The basic concepts of Indian classical music include shruti, swara, alankar, raga, and tala. There are two main traditions of Indian classical music – Carnatic music and Hindustani music. In Hindustani music traditions, singing was based on tones and it was popular from the Vedic times where the hymns of Samaveda were sung and not chanted. A strong and diverse tradition has developed over several centuries. Hindustani music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions, historical Vedic philosophy and native Indian sounds but also enriched by the Persian performance practices of the Mughals. Classical genres are dhrupad, dhamar, khyal, tarana and sadra, and there are also several semi-classical forms. The Carnatic music originated in South India during the rule of Vijayanagar Empire. Like Hindustani music, it is melodic, with improvised variations, but tends to have more fixed compositions. It consists of a composition with improvised embellishments added to the piece in the forms of Raga Alapana, Kalpanaswaram, Neraval and, in the case of more advanced students, Raga, Tala, Pallavi. The main emphasis is on the vocals as most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in a singing style (known as gāyaki). There are about 7.2 million ragas (or scales) in Carnatic Music, with around 300 still in use today.
I. Carantic tradition of Indian classical music is
i. influenced by Persian practices
ii. a collection of several semi-classical forms of singing style
iii. both i and ii
iv. neither of i and ii.
II. Hindustani tradition of Indian classical music
i. originated during the rule of Vijayanagar Empire
ii. was influenced by Vedic philosophy
iii. both i and ii
iv. neither of i and ii.
III. Raga and tala are aspects of
i. Carantic tradition of Indian classical music
ii. Hindustani tradition of Indian classical music
iii. both i and ii
iv. neither of i and ii.
The correct answers to I, II and III are:
A. iii, iii and iii, respectively
B. iv, ii and iii, respectively
C. i, ii and iii, respectively
D. iv, i and iii, respectively.