from
both the right and the left-hand sides with equal confidence. There is also a greater use of the floor,
for example, in the taking of sam.
Raigarh Gharana
This was established by the Maharaja Chakradhar Singh in the princely state of Raigarh in
present Chhatisgarh in the early 20th century. The Maharaja invited many luminaries of Kathak (as
well as famous percussionists) to his court, including Kalka Prasad and his sons, and Pandit Jailal
from Jaipur gharana. The confluence of different styles and artists created a unique environment for
the development of new Kathak and tabla compositions drawn from various backgrounds. Some of
renowned dancers of this gharana are Late Pt. Kartik Ram, Late Pt. Phirtu Maharaj, Late Pt.
Kalyaandas Mahant, Late Pt. Barmanlak, Pt. Ramlal, Yasmin Singh, V. Anuradha Singh, Alpana
Vajpeyi, Suchitra Harmalkar, Monica Pandey Bohre, Mohini Moghe, Bhagwaandas Manik,
Bhupendra Bareth, Vaasanti Vaishnav, Annapurna Sharma, etc.
Costume:-
Female Costume
Traditional (and perhaps more specifically Hindu) costume sometimes consists of a sari,
whether worn in an everyday style, or tied up to allow greater freedom of movement during dance.
However, more commonly, the costume is a lehenga-choli combination, with an optional odhni or
veil. The lehenga is loose ankle-length skirt, and the choli is a tight fitting blouse, usually short-
sleeved. Both can be highly ornately embroidered or decorated. The lehenga is sometimes adapted to
a special dance variety, similar to a long ghaghra, so that during spins, the skirt flares out
dramatically. The ghaghra is a long, very full, gathered skirt with a broad gold or silver border.
Narrow silver or gold bands radiate all the way from waist to hem. The choli, worn with the ghaagra,
is usually of a contrasting color and has embroidered sleeve-bands.
Mughal costume for women consists of an angarkha (from the Sanskrit anga-
rakshaka 'limb-keeper') on the upper body. The design is akin to a chudidaar kameez, but is somewhat
tighter fitting above the waist, and the 'skirt' portion explicitly cut on the round to enhance the flare of
the lower half during spins. The skirt may also be cut on the round but beginning just below the bust;
this style is known as 'Anarkali' after the eponymous dancer who popularised it. Beneath the top, the
legs are covered by the chudidaar or figure hugging trousers folded up giving the look of cloth
bangles. Optional accessories are a small peaked cap and a bandi or small waistcoat to enhance the
bust-line. A belt made of zari or precious stones is sometimes also worn on the waist.
Male costume
The traditional costume for men is to be bare-chested. Below the waist is the dhoti, usually tied in
the Bengal style, that is with many pleats and a fan finish to one of the ends (although it is not
unknown for dancers to tie the garment more simply). There is the option of wearing a
men's bandi too.
The Mughal costume is kurta-churidar. The kurta can be a simple one, or again, adapted for
dance to incorporate wider flare, but is usually at least knee-length. Men may also wear
an angarkha (see Female costume, above). Particularly older variety costumes include the small
peaked cap too.

Definitions:

• Laya
Laya refers to the innate rhythm in anything. Irrespective of whether it is demonstrated or
not, it is always present. It serves as the structured rhythmic meter to measure musical time-
intervals. It can be referred to as the physical pace of any musical movement. The common
flawed (wrong) belief is that rhythm or Laya is confined to percussion instruments and the
rhythmic patterns produced therein. But Laya is not limited to just that. It is present not only
in melodic compositions, which usually have a rhythmic meter in an obvious manner but also
in the creative aspects. . Laya signifies the speed or tempo of the music and
dance. It determines the time interval between the two Matras. It denotes the
gaits of a Tala and is classified into three categories:
• (a) Vilambita is slow or basic speed.

• (b) Madhya is medium speed. It is double of Vilambita Laya.

• (c) Druta is fast speed. It is double of Madhya Laya.

• Matra
A matra is a beat, the smallest rhythmic sub-unit of a tala - the musical meter. It is one of the
three levels of structure for tala along with vibhag (measure)[3] and avartan (cycle). The
significance of beats depends on their occurrence in a cycle
• Sam
It is the first and most important beat of the taal and is heavily emphasized. All pieces start
and end on the sam. It is denoted by an ‘x’ or ‘+’.
Exception: in taal rupaak the sam is on the khali.

• Taali

The clap of the hands is an important part of both the science and practice of North
Indian music. It has a hoary past. An elaborate system of clapping and hand move-
ments is mentioned in the Natya Shastra (circa 200 bc) where it is part of the sys-
tem of timekeeping known as "kriya".The clap of the hands is very important for
the conceptualisation of Indian rhythms. North Indian musicians use the claps to
designate the measures (vibhag) which are highly stressed. The clapping of hands is
also of great practical importance. It is a convenient means for the singers and
other musicians to communicate with the tabla player (tabalji) without having to
break the performance.

• Khali

The beat on which we don’t clap and it usually comes in the middle of the taal. The word
khali means ‘empty’. A taal may have more than one khali. It is a wave of hand.
For symmetrical taals like teentaal it is very important for orientation.
Example, the khali of teental is on the 9th matra or beat.

• Vibhag/khand
Vibhag represent a duration of rhythmic phrasing in Indian classical music made up of a
certain number of beats. They are the rough equivalent of bars in western music, but instead
of always being equal subdivisions of the tala (the rhythmic cycle - think 12 bar blues), they
can be uneven. In certain traditions of Indian music, any number of beats may form a vibhag.
Usually the beats will be in two, three, or four. They should be designated either with a clap
or a wave of the hand.
• Tihai
It is a composition consisting of a long set of bols repeated thrice resulting in the end point of
the tihai to fall on the sam.
The basic format involves 3 equal repetitions of phrases intervened by 2 equal pauses.
The body occurs thrice.
The gap is the pause in the tihai occurring at the end of the body and beginning of another
body.
Types of tihais are:
• Dumdaar tihai: with pause
• Bedum tihai : no pause

• Toda

A toda is a group of basic kathak syllables that usually start on the sam (the first beat) and end on the
sam after two or three avartans.
They have several varieties of rhythmic patterns. There are 2 types of todas :

• Farmaishi or chakradar toda

• Chakkardar toda

• Tatkar

The dance syllables produced by stomping like ‘ta thei thei tat, aa thei thei tat’ are called tatkar.
Various variations of these can be performed using different tempos and rhythmic patterns with the
help of calculations and techniques.
It is the ability of the dancer to execute a variety of rhythmic patterns (jhatis) on a taal.
Dancers begin basic tatkar and then proceed to show different layas and end in the fast laya.
 • Chakardaar

It means one which is composed of chakkars. Chakkars are taken by rotating at a certain speed.
Chakkardaar parans are those parans which tend to have chakkars.

• Padhant

It is the recitation of bols before dancing which serves as mneumonics to the composition. It helps the
musicians to set the laya.

• Hastak

The movement of hands on laya or taal is called hastak. They have technical meanings .

• Theka

The bols or syllables of the taal played on the tabla are called theka.

• Avartan

A repeated cycle of a taal from the first to the last beat is called avartan.