The music of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

consists various

genres Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

and modern music, drawing its artistic basis from the

history of Assam File:Major kingdoms of Assam.png, upright=1.3, Major kingdoms of Assam rect 50 50 650 120 Kamarupa Kingdom rect 45 240 160 310 Kamata Kingdom rect 165 240 300 310 Bhuyan chieftains rect 305 240 415 310 Ahom Kingdom rect 425 240 540 310 Chut ...

, from

Assamese culture The culture of Assam is traditionally a hybrid one, developed due to cultural assimilation of different ethno-cultural groups under various political-economic systems in different periods of its history. Historical perspective The roots ...

and its ancient traditions. In recent times, starting from the late eighties, popular artistes have modernized the music catering to local popular demand. A basic characteristic of the indigenous ethnic music of Assam is its descending scale similar to East Asian music which distinguishes it from the '' Mode-based'' or folk music ''( Raaga-based)'' forms from the rest of India. The tunes are structured in a pyramid and are in always in

pentatonic scale A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale). Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancien ...

similar to other traditional music of Asia like China, Mongolia etc and dissimilar from the seven-scaled Indian music, (in contrast to the music of rest of India which is ''

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 ...

'' based), such as the ''

Bihu Bihu is a set of three important Assamese festivals in the Indian state of Assam – 'Rongali' or 'Bohag Bihu' observed in April, 'Kongali' or 'Kati Bihu' observed in October, and 'Bhogali' or 'Magh Bihu' observed in January. The Rongali Bihu i ...

'' songs, (common in South-East Asia and East Asia) besides languorous music of other forms. The legend of ''Princess Usha of

Sonitpur Sonitpur district ron: ˌsə(ʊ)nɪtˈpʊə or ˌʃə(ʊ)nɪtˈpʊəis an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters is located at Tezpur. Etymology The name of the is derived from a mythological story fo ...

'' and her cohort '' Chitralekha'' also enlighten us on the musical expertise of the Assamese women. The connoisseurs however, have divided the classical Assamese music into two parts – ''

Borgeet Borgeets ( as, বৰগীত, lit=songs celestial, translit=Borgeet) are a collection of lyrical songs that are set to specific ragas but not necessarily to any tala. These songs, composed by Srimanta Sankardeva and Madhavdeva in the 15th- ...

'' and ''

Ojapali Ojapali is a traditional shamanistic type of indigenous folk dance from Assam in the northeastern region of India. Ojapali is believed to have evolved from Kathakata tradition and is performed in a group; it is believed to be one of the oldest ...

''. The composers of ''

''s, ''

Sankardev Srimanta Sankardev( শ্ৰীমন্ত শংকৰদেৱ )(; ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of im ...

'' and his disciple ''

Madhavdev Madhavdev (1489–1596) (Pron: ˈʃrɪ ˈʃrɪ ˈmɑ:dəbˌdeɪv) is an important preceptor of the Ekasarana Dharma known for his loyalty to his guru, Srimanta Sankardev as well as his artistic brilliance. Initially a sakta worshipper, he was ...

'' added versatility to Assamese music.

Musical genres

Devotional

Vivek Vivek (or Bibek/Bivek in some regions) (विवेक in Devanagari script) is a masculine given name that is popular in South Asia, particularly in India and Nepal. It is of Sanskrit origin and means "wisdom" and/or "conscience". Vivek may refe ...

Dihanaam Dihanaam is a type of congregational prayer sung by women in Assam in praise of the Assamese saint Sankardev. Instruments like the '' Negera'', '' taal'', ''khol The khol is a terracotta two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India f ...

* Harinaam

Indigenous Traditional Folk

Bhawaiya Bhawaiya is a musical form or a popular folk music that originated in Northern Bengal, especially the Rangpur Division in Bangladesh, Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, India, and the Undivided Goalpara district of Assam, India. It has recu ...

Musical instruments

*''Bahi'' *''Sifung'' *''Bihu or Uja Dhul'' *''Tukari'' *''

Dotara The ''dotara'' (or ''dotar'') Persian ( bn, দোতারা, as, দোতাৰা, literally, 'Of or having two strings') is a two, four, or sometimes five- stringed musical instrument, originating from Iran and Central Asia. It is comm ...

'' *''

Gogona The ''gogona'' is a type of jaw harp, a vibrating reed instrument that is used primarily in the traditional Bihu music in Assam. In Boro language, it is known as ''Gongina''. It is made of a piece of bamboo/ horn that has a bifurcation on one end. ...

'' *''

Khol The khol is a terracotta two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India for accompaniment with devotional music (''bhakti''). It is also known as a mridanga (<

Mridongo'' *'' Nagara'' *''

Pepa Performance Evaluation Process Algebra (PEPA) is a stochastic process algebra designed for modelling computer and communication systems introduced by Jane Hillston in the 1990s. The language extends classical process algebras such as Milner's ...

'' *'' Taal'' *''

Xutuli Xutuli is a musical instrument used during the Rongali Bihu festival in Assam, India. It can either be made from clay or the lower end of a bamboo tree which is left after the main part falls or is cut off. Description The instrument is shaped ...

'' *''Doba'' *''Xinga'' *''Bor Tal'' *''Bin'' *''Paat'' *''Toka'' *''Kham'' *''Kham'' *''Muri'' *''Pati Dhul'' *''Joi Dhul'' *''Bor Dhul'' *''Dhepa Dhul'' *''Kahlia'' *''Toka'' *''Xinga'' *''Bortaal'' *''Huluxi'' *''Hutuli''etc other indigenous musical instruments

Early contributors to Assamese music

Ambikagiri Raichoudhury Ambikagiri Raichoudhury (1885–1967) was an Assamese poet, lyricist, singer, powerful prose writer, news worker, magazine editor, patriotic, social-worker and the leading freedom fighter of India's freedom struggle. He is known as Assam Kesari ...

* Anima Choudhury *

Bishnuprasad Rabha Bishnu Prasad Rabha was an cultural figure from Assam, known for his contributions in the fields of music, dance, painting, literature as well as political activism. As an advocate of people's cultural movement, he drew heavily from different ...

Bhupen Hazarika Bhupen Hazarika () (8 September 1926 – 5 November 2011) was an Indian playback singer, lyricist, musician, poet, actor, filmmaker and politician from Assam, widely known as ''Sudha Kontho'' (meaning cuckoo, literally "nectar-throated"). His ...

Dipali Barthakur Dipali Barthakur (30 January 1941 – 21 December 2018) was an Indian singer from Assam. Her songs were sung mainly in the Assamese language. She received the fourth-highest civilian award of India, the Padma Shri, in the year 1998. Early life ...

Jayanta Hazarika Jayanta Hazarika (20 September 1943 – 15 October 1977) was an Indian singer and composer associated with Assamese music. He wrote lyrics for a few songs and composed music for several movies. He was the younger brother of Bhupen Hazarika. Pop ...

Jyoti Prasad Agarwala Jyoti Prasad Agarwala (2 July 1903 – 17 January 1951) was a noted Indian playwright, songwriter, poet, writer and film maker from Assam. He was considered as Assamese cultural icon, deeply revered for his creative vision and output and is pop ...

Khagen Mahanta Khagen Mahanta was a singer and composer of folk and traditional music of Assam. Khagen Mahanta was a notable person in Assamese folk music and known as the "King of Bihu". His Bihu songs, Borgeet and other folk songs remain popular in Assam. T ...

Madhavdeva Madhavdev (1489–1596) (Pron: ˈʃrɪ ˈʃrɪ ˈmɑ:dəbˌdeɪv) is an important preceptor of the Ekasarana Dharma known for his loyalty to his guru, Srimanta Sankardev as well as his artistic brilliance. Initially a sakta worshipper, he wa ...

Parvati Prasad Baruva Parvati Prasad Baruva (1904–1964) was a noted poet, lyricist, and dramatist: an icon of Assamese literature and the culture of Assam. Known for his simple and sensitive use of the Assamese language, he is popularly known as the ''Geetikavi''; ...

* Patina Baruah *

Rameshwar Pathak Rameshwar Pathak (1 March 1938 – 3 December 2010) was an acclaimed Kamrupi Lokgeet singer from Kamrup, Assam, India. He also worked as a teacher in Arya Vidyapeeth Higher Secondary and Multipurpose School, Guwahati from 1963 to 1996. Early ...

* Moghai Oja * Tarulota Bori Mili

Other notable composers, musicians and singers

Angaraag Mahanta Angaraag Mahanta (born 24 November 1975), known by his stagename Papon, is an Indian playback singer, composer and record producer from Assam. Papon has also sung in many languages apart from Assamese like Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Marathi. H ...

* Anurag Saikia * Axl Hazarika * Beauty Sharma Barua *

Dhrubajyoti Phukan Dhrubajyoti Phukan ( as, ধ্ৰুৱজ্যোতি ফুকন) is a National Film Award winning musician who has worked as a Music Producer, Music Arranger and Music Programmer in Hindi Films. Widely known as DJ Phukan, he has also wo ...

Dipak Sarma Dipak Sarma is a flutist from the Assam state of India. Works Music director *''Jonky Panoi'' *''Jatinga Ityadi ''Jatinga Ityadi'' is an Assamese language film directed by Sanjib Sabhapandit. The film was screened in the International Film Fe ...

Jim Ankan Deka Jim Ankan Deka (born 1 June 1980) is an Indian musician, documentary film maker, photographer and director of Bangalore based organisation and music school Eastern Fare Music Foundation. He is the first person from Assam to open a music instit ...

Jitul Sonowal Jitul Sonowal ( as, জিতুল সোণোৱাল; born in Dibrugarh Assam) is an Indian singer, music director, composer, lyricist and entertainer in the field of Assamese modern song and music since 1988. He filtered the Assamese so ...

Joi Barua Joi Barua ( as, জয় বৰুৱা) is an Indian singer and music composer. Born in Digboi, Assam, he started his career by singing advertising jingles and later did playback singing for Hindi, Assamese and Telugu films. He is also the l ...

Kalpana Patowary Kalpana Patowary is an Indian playback and folk singer from Assam. She sings in 30 languages and has many folk and popular songs to her credit, while Bhojpuri music has been her most dedicated foray. In his book, Cinema Bhojpuri, Avijit Ghosh l ...

Mayukh Hazarika Mayukh Hazarika (; born 13 January 1971) is an Indian playback singer and music director from Assam. He is the frontman of Delhi based band ''Mayukh Hazarika and the Brahmaputra Balladeers''. He is the son of legendary Assamese musician duo Jay ...

* Nirmalendu Choudhury *

Queen Hazarika Queen Hazarika (born 16 October 1976) is an Indian playback singer and actress from Assam. She has sung for Assamese films like ''Hiya Diya Niya'' ''Garam Botaah'', ''Mon'', ''Suren Suror Putek'' and ''Sneh Bandhan''. She is the recipient of Rot ...

Rudra Baruah Luit Konwar Rudra Baruah was one of the foremost music pioneers of Assam. He was an actor, composer, lyricist, singer and musician. He served with Govt. of Assam in the Public Relations Department (since renamed as Directorate of Information and ...

Tarali Sarma Tarali Sarma ( Assamese: তৰালি শৰ্মা) is an Indian singer from Assam, who won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer in the year 2003 for the Assamese film '' Akashitorar Kothare''. Her father was Prabhat S ...

Zubeen Garg Zubeen Garg (born Zubeen Borthakur; 18 November 1972) is an Indian singer, music director, composer, lyricist, music producer, actor, film director, film producer, script writer and philanthropist. He primarily works for and sings in the Assa ...

References

{{Reflist * Phukan, Mitra (2003) ''Musical Identity and being an Assamese''
October 2003

Assam Portal
Music of Assam,