Chiz in Khyal: The Traditional Composition in the Improvised Performance

Abstract

Khyal is the most important of the contemporary vocal genres of North Indian classical music. It evolved during the time when Muslim courts held the purses of patronage and came into its own as a genre in the Eighteenth Century at the court of Muhammed Shah (r. 1719-1748), the last Mogul ruler who maintained the tradition of lavish cultivation of the arts. The Arabic word khyal, meaning literally or meditation can refer to a genre of vocal music, to an item in that genre, and to a style of singing. Sung in most rags but in a limited number of tals, a khyal includes a short composition (chiz or bandish) of two sections, sthai and ahtara,l which acts as a springboard from which the artist improvises in various styles, stretching his imagination but remaining within the dictates of the rag and tal. In performance two khyils are usually paired, offering a contrast in speed and sometimes in til: a slow or medium speed khyl (called bara or large) is followed without interruption by a shorter fast khyal (chhota or small).2 It is considered one of the best tests of an artist's mettle to be able to perform bara khyal in slow tempo to perfection, for the form allows the singer freedom to display his skill, accomplishment, and depth of understanding of rag and tal, the melodic and rhythmic foundations of Indian classical music.

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