UPHESC Assistant Professor Music Vocal 2025, 2026 PYQs

Concept: Tagore's Gitabitan groups his songs under Puja (devotion), Swadesh (patriotism), Prem (love), Prakriti (nature), Bichitra and Anushthanik.

1. Swadesh songs include 'Amar Sonar Bangla' and 'Jana Gana Mana'.
2. Many were written during the 1905 Swadeshi (anti-partition) movement.

Short trick: Swadesh = own country = patriotic.

Concept: Bhairav (Bhairav thaat, komal re and dha) is a sandhi-prakash raga of dawn (about 4–7 a.m.).

1. Re-dha komal ragas (Bhairav, Kalingda, Ramkali) are sung at the junctions of day and night.
2. Bhairav is the first raga of the morning in the traditional scheme.

Short trick: Bhairav = dawn; Yaman = evening.

Concept: Tagore trained in Hindustani music (dhrupad at Jorasanko, Vishnupur tradition) and set most songs in ragas like Bhairavi, Behag, Kafi, Khamaj.

1. He also borrowed from Baul, Kirtan and a few Western and Carnatic tunes, but the base remained Hindustani ragas.
2. Many songs are 'bhanga gaan' – broken versions of dhrupad/khayal bandishes.

Short trick: Rabindra Sangeet = Hindustani raga base + Baul/Kirtan colour.

Concept: Kathak (Uttar Pradesh) grew from the kathakars (storytellers) and the Krishna Raas Leela of Braj; its gharanas are Lucknow, Jaipur, Banaras (and Raigarh).

1. Lucknow gharana (Wajid Ali Shah's court; Bindadin, Kalka Maharaj, Birju Maharaj) stresses bhava and nazakat.
2. Kuchipudi – Andhra; Sattriya – Assam; Mohiniyattam – Kerala.

Short trick: Kathak = katha + Krishna + Lucknow.

Concept: In Kathakali, the Thirasheela (Tiraseela) is a hand-held curtain held by two attendants.

1. In Tiranokku, powerful characters (Kathi, Thadi, e.g. Duryodhana, Ravana) peep over and slowly lower it.
2. This builds suspense and shows the character emerging from the mythical/divine world into the visible human stage world.
3. It is not merely a barrier, a screen for helpers or a backdrop.

Short trick: Curtain lowered = the myth enters our world.

Concept: Tarangam (from Narayana Teertha's Krishna Leela Tarangini) is Kuchipudi's signature item.

1. The dancer performs on the rim of a brass plate (tambalam), sometimes with a pot of water or lamps on the head.
2. It shows balance and rhythmic footwork at once – unlike ordinary nritta done on the floor.
3. It is not seated, not purely narrative and not an invocation.

Short trick: Tarangam = dance on the brass plate.

Concept: Subbarama Dikshitar (grandson of Baluswami, adopted heir of the Dikshitar line) published Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini in Telugu in 1904 at Ettayapuram.

1. It notates hundreds of compositions, including Muthuswami Dikshitar's kritis, with gamaka symbols.
2. Ramaswami – father; Muthuswami – composer; Baluswami – brother of Muthuswami.

Short trick: SSP 1904 = Subbarama.

Concept: Alpatva (sparing use) and Bahutva (abundant use) are among the ten raga lakshanas of the old texts.

1. Bahutva – a note used often (e.g. vadi, samvadi).
2. Alpatva – a note touched lightly or rarely (by langhan/skipping or anabhyas).
3. They describe how much each swara is used, not laya, tala or shruti.

Short trick: Alpa = little, Bahu = much.

Concept: Each system has a characteristic emphasis.

1. Hindustani – long alap, taan and free elaboration (improvisation) – I true.
2. Carnatic – concerts built on fixed compositions (kriti, varnam) of the Trinity – II true.
3. Western – chords, counterpoint and harmony – III true.

Short trick: Hindustani-improvise, Carnatic-compose, Western-harmonise.

Concept: The Tillana is a brisk Carnatic composition of rhythmic syllables (dheem, tanana, dir) with a short sahitya; it usually ends a concert or Bharatanatyam recital.

1. It is the Carnatic counterpart of the Hindustani Tarana.
2. Famous composers: Swathi Thirunal, Lalgudi Jayaraman, M. Balamuralikrishna.

Short trick: Tarana (North) = Tillana (South).

Concept: Gharana styles, gamakas and raga chalan live in practice, not fully in books.

1. (A) is true – hence ethnographic fieldwork, interviews and recordings are needed.
2. (R) is false – treatises are incomplete, often outdated, and practice keeps changing; fieldwork is essential.
3. So (A) true, (R) false.

Short trick: Text alone is not enough – go to the field.

Concept: Matanga's Brihaddeshi first defines raga as a pleasing sound pattern adorned with swara and varna that delights people.

1. Natyashastra (Bharata) describes grama, murchhana and jati – the precursors of raga.
2. Sangeet Ratnakar (13th c.) and Raga Tarangini (Lochana, c. 14th–15th c.) are later.

Short trick: First definition of raga = Brihaddeshi (Matanga).

Concept: Gitanjali (Bengali 1910; English 'Song Offerings' 1912) is by Rabindranath Tagore; it won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

1. Many of its poems are songs, part of Rabindra Sangeet.
2. Bankim – 'Vande Mataram'/Anandmath; Paluskar – Gandharva Mahavidyalaya; Sharangadeva – Sangeet Ratnakar.

Short trick: Gitanjali → Nobel 1913 → Tagore.

Concept: A gharana is a lineage that keeps a distinct gayaki alive through guru-shishya training.

1. I – true: it preserves style, repertoire and bandishes.
2. II – true: strict loyalty can discourage borrowing and experiment.
3. III – false: great artists (Kumar Gandharva, Kishori Amonkar, Bhimsen Joshi) developed personal styles within gharanas; 'eliminate' is extreme.

Short trick: Preserve – yes; restrict – sometimes; eliminate – no.

Concept: Shuddha Kalyan (Bhoop-Kalyan): aroha S R G P D S' (like Bhupali, Ma and Ni omitted); avaroha S' N D P M# G R S (Kalyan colour returns).

1. Aroha 5 notes + avaroha 7 notes = Audav–Sampoorna (B).
2. A is wrong – Ma and Ni appear in the descent.
3. C is wrong – tivra Ma is not used in the aroha.
4. D is wrong – Gandhar is important (vadi G, samvadi D).

Short trick: Up like Bhupali, down like Kalyan.

Concept: Tagore blended Hindustani ragas, Baul/Kirtan/Bhatiyali folk tunes and Western melodies (Irish/Scottish airs) with rich poetry.

1. He did not follow the khyal format strictly (A wrong).
2. He used Hindustani ragas mainly; a few Carnatic tunes only (B wrong).
3. Poetry is central – he was a poet first (C wrong).

Short trick: Rabindra Sangeet = poetry + raga + folk + West.

Concept: Shruti ('that which is heard') is the smallest pitch difference the ear can distinguish; an octave has 22 shrutis.

1. Swaras are placed on selected shrutis (Sa–4, Re–3, Ga–2, Ma–4, Pa–4, Dha–3, Ni–2).
2. Nada is musical sound in general; Jati is an ancient melodic type.

Short trick: 22 shrutis = smallest steps; 7 swaras sit on them.

Concept: Treatises like Natyashastra, Brihaddeshi and Sangeet Ratnakar are our main record of ancient music theory.

1. (A) is false – they do preserve theoretical knowledge.
2. (R) is true – they document practices, concepts, ragas, talas and instruments.
3. Hence (A) false, (R) true.

Short trick: If (R) is true here, (A) must be false – they contradict each other.

Concept: Layakari = singing in multiples of the basic laya.

1. Thah (barabar) – 1 note per matra; Dugun – 2; Tigun – 3; Chaugun – 4.
2. So Tigun = three notes per beat (triple).

Short trick: Ti = 3 (tri).

Concept: Carnatic music is the classical system of South India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala).

1. Purandara Dasa (Karnataka) is called the 'Pitamaha'; the Trinity lived in Thanjavur region (Tamil Nadu).
2. North India follows the Hindustani system.

Short trick: South = Carnatic, North = Hindustani.