About

• Hindustani music is one of the two principal Indian classical music traditions (the other being Carnatic).
• Though Indian music dates back to vedic age, the divergence into two systems occurred around the 13th-14th centuries.
• In contrast to Carnatic music, the Hindustani classical music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions and Vedic philosophy but also by the Persian elements.
• Hindustani music is based on the raga system. The Raga is a melodic scale, consisting of notes from the basic seven- Sa, Re, Ga, Ma Pa, Dha and Ni.
• Hindustani classical music is primarily vocal-centric. 
• The major vocal forms (also called Gharanas) associated with Hindustani classical music are the Khayal, Ghazal, Dhrupad, Tappa, Tarana and Thumri.
• Hindustani shares with the Carnatic the use of ragas, the rhythmic principles of tala , and the practice of nonmetric, rhythmically “free” improvisation. 
• Although vocal music plays an important role, instrumental music is more important in Hindustani music than it is in Carnatic.
• The most prominent instruments of Hindustani music are the sitar, sarod, sarangi, shehnai, tabla , and tambura.
• Distinguished musicians who are Hindu may be addressed as Pandit and those who are Muslim as Ustad.
• An aspect of Hindustani music going back to Sufi times is the tradition of religious neutrality: Muslim ustads may sing compositions in praise of Hindu deities and vice versa.

The Gharanas in brief 

• Dhrupad style of singing is traditionally performed by men with a tanpura and pakhawaj. 
• The lyrics sung in Dhrupad are in a medieval form of Hindi and typically heroic in theme, or in praise of a particular deity. 
• Khayal is the modern Hindustani form of vocal music. 
• Khayal, literally meaning “thought” or “imagination” in Hindustani and derived from the Persian/Arabic term, is a two- to eight-line lyric set to a melody. 
• Tappa is a form of Indian semi-classical vocal music whose specialty is its rolling pace based on fast, subtle, knotty construction.
• Tarana are songs that are used to convey a feel of joy and are usually performed towards the end of a concert. 
• Thumri is an informal vocal form of Hindustani classical music and is said to have begun with the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the Nawab of Oudh. 
• Originally, a Persian form of vocal music, Ghazal is an important part of Hindustani Classical music. 
• Ghazal exists in multiple variations, including folk and pop forms. 

Why in News?

• Pandit Jasraj, a legend of Hindustani classical music, died in the U.S. after a cardiac arrest recently at the age of 90.
• He was the foremost exponent of the Mewati gharana and he brought an element of devotional singing to khayal.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/legendary-classical-vocalist-pandit-jasraj-dies-at-90/article32376512.ece#:~:text=Pandit%20Jasraj%2C%20a%20doyen%20of,He%20was%2090.
2. https://www.britannica.com/art/Hindustani-music
3. https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-music/hindustani-school.html