MUSIC. Amongst the Hindus of early ages music appears to have attained a theoretical pre cision at a period when even Greece was little removed from barbarism. The Arab system of music is derived partly from Greek, Persian, and Indian treatises,—Musika, their general name for music, and the names of several musical instruments, being from the Greek ; while most of the technical terms used by the Arab musicians are borrowed from the Persian and Indian languages. The in spirations of the bards of the Vedic Aryans of the first ages were all set to music ; the children of the most powerful potentates sang the episodes 'bf the great epics of Valmiki and Vyasa.
Music appears to have been cultivated largely by the Hindus, even after Vedic times, and the writings of many ancient authors are still extant. They fixed all their svam or notes within the compass of 3 octaves. Leaving the eighth note, they called the diapason a saptaka or heptachord, the seven notes being sharja, rishabha, gandhara, inadhyama, panchama, dhaibhata, and nishada. Hindu music has 84 modes, of which 36 are in general use. They are named from the seasons of the year and the' hours of the day and night, and are each considered to possess some quality appropriate to the time, and each is supposed to have a peculiar expression and the power of moving some particular sentiment or affection. The Hindu modes are formed partly by giving the lead to one or other of the twelve sounds recognised in Europe, and varying seven different ways the position of the semitones. This gives the number 84.
In Sanskrit, harmony is termed Sruti, and melody Raga. While the reading of the Vedas, Puraints, and other religious books was mono polized by the Vydika, religious men, and poetry, rhetoric, and kindred branches of learning became the hobby of the Lokika, or men of the world, music, left without any place and protection, took refuge in Hindu brothels. The religious Brah mans went so far as to hurl their thunders against those who practised it, and said .‘ Gayata na
thayam' (that we should not give them any thin Much attention has not. however. been paid to this injunction, and it has often been violated.
In British India, instrumental music is chiefly cultivated by professionals, and while it is com mon for men to perform on instruments, and those in a great variety, women do so comparatively to a small extent, and only use few and simple instruments. Amongst the Hindus, professional musicians form a distinct tribe or caste called Kathaks, and with these the gift or inspiration of music is supposed to be hereditary. The sitar is a favourite with amateurs. It is made from a hollow gourd. Usually it has three wire strings, whence its name, but sometimes it has six, or even nine, and is played with the first finger of the right hand alone, on which is placed a little steel wire frame, called a misrab, with which the strings are struck ; the left hand stops the notes in the frets, but only those of the first string, while the aher notes in the manner in which they are tuned produce a sort of pedal sound. The sariugi is in appearance somewhat like a violin, and is played with a bow ; the tabla is a small drum with only one opening, the part opposite to this being concave and made of wood. The drum rests upon the ground, the covered opening being uppermost, and is struck rapidly and sharply by the fingers. Sometimes two such drums are played by the right and left hand together. The dhol is more like an English drum ; it is usually 1 foot 2 inches long, and 8 inches in diameter, but sometimes larger, with both ends covered with leather, and is played on with the hands. The tanpoom is another kind of drum, while the turd and sunkli are two varieties of trumpets.
The Muhammadans of India have the following instruments, viz. :— Algoa, a small a span long.
Banka is the Turri, with the upper piece turned from the performer, forming it into tho shape of the letter S.