Khyal: Music & Imagination

Explore two beautiful performances of North Indian classical music and learn about its form, style, and technique. This app features video recordings of two complete concert performances of khyal, the most popular vocal form in this tradition, by Sudokshina Chatterjee (Raga Miyan ki Malhar) and Atul Khandekar (Raga Shyam Kalyan). Moving your finger over four mixer sliders, or on the video window itself, allows you to hear the different sound elements (voice, tabla, harmonium and tanpura) in your preferred mix. This is a unique chance to hear the singing voice alone, for instance, or to experience the difference made by the tabla, harmonium or tanpura when added in. Key points in each performance are marked as selectable ‘clips’: selecting a clip moves you to a particular point in the performance and opens up information about the techniques the musicians are using at that specific moment. Taken as a whole this gives you an overview of the musical form. The app is designed as a flexible educational tool for those getting to know khyal, as well as for the enjoyment of Indian music lovers everywhere.

Videos:
Raga Shyam Kalyan
Atul Khandekar (vocal) with Milind Pote (tabla) and Sanjay Gogte (harmonium).
Alap, Bara khyal: ‘Param dhan Radhe’ (vilambit ektal), Chota khyal: ‘Sajani Shyama’ (teental), Tarana: ‘Tare dani dim’ (teental)
Filmed at the Gayan Samaj Deval Club, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, 2nd March 2010.

Raga Miyan ki Malhar
Sudokshina Chatterjee (vocal) with Gurdain Rayatt (tabla) and Kaviraj Singh (harmonium).
Alap, Bara khyal: ‘Aaye umara ghumara’ (vilambit ektal), chota khyal: ‘Bolere papiha’ (teental)
Filmed in the Chapel of St Chad’s College, Durham, England, on 2nd March 2016.

Created by Professor Martin Clayton, Dr Laura Leante and Dr Simone Tarsitani of Durham University, in collaboration with Komodo Digital. The Khyal app was developed as part of the Khyal: Music and Imagination project, funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Recording sessions were supported by the AHRC, St Chad’s College, Durham, and GemArts, and edited at Durham University’s Audiovisual Documentation and Analysis Laboratory.

Language: English

Compatibility: iPad Air and iPad Air 2