The veena, also spelled vina ( IAST: vīṇā), is any of various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent.[ Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as , and .][ Vina: Musical Instrument, Encyclopædia Britannica (2010)] The many regional designs have different names such as the Rudra veena, the Saraswati veena, the Vichitra veena and others.
The North Indian rudra veena, used in Hindustani classical music, is a stick zither.[ 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.][ It has four main strings which are melodic, and three auxiliary drone strings.][ 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 India performances.][
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The South India 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 Fret, four melody strings, and three drone strings, and is played similarly. It remains an important and popular string instrument in classical Carnatic music.[
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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 Sanskrit word veena (वीणा]]) in ancient and medieval Indian literature is a generic term for plucked string musical instruments. It is mentioned in the Rigveda, Samaveda and other Vedic literature such as the Shatapatha Brahmana and Taittiriya Samhita.[Monier Monier-Williams, वीणा, Sanskrit-English Dictionary with Etymology, Oxford University Press, page 1005]
In the ancient texts, Narada is credited with inventing the Tanpura, described as a seven-string instrument with frets.
A person who plays a veena is called a vainika.
The Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni, the oldest surviving ancient Hindu text on classical music and performance arts, discusses the veena.
The Natya Shastra describes a seven-string instrument and other string instruments in 35 verses, and then explains how the instrument should be played.[
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The early Gupta veena: depiction and playing technique
One of the early veenas used in India from early times until the Gupta Empire 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.
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.[ Modern designs use fiberglass or other materials instead of hollowed jackwood and gourds. 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.][ The instrument's end is generally tastefully shaped such as a swan and the external surfaces colorfully decorated with traditional Indian designs.
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The melody strings are tuned in c' g c G (the tonic, the fifth, the octave and the fourth[), from which sarani (chanterelle) is frequently used. The drone strings are tuned in c" g' c' (the double octave, the tonic and the octave][). The drones are typically used to create rhythmic of Indian classical music and to express harmony with clapped tala of the piece.
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The main string is called Nāyakī Tār (नायकी तार), and in the Sarasvati veena it is on the onlooked's left side. The instrument is played with three fingers of the right (dominant) hand, struck inward or outward with a bent-wire plectrum (a "mizrab"). The index and second fingers strike inward 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. 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.
One of the earliest description of the terminology currently used for veena construction, modification and operation appears in Sangita Cudamani by Govinda.
Types
Being a generic name for any string instrument, there are numerous types of veena. Some significant ones are:
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Rudra veena is a fretted veena, with two large equal size tumba (resonators) below a stick zither. This instrument is played by laying it slanting with one gourd on a knee and other above the shoulder.
[ The mythology states that this instrument was created by god Shiva It may be a post-6th century medieval era invention.][ Rudra Veena, Alain Danielou, Smithsonian Folkways and UNESCO (1987)]
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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.
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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.
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Sitar is a Persian word meaning three strings. Legends state that Amir Khusrau of Delhi Sultanate renamed the Tritantri veena to sitar, but this is unlikely because the list of musical instruments created by Akbar historians makes no mention of sitar or sitariya. The sitar has been popular with Indian Muslim musicians.
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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.
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Ālāpiṇī vīṇā. Historical. A one string stick zither style veena, shorter than the one string Eka-tantri vina. It had one half-gourd resonator, which was pressed into the player's chest while plucking the string.
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Bobbili Veena, a specialized Saraswati veena, carved from a single piece of wood. Named for Bobbili in Andhra Pradesh, where the instrument originated.
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Chitra veena, a modern 21-string fretless lute, also called Gottuvadhyam or Kotuvadya.
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''Ancient veena, a 7-string arched harp, mainstream from ancient times until about the 5th century CE.
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Krachappi, now called Kachua sitar, built with a wooden model of a turtle or tortoise as a resonator.
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Kinnari veena, one of three veena types mentioned in the Sangita Ratnakara (written 1210–1247 CE) by Śārṅgadeva. The other two mentioned were the Ālāpiṇī vīṇā and the Eka-tantri vina. Tube zither with multiple gourds for resonators.
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Pinaki veena, related to Sarangi. Historical. A bowed Veena, resembling the rudra veena. The notes were picked by moving a stick or coconut shell along the string.
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Pulluva veena, used by the Pulluvan tribe of Kerala in religious ceremonies and Pulluvan pāttu.
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Mattakokila vīṇā (meaning "intoxicated cuckoo"), a 21-string instrument, mentioned in literature, type unproven. Possibly an ancient veena (arched harp) or a board zither.
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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.
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Mayuri veena, Also called Taus (derived from Arabic tawwus meaning, peacock), an instrument with the carving of a Indian peafowl as a resonator, decorated with genuine peacock feathers.
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Mukha veena, A blowing instrument.
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Naga veena, An instrument with the carving of a Indian cobra for decoration.
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Nagula veena, An instrument with no resonator.
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Shatatantri veena ( Santoor),
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Gayatri veena (with one string only)
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Saptatantri veena
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Ranjan veena
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Sagar veena, a Pakistani instrument, created in 1970 by prominent Pakistani lawyer Raza Kazim.
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Saradiya veena, now called Sarod.
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Thanjavur veena, a specialized Saraswati veena, carved from a single piece of wood. Named for Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, where the instrument originated.
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Triveni veena
See also
Bibliography
External links
