The ''vichitra veena'' ( sa, विचित्र वीणा) is a
stick zither
Bar zither is class of musical instruments (subset of zither) within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system for a type of simple chordophone (stringed instrument), in which the body of the instrument is shaped like a bar.
In the system, bar ...
, a
plucked string instrument used in
Hindustani 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 ...
. Similar to the
Carnatic ''
gottuvadhyam
The chitravina ( sa, चित्रवीणा) (also known as chitra veena, chitraveena, chitra vina, hanumad vina, or mahanataka vina) is a 20 or 21-string fretless lute-style veena in Carnatic music. Around the late 19th and early 20th ce ...
'' (chitra vina) it has no
frets and is played with a slide.
The structure
The Vichitra Veena is the modern form of ancient
Ekatantri Veena.
It is made of a broad, fretless, horizontal arm or crossbar (''dand'') around three feet long and six inches wide, with two large resonating gourds (''tumba''), which are inlaid with ivory and attached underneath at either end. The narrow ends of the instrument are fashioned into
peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...
heads, the national bird of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
The strings
There are four main playing strings and five secondary strings (''chikaris''), which are played openly with the little finger for a drone effect. Underneath them are 13 sympathetic strings tuned to the notes of the appropriate raag. The veena has a five-octave range. Two
plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harps ...
s (''
mizrab'') identical to those used for
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 ...
are worn on the middle and index fingers of the right hand to pluck the strings, and a glass ball (''batta'') is moved with the left across the main strings to create melody (there can be a distance of up to two inches between notes). Coconut oil is put on the strings to minimize the friction of the sliding hand holding the batta.
The veena was often used to accompany the
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 In ...
style of singing and this did not allow for much intricacy or embellishment around the notes. It was rescued from oblivion by
Lalmani Misra
Lalmani Misra (11 August 1924 – 17 July 1979) was an Indian classical musician.
Initiation into music
Lalmani learnt ''Dhruvapada (Dhrupad) Dhamar'' in the tradition of Shankar Bhatt and Munshi Bhrigunath Lal. He learnt ''Khayal'' singing w ...
who developed technique of playing and created Misrabani compositions; his son
Gopal Shankar Misra made the repertoire universal.
Artists
*
Gopal Krishan
Pandit Gopal Krishan Sharma (1926-2004) was an exponent of Vichitra Veena, an ancient Indian musical instrument.
Early life and Musical Training
Gopal Krishan was given initial music lessons by his father, Pandit Nand Kishore, who was himself ...
, (1926 - 2004) disciple of Nand Kishore Sharma. A deep understanding of the raga and a depth presentation by weaving of various intricate musical patterns and its rhythmic synchronisation is his speciality. He specialised in a technique called "
Jhala
Jhala (Hindi: झाला, ) is a term in Hindustani classical music which denotes the fast-paced conclusions of classical compositions or raga
A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisatio ...
" (very difficult to play on this instrument),which gives a climactic effect to the performance for the grand finale.
*
Lalmani Misra
Lalmani Misra (11 August 1924 – 17 July 1979) was an Indian classical musician.
Initiation into music
Lalmani learnt ''Dhruvapada (Dhrupad) Dhamar'' in the tradition of Shankar Bhatt and Munshi Bhrigunath Lal. He learnt ''Khayal'' singing w ...
, (1924 - 1979) A perfectionist, he modified the instrument for better quality of renditions of Khayals and Thumris. He even played Dadras on the Veena. He created numerous Ragas,
Madhukali being the most famous. He was inspired by Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan.
*
Gopal Shankar Misra, (1957 - 1999) Son and student of Lalmani Mishra.
*
Ragini Trivedi
Ragini Trivedi (born 22 March 1960) is an Indian classical musician performing on vichitra veena, sitar and jal tarang. Daughter of the vichitra veena player and musicologist Lalmani Misra, she is an exponent of Misrabani and is the creator of ...
(b. 1960)
*
Brahm Sarup Singh
Brahm Sarup Singh (18 August 1940 – 19 January 1998) was a player of vichitra veena born in the city of Amritsar, India to the Late Shri Harnam Singh who was a disciple of Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan.
At an early age Brahm Sarup Singh was trained ...
, (1940 - 1998) was a renowned player of vichitra veena. In his early age Brahm Sarup Singh was trained by his father Shri Harnam Singh in music. He had participated in several music conferences in the North and his Vichitra Veena recital has been broadcasting from
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All ...
,
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...
since 1958.
*
Anurag Singh (b. 1966) is a renowned player of vichitra veena. He was born in the city of
Amritsar,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
to the Late Shri
Brahm Sarup Singh
Brahm Sarup Singh (18 August 1940 – 19 January 1998) was a player of vichitra veena born in the city of Amritsar, India to the Late Shri Harnam Singh who was a disciple of Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan.
At an early age Brahm Sarup Singh was trained ...
. He has given numerous public concerts at
Hissar,
Kurukshetra,
Yamunanagar
Yamunanagar (), is a city and a municipal corporation in Yamunanagar district in the Indian state of Haryana. This town is known for the cluster of plywood units and paper industries. It provides timber to larger industries. The older town is ...
,
Ambala
Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala has two sub-are ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
,
Panchkula
Panchkula (PKL) is a planned city and district headquarter in the Panchkula district, part of the Ambala division in Haryana, India. The origin of the name Panchkula came from the place where five irrigation canals meet. Panchkula establis ...
,
Gurgaon
Gurgaon (pronunciation: ʊɽɡãːw, officially named Gurugram (pronunciation: ʊɾʊɡɾaːm, is a city located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest of the nationa ...
,
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
,
Jamshedpur and
Patna
Patna (
), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
.
*
Radhika Veena Sadhika, known as world's first woman vichitra veena player.
References
External links
Vichitra vina pageOnline Music EducationArticles on Vichitra Veena
Vichitra Veena audio & video archives
Music on Veena - Raga SameshwariLessons on Vichitra Veena - Raga Yaman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vichitra Veena
Hindustani musical instruments
String instruments