12 MUSICAL FORMS OF HINDUSTANI CLASSICAL MUSIC - FSM BUDDY
                     12 MUSICAL ELEMENTS OF 
HINDUSTANI CLASSICAL MUSIC
Introduction
• The beauty of our Indian culture is entrenched within the 
art of Hindustani Classical Music that displays the rich 
cultural grandeur of our country. 
• At Furtados School of Music, we aspire to exalt the essence 
of Hindustani music vocals, an integral part of Indian 
culture. 
• Hindustani music classes are ideal opportunity for every 
passionate artist to dive into the world of classical music.
• Under the guidance of dignified music educators, students 
will be introduced to the twelve distinct forms of Hindustani 
music that form the foundation of Hindustani vocals.
Khayal
• Khayal is a Hindustani musical form that encapsulates the 
essence of romantic poetry by allowing the vocalist to 
dive into his creative genius by artistically demonstrating 
his imaginative prowess. 
• It finds its roots in the Persian/Arabic word meaning 
“imagination”. 
• It gives the performer the freedom to eloquently express 
himself through extensively ornamented ragas, which 
calls for more technical deftness and intellectual artistry. 
Dhrupad
• The oldest surviving musical form of Hindustani music is 
derived from dhruva-pada which means “refrain”. 
• It is introduced by a somber and controlled set of 
recurrent syllables, Alap, emphasizes purity and clarity 
within each classical note, fiercely extolled by the vocalist. 
• Dhrupad is monophonic and modal, with a single melodic 
line and no harmonic parts. 
• Performed by a solo singer or a small group of singers in 
unison, to the beat of a barrel drum, mridangam, or 
pakhawaj, and can be accompanied by a sitar. 
• The songs are highly devotional in nature and are used as 
a meditative tool to attain self-realization.
Dhamar
• The classical art form of Dhamar has a lot of similarities 
to dhrupad. 
• It is additionally a compositional structure like Dhrupad 
which is sung to the backup of Pakhawaj. 
• Its themes are in accordance with reverential obeisance 
towards Lord Krishna and the festival of Holi. 
• It is typically performed in dhamar tala of fourteen 
beats.  
Tappa
• Tappa, one of the Hindustani music forms, is said to 
have its origins in the songs of the camel drivers from 
Punjab. 
• It espouses ideas pertaining to love, separation, and 
union which are intricately woven with the soulful 
symphonies that display dramatic twists and turns on 
vowels and consonants. 
• The unpredictable quality of these melodic patterns is 
created by the quicksilver taans or swift phrases. 
• Tappas are set to taals like Punjabi, Pashto, and 
Sitarkhani, and other compositions that elaborately 
display rhythmic dexterity in the realm of creating a 
melodic-rhythmic tension. 
• Tappas has been primarily presented by Gwalior and 
Banaras Gharana vocalists. 
Tarana
• This form of Hindustani music perfectly captures a 
vocalist’s urge to dive into the soulful essence of 
instrumental music. 
• It uses syllables like dere, naa, deem, tana, and 
pakhawaj syllables. 
• Therefore, these syllables are used to voice a musical 
narrative that is imbued with melody and rhythm that 
unburdens an artist from the restrictions posed by literal 
language.
Thumri
• It is derived from the Hindi verb thumakna, which 
means "to walk with dancing steps so as to make the 
ankle-bells tinkle." 
• This artistic form thereby represents the art of 
sensuality within classical dance forms along with 
dramatic gestures that are infused in evocative love 
poetry and folk songs. 
• Thumri texts are highly romantic or devotional in nature 
which portrays greater flexibility within the raga.
Hori
• This musical form is semi-classical in nature that can be 
beautifully adorned with a Bhairavi or a Thumri. 
• It comes in a series of season songs, like Chaiti, Sawani, 
and Kajari
• It is traditionally sung in the villages and towns of Uttar 
Pradesh: around Banaras, Mirzapur, Mathura, Allahabad, 
and the Bhojpur regions of Bihar.
Bhajan
• The musical form of Bhajan upholds reverential 
attributes of Hindustani music that extols religious 
themes or spiritual ideas within the Indian subcontinent. 
• It does not follow a prescribed pattern and is based on 
melodic ragas. 
• It perfectly captures the ideas from scriptures, 
legendary epics, the teachings of saints, and an intense 
feeling of devotional longing towards a deity.
Dadara
• It is a light classical vocal form that comprises a  
Hindustani classical tala 
• This is a rhythmic cycle consisting of six beats in two 
equal divisions of three.
•  The most commonly accepted theka or basic pattern 
for this tala is dha dhi na, dha tu na. 
• It is mostly performed in Agra and in the Bundelkhand 
region.
Chaiti
• Chaiti is a semi-classical song sung during the month of 
Chait. 
• These songs are rendered during the Holy month of Sri 
Rama Navami and fall under the light classical form of 
Hindustani classical music. 
• It comes in the series of seasonal songs, like Kajari, Hori, 
and Sawani, and is traditionally sung in the villages and 
towns of Uttar Pradesh. 
Chaturanga & Trivat
• Trivat and chaturanga are compositions that combine 
multiple styles of vocalization. 
• A trivat is a combination of three styles, while a 
chaturanga is a combination of four styles. 
• The styles entail meaningful lyrics, wordless syllables as 
in a tarana, sol-fa syllables (called sargam), and vocal 
recitation of pakhavaj compositions (padhant). 
• All or several of these are combined together and set to 
melody following the rules of raga and rhythm.
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