The Alap (; ) is the opening section of a typical
North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a
raga
A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...
. In
dhrupad
Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music, Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampraday and also related to the South Ind ...
singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccompanied (except for the
tanpura
The tanpura (), also referred to as tambura and tanpuri, is a long-necked plucked string instrument, originating in India, found in various forms in Indian music.
It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of an ...
drone
Drone most commonly refers to:
* Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg
* Unmanned aerial vehicle
* Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft
* Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone
Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to:
...
), and started at a slow tempo.
For people unfamiliar with the raga form, it introduces the mode (the pattern of ascending and perhaps different descending scale) to the listener. It defines the raga, its mood, and the emphasized notes and notes with a secondary role. It's like an
invocation.
Instead of wholly free improvisation, many musicians perform alap schematically, for example by way of ''vistar'', where the notes of the raga are introduced one at a time, so that phrases never travel further than one note above or below what has been covered before. In such cases, the first reach into a new octave can be a powerful event.
In instrumental music, when a steady pulse is introduced into the alap, it is called
jor; when the tempo has been greatly increased, or when the rhythmic element overtakes the melodic, it is called
jhala (dhrupad: ''
nomtom''). The jor and jhala can be seen as separate sections of the performance, or as parts of the alap; in the same way, jhala can be seen as a part of jor.
[Kamien, Roger, and Anita Kamien. Music: an Appreciation. McGraw-Hill Education, 2018.]
Several musicologists have proposed much more complicated classifications and descriptions of alap. In the same way as traditional four-part compositions have a ''sthai'', ''antara'', ''sanchar'' and ''abhog'', some treat alap with a four-part scheme using the same names.
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
i researcher Bimalakanto Raychoudhuri in his ''Bharatiya Sangeetkosh'' suggests classification both by length (''aochar'' being the shortest, followed by ''bandhan'', ''kayed'' and ''vistar'') and by performance style (according to the four ancient ''vanis'' or singing styles – ''Gohar'', ''Nauhar'', ''Dagar'' and ''Khandar''), and proceeds to list thirteen stages:
# ''
Vilambit''
# ''
Madhya laya''
# ''
Drut''
# ''
Jhala''
# ''
Thok''
# ''
Lari/Ladi''
# ''Larguthav''
# ''Larlapet''
# ''Paran''
# ''Sath''
# ''Dhuya''
# ''Matha''
# ''Paramatha''
Even though Raychoudhuri admits the 13th stage is wholly extinct, as we see we are in jhala already at the fourth stage; the sthai-to-abhog movement is all part of the first stage (vilambit). Stages six and up are for instrumentalists only. Other authorities have forwarded other classifications. For example, when alap is sung with lyrics or at least syllables, as in
dhrupad
Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music, Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampraday and also related to the South Ind ...
, it is called ''sakshar'' as opposed to ''anakshar''.{{citation needed, date=November 2012
See also
*
Alapana
*
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...
*
Buka
References
Hindustani music terminology
Formal sections in music analysis