Appreciating Hindustani Music

A lecture course on the music

This 53-lecture NPTEL course is taught by Prof. Lakshmi Sreeram of IIT Madras and surveys Hindustani music as a tradition of raga. It moves from the broad picture of the music to concepts such as swara and shruti, the tanpura and the definition of raga.

Lecture themes

• The place of Hindustani music in the wider history of Indian music.
• Dhrupad, khayal and instrumental music viewed from above.
• Swara and shruti in the textual tradition, and the tanpura as the source of overtones.
• Raga features, the role of time in raga, and how strong and weak notes behave.

As a lecture series, it suits listeners who want concepts in depth more than practice exercises.