Dadra
Encyclopedia
Dadra also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: दादरा) refers to two separate but originally linked concepts in Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
.
Dadra tala
This is a Hindustani classical talaTala (music)
Tāla, Taal or Tal is the term used in Indian classical music for the rhythmic pattern of any composition and for the entire subject of rhythm, roughly corresponding to metre in Western music, though closer conceptual equivalents are to be found in other Asian classical systems such as the notion...
(rhythmic cycle), consisting of six beats in two equal divisions of three. The most commonly accepted theka or basic pattern for this tala is dha dhi na, dha tu na. There is a higher emphasis laid on the first swar in comparison the following two, that is, dha - higher emphasis following dhi na and again a higher emphasis on dha following tu na.
Dadra (genre)
In this context dadra is a light classical vocal form in Hindustani classical musicHindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
, mostly performed in Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
and in Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom is a geographic region of central India...
region. It was originally accompanied by dadra tala
Tala (music)
Tāla, Taal or Tal is the term used in Indian classical music for the rhythmic pattern of any composition and for the entire subject of rhythm, roughly corresponding to metre in Western music, though closer conceptual equivalents are to be found in other Asian classical systems such as the notion...
(from where the term for the genre was borrowed), but later dadra compositions are often found in other light talas (such as keherwa
Keherwa
Keherwa is one of the famous talas of Hindustani music. It is also one of the common taal in North India, used in various popular compositions of Indian music. Keherwa has many variations including dhumaali, "bhajani", and qawwali etc.-Arrangement:...
).
There have been some bollywood songs as well based on the same for instance Madan Mohan (music director) composition -lag jaa gale, a song from the movie woh kaun thi.