Semi-Classical Song
Thumri is a common style of light classical music. The text is romantic and devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl’s love for Krishna. The language is a dialect of Hindi called Brij bhasha. This style is characterised by a greater flexibility with the rag. The compositions are usually set to kaherava of 8 beats, addha tal of 16 beats, or dipchandi of 14 beats. It arose in popularity during the 19th century.
The instrumental accompaniment to the dadra is consistent with that of most north Indian classical music. This consists of harmonium, tanpura and tabla. Very often the harmonium is replaced with the sarangi; historically this was the preferred melodic accompaniment.
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