Taking that as a ratio, a scale based on successive fifth harmonics was created, called Pancham Samwad. It was recognised early on that the fifth harmonic of an open string, called Pa or Pancham was quite dominant. Over a period of time, many musicians and scholars studied Indian music and its rules, towards making it into a form in its own right. While there was metre and melody to the chants, that did not constitute sufficient structure to define a musical form. And from Gandharva Veda came the methods, structure and grammar to learn, practise and perform music - the first seeds of structured Indian Music. It was the Gandharva Veda which first laid down the framework of Indian music. Over time, the musical rules and principles evolved to take their own form and identity separate from Saama Veda, and came to be classified as an Upaveda (a subsidiary Vedic text) called the Gandharva Veda. Notice how even this small step of adding musical notes and phrases, already makes a big difference in the feeling evoked by Saama Veda singing, as compared to Rig Veda chants. If you are familiar with Indian music, you may notice early examples of musical characteristics like Meend (glides), Gamakam (note oscillation), Hrasva (short note) and Deergha (long note) which continue to be an integral part of Indian Music today. Listen to this chant from Rig Veda.Īs you can see, in Saama Veda singing, the number of notes has expanded beyond Rig Veda chants. Taking the ritualistic, introspective and philosophical chants from the Rig Veda, Saama Veda added an element of singing to Vedic recitation. The first significant step in the development of Indian music happened with the Saama Veda. Scientific research has shown that even plants and animals respond to music 1.
As humans, we intrinsically respond to music and rhythm, regardless of the form and genre of music. Based on available documentation and my own understanding, here is a glimpse into the evolution of Indian music.įrom early Vedic periods, music has been recognised as a powerful means of expressing and stimulating emotions. So what we have available to us today, is in some part by oral tradition, and in some part by documentation from well-meaning students and scholars. Indian traditions (Vedas, Ayurveda, Science, Mathematics, Music) were taught to heirs/successors almost exclusively by oral tradition with written documentation following much later. So, how did we reach here? Since ancient times, Indians have had a strong history of oral teaching. Today, Indian music has a very sophisticated melodic and rhythmic structure.
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