Editing Kirtan (section)

==Hindu kirtan==
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[[File:Mha Sankeertan.jpg|thumb|A modern painting of a mahasankirtan scene from the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'']]
[[file:New Gatanga Naam Kirtan.jpg|thumb|A modern kirtan performance]]

Musical recitation of hymns, mantras and the praise of deities has ancient roots in Hinduism, and may be found in the [[Vedas|Vedic literature]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Constance Jones|author2=James D. Ryan|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC |year=2006|publisher=Infobase |isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5 |pages=378}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Guy L. Beck|title=Sonic Liturgy: Ritual and Music in Hindu Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzUMCAAAQBAJ |year=2012|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-61117-108-2|pages=12–24, 30–33|chapter=Chapter 1}}</ref> A key feature of popular Hindu kirtan is that it is mostly sung in vernacular languages like [[Hindi]] and [[Bengali language|Bengali]] (unlike [[Vedic chant|Vedic chanting]], which is done in [[Sanskrit]]), though this may include Sanskrit mantras.<ref name=":2">Arnold et al (1998). ''The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent,'' p. 247. Taylor & Francis.</ref> This style of vernacular singing became popular during the [[Medieval India|medieval era]] (1300–1550) and the [[Early modern India|early modern period]] (1550–1750).<ref name=":2" /> 

Hindu kirtan is influenced by the practices and teachings of the various devotional [[Bhakti movement|Bhakti movements]], who emphasized emotional loving relationship with a personal God, and also by the figures of the [[Sant (religion)|Sant tradition]] (like [[Kabir]], [[Ravidas]], and [[Namdev]]).<ref name=":2" /><ref>Enstedt, Daniel; Plank, Katarina (2023). ''Eastern Practices and Nordic Bodies: Lived Religion, Spirituality and Healing in the Nordic Countries,'' p. 96. Springer Nature.</ref> Beginning with the [[Tamils|Tamil]] [[Alvars]] and [[Nayanars]] in around the 6th century, bhakti spread outside [[Tamilakam]] after the 12th century.<ref>{{cite book |author=Guy L. Beck |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzUMCAAAQBAJ |title=Sonic Liturgy: Ritual and Music in Hindu Tradition |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-61117-108-2 |pages=32, 108–120 |chapter=Chapter 1}}</ref><ref>Karen Pechelis (2011), Bhakti Traditions, in The Continuum Companion to Hindu Studies (Editors: Jessica Frazier, Gavin Flood), Bloomsbury, {{ISBN|978-0826499660}}, pages 107-121</ref> The foundations of the kirtan traditions are also found in works like the ''[[Bhagavad-gita]]'' which describes the [[Bhakti yoga|bhakti marga]] (path of loving devotion to god) as a means to [[moksha]]. References to kirtan as a musical recitation are also found in the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'', an important Vaishnava text.<ref>{{cite book |author=Guy L. Beck |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UzUMCAAAQBAJ |title=Sonic Liturgy: Ritual and Music in Hindu Tradition |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-61117-108-2 |pages=115–118, 131–133}}</ref> The story of [[Prahlada]] in the ''Avatara Katha'' mentions kirtan as one of nine forms of bhakti.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kelkar |first1=M. |title=Keertanrang (Marathi: कीर्तनरंग) |last2=Mahabal |first2=K. |publisher=Akhil Bharatiya Keertan Sanstha |year=2007 |location=Dadar, Mumbai, India |page=1}}</ref> 

[[Bhakti]] poets and musicians like [[Jayadeva]] (the 12th century author of the Sanskrit ''[[Gita Govinda]]'') were influential in the development of Indian devotional music genres like kirtan (which, though written in the vernacular, often imitated the style of Sanskrit bhakti poems).<ref name=":0">Arnold et al (1998). ''The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent,'' pp. 249, 845. Taylor & Francis.</ref> Jayadeva was a great classical composer and wrote devotional music in the dhruvapada style (which is similar to [[dhrupad]]).<ref name=":0" /> 

There are various forms of Hindu kirtan, including northern traditions (often influenced by [[Hindustani classical music|Hindustani music]] and [[Music of Bengal|Bengali music]]) and southern ([[Carnatic music|Carnatic]]) traditions. Speaking of the Bengali kirtan tradition, Peggy Holroyde writes that "kirtans do not strictly adhere to the [[raga]] scale and they incorporate a chorus led by a leader. Much of the musical value is subordinated to the sentimental emotion expressed in the words of the song."<ref name=":1">Holroyde, Peggy (2017). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=MJ2fDgAAQBAJ&dq=classical+indian+music+kirtan+Indian+Music%3A+A+Vast+Ocean+of+Promise&pg=PT255 Indian Music: A Vast Ocean of Promise]'', Routledge.</ref> Regarding the southern (Carnatic) traditions of kirtan, they are generally "less ornate" than northern kirtan, making less use of "[[Grave (music)|grace]], [[Trill (music)|trills]] and [[Arabesque|arabesques]]", but they are also much more structured musical forms.<ref name=":1" />  

While kirtan is influenced by the practice of Indian classical music, they are much simpler than the complicated instrumental and vocal compositions of Indian classical ensembles. The focus of kirtan is on the lyrics or mantras, which deliver religious messages and stories. Guy Beck, writing on the northern kirtan tradition, states that "melody and rhythm are important, but devotional singers normally deplore musical virtuosity for its own sake, in contrast with the classical Hindustani and Karnatak traditions, which emphasize [[improvisation]] and technical [[mastery]]. A large variety of musical styles and forms exist, and no single formula has ever been mandated by custom to the exclusion of others. Musicians and religious leaders thus freely compose religious and devotional songs."<ref name=":3">Arnold et al (1998). ''The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent,'' p. 248. Taylor & Francis.</ref> However, some kirtan styles ''are'' highly refined and technical, like [[dhrupad]] and Bengali [[Vaishnava Padavali|padavali]] kirtan, which is considered by [[Bengalis]] to be the most cultured religious music.<ref>Arnold et al (1998). ''The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent,'' p. 250. Taylor & Francis.</ref>  

Regarding the arrangement, most kirtan performances are done by a group, with a choir led by a lead singer sitting on the floor, though sometimes, kirtan is done by standing group in temples, religious processions, or on the street.<ref name=":3" /> 

Generally speaking, the performance may begin with recitations of Sanskrit mantras, like [[Om]], names of deities, and may also include some Sanskrit prayers.<ref name=":4">Arnold et al (1998). ''The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent,'' p. 255. Taylor & Francis.</ref> Then the [[Lead vocalist|lead singer]] sings a song or a mantra while accompanying himself with a versatile instrument (like a [[Indian harmonium|harmonium]] or a [[sarangi]]), and the chorus (which may include the audience as well) repeats the lines and provides musical accompaniment and keeps the [[rhythm]] (with percussion instruments like the [[tabla]]). Sometimes the lead may have some solo lines, and the chorus can accompany them with a [[refrain]].<ref name=":3" /> The performance may be punctuated by short sermons or stories.<ref name=":4" /> The song repertoire is generally drawn from medieval authors, but may include more recent additions.<ref name=":4" /> In temples, a formal worship ceremony ([[Arti (Hinduism)|arati]]) may also follow.<ref name=":4" /> 

=== Styles of Hindu kirtan ===

==== Northern Vaishnava kirtan ====
[[File:Chandidas_Bhita_at_Nanoor_04.jpg|thumb|Statue of Vaiṣṇava Sahajiyā poet [[Chandidas]] and his lover Rajakini, at his birthplace of [[Nanoor]]]]

[[File:Kirtan at Bishnupur.jpg|thumb|Kirtan at front of the [[List of temples in Bishnupur|Jor Mandir Temple in Bishnupur]]]]

One important promoter of Vaishnava kirtan in Bengal was [[Chandidas]] (1339–1399), who introduced Vaishnava kirtan in [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and was very influential on later Vaishnava northern kirtan.<ref name=":0" /> Chandidas was instrumental in the Bengali [[Vaishnava Sahajiya|Vaiṣṇava Sahajiyā]] tradition, a form of [[Tantra|tantric]] [[Vaishnavism]] focused on [[Radha Krishna|Radha and Krishna]] which flourished in [[Bengal]], [[Bihar]], [[Odisha|Orissa]], and [[Assam]].<ref>Young, Mary (2014). ''The Baul Tradition: Sahaj Vision East and West,'' pp. 27-30. SCB Distributors.</ref><ref name=":32">Hayes, Glen A. [https://www.academia.edu/12565300/The_Vaisnava_Sahajiya_Traditions_of_Medieval_Bengal "The Vaisnava Sahajiya Traditions of Medieval Bengal"], in ''Religions of India in Practice'', edited by Donald S. Lopez, Jr., Princeton Readings in Religions, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995: 333-351.</ref> The Vaiṣṇava Sahajiyā tradition produced many great Bengali language poets and singers.<ref name=":12">Young, Mary (2014). ''The Baul Tradition: Sahaj Vision East and West,'' pp. 27-36. SCB Distributors.</ref><ref name=":32" /> 

The 16th century CE saw an explosion of Vaishnava kirtan in the north. During this time, [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]] popularized [[Krishna]] based kirtan in [[Bengal]], promoting and teaching the singing of Vaishnava songs which celebrate the love between [[Radha]] and Krishna, understood as being the love between the soul and God.<ref name="AsherTalbot2006">{{cite book|author1=Catherine B. Asher|author2=Cynthia Talbot|title=India before Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1GEWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT148 |year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-91561-8 |pages=110–112, 148–149}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Chaitanya is also known as the father of [[Vaishnava Padavali|padavali]] singing, a highly developed and complex musical tradition.<ref name=":0" /> 

About the same time, [[Sankardev|Shankaradeva]] (1449–1568) in [[Assam]] inspired the [[Ekasarana Dharma]] bhakti movement that emphasized [[Advaita Vedanta]] philosophy within the [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnava]] framework of the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Kaliram Medhi|title=Studies in the Vaiṣṇava Literature & Culture of Assam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HeB83Pc8hCAC |year=1978|publisher=Assam Sahitya Sabha |pages=6, 43}}</ref> Shankaradeva helped establish ''Sattras'' (Hindu temples and monasteries) with ''kirtan-ghar'' (also called ''[[Namghar]]''), for Krishnaite singing and dramatic performance.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ronald M. Bernier|title=Himalayan Architecture|url=https://archive.org/details/himalayanarchite00bern |url-access=registration|year=1997|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press|isbn=978-0-8386-3602-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/himalayanarchite00bern/page/27 27]–28}}</ref>

Meanwhile, in the [[Braj]] region, [[Vallabha|Vallabha acharya]] launched a devotional movement which focused on kirtan songs about baby Krishna and his early childhood.<ref name="AsherTalbot2006" /> One ofshoot of this tradition is the [[Radha]]-centered [[Radha-vallabha|Radha-vallabha Sampradaya]], whose singing style known as [[Haveli Sangeet]] is based on Hindustani classical forms like "[[dhrupad]]" and "[[dhamar (music)|dhamar]]".<ref>{{cite book |surname=Beck |given=Guy L. |chapter=Krishna as Loving Husband of God: The Alternative Krishnology of the Rādhāvallabha Sampradaya |page=67 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0SJ73GHSCF8C&pg=PA67 |title=Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity |url= {{Google books|0SJ73GHSCF8C|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |editor= Guy L. Beck |place=Albany, NY |publisher=SUNY Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7914-6415-1}}</ref> Another kirtan style shared by the Braj traditions like the Vallabha, [[Swami Haridas|Haridasi]], and [[Nimbarkacharya|Nimbarka]] is samaj gayan, which is a kind of collective singing.<ref>Arnold et al (1998). ''The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent,'' p. 251. Taylor & Francis.</ref>

Kirtan as a genre of religious music has been a major part of the Vaishnavism tradition, particularly starting with the [[Alvars]] of [[Sri Vaishnavism]] sub-tradition between the 7th to 10th century CE.<ref>{{cite book|author=John A. Ramsaran|title=English and Hindi Religious Poetry: An Analogical Study|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=138eAAAAIAAJ |year=1973|publisher=BRILL Academic |isbn=90-04-03648-2 |pages=3–4}}</ref> After the 13th-century, two subgenres of kirtan emerged in Vaishnavism, namely the ''[[Nama sankeerthanam|Nama-kirtana]]'' wherein the different names or aspects of god (a Vishnu avatar) are extolled, and the ''Lila- kirtana'' wherein the deity's life and legends are narrated.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Emmie te Nijenhuis|author-link1=Emmie te Nijenhuis|author2=Muttusvāmi Dīkṣita|author3=Sanjukta Gupta|title=Sacred songs of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AjafAAAAMAAJ |year=1987|publisher=Amadeus|isbn=978-3-905049-36-7 |pages=5–6}}</ref>

In the modern era, north Indian styles of kirtan are widely practiced in the modernist movements of [[Sivananda Saraswati|Swami Sivananda]], [[Anandamayi Ma]], [[Sri Aurobindo]], and [[A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]].<ref name=":4" /> 

==== Carnatic traditions ====
In [[Andhra Pradesh]], the compositions of the [[Tallapaka Annamacharya]], a 14th-century Vaishnava mystic, represent the earliest known southern music called "sankirtana". He wrote in praise of [[Lord Venkateswara]], the deity of Seven Hills in [[Tirumala]].<ref>[http://www.svasa.org/annamacharya1.html SVSA]-2008/07/21</ref> During his long and prolific career, he reputedly composed and sang 32,000 Sankirtanas and 12 Shatakas (sets of hundred verses) in both [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and [[Sanskrit]].

==== Marathi kirtan ====
[[file:VEERABHADRA DEVTA MHOTSAV, 2019 at Shree Kshetra Veerabhadra Devasthan Vadhav. 43.jpg|thumb|Maharashtri musicians at Veerabhadra Devasthan, [[Vadhav]]]]
[[file:Folk culture "bhajana".jpg|thumb|A kirtan circle in Maharashtra]]
There are three main styles of [[Marathi Keertan|Marathi kirtan]], Varkari, Naradiya and Jugalbandi.

[[Varkari Kirtan]] was pioneered by [[Namdev|Sant Namdev]] (1270–1350) in [[Maharashtra]].<ref name="novetzke222" /> It is usually based on the works of seven famous Maharashtri saints: Saint Nivruttinath, [[Dnyaneshwar|Sant Dnyaneshwar]], Sopandev, Muktabai, saint Eknath, Saint Namdev, and [[Saint Tukaram]]. Marathi kirtan is typically performed by one or two main performers, accompanied by [[Pump organ|harmonium]] and ''[[tabla]]''. It involves singing, acting, dancing, and story-telling.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dixit |first=Durga |title=Diamond Maharashtra Sankritikosh (Marathi: डायमंड महाराष्ट्र संस्कृतीकोश) |publisher=Diamond Publications |year=2009 |isbn=978-81-8483-080-4 |location=[[Pune, India]] |page=166}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Varadpande |first=Manohar Laxman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZrjC24PuDQC&q=keertan&pg=PA96 |title=History of Indian Theatre |publisher=Abhinav Publications |year=1992 |isbn=9788170172789 |volume=2 |page=95}}</ref> 

The show goes for two or three hours as time permits and is not divided into parts like "Naradiya Kirtan".  This form was effectively performed for years by personalities like Hari Bhakti Parayan (sincere devotee of god) Sonopant (mama) Dandekar, Dhunda maharaj Deglurkar, Babamaharaj Satarkar, Dekhanebuwa, and many others in modern times. An institute at Alandi near [[Pune]] offers training in this form of Kirtan.

[[Naradiya Kirtan]] is divided into five main parts: naman (prayer), Purvaranga (the main spiritual lesson), chanting the names of God, katha or Akhyan (a story to support the lesson), final prayer.<ref>
{{cite book
 | last = Koparkar
 | first = G. N.
 | title = Katha Haridasaanchi (Marathi: कथा हरिदासांची)
 | publisher = Keertan Mahavidyalaya Prakashan
 | location = [[Pune, India]]
 | year = 2000
 | page = 2}}</ref> The Naradiya Marathi Kirtan popular in Maharashtra is most often performed by a single performer, and contains the poetry of saints of Maharashtra such as [[Dnyaneshwar]], [[Eknath]], [[Namdev]] and [[Tukaram]]. Learned poets from 17th and 18th century such as Shridhar, [[Mahipati]], and Moropant contributed to develop this form of kirtan.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ranade |first=Ashok D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XU8dmAiaZSgC&q=anant+phandi&pg=PA194 |title=Intersections : socio-cultural trends in Maharashtra |date=2000 |publisher=Sangam |isbn=978-0863118241 |editor-last1=Kosambi |editor-first1=Meera |location=London |pages=194–210}}</ref> A Naradiya kirtan performance can last for period of any length, from half an hour to three hours. Attendees may wear traditional clothing and the performers use instruments like the Indian harmonium, drums, and string instruments of various types mostly "Zanz", "chipali", "Tal" or "Chimata". Naradiya kirtan performers are usually very learned in literature, music, dance, acting and comedy.

Jugalbandi Kirtan is performed by two persons, allowing question-answer, dialogue and debate. Performance requires skill in music, dance, comedy, oratory, debate, memory, general knowledge and [[Sanskrit]] literature. Training takes place at the Kirtan Kul in Sangli, the Akhil Bharatiya Kirtan Sanstha<ref>{{Cite web |title=संस्थेचा परिचय. &#124; अखिल भारतीय कीर्तन संस्था |url=http://www.keertansanstha.in/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928012400/http://www.keertansanstha.in/ |archive-date=28 September 2013 |access-date=22 September 2013 |language=mr}}</ref> in Dadar, Mumbai, the Narad Mandir at Sadashiv Peth, Pune and the Kalidas Mahavidyalay in [[Ramtek]], [[Nagpur]] as well as at smaller schools in Goa, Beed and Ujjain.