Gujarat Music

The Gujarat is very famous for its musical heritage with genres including Gujarati folk songs, Gujarati devotional songs and Gujarati classical music. The state houses talented musicians and original melodic forms, and has made invention of many musical instruments. The folk instruments of Gujarat are similar to those found in various parts of Asia and beyond, and vary only in design, name, and its playing technique. The Gujarat Music is popular not in in Gujarat but also all over in India. There are also a growing number of independent pop artists in Gujarat who release songs with Gujarat music videos that shows Culture of Gujarat.

The Folk Music of Gujarat, Gujarati folk songs comprise spiritual melodies, lullaby songs, marriage songs and funeral songs. The Marsiyo, for example, is a mournful chant particular to Shia Muslim funerals. The Bardic communities such as Gadhvi and Charan sing about the courageous accomplishment of kings, warriors and their courageous womenfolk, still perform their ancestral music. The Gujarat tribal groups have their own music to escort their dances. The tribal Folk Music of Gujarat is very fascinating.

The Vaishnav tradition has a form of religious music called Haveli Sangeet. The well-known Gujarat devotional music categories include bhajans and kirtans. Many saint-poets of the medieval period in Gujarat were also skilled musicians. One of the famous saint-poets is Narsinh Mehta, who composed "Vaishnav Jana To", which is one of Gujarati's most favorite Gujarat Devotional Music. He also made the prabhatiyun, a morning hymm, generally invoking Lord Krishna. Another famous poet is the Rajput princess Mirabai, whose songs brings the same religious emotion with which she composed them.

Nowadays only few Gujaratis are represented in Indian classical music, Gujarat has made outstanding contributions over past centuries. Some of the wonderful ragas made in Gujarat are named after the regions or personalities behind their origins. Many famous musicians are from Gujarat. Nayak Baiju was from Champaner. According to legend, he won against Tansen in a musical contest and received the reputation of a great musician. In recent times, a notable vocalist of Gujarati origin was Omkarnath Thakur, one of the best voices of 20th century Indian classical music. According to an interesting story, he cured Mussolini of insomnia with his singing. Omkarnath was outstanding as a performer, a teacher and a theorist. After the eclipse of the Mughals in the mid of the 19th century, sponsorship came into the hands of princely states spread across India. Some of the best Indian musicians were designated to major and minor courts in Gujarat. The well-known musician among these is Faiyaz Khan, who was a court musician at Baroda during Sayajirao's reign. One of the best musicians in India today, Pandit Jasraj, spent his developmental years in the tiny princely state of Sanand. The prince of the Sanand himself was a skilled musician and musicologist. The Gujarat Classical Music is among the fascinating Indian classical music. The Gujarat Ghazal shows are the best places to witness Gujarati Ghazal.

A ghazal is a sequence of shers (couplets). Each couplet (sher) is a complete poetic idea in itself and the sequence forms a larger combined poem. Ghazals often twist religious themes into non-religious, often erotic, metaphors. They mostly express beauty, unrequited love, disloyalty, death, etc. The ghazal's overall mood is one of the submissions to destiny. Originally a declaim form, ghazals are now generally sung, however, in a genuine rendering and the poetry dominates the music. The Ghazal shows are generally interactive. The performer seeks the listener's participation with its content. A discriminating audience responds to the completion of each couplet with expressions of admiration and dramatic hand wave. Originating from Arab and Persian Sufi traditions, the ghazal came to India somewhere in the 12th century AD and the first ghazal developed in the Urdu language. People also began to compose ghazals in various Indian languages such as Gujarati. There is countless Gujarati Ghazal. The Gujarat Ghazal shows are the best places to witness Gujarati Ghazal.