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Dhrupad

Dhrupad is credited as being the oldest form of North Indian classical singing, which predates most other genres today and focuses primarily on spirituality. As a result of this, dhrupad is thought of as distinctly solemn in nature, as opposed to other styles such as khayal and thumri.

One distinguishable element of dhrupad music is the specific syllables used within the alaap, or longer, free-time improvised exploration of the chosen raag at the beginning of a performance. Such syllables are "ri", "ra", "na" and "nom", which are said to be rooted in ancient Sanskrit mantras praising God by chanting "Hari", "Narayana" and "Om".

Dhrupad music is generally accompanied by two tanpuras (plucked harmonic drone instruments) and a pakhawaj (a barrel-shaped, double-ended drum, the predecessor of the modern tabla). Famous exponents of the dhrupad genre of vocal music include Uday Bhawalkar, the Gundecha Brothers and the Mallick Brothers.

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