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Indian Classical Music – Class 8 Arts Chapter 7 Notes & NCERT PDF

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

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

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Chapter 7: Indian Classical Music (Music)

Introduction

This chapter takes you deeper into both streams of Indian classical music — Carnatic and Hindustani — and into devotional traditions: Bhakti sangeet and Sufi qawwali.

Key Ideas

1. Carnatic music: the seven talas

There are seven main talas in Carnatic music:

  • Dhruva 2. Matya 3. Rupaka 4. Jhampa 5. Triputa 6. Ata 7. Eka

    • A tala is made of parts called angas:

  • Laghu — clap and finger counts, notated I
  • Drutam — clap and wave, notated O (2 beats)
  • Anudrutam — a single beat, notated U (1 beat)

    • The number of beats in a laghu is called its jathi. Not all talas have all angas.

    2. Sapta-tala alankaras

    These vocal exercises build vocal strength and teach talas. Three were learnt in Grade 7; the remaining four are:

  • Mishra Jathi Jhampa Talam: I7 U O = 7 + 1 + 2 = 10 beats
  • Thrisra Jathi Triputa Talam: I3 O O = 3 + 2 + 2 = 7 beats
  • Khanda Jathi Ata Talam: I5 I5 O O = 5 + 5 + 2 + 2 = 14 beats
  • Chatushra Jathi Eka Talam: I4 = 4 beats

    • 3. A Carnatic kriti — "Sri Gananatham Bhajare"

  • Composer: Muthuswami Dikshitar · Ragam: Ishamanohari · Talam: Rupaka (a cycle of 6 beats)
  • Arohanam: S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N2 Ṡ · Avarohanam: Ṡ N2 D2 P M1 G3 M1 R2 S
  • A kriti has three main parts: pallavi, anupallavi and charanam. After the anupallavi and after the charanam, you return to the pallavi line.
  • This kriti has an extra portion in madhyama kala, sung twice as fast.

    • 4. Hindustani music: Raag Asavari

  • In this raga, gandhar (G), dhaivat (D) and nishad (N) are komal; the rest are shuddh.
  • Vadi: dhaivat; Samvadi: gandhar.
  • G and N are varjit (missing) in the aroh, so its jathi is audav–sampoorna.
  • Aroh: S R M P D Ṡ · Avroh: Ṡ N D P M G R S · Pakad: R M P N D P
  • Singing time: second quarter of the day (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). A similar raga is Jaunpuri.
  • You learn a Lakshan Geet in Teentaal ("Kanha mohe aasavari raga sunaye…"), whose words themselves describe the raga's rules — Teentaal bols run Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Dhin Dhin Dha | Dha Tin Tin Ta | Ta Dhin Dhin Dha (16 matras) — and a Sargam Geet in Jhaptal (bols: Dhi Na | Dhi Dhi Na | Ti Na | Dhi Dhi Na — 10 matras).

    • 5. Bhakti sangeet and Sufi qawwali

  • Bhakti movement: began from the 6th century CE, peaked in the 15th–17th century CE; created forms like kirtanas and bhajans. Poets: Mirabai and Tulsidas (north), Haridasa saints Purandara Dasa and Kanakadasa (south).
  • Sufism: a mystical dimension of Islam that emerged in medieval India; saints Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and Baba Farid emphasised inner devotion. Qawwali arose from this and is widely performed, especially in Punjab and western India.
  • Songs to learn: Tulsidas's bhajan "Thumak Chalat Ram Chandra" and the qawwali "Duma Dum Mast Kalandar".

    • Activities in the Chapter

  • Sing the four alankaras while keeping tala with laghu, drutam and anudrutam gestures.
  • Sing the arohana and avarohana before "Sri Gananatham Bhajare", keeping Rupaka tala.
  • Activity 7.1: accompany a composition on an instrument you know; sing a piece at a lower and then a higher tempo and notice how mood changes.
  • Teachers are encouraged to play the programme Sangita Sarita.

    • Key Terms

  • Tala — rhythmic cycle (ताल)
  • Anga — part of a tala (अंग)
  • Laghu / Drutam / Anudrutam — tala parts I, O, U (लघु / द्रुतम् / अनुद्रुतम्)
  • Jathi — beats in a laghu (जाति)
  • Alankara — patterned vocal exercise (अलंकार)
  • Kriti — Carnatic composition (कृति)
  • Pallavi / Anupallavi / Charanam — parts of a kriti (पल्लवी / अनुपल्लवी / चरणम्)
  • Madhyama kala — double-speed section (मध्यम काल)
  • Arohana / Avarohana — ascending / descending scale (आरोह / अवरोह)
  • Komal — flat note (कोमल)
  • Vadi / Samvadi — most / second most important note (वादी / संवादी)
  • Varjit — omitted note (वर्जित)
  • Pakad — characteristic phrase (पकड़)
  • Lakshan Geet — song describing a raga's rules (लक्षण गीत)

    • Artists & Traditions

    Muthuswami Dikshitar; Tulsidas; Mirabai; Purandara Dasa; Kanakadasa; Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti; Baba Farid. Instruments pictured: mridangam, morsing, violin, ghatam, and the nadaswaram — a double-reed wind instrument from South India.

    Connect to Your Life

    Listen to a bhajan and a qawwali and compare their rhythm; hum Raag Asavari's pakad around midday, its traditional time.

    Common Mistakes

  • Adding tala beats wrongly — drutam = 2, anudrutam = 1, laghu = its jathi.
  • Forgetting that Asavari omits G and N only in the aroh.
  • Mixing up vadi (dhaivat) and samvadi (gandhar).
  • Thinking madhyama kala is a different raga — it is the same composition sung twice as fast.

    • Let's Reflect

  • Why does changing tempo change the mood of a song?
  • How did the Bhakti and Sufi movements influence Indian music?
  • Self-check: sing basic Carnatic and Hindustani songs, keep tala, and sing a devotional song.

    • 💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓Carnatic music has seven main talas made of laghu (I), drutam (O) and anudrutam (U)
    • ✓Beat counts: Jhampa 10, Triputa (thrisra) 7, Ata (khanda) 14, Eka (chatushra) 4
    • ✓A kriti like Dikshitar's 'Sri Gananatham Bhajare' has pallavi, anupallavi and charanam
    • ✓Raag Asavari: komal G D N, vadi dhaivat, samvadi gandhar, audav–sampoorna, sung 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
    • ✓Bhakti and Sufi movements gave India bhajans, kirtanas and qawwali

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Teach laghu, drutam and anudrutam gestures first, then build each alankara
    • →Write I7 U O = 10 on the board and let pupils compute the other talas' beats
    • →Sing the arohana/avarohana of Ishamanohari before the kriti
    • →Use the Lakshan Geet's words to discover Asavari's rules together
    • →Compare a bhajan and a qawwali recording and discuss their origins
    • →Run Activity 7.1: same song at slow and fast tempo, then discuss mood
    • →Play an episode of 'Sangita Sarita' as the book suggests

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Can the student name the seven Carnatic talas and the three angas with their symbols?
    2. Can the student calculate the beats of the four alankara talas?
    3. Can the student name the three parts of a kriti and explain madhyama kala?
    4. Can the student state the vadi, samvadi, komal notes and singing time of Raag Asavari?
    5. Can the student sing one devotional song and name its poet or tradition?

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    Keep learning

    All chapters in Kriti - Arts Class 8

    1. 1. Bringing Words Alive — Play Reading
    2. 2. One Stage, Many Scripts
    3. 3. From Page to Stage
    4. 4. Applause and Advice
    5. 5. Discovering the Elements of Music
    6. 6. Musical Instruments
    7. 7. Indian Classical Music
    8. 8. Inspiration and Imagination
    9. 9. My World of Music
    10. 10. Inner Dynamics of Dance
    11. 11. Pan Indian Dance Forms
    12. 12. Dance for Well-being
    13. 13. Innovation, Inclusivity and Inspiring Change
    14. 14. A Presentation of Dance and Choreography
    15. 15. Elements and Principles of Visual Art and Design
    16. 16. Still Life in Colour
    17. 17. People in Places
    18. 18. Arts of the People, With the People, For the People
    19. 19. Campaign for Art Awareness