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The Music of the People – Class 7 Arts Chapter 8 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 7ArtsChapter 8NCERT book: Kriti - Arts Class 7

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 8 of the NCERT Class 7 Arts book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 8: The Music of the People (Music)

Introduction

India's music is incredibly diverse. It reflects the cultural heritage of each state and the creativity of its people. Lok means the people, so lok sangeet is the music of and by the people. Through its lyrics, lok sangeet expresses different emotions (rasas) and tells us about festivals, rituals, traditions, occupations, beliefs and faith. Folk songs from different regions have varied rhythmic structures and tell us about life and nature in those regions; they do not all sound the same.

The opening photos show folk instruments including the Vilavel, Sarangi and Damru, desi saxophone, Ektara and Gopi jantra, and Chenda.

Key Ideas

Folk songs and community: Bihu

A form in music is a style of singing or of playing musical instruments. Bihu is an Assamese form.

  • Read the words carefully, clap while singing to feel the rhythm, and try dancing in Bihu style.
  • "Bihu bihu lagise gaat" is an Assamese song by Bhupen Hazarika, who was awarded the Bharat Ratna for his music.
  • The song captures the spirit of Bohag Bihu, a popular festival. Its lyrics express joy, celebration, and a deep connection to nature, rhythm and tradition.

    • Unique voices

    Just as no two people look exactly alike, no two voices sound exactly the same. Voices can be sharp and clear, rich and deep, or soft and gentle. We often assume male voices are low and female voices are high, but this is not always true. Many renowned artists have unconventional voices that make them special, for example Usha Uthup, Teejan Bai, Kumar Gandharv and D K Pattammal.

    Breaking stereotypes

  • Lullaby (lori): a song sung to help a child fall asleep. It is usually sung by a mother, but others in the family can sing one too. Listen to "Nanhee kali soney chali…", sung by Geeta Dutt.
  • Qawwali: devotional music from the Sufi Islamic tradition. It was traditionally performed by groups of male musicians, but today many women perform it too, showing how musical forms change over time. Roshanara Begum, born in Kolkata, is one example.

    • Women in music

    Mirabai

  • A poet and devotee of Shree Krishna who lived in the 15th century CE.
  • She was born a princess in a royal family of Rajasthan and married prince Bhojraj of Mewar.
  • She travelled to places linked with Krishna, such as Dwarka and Vrindavan, and composed hundreds of bhajans.
  • Bhajan: "Payoji maine ram ratan dhan paayo…". She has found the priceless treasure of her guru's grace; though she may have lost worldly things, this devotion is wealth worth many births, and she happily sings the praises of her lord, Krishna.

    • Lal Ded (Lalleshwari)

  • A Kashmiri mystic and poet who wrote many vakhs, short poems rich in philosophical meaning.

    • Music and social reform

    Composers and poets have used songs to protest against unfair social conditions and to spread messages of equality and togetherness.

    Annamacharya

  • A Telugu musician, composer and saint of the 15th century.
  • He is said to have composed 32,000 sankirtanas in praise of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati.
  • He was among the earliest to oppose social stigma against untouchables.
  • His song "Brahmam Okate" says that God is one: there are no divisions of high or low, because God dwells in all beings.

    • Charankavi Mukunda Das

  • Also known as Jogeshwar Datta, he lived in Bengal in the 19th or 20th century.
  • He spread the objectives of the Swadeshi movement through songs and plays in villages.
  • His song "Baan eshechey" means: a tide has risen, a flood swells in the river. Do not sleep, arise! If you do not take the oars and steer the boat, all opportunities will be lost.

    • Instruments and regions

    The Sangeet Ratnakar says that the songs, instrumental music and dance that delight people in different regions, according to their own tastes, are called deshi. India's diversity creates a wide range of regional instruments. Some are played in more than one state or have different names. The map activity in the chapter includes:

  • Mohuri — Chhattisgarh
  • Noot — Jammu and Kashmir
  • Kopong — Ladakh
  • Dholak / Dholaki — Punjab
  • Damamatu — Himachal Pradesh
  • Chimta — Chandigarh
  • Nafiri — Uttarakhand
  • Pepa — Assam, Arunachal Pradesh
  • Pung — Manipur
  • Pipahi (like a shehnai) — Bihar
  • Khuang — Meghalaya
  • Madal — Jharkhand
  • Khanjira — Karnataka
  • Pavri — Dadra and Nagar Haveli
  • Ghummat — Goa
  • Tarpo — Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep
  • Jhanjh — Assam, Odisha

    • Activities in the Chapter

  • Activity 8.1: learn a folk song from your region. Find out its purpose and its instruments, perform it in assembly, record it, and compare it with a song from another region.
  • Activity 8.2: listen to the unconventional singers online.
  • Activity 8.3: learn a lullaby from a family member and write down its words and tune.
  • Activity 8.4: listen to a female qawwali group and learn a qawwali.
  • Activity 8.5: research Lal Ded: when she lived, what she wrote about, and how she contributed to music and poetry.
  • Activity 8.6 Voice for Change: write an 8-line poem or rap about a change you want in your school or community.
  • Activities 8.7 and 8.8: classify instruments into the Grade 6 categories and place them on a map of India.
  • Activity 8.9: interview a local musician and make a collage of musicians from your region.

    • Key Terms

  • Lok sangeet (लोक संगीत) — folk music
  • Form (शैली) — style of singing or playing
  • Bihu (बिहू) — Assamese folk form and festival
  • Lullaby / Lori (लोरी)
  • Qawwali (क़व्वाली) — Sufi devotional music
  • Bhajan (भजन) — devotional song
  • Vakh (वाख) — Lal Ded's short poems
  • Sankirtana (संकीर्तन) — devotional song
  • Swadeshi (स्वदेशी) — self-reliance movement
  • Deshi (देशी) — regional music
  • Stereotype (रूढ़िवादी धारणा) — a fixed, oversimplified idea
  • Social reform (समाज सुधार)

    • Connect to Your Life

    Which song is sung at weddings or festivals in your family? Who sings it, and why? Talking to a local musician (Activity 8.9) is a great way to discover the music of your own area.

    Common Mistakes

  • Thinking all folk songs sound alike. Their tunes, rhythms and themes vary from region to region.
  • Believing male voices are always low and female voices always high.
  • Mixing up Annamacharya (Telugu, Tirupati) with Mirabai (Rajasthan, Krishna bhakti).
  • Placing instruments in the wrong state. For example, the Pung is from Manipur and the Khanjira from Karnataka.

    • Let's Reflect

  • What does your region's folk song tell you about its people's lives?
  • How can a song help change people's thinking in society?

    • 💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓Understands lok sangeet as music of and by the people, reflecting festivals, occupations, beliefs and nature
    • ✓Sings a folk song (e.g. Bihu) and recognises 'form' as a style of singing or playing
    • ✓Appreciates unique and unconventional voices, and how forms like the lullaby and qawwali break stereotypes
    • ✓Learns about women in music (Mirabai, Lal Ded) and music for social reform (Annamacharya, Mukunda Das)
    • ✓Links regional instruments to their states on a map of India

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Start with the tick-or-strike exercise to challenge the idea that all folk songs sound alike
    • →Teach Bihu with clapping, and let students add simple Bihu dance steps
    • →Play short clips of Usha Uthup, Teejan Bai, Kumar Gandharv and D K Pattammal and discuss what makes each voice unique
    • →Ask students to collect a lullaby from home; encourage fathers and grandfathers to share one too
    • →Pair the Mirabai bhajan with her life story, and Brahmam Okate with a discussion on equality
    • →Run Activity 8.8 as a map challenge: groups stick instrument pictures on a large map of India
    • →Help students prepare interview questions and practise them before Activity 8.9

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Can the student explain what lok sangeet is and what folk songs tell us?
    2. Can the student sing a local folk song and name its instruments?
    3. Can the student describe the contribution of Mirabai, Annamacharya or Mukunda Das?
    4. Did the student write an 8-line poem or rap that clearly argues for a change?
    5. Can the student match regional instruments to their states?

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    Keep learning

    All chapters in Kriti - Arts Class 7

    1. 1. Understanding Emotions
    2. 2. Say More without Speech — Mime
    3. 3. Let’s Design — Stage Technicals 2
    4. 4. Story of India’s Storytelling Tradition
    5. 5. Making Music
    6. 6. Music, Emotions and Creativity
    7. 7. Ragas and Talas/Taal
    8. 8. The Music of the People
    9. 9. Performance
    10. 10. Dance and Sculpture
    11. 11. Dance Vocabulary and Techniques
    12. 12. Dance, You and Creativity
    13. 13. Personalities
    14. 14. Natya
    15. 15. Objects in Icons and Symbols
    16. 16. Nature’s Palette
    17. 17. How You Feel
    18. 18. Textiles and Traditions
    19. 19. The Art of Calligraphy
    20. 20. Integration of All Art Forms — Sculptures Come Alive!