The (from the pa,
ਇਸਰਾਜ) is an Indian
stringed instrument found in two forms throughout the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. It is a relatively recent instrument, being only about 300 years old. It is found in
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
, primarily
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, where it is used in
Sikh music and
Hindustani classical
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 ...
compositions and in
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
. The is a modern variant of the , differing slightly in structure.
The and its variant, the , had been declining in popularity for many decades. By the 1980s, the instrument was nearly extinct. However, with the rising influence of the "
Gurmat Sangeet" movement in an effort to revive the traditional instrumentation of Sikh Kirtan, the instrument has been once again attracting attention. In West Bengal,
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
made this instrument mandatory for all the students of the (Music Academy) in
Visva-Bharati University (otherwise known as Shantiniketan). Because of this, is considered the main accompanying instrument for traditional .
History
is the modern variant of the . The was created some 300 years ago by the 10th Sikh guru,
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Sing ...
, who based it on the much older, and heavier,
Taus.
This made it more convenient for the
Khalsa, the
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
army, to carry the instrument on horseback.
[
According to the folklore, the was created by Ishwari Raj, a musician who lived in Gayadam.
]
Construction styles
The and its variant, the , have a similar yet distinct construction style, with each having a medium-sized sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...
-like neck with 20 heavy metal fret
A fret is any of the thin strips of material, usually metal wire, inserted laterally at specific positions along the neck or fretboard of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On some historical instrume ...
s. This neck carries a long wooden rack of 12–15 sympathetic strings, known as the taraf strings, and 2-3 jawari strings. By the jawari strings, one can give emphasis on the vadi, samvadi, and nayeshwar notes, but jawari strings may not always be present. Jawari helps in producing a more piercing sound. The has more sympathetic strings, and a differently shaped body than the . The has four main strings while the has 6 both which are bowed. All strings are metal. The soundboard is a stretched piece of goatskin similar to what is found on a sarangi. Occasionally, the instrument has a gourd affixed to the top for balance or for tone enhancement.
There are two variants of played in ; the traditional variety, and the modern model developed by Ranadhir Roy. This version is longer, with a wider fingerboard, and with an additional, diminutive "jawari" bridge near the peghead for the three drone strings. The newer model has a larger body, which is perforated in back, plus it has an open-backed, removable "tumba" behind the peghead. An instrument maker of Kolkata, named Dulal Patra worked to develop the newer model of as per Roy's instructions.
Playing
The can be rested between the knees while the player kneels, or more commonly rested on the knee of the player while sitting, or also on the floor just in front of the player, with the neck leaning on the left shoulder. Only the players of keep the erect by resting it on their lap. It is played with a bow (known as a "gaz"), with the other hand moving along the strings over the frets. The player may slide the note up or down to achieve the portamento, or ''meend
In Hindustani music, meend (Hindi: मीण्ड, ur, ) refers to a glide from one note to another. It is an essential performance practice, and is used often in vocal and instrumental music. On the veena, sitar, sarangi and other plucked str ...
''. The can imitate the "gamak" of vocal music and by using the middle finger one can create "krintan". Roy used sitarbaz, sarodbaz and esrajbaz in his compositions.
Notable figures
*Asian Music Circle
The Asian Music Circle (sometimes abbreviated to AMC) was an organisation founded in London, England, in 1946, that promoted Indian and other Asian styles of music, dance and culture in the West. The AMC is credited with having facilitated the assi ...
, ''used in George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
's " Within You Without You"''
* Ranadhir Roy
* Buddhadev Das
*Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish
Shiv Dayal Batish (better known as S.D. Batish; 14 December 1914 – 29 July 2006) was an Indian singer and music director born in Patiala, India. He died in Santa Cruz, California, USA where he had lived since 1970.
Career
Shiv was a compose ...
*S. N. Bose
Satyendra Nath Bose (; 1 January 1894 – 4 February 1974) was a Bengali mathematician and physicist specializing in theoretical physics. He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics in the early 1920s, in developing the foundation for ...
* Kirpal Singh Panesar
* Arshad Khan
See also
*Taus (instrument)
The taus, originally known as the mayuri veena, is a bowed string instrument from North India. It is a form of veena used in North India with a peacock-shaped resonator called a ''mayuri'', and is played with the neck of the instrument on bow.
R ...
* Sarangi
*Sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...
References
External links
Ashesh Banerjee - Visva Bharati
An instrument of change
{{Authority control
Bowed string instruments
Drumhead lutes
Indian musical instruments
Sikh music
Necked bowl lutes
String instruments with sympathetic strings
Folk instruments of Punjab
Hindustani musical instruments