Old texts also discuss ensembles (vrindas) in this type of Indian music of 15 - 20 people, instrumentalists or a mix. I have a hunch that older indian music may have had a bit more than today's khayal that it gave birth to (especially beyond the cacophonium harmonium).

I've also always wondered the history of the tanpura - thanks for this resource.

On Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 3:31:27 AM UTC-5, christian...@gmx.net wrote:
> The older style of music where a variable tonic was used is being reffered to in this article . The point if a drone was used or not ( or could be used ) is what intrigues me , but I can not find more info about this point .. Note : " open for debate "
>
> https://www.tosslevy.nl/tanpura/tanpura-history/tanpura-history-2/
>
> " Historically, the function of the tanpura as a drone instrument in modern Indian chamber music is a comparatively recent development, dating from about the early 16th century (the latter part of Akbars reign). In the Natyashastra, the great work on music and theatre written about 1500 years ago by Bharata; he gives no mention of a drone being used in either of the two music forms from that time, namely the grama-murchana and the jati systems. This, according to B.C.Deva, the renowned Indian scholar, was due to the fact that the older style of music employed a variable tonic, which suggests that a steady drone could not have been used (although this is open to debate). "
>
> Keywords : Shifting tonic , murchana , graha bheda

askan... 2023 :
> Old texts also discuss ensembles (vrindas) in this type of Indian music of 15 - 20 people, instrumentalists or a mix. I have a hunch that older indian music may have had a bit more than today's khayal that it gave birth to (especially beyond the cacophonium harmonium).
>
> I've also always wondered the history of the tanpura - thanks for this resource. "

My pleasure !

I didn´t know that " vrinda " was also used to denote music ensembles ..