UPHESC Assistant Professor Music Vocal 2025, 2026 PYQs

Concept: Order the Bengali song traditions by origin.

1. Kirtan – Jayadeva's Gita Govinda (12th c.) and Chaitanya's padavali kirtan (15th–16th c.) – earliest (III).
2. Baul – mystic minstrel tradition, flourishing 17th–19th c. (Lalon Fakir) (II).
3. Rabindra Sangeet – late 19th to early 20th c. (I).
4. Modern Bengali songs (adhunik gaan) – 20th c. (IV).

Short trick: Kirtan → Baul → Rabindra → Adhunik.

Concept: Bharata placed the 7 swaras on 22 shrutis to fix their exact pitch (e.g. Sa on the 4th, Re on the 7th, Ga on the 9th shruti).

1. Shruti-intervals (4-3-2-4-4-3-2) define Shadja grama and Madhyama grama.
2. Rhythm and tala are measured by matra/laya, not shruti.

Short trick: Shruti fixes swara-sthana.

Concept: The ten pranas of tala: Kala, Marga, Kriya, Anga, Graha, Jati, Kala, Laya, Yati, Prastara.

1. Kriya, Kala and Graha are among them.
2. Vadi is a raga concept (the most important note), not a tala prana.

Short trick: Vadi belongs to raga, not tala.

Concept: Tagore (1861–1941) composed his songs from the 1870s to 1941 – the modern period of Indian music.

1. It belongs with the Bengal Renaissance of the 19th–20th centuries.

Short trick: Tagore = modern (1861–1941).

Concept: Kumar Gandharva, living in Dewas (Malwa), studied Malwa folk songs and created 'dhun-ugam' (folk-origin) ragas.

1. Examples: Malavati, Lagan Gandhar, Ahimohini, Sanjari, Bhavmat Bhairav, Beeharda.
2. He also wrote 'Anup Raag Vilas' and popularised Nirguni bhajans.

Short trick: Kumar Gandharva + Malwa folk = Dhun-Ugam ragas.

Concept: Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (1860–1936) systematised Hindustani music.

1. He gave the 10-thaat classification and the Bhatkhande notation system.
2. Works: Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati, Kramik Pustak Malika, Abhinav Raga Manjari (pen-name Chatur Pandit).
3. Natyashastra – Bharata; Rabindra Sangeet – Tagore.

Short trick: Bhatkhande = Thaat + notation + Kramik Pustak.

Concept: Alankar (ornament) means decoration of swaras – note patterns and embellishments that beautify the melody.

1. Bharata described 33 alankars; Sharangadeva 63.
2. Gaan – singing; Giti – ancient song style; Varna – the movement of notes (sthayi, arohi, avarohi, sanchari) on which alankars are built.

Short trick: Alankar = ornament (like jewellery).

Concept: Match each form with its nature.

1. Dhrupad – grave, devotional, with nom-tom alap and pakhawaj (a-III).
2. Khyal – imaginative, improvisational (alap, taan, bol-taan) (b-II).
3. Thumri – shringara, romantic and expressive (c-I).
4. Tappa – quick, intricate, rhythmic taans (from Punjabi camel-drivers' songs) (d-IV).

Short trick: Dhrupad-serious, Khyal-improvise, Thumri-romance, Tappa-fast.

Concept: Electronic aids support, but do not replace, the guru's oral teaching.

1. Electronic tanpura/tabla (e.g. Radel, Riyaz apps) help daily practice; recordings let students re-listen to the guru.
2. A is extreme (cannot replace guru-shishya); C understates their role; D is false (improvisation stays personal).

Short trick: Technology = supplement, not substitute.

Concept: Research steps: problem → review of literature → objectives → hypothesis → research design and tools → data collection → analysis → conclusion/report.

1. Objectives come before the hypothesis (C wrong).
2. Data can be collected only after tools are chosen (D comes later), and analysis comes after collection (A later).
3. So the next step after hypothesis is selecting research tools/design.

Short trick: Hypothesis → Tools → Data → Analysis.

Concept: Ancient music had two streams: Gandharva (ritual, fixed forms) and Gaan (theatre music).

1. Gandharva songs were the seven Geetakas (Madraka, Aparantaka, etc.) → a–III.
2. Gaan (natya music) was sung as Dhruva songs in drama → b–IV.
3. Geeti = style of singing; Bhinna is one of the geetis (Shuddha, Bhinna, Gaudi, Vesara, Sadharani) → c–I.
4. Jati = a fixed arrangement of swaras (graha, ansha, nyasa…) i.e. Swar Sannivesh → d–II.

Short trick: Gandharva–Geetak, Gaan–Dhruva, Geeti–Bhinna, Jati–Swar-sannivesh: "GG-GD-GB-JS".

Concept: Jatiswaram is a pure-swara composition with jatis (rhythmic syllable patterns) composed for Bharatanatyam.

1. Jatiswaram is performed as the nritta item of a dance recital – it is not sung as a concert piece.
2. Sangati (variation of a line) and Niraval (improvised elaboration of a sahitya line) belong to concert singing.
3. Kriti is the main concert form of Carnatic music.

Short trick: Jati = dance syllables (ta-ka-dhi-mi) → dance form.

Concept: Gitabitan is the complete collection of Rabindranath Tagore's songs.

1. Baitalik is a dawn-song programme of Tagore's Shantiniketan; Varsha-Mangal is the rain festival celebrated there with his songs.
2. All three names belong to the Rabindra Sangeet tradition of Bengal.

Short trick: Geet-Bitan = "garden of songs" of Tagore.

Concept: Gandharva was the strictly regulated ancient music whose song forms were the Geetakas.

1. Bharata names seven geetakas (Madraka, Aparantaka, Ullopyaka, Prakari, Ovenaka, Rovindaka, Uttara) as Gandharva forms.
2. Dhruva songs belong to Gaan (drama music); Prabandha and Salag sud are later Deshi forms.

Short trick: Gandharva → Geetak (both start with G).

Concept: Tirobhav = concealment; Aavirbhav = re-appearance of the raga.

1. During elaboration the singer briefly uses a phrase of another raga so the original raga is hidden (tirobhav).
2. Then he returns with the characteristic phrase of the raga – aavirbhav – creating surprise and beauty.

Short trick: Tiro = hide, Aavir = reveal.

Concept: Gaud Malhar = Gaud anga (re ga re ma ga re sa) + Malhar anga (ma re re pa).

1. "Re Ga Re Ma Ga Re Sa" is the zig-zag Gaud phrase.
2. "Ma Re Re Pa" (ma–re meend to pa) is the typical Malhar anga.
3. Gaud Sarang and Kamod lack the Malhar "ma re pa"; Chhayanat moves "pa re, ga ma pa".

Short trick: See "Ma Re Pa" → think Malhar.

Concept: In just intonation Re = 9/8 and Ga = 5/4 of Sa.

1. Interval Re→Ga = (5/4) ÷ (9/8) = 40/36 = 10/9.
2. 10/9 is the minor tone; 9/8 is major tone (Sa–Re); 16/15 is semitone (Ga–Ma).

Short trick: Sa–Re 9:8, Re–Ga 10:9, Ga–Ma 16:15.

Concept: Of the ten jati lakshanas, Graha is the note on which the song (and its murchana) begins.

1. Ansha = most important (vadi-like) note.
2. Nyasa = final note; Apanyasa = note ending a section.
3. Starting note = Graha.

Short trick: Graha = "grahan" (take up) = start.

Concept: Maru Bihag (Kalyan thaat) uses tivra Ma prominently ("pa ma ga, ma ga re sa") with a little shuddha Ma in "ni sa ma ga".

1. Bihag uses mainly shuddha Ma and its pakad is "ni sa ga ma pa, ga ma ga, re sa".
2. Madhuwanti and Multani have komal Ga – not seen here.
3. Heavy tivra Ma + "ni sa ma ga" = Maru Bihag.

Short trick: Tivra Ma dominant + Bihag shape = Maru Bihag.

Concept: Ten pranas of tala: Kaal, Marga, Kriya, Anga, Graha, Jati, Kala, Laya, Yati, Prastara.

1. Maarg, Yati and Kaal are in the list.
2. Chhandak is not a tala prana.

Short trick: "Ka-Ma-Kri-A-Gra-Ja-Ka-La-Ya-Pra".