Night Ragas, Vol. 1

Hindustani vocal music is the North Indian tradition of raga-based singing, centered on improvisation within melodic frameworks (ragas) and cyclic meters (talas). Its core concert vocabulary today revolves around major vocal forms such as dhrupad (the most ancient concert form), khayal (the modern, highly ornamented style), and tarana, with related “light-classical” idioms like thumri, dadra, and bhajan surrounding the classical core. A typical performance unfolds from a slow, unmetered alap to metered development and virtuosic passages (taan, sargam, bol‑taan), all over a tanpura drone and percussion (pakhawaj for dhrupad; tabla for khayal and lighter forms).