Thumri () is a vocal

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

or style of

Indian music Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian music encompasses numerous genres in multiple varieties and forms which include classical music, folk, rock, and pop. It has a history spanning several millennia and developed over several ...

. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dramatic gestures, mild eroticism, evocative love poetry and folk songs, especially from

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, though there are regional variations. The text is romantic or devotional in nature, the lyrics are usually in Awadhi and Brij Bhasha. Thumree is characterized by its sensuality, and by a greater flexibility with the ''

raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...

''. ''Thumri'' is also used as a generic name for some other, even lighter, forms such as Dadra, Hori, Kajari, Sawani, Jhoola, and Chaiti, even though each of them has their own structure and content — either lyrical or musical or both—and so the exposition of these forms vary. Like Indian classical music itself, some of these forms have their origin in folk literature and music. Thumari being a popular form of Indian light classical music, characterized by tenderness and themes of love, separation, or union. It is distinct from folk music and the more masculine

dhrupad Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music (for example in the Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampradaya), and is als ...

and khayal styles. One theory attributes its origin to the court of Wajid Ali Shah of Oudh. However, this causal explanation overlooks the continuous evolution of Indian classical music. Thumari's development is best understood within the broader context of India's musical traditions. Thumari is considered an evolution of ''dhruvas'' mentioned in Bharata's '' Natyasastra''. Specifically, it is linked to the ''prasadiki'' or ''prasadini dhruva'', associated with '' shringara rasa'' and characterized by colorful delight (''rangaraga'') and happiness (''prasada''). Bharata recommends '' madhyalaya'' (medium tempo) for this type of ''dhruva.''

Key Characteristics

# Strong emphasis on poetic content. # Themes primarily focused on '' shringara rasa'' (romantic love), sometimes with dual spiritual and mundane meanings. # Lyrical form due to the limited range of ''

ragas A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, from the perspec ...

'' and extensive elaboration. # Emphasis on diversity rather than unity in melodic patterns. # Requires a specialized vocal quality. # Historically associated with the

Kathak ''Kathak'' is one of the eight major forms of Classical Indian dance, Indian classical dance. Its origin is attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern India known as ''Kathakar'' ("storyteller"), who communicated stories from the ...

dance style, which initially led to a lower social status for its performers. # Distinct ''talas'' (rhythmic cycles). # Embellishments are primarily tonal-verbal, unlike the purely tonal embellishments of orthodox

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

Structure

As in khayal, thumri has two parts, the ''sthayi'' and the ''antara.'' It favours ''tala-s'' such as ''Deepchandi'', ''Roopak'', ''Addha,'' and ''Punjabi.'' These ''tala-s'' are characterized by a special lilt, nearly absent in the ''tala-s'' used in ''khayal''. ''Thumri'' compositions are mostly in ''

-s'' such as ''Kafi'', ''Khamaj'', ''Jogiya'', ''Bhairavi'', ''Pilu'' and ''Pahadi.'' A common feature of these and other such ''raga-s'' is the free movement they allow the artist, since they do not depend for their identity on rigidly formulated tonal sequences, irrespective of the compositions involved. In fact, one may say that they have a built-in provision for mixing ''raga-s'' or for moving out of the ''raga'' actually presented in order to add colour to the proceedings.

Origins

The origins of Thumri can be traced back to the time of

Jayadeva Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem ''Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the ''gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which presen ...

Ramanuja Ramanuja ('; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; 1077 – 1157), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavi ...

, and Ramanand. It reached its peak popularity during the era of Shri Chaitanya (circa 16th century AD), whose Nagar Kirtan (Hare Krishna Hare Rama) stirred the masses into emotional ecstasies. The evolution of Thumri was inspired by the

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

sect, especially the devotion to Krishna, which expressed divine love. Later, the philosophies of Vaishnavism and Sufism played a key role in shaping both Thumri and Kathak. The Thumri style of singing primarily developed from festival and seasonal folk songs such as Holi, Chaiti, Sawan, Kajri, and Dadra, originating from eastern Uttar Pradesh. A mention of Thumri is found in the 19th century, with a link to the classical dance form

. This was the ''bandish ki thumri'' or ''bol-baant'' and it found great patronage and evolved mostly in

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

in the court of nawab Wajid Ali Shah. At that time, it was a song sung by tawaifs or courtesans. According to historical records, a new version of thumri arose in the late 19th century, which was independent of dance, and much more slow-paced. This form was called ''bol-banav'' and it evolved in

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

Thumri and khayal

Unlike the khayal, which pays meticulous attention to unfolding a raga, thumri restricts itself to expressing the countless hues of shringar by combining melody and words. The contours of a khayal are most definitely broader and fluid. Thus, a khayal singer is capable of encompassing and expressing a wide range of complex emotions. A thumri singer goes straight to the emotional core of a composition and evokes each yarn of amorous feeling, each strand of sensuous sentiment, with great discretion. Khayal aims at achieving poise and splendour; thumri is quicksilver in tone and ardently romantic in spirit. It needs a delicate heart, and a supple and soulful voice capable of expressing several shadings and colours of tones to bring out its beauty.

Noted thumri artists

Purab ang

Well-known artists of the 'purab ang' thumri' of the Benaras gharana or Banaras gayaki include Rasoolan Bai (1902–1974), Siddheshwari Devi (1908–1977), Girija Devi (1929–2017), Mahadev Prasad Mishra (1906–1995) and Chhannulal Mishra (b. 1936). Some other singers of thumri are Gauhar Jan (1873–1930), Begum Akhtar (1914–1974), Shobha Gurtu (1925–2004),

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan (21 September 192623 December 2000) was a Pakistani playback singer and actress who worked in both British India and later in Pakistan's cinema of Pakistan, cinema. Her career lasted over six decades, during which she recorded 10,00 ...

(1926–2000) and Nirmala Devi (1927-1996). The ''bol banao'' style has a slow tempo and is concluded by a ''laggi'', a faster phase where the

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

player has some freedom of improvisation. Another stalwart in the genre of thumri was Naina Devi (1917–1993), who was married to a royal family but later devoted her life to the singing of the song of Tawaifs. For a member of the royal family to take such a step in those days meant fighting countless social stigmas that had enough power to totally alienate someone from the society, but she had the support of her husband.

Classical thumri

Some

khyal Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian language, Persian/Arabic language, Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with rom ...

singers took an interest in thumrī and sang it their own way, as in the case of Abdul Karim Khan, Faiyaz Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Bhimsen Joshi, Madhav Gudi, Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Barkat Ali Khan, Jagdish Prasad and Prabha Atre. Today thumrī is sometimes sung at the end of

concerts as a concluding item. Besides the tabla and the tanpura, other typical instruments in thumri are

sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

and swarmandal. The reason as to why Thumri concludes an occasion is because it has a lasting emotional impact on the audience.

Lyrics

Thumrī singers pay considerable attention to the lyrics, though they may be difficult to follow in the ornamented enunciation. This is especially where the focus is on love, and many lyrics deal with separation or ''viraha''. Krishna's ''ras leela'' or love play with

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

and other gopis of

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

appear frequently. As an example, here are the lyrics of a thumrī composed by the medieval poet Lalan, celebrating Krishna's flute – how its tunes are driving Radha mad.

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhumi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in ...

or Vrindavan is where Krishna is indulging in this love play; Radha is the "Girl of Braj".

References

External links

Article: Semi-classical song
{{Hindustani Classical Music page end Indian classical music Hindustani music genres Hindustani music terminology