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newa folk music

Newa Folk Music

Dancing Happy Sentimental Chill Romantic

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Description

Newa folk music is the traditional music of the Newar (Newa) people of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. It is rooted in devotional choral singing (Dapha), Buddhist processional ensembles (Gunlā Bājan), and seasonal/ritual repertoires performed in courtyards and streets.

Its sound is defined by powerful double-headed drums (dhime/dhimay, nāykhin), interlocking cymbals (bhusya, jhyāli/ṭā), piercing double-reed shawms (ponga), and bamboo flutes (bānsuri), often supporting unison or antiphonal group singing in Nepal Bhasa (the Newar language). Melodies draw on Hindustani raga thinking adapted to local modes and festival calendars, with cyclical tāla patterns suited to both processional movement and contemplative devotion.

Themes span devotion to Hindu and Buddhist deities, cycles of the agrarian and ritual year, love and social life—epitomized by iconic songs like “Rajamati,” which many listeners associate with the Newa musical heritage.

History

How to make a track in this genre

Top albums

Sounds of the Indian Snake Charmer

Images of Nepal

Jhalak Man Gandarbha

Jhalakman Gandarbha झलकमान गन्धर्व

Sounds of the Indian Snake Charmer Vol. 2

Festivals of Nepal

Melodies of Nepal

Main artists

Influenced by

Hindustani Classical Music

Hindustani classical music is the North Indian classical tradition, built on the melodic framework of raga and the cyclical metric system of tala. It emphasizes improvisation around a fixed composition (bandish for vocal, gat for instrumental), unfolding a raga’s characteristic ascent/descent (aroh–avroh), key tones (vadi–samvadi), signature phrases (pakad), and emotional color (rasa), often tied to time-of-day and seasonal associations. Core forms include dhrupad (austere and ancient), khayal (improvisation-rich and dominant today), thumri (lyrical and semi-classical), and instrumental idioms adapted for sitar, sarod, sarangi, bansuri, shehnai, and others. Rhythmic accompaniment centers on tabla (for khayal/thumri) or pakhawaj (for dhrupad), while a tanpura drone provides the tonal canvas. Transmission traditionally occurs through gharanas (lineages) that preserve stylistic nuances in phrasing, ornamentation, and repertoire, while modern pedagogy and performance have broadened its reach globally.

Indian Classical

Indian classical music is a millennia-old art tradition rooted in raga (melodic framework) and tala (rhythmic cycle), emphasizing improvisation within codified rules. It is fundamentally a vocal-centric music that uses a sustained drone (typically from a tanpura) as the tonal center, microtonal inflections (shruti), and elaborate ornamentations (gamakas). The tradition is commonly understood through two major streams: Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian). Both share ancient foundations yet diverge in repertoire, performance structure, and stylistic aesthetics. Typical instruments include sitar, sarod, sarangi, bansuri, shehnai, tabla, and harmonium in Hindustani; and veena, violin, venu (flute), mridangam, kanjira, and ghatam in Carnatic. Performances explore mood (rasa), time-of-day and seasonal associations of ragas, and the intricate interplay between soloist and percussionist.

South Asian Classical Music

South Asian classical music is the art-music tradition of the Indian subcontinent built around raga (melodic frameworks) and tala (cyclical rhythmic structures). It emphasizes microtonal nuance, ornamentation (gamaka), and a continuous drone, producing a highly expressive, meditative, and often devotional soundworld. The tradition cohered from ancient liturgical and courtly practices and later diverged into two major streams: Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian). Both systems share the raga–tala grammar but differ in repertoire, performance format, instrumentation, and stylistic emphasis. Improvisation is central in both, balancing formal compositions with spontaneous exploration.

Bhajan is a devotional song tradition from India associated with the Hindu Bhakti movement, in which singers express personal love, praise, and surrender to deities such as Krishna, Rama, Shiva, and the Divine Mother. Musically, bhajans are raga-informed but typically simpler than classical concert pieces, favoring singable melodies, cyclic talas (often Keherva/Keherwa 8-beat and Dadra 6-beat), and steady drone from the tanpura. Common instrumentation includes harmonium, dholak or tabla, manjira/kartal (hand cymbals), and clapping; in folk contexts, ektara and simple percussion are frequent. Texts are usually in accessible vernaculars (e.g., Hindi, Braj Bhasha, Awadhi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali), drawing on the poetry of saint-poets like Mirabai, Surdas, Tulsidas, and Kabir. Performances occur in temples, homes, satsangs, and community gatherings, often featuring call-and-response, refrains, and congregational participation.

Kirtan is a devotional, call-and-response singing tradition rooted in the Bhakti movements of the Indian subcontinent and practiced within Hindu and Sikh contexts. It centers on the communal chanting of sacred names and texts, typically over a steady drone with simple, cyclical melodies. Musically, kirtan blends raga-based melodic contours with accessible refrains, gradually building energy through repetition, tempo increases, and collective participation. Common instruments include harmonium, tabla or hand drums (such as mridanga/khole), kartals (hand cymbals), tanpura, and sometimes melodic instruments like bansuri (flute) or sarangi. While its liturgical purpose is spiritual remembrance (smarana) and devotion (bhakti), modern kirtan has also become a global, participatory practice associated with yoga and meditation, often incorporating world-fusion timbres while preserving the core call-and-response form.

Mantra is a devotional chant-based music centered on the repetitive intonation of sacred syllables, words, or phrases—most commonly in Sanskrit, Gurmukhi, Pali, or Tibetan. While its liturgical roots are ancient, the modern recorded genre crystallized in the late 20th century through the global yoga and meditation movement. Typical performances feature long, cyclical repetitions over drones, gentle percussion, and spacious textures that invite contemplation and collective participation. Musically, mantra tends to favor modal harmony, steady or subtly evolving rhythms, and incremental dynamic arcs rather than verse–chorus structures. Instrumentation often blends Indian classical timbres (harmonium, tanpura, tabla) with acoustic guitar, hand percussion, and ambient/new-age sound design. The experience is meditative, heart-centered, and communal, distinguishing it from the more lyrical bhajan and the call-and-response song form of kirtan.

Has influenced

Worldbeat is a pop/rock-oriented approach that blends mainstream songwriting, production, and instrumentation with rhythms, timbres, and vocal styles drawn from traditional and popular musics around the world. Emerging in the 1980s, it was propelled by high-profile collaborations and labels that framed cross-cultural fusions for international radio audiences. Typical tracks combine familiar verse–chorus structures and modern studio polish with polyrhythms, non-Western percussion, distinctive regional scales or modes, and multilingual lyrics, often celebrating cultural exchange.

World fusion is a cross-cultural approach that blends traditional or indigenous musical practices with contemporary forms such as jazz, rock, electronic, and pop. Rather than a single codified style, it is a process-driven genre where artists combine instruments, rhythms, scales, and production techniques from different regions to create new hybrids. Typical combinations include Indian raga and tala with jazz harmony, West African polyrhythms with rock or electronic grooves, Middle Eastern maqam with ambient textures, and Latin and Caribbean percussion in pop or hip hop frameworks. Because the genre emphasizes collaboration and exchange, it often highlights acoustic timbres (e.g., kora, oud, sitar, duduk, shakuhachi, ngoni, tabla) alongside electric or digital tools (synths, samplers, drum machines), resulting in music that can be both traditional in spirit and modern in sound.

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