Musical description
Form and structure
The overall structure of the song is as follows:
- introduction
- verse 1
- verse 2
- chorus
- instrumental
- verse 3
- chorus
Harmony and tonality
The tonality of the song is modalA sequence of notes that have varying intervals between each degree of the sequence. , which means it is neither major nor minor, and there are no chordA collection of usually three notes played together. on the score to indicate a key signatureA pattern of sharps or flats at the beginning of a piece of music indicating which are to be played.. The song uses the Khamaj thaat scale, which is similar to the western MixolydianA type of scale 鈥 can be thought of as a major scale with a flattened 7th note. mode. The notes in the scale are C, D, E, F, G, A, B鈾, C. The tonicThe first degree of a scale and the central key of music. In Roman numerals this is I. of the scale is C and provides the tonal centre of the song. The tonal centre is also established by a C droneTwo notes sounded together as an accompaniment, often a 5th apart., played by the tamburaA long-necked folk string instrument. . The harmony in the song also features a tri-toneAn interval of an augmented 4th ,where three complete tones are used (eg F 鈥 B). in the verse - between notes E and B鈾. The final two bars of the song sound unresolved as the notes C and D are sounded simultaneously. This could reflect the message of the song and the fact that a conclusion has not been reached.
Tempo
The tempoThe speed that the music is played at. is written as rubato Rhythmic freedom by a slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo聽of a piece at the discretion of the soloist or the conductor. Rubato is often heard in Romantic music. . This means that the speed of the music is flexible. The intro is played at a medium tempo called madhya laya.
Rhythm and metre
The time signatureNumbers or letters written at the start of a piece of music depicting how many beats are in a bar and what type of beat are in each bar. changes between 4/4, 2/4 and 5/4. In the introduction, there is use of a tripletA group of three equal length notes played in the space of two, eg three quavers played in the space of two quavers. rhythm in the 2/4 bar played by the tablaAn Indian drum played with the fingertips. Usually played as a pair..
The tabla plays a 16-beat tintalA common type of tala, which refers to a time meter in Indian classical music.. The tintal is the most common talA rhythmic cycle.. The melody played by the dilrubaA bowed Indian instrument. It is a cross between a sitar and sarangi (similar to violin) and has 18 strings and metal frets. in the introduction combines dotted rhythms and syncopationOffbeat rhythms.. This syncopated feel continues throughout the melody, played by the dilruba in the verse.
Lots of minims are heard in the vocalThe voice as a musical instrument. melody in the verses, which supports the slow and reflective mood of the song. The time signature changes from 4/4 to 5/4 at the end of the verse line.
The chorus follows a simple crotchet rhythm throughout because it has a 4/4 metre with two time signature changes to 5/4 to accommodate the lyrics.
The main instrumental section is very long and lasts 35 bars. There are 27 bars in 5/4 and eight bars in 4/4. A new tala called the jhaptal is played in the 5/4 section and consists of ten beats.