Music of South Asia

South Asian music comprises a range of prominent musical genres and styles that are unique to the countries in and around the Indian subcontinent. This subregion of Asia includes countries such as India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, with each region one possessing its own distinct musical traditions. South Asian styles of music reflect a diverse range of local customs, regional languages and historical traditions, that have shaped the musical practices which are still seen today. Throughout history, South Asian musicians have emulated religious and spiritual beliefs into their compositions, resulting in the creation of musical styles such as Qawwali, Ghazal and Hindustani classical music. The development of forms of mass media in the 1980s and 1990s contributed to a new type of South Asian musical culture, as the rise of cinema and television resulted in the popularity of genres such as Bollywood and Lollywood.

The foundations of South Asian classical music can be traced back to forms of Vedic literature, based on ancient Sanskrit scriptures and religious texts that were vital to Hinduism in India. The scriptures were significant in the creation of two broad categories of classical music in South Asia, Hindustani classical music and Carnatic classical music. Hindustani classical music is commonly listened to in areas such as Northern India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and includes some influences from Arabic and Persian music. On the other hand, Carnatic classical music is more popular in regions such as South India and Sri Lanka, and consists of ancient religious and spiritual hymns that take close inspiration from Vedic literature. This style of music developed mostly independent of Islamic and Persian influences and is regarded as being closer to the ancient roots of the Vedas.

Sufi poetry and literature based on Islamic principles gave rise to forms of Sufi music that are still prominent throughout Afghanistan, Pakistan and north India. Historically, some types of Sufi music were based on the practice of 'sama', which views the recitation of music as a form of spiritual ecstasy and a pathway to being closer to religion. Qawwali is one of the most prominent forms of Sufi music, and consists of rich poetry and melodious vocals that are commonly performed in languages such as Persian, Urdu and Hindi and Punjabi. In the past, Qawwalis were often performed in a shrine setting, with the singers and audiences seated in a circular or rectangular arrangement, and listeners responding to the devotional music with gifts of money or other ritual offerings. Following the 1970s and 1980s, Qawwali became well known as a concert genre, with artists such as the Sabri Brothers and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan gaining immense success and worldwide popularity.

South Asian classical music is generally based on two core principals: the raga and the tala. A raga refers to the melodic structure used by musicians to compose and perform a song. These melodies include certain notes, tones and rhythms that are put together by the musician to display emotions through their compositions. A tala, refers to the musical meter that is used in a song, or the beat used to measure time in music. Historically, the tala was often created through physical gestures such as hand clapping or beating the hand against a drum, or directly by using percussion instruments.