Director: A Bhaskar Rao
Produced by the Indian government-run Films Division in 1966, this vintage short video explores the North Indian Hindustani and South Indian Carnatic styles of Indian classical music, which diverged around the 15th and 16th centuries but share common roots in Hindu musical traditions and ancient texts.
Read more: Why boundaries in music exist between India & Pakistan?
Accompanied by performances from top Indian classical musicians of the time, Music of India examines the form’s essential elements, including its deeply spiritual character, and the concepts of ‘raga’ – a musical piece’s central, often partially improvised, melodic form – and ‘tala’ – its recurring rhythmic pattern.
This piece was first published in aeon.