Veena
Saraswati Veena | |
String instrument | |
---|---|
Other names | Vina[1] |
Classification |
Sarasvati veena.[2] |
Related instruments | |
Chitra veena, Harp-style veena, Mohan veena, Rudra veena, Saraswati veena, Vichitra veena, Sarod, Sitar, Surbahar, Sursingar, Tambouras, Tambura , |
The veena, also spelled vina (
The North Indian rudra veena, used in
The South Indian Saraswati veena, used in
As a fretted, plucked lute, the veena can produce pitches in a full three-octave range.
Etymology and history
- See: Ancient veena :See: History of lute-family instruments
The
A person who plays a veena is called a vainika.[15]
The Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni, the oldest surviving ancient Hindu text on classical music and performance arts, discusses the veena.[16] This Sanskrit text, probably complete between 200 BCE and 200 CE,[17] begins its discussion by stating that "the human throat is a sareer veena, or a body's musical string instrument" when it is perfected, and that the source of gandharva music is such a throat, a string instrument and flute.[16] The same metaphor of human voice organ being a form of veena, is also found in more ancient texts of Hinduism, such as in verse 3.2.5 of the Aitareya Aranyaka, verse 8.9 of the Shankhayana Aranyaka and others.[10][14][18] The ancient epic Mahabharata describes the sage Narada as a Vedic sage famed as a "vina player".[19]
The Natya Shastra describes a seven-string instrument and other string instruments in 35 verses,
The early Gupta veena: depiction and playing technique
One of the early veenas used in India from early times until the
Construction
At a first glance, the difference between the North and South Indian design is the presence of two resonant gourds in the North, while in the South, instead of the lower gourd there is a pear-shaped wooden body attached. However, there are other differences, and many similarities.[1] Modern designs use fiberglass or other materials instead of hollowed jackwood and gourds.[24] The construction is personalized to the musician's body proportions so that she can hold and play it comfortably. It ranges from about 3.5 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 meters). The body is made of special wood and is hollow. Both designs have four melody strings, three drone strings and twenty-four frets.[1][3][5] The instrument's end is generally tastefully shaped such as a swan and the external surfaces colorfully decorated with traditional Indian designs.[24]
The melody strings are tuned in c' g c G (the tonic, the fifth, the octave and the fourth[25]), from which sarani (chanterelle) is frequently used.[7] The drone strings are tuned in c" g' c' (the double octave, the tonic and the octave[25]). The drones are typically used to create rhythmic tanams of Indian classical music and to express harmony with clapped tala of the piece.[7]
The main string is called Nāyakī Tār (नायकी तार), and in the Sarasvati veena it is on the onlooked's left side.[26] The instrument is played with three fingers of the right (dominant) hand, struck inwards or outwards with a bent-wire plectrum (a "mizrab"). The index and second fingers strike inwards on the melody string, alternating between notes, and the little finger strikes outward on the sympathetic strings.
The bola alphabets struck in the North Indian veena are da, ga, ra on the main strings, and many others by a combination of fingers and other strings.[27][28] The veena settings and tuning may be fixed or adjusted by loosening the pegs, to perform Dhruva from fixed and Cala with loosened pegs such that the second string and first string coincide.[29]
One of the earliest description of the terminology currently used for veena construction, modification and operation appears in Sangita Cudamani by Govinda.[30]
Types
Being a generic name for any string instrument, there are numerous types of veena.[31] Some significant ones are:
- Rudra veena is a fretted veena, with two large equal size tumba (resonators) below a stick zither.[32] This instrument is played by laying it slanting with one gourd on a knee and other above the shoulder.[25][33] The mythology states that this instrument was created by god Shiva[32] It may be a post-6th century medieval era invention.[33] According to Alain Daniélou, this instrument is more ancient, and its older known versions from 6th to 10th century had just one resonator with the seven strings made from different metals.[25]
- Saraswati veena is another fretted veena, and one highly revered in Indian traditions, particularly Hinduism. This is often pictured, shown as two resonators of different size. Previously known as Raghunatha veena, during the period of King Raghunatha Nayaka. This is played by holding it at about a 45 degree angle across one's body, and the smaller gourd over the musician's left thigh. This instrument is related to an ancient instrument of South India, around the region now called Kerala, where the ancient version is called Nanthuni or Nanduruni.[34]
- Vichitra veena and Chitra veena or gottuvadhyam do not have frets. It sounds close to humming human singer. The Vichitra veena is played with a piece of ovoid or round glass, which is used to stop the strings to create delicate musical ornaments and slides during a performance.[32]
- Surbahar the base tuned version of the Sitar, created due to the fact that Sitar players wanted to play a base tune like that of the Saraswati veena.
- Eka-tantri vina. It had one half-gourd resonator, which was pressed into the player's chest while plucking the string.
- Bobbili Veena, a specialized Saraswati veena, carved from a single piece of wood. Named for Bobbili in Andhra Pradesh, where the instrument originated.
- Chitra veena, a modern 21-string fretless lute, also called Gottuvadhyam or Kotuvadya.
- arched harp, mainstream from ancient times until about the 5th century CE.
- Kachapi veena, now called Kachua sitar, built with a wooden model of a turtle or tortoise as a resonator.[35]
- Ālāpiṇī vīṇā.
- Historical. A bowed Veena, resembling the rudra veena. The notes were picked by moving a stick or coconut shell along the string.
- Pulluva veena, used by the Pulluvan tribe of Kerala in religious ceremonies and Pulluvan pāttu.
- Mohan veena, A modified sarod, created by sarod player Radhika Mohan Maitra in the 1940s. Made out of a modified Hawaiian guitar and a sarod.
- as a resonator, decorated with genuine peacock feathers.
- Mukha veena, A blowing instrument.
- Naga veena, An instrument with the carving of a snake for decoration.
- Nagula veena, An instrument with no resonator.
- Shatatantri veena (Santoor),
- Gayatri veena (with one string only)
- Saptatantri veena
- Ranjan veena
- Sagar veena, a Pakistani instrument, created in 1970 by prominent Pakistani lawyer Raza Kazim.
- Saradiya veena, now called Sarod.[41]
- Thanjavur veena, a specialized Saraswati veena, carved from a single piece of wood. Named for Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, where the instrument originated.
- Triveni veena
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Vina: Musical Instrument, Encyclopædia Britannica (2010)
- ^ a b c Alastair Dick; Gordon Geekie; Richard Widdess (1984). "Vina, section 4 Medieval stick zithers". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. pp. 729–730. Volume 3.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7872-7154-1.
- ISBN 978-3-319-07692-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7546-0379-5.
- ^ a b Lochtefeld 2002, pp. 753–754.
- ^ a b c d Randel 2003, pp. 819–820.
- ^ Subramanian Swaminathan. "Paintings". saigan.com.
Kinnara playing Kachchapa Vina, Padmapani Panel, Cave 1
- ^ a b Monier Monier-Williams, वीणा, Sanskrit-English Dictionary with Etymology, Oxford University Press, page 1005
- ^ a b Rowell 2015, pp. 33, 86–87, 115–116.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-208-1493-6.
- ISBN 978-81-291-0425-0.
- ^ Te Nijenhuis 1974, pp. 17–22.
- ^ a b Beck 1993, pp. 108–112.
- ^ Gabe Hiemstra (22 February 2019). "Vainika, Vaiṇika: 6 definitions". Wisdom Library (wisdom lib.org).
Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary...Vaiṇika (वैणिक).—i. e. vīṇā + ika, m. A lutist.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-317-27886-3.
- ^ Lidova 2014.
- ISBN 978-81-208-1402-8.
- ^ Dalal 2014, pp. 272–273.
- ^ Rowell 2015, pp. 114–116.
- ^ Rowell 2015, pp. 98–104.
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-15814-6.
- ^ ""The Coin Galleries: Gupta: Samudragupta"".
- ^ a b Nettl et al. 1998, pp. 352–355.
- ^ a b c d Rudra Veena, Alain Danielou, Smithsonian Folkways and UNESCO (1987)
- ^ Caudhurī 2000, p. 79.
- ^ Caudhurī 2000, pp. 26–27.
- ^ Rowell 2015, pp. 153–164.
- ^ Caudhurī 2000, pp. 111–113.
- ^ Gautam 1993, p. 9.
- ^ Martinez 2001, pp. 127–128.
- ^ a b c Sorrell & Narayan 1980, pp. 48–49.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-291-0425-0.
- ISBN 978-81-291-0425-0.
- ^ a b Caudhurī 2000, p. 179.
- ^ Caudhurī 2000, p. 65.
- ^ Caudhurī 2000, p. 66.
- ^ Caudhurī 2000, p. 177.
- ^ Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1984). "Mattakokilā". The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. p. 623. Volume 2.
- ^ Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1984). "Surmandal". The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. p. 477. Volume 3.
in...Sangītaratnākara, a chordophone with 21 strings...is mentioned...does not make it clear whether this was a board zither or even whether the author had actually seen one...may have been a...harp-vīnā...
- ^ Caudhurī 2000, p. 176.
Bibliography
- Beck, Guy (1993). Sonic Theology: Hinduism and Sacred Sound. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-87249-855-6.
- Caudhurī, Vimalakānta Rôya (2000). The Dictionary of Hindustani Classical Music. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1708-1.
- Dalal, Roshen (2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- OCLC 851080.
- Gautam, M.R. (1993). Evolution of Raga and Tala in Indian Music. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN 81-215-0442-2.
- OCLC 11369.
- Lal, Ananda (2004). The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-564446-3.
- Lidova, Natalia (2014). Natyashastra. Oxford University Press. .
- Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, 2 Volume Set. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8239-2287-1.
- Martinez, José Luiz (2001). Semiosis in Hindustani Music. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1801-9.
- Nettl, Bruno; Ruth M. Stone; James Porter; Timothy Rice (1998), The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-8240-4946-1
- Randel, Don Michael (2003). The Harvard Dictionary of Music (fourth ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01163-2.
- Rowell, Lewis (2015). Music and Musical Thought in Early India. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-73034-9.
- Sorrell, Neil; Narayan, Ram (1980). Indian Music in Performance: A Practical Introduction. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-0756-9.
- ISBN 90-04-03978-3.
- Vatsyayan, Kapila (1977). Classical Indian dance in literature and the arts. Sangeet Natak Akademi. OCLC 233639306., Table of Contents
- Vatsyayan, Kapila (2008). Aesthetic theories and forms in Indian tradition. Munshiram Manoharlal. OCLC 286469807.
- Wilke, Annette; Moebus, Oliver (2011). Sound and Communication: An Aesthetic Cultural History of Sanskrit Hinduism. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-024003-0.
External links
Media related to Veenas at Wikimedia Commons
- Rudra Veena, Vichitra Veena, Sarod and Shahnai, Alain Danielou, Smithsonian Folkways and UNESCO
- Music of India Ensemble: Veena, Department of Ethnomusicology, UCLA