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Music
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Dhrupad music has three major parts: Alaap, Jor-Jhala and Composition.
Alaap
is sung with words that have been derived from the shloka "Hari Om
Narayana Taan Tarana Tum" with which the artist develops the raga,
note-by-note with the accompaniment of the tanpura. The emphasis is on
developing each note with purity and clarity.
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Dhrupad's purpose is Aradhana ... seeking not to entertain, but to induce deep feelings of peace and contemplation in the listener. |
Alaap entails the search for the most perfect pitch of every note. So it takes you into a world where only sound patterns remain.
The Alaap unfolds in four parts - sthai, antara, abhog and sanchari.
In the Jor, the raga develops with a steady beat which is non-cyclical. It again unfolds the personality of the raga through the sthai, antara, abhog and sanchari.
The artist concludes the Alaap after exploring the Jhala through the same process but at a faster pace.
After
this, Dhrupad compositions are sung to the accompaniment of the pakhawaj.
The compositions are usually set in Chau taal (12 beats cycle),
Sul taal (10 beats cycle), Tivra taal (7 beats cycle) or
Dhamar (14 beats cycle). The meaning of the text in the composition
is very important.