Carnatic and Hindustani music, the founding figures of each, and the instrumentalist-instrument pairs that come up again and again.
Indian classical music splits into two major traditions: Carnatic music, centred on South India, and Hindustani music, centred on North India. Both share the underlying concepts of raga (melody) and tala (rhythm), but developed distinct schools, terminology and performance styles.
A raga is the melodic framework underlying both systems; a tala is the cyclic rhythmic framework that keeps time.
If a musician's name or the composition style is tied to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh or Kerala, it's Carnatic. Everything else, especially anything organised into named gharanas, is Hindustani.
Carnatic music has one figure regarded as its founder, and three composers together honoured as its Trinity.
M. S. Subbulakshmi's Bharat Ratna is a frequently tested standalone fact, separate from the Trinity itself.
Purandara Dasa is remembered for systematising how Carnatic music is taught, while the Trinity, a generation or so later, are remembered for the compositions themselves.
Hindustani music questions most often pair a famous instrumentalist with their instrument — this single pattern accounts for a large share of music questions in GK sections.
Bismillah Khan and Zakir Hussain are both easy to mix up as tabla players — only Zakir Hussain plays tabla; Bismillah Khan's instrument is the shehnai, a wind instrument.
Bismillah Khan's shehnai is a wind instrument you blow into; Zakir Hussain's tabla is a percussion instrument you tap. The contrast in physical action keeps the two apart.
All 6 questions with a full answer key.
Full solutions are in the downloadable PDF above.
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