Noor Wodjouatt is an Afghan-American musician and television producer.
He was educated in France and founded the Noor Wodjouatt Ensemble in 2004. The group has performed at the Kennedy Center, [1] Richmond Forum, and Seton Hall University. [2] [3] He has collaborated with Broto Roy [4] and performed at Syracuse University. [5]
In 2011, he wrote a book on classical Indian music. [6] [7]
In 2012, Wodjouatt founded Zarin TV which broadcasts entertainment and educational programs for the Afghan and Iranian populations. [8]
Carnatic music, known as Karnāṭaka saṃgīta or Karnāṭaka saṅgītam in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. It is one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu texts and traditions, particularly the Samaveda. The other subgenre being Hindustani music, which emerged as a distinct form because of Persian or Islamic influences from Northern India. The main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in gāyaki (singing) style.
A raga is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. Rāga is central to classical Indian music and a unique feature of the tradition: no equivalent concept exists in Western classical music. Each rāga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, from the perspective of the Indian tradition, the resulting music has the ability to "colour the mind" as it engages the emotions of the audience.
Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like Marg Sangeet and Shastriya Sangeet. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as Hindustani and the South Indian expression known as Carnatic. These traditions were not distinct until about the 15th century. During the period of Mughal rule of the Indian subcontinent, the traditions separated and evolved into distinct forms. Hindustani music emphasizes improvisation and exploration of all aspects of a raga, while Carnatic performances tend to be short composition-based. However, the two systems continue to have more common features than differences. Another unique classical music tradition from Eastern part of India, i. e. Odissi music has evolved since two thousand years ago.
The tanpura is a long-necked, plucked, four-stringed instrument originating in the Indian subcontinent, found in various forms in Indian music. Visually, the tanpura resembles a simplified sitar or similar lute-like instrument, and is likewise crafted out of a gourd or pumpkin.
Hariprasad Chaurasia is an Indian music director and classical flautist, who plays the bansuri, in the Hindustani classical tradition.
The shruti or śruti is the smallest interval of pitch that the human ear can detect and a singer or musical instrument can produce. The concept is found in ancient and medieval Sanskrit texts such as the Natya Shastra, the Dattilam, the Brihaddeshi, and the Sangita Ratnakara. Chandogya Upanishad speaks of the division of the octave in 22 parts.
Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande was an Indian musicologist who wrote the first modern treatise on Hindustani classical music, an art which had been propagated for centuries mostly through oral traditions. During those earlier times, the art had undergone several changes, rendering the raga grammar documented in scant old outdated texts.
Bhairav is a Hindustani classical raga of Bhairav thaat. It is a sampurna raga that is traditionally performed in the morning and also as the beginning piece in concerts. It is the defining raga of its own Thaat.
Abhogi is a raga in Carnatic music and has been adapted to Hindustani music. It is a pentatonic scale, an audava raga. It is a derived scale, as it does not have all the seven swaras. Ābhōgi has been borrowed from Carnatic music into Hindustani music and is also quite popular in the latter. In Hindustani music the raga has been classified under the Kafi thaat.
Vidushi Kaushiki Chakraborty is an Indian classical vocalist and a composer. She attended Sangeet Research Academy, and was one of the exponents of Patiala gharana. Her repertoire covers pure classical, Khyals, Dadras, Thumris, Bhajans etc. and several other forms of Indian music. She is the recipient 2005 BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in the Asia-Pacific category. She is the daughter of Hindustani classical vocalist, Ajoy Chakraborty and she has held performances with him as well as her husband, Parthasarathi Desikan. In 2020, she was awarded Nari Shakti Puraskar. Kaushiki is also a trained Carnatic Classical Vocalist.
Bandish, cheez or gat is a fixed, melodic composition in Hindustani vocal or instrumental music. It is set in a specific raga, performed with rhythmic accompaniment by a tabla or pakhawaj, a steady drone, and melodic accompaniment by a sarangi, violin or harmonium. There are different ways of systematizing the parts of a composition. A bandish provides the literature element in the music, for standard structured singing. In the past many gharanas protected their bandishes from moving out of the family with gross incoherent vocal renditions. In the realm of vocal music, it is often known as cheez.
Kudamaloor Janardanan[കുടമാളൂര് ജനാര്ദ്ദനന്] is an Indian flautist of the Carnatic music tradition.
The Theatre of Eternal Music was an avant-garde musical group formed by La Monte Young in New York City in 1962. The first group (1962–1964) of performers consisted of La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, Angus MacLise, and Billy Name. From 1964 to 1966, Theatre of Eternal Music consisted of La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, John Cale (viola), and Tony Conrad (violin), with sometimes also Terry Riley (voice). Since 1966, Theatre of Eternal Music has seen many permutations and has included Garrett List, Jon Gibson, Jon Hassell, Rhys Chatham, Alex Dea, Terry Jennings, and many others, including some members of the various 1960s groups. The group's self-described "dream music" explored drones and pure harmonic intervals, employing sustained tones and electric amplification in lengthy, all-night performances.
Bob Becker is an American percussionist and composer known primarily as a founding member of the Nexus percussion ensemble, as well as a performer in the Steve Reich and Musicians ensemble. He primarily performs as a keyboard percussionist, but is also skilled in tabla and concert snare drumming. As a composer, Becker employs a multicultural approach by mixing the style of western military drumming with North Indian Hindustani idioms, such as raga scale patterns and tabla drumming. This fusion of compositional practices is the main focus of works like Lahara and Mudra. There are also traces of influence from the music of minimalists like Steve Reich, which can be attributed to Becker's experience with that composer's music.
Ganga Gowri is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language Hindu mythological film, directed and produced by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Gemini Ganesan and Jayalalithaa & Jayanthi with music composed by M. S. Viswanathan. It is a remake of Panthulu's own 1967 Kannada film Gange Gowri. The film was released on 16 January 1973, and emerged a commercial success.
Dr. Krishnamurtha (Kanniks) Kannikeswaran, popularly known as Kanniks, is an Indian-born American musician, scholar, composer, writer and music educator based out of Cincinnati, OH... Often described as ‘The Magic Musician From Madras’, Kanniks has numerous productions, choral performances, lectures, workshops and articles to his name. He has founded and led community choirs in 10 cities in North America including Cincinnati OH, Bethlehem PA, Houston TX, Tampa FL, Ft. Lauderdale FL, Minneapolis/St Paul MN, Toronto ON, Washington DC, Atlanta GA and Chicago IL. He has expanded his work to Europe. He has done extensive research on the music and life of 19th century composer Muthuswami Dikshitar.
Hamid Naweed is an Afghan-American writer and art historian.
Pandit Nikhil Jyoti Ghosh was an Indian musician, teacher and writer, known for his proficiency in the percussion instrument of tabla. He founded Sangit Mahabharati, an institution of music in 1956, and performed on various stages in India and abroad. A recipient of the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Award, his style was known to have been aligned with the Delhi, Ajrada, Farukhabad, Lucknow and Punjab gharanas of music. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1990, for his contributions to Music.
Carsten Wicke is a Rudra Veena player of German origin who lives in India. He studied North Indian classical music with several master musicians since the 1990s, after learning western violin and vocal music as a child.
Utsav Lal is an Indian pianist, educator, composer, and performing musician. Based out of New York, his work on the piano has been deeply influenced by Dhrupad and Indian classical music.