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Description
The most popular form of North Indian vocal music today is the 'Khayal'. It originated from the more austere form called 'Dhrupad'. Khayal has more ornamentation and is less rigid in form and content than Dhrupad.
The khayal is divided into two parts, namely the 'asthai' which is sung in the lower and middle register of the melodic scale, and the 'antara' which is sung in the upper and middle register of the melodic outline. Together, they present a complete picture of the melodic scale called the 'raga'.
There are two distinct forms of the khayal in a presentation. The 'bada' (which means big) khayal is sung in a slow rhythmic cycle. The composition is sung once or twice in the rhythmic cycle. The cycle is slow and helps the development and elaboration of the 'raga'. The artiste explores every nuance and melodic phrase of the raga, using the works of the composition as a 'vehicle' for the notes. Next, the tempo is increased and complex note patterns, using the works of the composition(bol-taans) and the actual notes (sargams) are used to create a rich melodic texture. This is followed by fast note patterns called 'taanas'. This section is a 'bridge' between the slow-paced (vilambit) phase of the rendition and the faster paced (drut) phase.
