Tamil Veena Music Free Download
Eloisa Stawasz
The North Indian rudra veena, used in Hindustani classical music, is a stick zither.[1] About 3.5 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 meters) long to fit the measurements of the musician, it has a hollow body and two large resonating gourds, one under each end.[5] It has four main strings which are melodic, and three auxiliary drone strings.[1] To play, the musician plucks the melody strings downward with a plectrum worn on the first and second fingers, while the drone strings are strummed with the little finger of the playing hand. The musician stops the resonating strings, when so desired, with the fingers of the free hand. In modern times the veena has been generally replaced with the sitar in North Indian performances.[1][3]
The South Indian Saraswati veena, used in Carnatic classical music, is a lute. It is a long-necked, pear-shaped lute, but instead of the lower gourd of the North Indian design, it has a pear-shaped wooden piece. However it, too, has 24 frets, four melody strings, and three drone strings, and is played similarly. It remains an important and popular string instrument in classical Carnatic music.[1][6][7]
As a fretted, plucked lute, the veena can produce pitches in a full three-octave range.[3] The long, hollow neck design of these Indian instruments allows portamento effects and legato ornaments found in Indian ragas.[7] It has been a popular instrument in Indian classical music, and one revered in the Indian culture by its inclusion in the iconography of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of arts and learning.[6]
The Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni, the oldest surviving ancient Hindu text on classical music and performance arts, discusses the veena.[17] This Sanskrit text, probably complete between 200 BCE and 200 CE,[18] 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.[17] 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][19] The ancient epic Mahabharata describes the sage Narada as a Vedic sage famed as a "vina player".[20]
The Natya Shastra describes a seven-string instrument and other string instruments in 35 verses,[21] and then explains how the instrument should be played.[11][22] The technique of performance suggests that the veena in Bharata Muni's time was quite different than the zither or the lute that became popular after the Natya Shastra was complete. The ancient veena, according to Allyn Miner and other scholars, was closer to an arched harp. The earliest lute and zither style veena playing musicians are evidenced in Hindu and Buddhist cave temple reliefs in the early centuries of the common era. Similarly, Indian sculptures from the mid-1st millennium CE depict musicians playing string instruments.[11] By about the 6th century CE, the goddess Saraswati sculptures are predominantly with veena of the zither-style, similar to modern styles.[23]
One of the early veenas used in India from early times until the Gupta period was an instrument of the harp type, and more precisely of the arched harp. It was played with the strings kept parallel to the body of the player, with both hands plucking the strings, as shown on Samudragupta's gold coins.[24] The Veena Cave at Udayagiri has one of the earliest visual depictions of a veena player, considered to be Samudragupta.
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.[25] 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.[25]
The melody strings are tuned in c' g c G (the tonic, the fifth, the octave and the fourth[26]), 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[26]). 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 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.[28][29] 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.[30]
Veena Music (Oriental Audio Visual Electronics) is a music label based in Rajasthan, India.[1] It is owned by K. C. Maloo and is headquartered at Jaipur. Since its establishment, it has released many albums in Rajasthani and Hindi languages. and has also acquired music rights of many Rajasthani films.[2][3] Its main aim is to promote true Rajasthani music in today's music scenario of adulterated, poor and high-noise music. It was established 25 years ago, and has since been a pioneer in fostering Rajasthani music through its albums and various cultural programmes held across the state and abroad.
It is a highly successful and well-known music label in Rajasthan.Many regional and non-regional artists are associated with the label which includes regional artists Seema Mishra, Deepali, Supriya and O. P. Vyas while non-regional singers include Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Udit Narayan and Sadhana Sargam etc. As of March 2016, the label is also a member of Phonographic Performance Limited. The famous Rajasthani singer Seema Mishra was launched by Veena. She has been known as Maru-Kokila (The Desert Cuckoo).
Veena group has released various albums since its inception centered mainly on Rajasthani culture and traditions. Its main focus is to bring out the true essence of Rajasthani folk music.[4] The albums showcase an amalgam of Rajasthani folk with the contemporary music and is received positively by people in Rajasthan and also other states. The main genres of album include romance, devotional, fun & joy, wedding, dance, celebration etc. Veena's album Ghoomar which was released in 4 parts from 2000-2001 was very well received and became the biggest selling Rajasthani album of the year which also promoted the folk dance "Ghoomar" of Rajasthan. It has also released various Maand albums sung by Allah Jilai Bai.[5] Their song "Pallo Latake" from the album of the same name was featured in the Star Plus soap Diya Aur Baati Hum and the song "Mhari Bahu Ae" was featured in Colors soap Balika Vadhu.[6] It has also released folk albums sung by Manganiars. Following is the list of some most notable albums released by the label.
Veena Chandra is an internationally renowned sitarist, composer, teacher, and choreographer. She is the founder and director of the Dance and Music School of India in Latham, NY (celebrating 31 years) where she teaches Indian classical music. She has been a faculty member at Skidmore College since 1990, teaching sitar in the Music Department. She has been Artist Associate in Sitar at Williams College since 2014.
Born in Dehra Doon, the Valley of the Himalaya Mountain Range on November 30th, 1944, Veena was inspired to play music by her Father, her first Guru. He loved sitar so much that he named her Veena, after the precursor instrument to the sitar, in hopes that she would learn music. He was 95 years old when he passed away in 2010 and his hopes have validated themselves many times over as evident by the international acclaim & respect given to Veena Chandra.
Veena Chandra has a rare ability to communicate the beauty and complexity of North Indian Classical music to the western listener. She is noted for her skill and sensitivity in the meend (bending of wire) and her ability to produce vocal sounds on the sitar. She characterizes the music of the sitar and tabla as relaxing and reflective of instincts and emotions. She explains that there is a triangular relationship between the artist, the art and the audience. She blends herself into the art and presents herself to the audience through the music. The power in her music is vitalizing and healing to the body, clarifying to the mind, and food for the soul. Listening to her magnificent, heavenly music on the sitar will not leave you untouched.
The veena is a string instrument originating in India. The Veena instrument and its variants play an important role in Hindustani classical music and Carnatic classical music, from North and South India respectively. It can be either a zither or a lute, depending on the type of veena. The difference lies in the shape and construction of the resonator, or soundbox. Veena has various spellings, including vina, bina and beena, but they all refer to the same instrument.
The hollow body of the instrument is made from wood with two resonators at each end on the back of the instrument. The main resonator is part of the body of the instrument while the second, smaller resonator is located near the top at the back of the neck. Traditionally, veena resonators are made from gourds, although some modern versions use different materials. There are 24 metal frets on the neck, which were traditionally embedded in hardened beeswax mixed with charcoal powder.
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