Music of Assam

Music in Assam

Music is an inalienable part of the splendid culture and heritage of Assam. A number of folk genres conglomerate to form the structure of the music of Assam and render it the uniqueness and exquisiteness for which it is revered everywhere. The festival of Bihu comes along with the enticing tunes of the Pepa, the heart-throbbing beats of the Dhol and the intoxicating bihu songs which bring out the zeal and the youth hidden within each and every individual. Kamrupiya and Goalporiya Lokageet, Borgeet, Husori and Zikir are some of the many names that the people would like to take whenever there is a discussion going on about the Assamese music scenario.

The Borgeets were a joint venture of Sri Sankardeva and his disciple Madhavdeva. Propounded in the moment of Renaissance of the Assamese society, these devotional songs are composed in a language called the Brajabuli. With an altogether independent system of ragas and talas, of which its exponents are extremely proud, this genre of music is performed to the tunes of a musical instrument called the ‘Khol’. The Borgeets are usually performed at the Satras.

The Rongali Bihu festival is accompanied by the Husori songs sung by the youths in group. The term owes its origin to many sources, whereas one set of scholars have the opinion that it has originated from ‘Huchari’, an ensemble of three words-‘Hu’ meaning ‘Chanting’, ‘Cha’ meaning ‘blessing’ and ‘Ri’ meaning ‘exciting’. Some also consider it to have derived from the Dimasa term ‘Hachori’ meaning ‘moving on the land’ thereby linking it to the way in which it is performed. The Bihu songs are generally praises for the beauty of the beloved and are sensuous in theme but the Husori differs from them in this respect.

Besides these there is the Zikir and the Zari variety which was brought by Ajan Peer and are motivated towards a religious reformation but differ from the Borgeet in one respect i.e. the language. Zikir, meaning ‘to remember’ in Arabic, is sung in Assamese. With the spread of Islam as its underlying theme, the Zikir is also motivated towards the spread of a sense of respect for all castes, creeds and religions.

Like the ethnic music of the surrounding places like China, Thailand and Myanmar, the music of Assam is tuned in the structure of pyramid rather than being based on Meend.

With the passage of time, a number of contemporary traits have been incorporated to the Assamese music. This has come to be known as Assamese modern song.

Some of the greatest exponents of Assamese music who have spread its ethnicity, uniqueness and melody all across the globe are -

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, Jayanta Hazarika, Bishnu Rabha, Khagen Mahanta and Zubeen Garg to name a few, who have made Assamese music sound good to the ears of the world.