esraj
Sign in to saveAlso known as esrāj, israj
The ' or esraaj (from the Shahmukhi: اسراج Bengali: এস্রাজ) is a stringed instrument found in two forms throughout South Asia. It is a relatively recent instrument, being only about 300 years old. It is found in Pakistan and North India, primarily Punjab, where it is used in Sikh music, Bangladesh and West Bengal, India where it is used in Rabindra Sangeet and Classical Music. The is a modern variant of the ', differing slightly in structure.
Key facts
- Instrument.name
- Esraj
- Instrument.names
- Israj
- Instrument.image
- Esraj musical instrument.jpg
- Instrument.image_capt
- Esraj on display in the Iyal Isai Museum Exhibition in Government Museum, Chennai
- Instrument.background
- string
- Instrument.classification
- Bowed string instrument
- Instrument.range
- 3-4 Octaves
- Instrument.developed
- 17th century
- Instrument.related
- Sarinda Sarangi Taus Dilruba Tarshanai or Tar Shehnai
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Esraj - SMV - M2116 01.tif
Show 2 more facts
- Hornbostel-Sachs classification
- 321.321-71
- Commons category
- Esraj
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~4 min read
Article
7 sectionsContents
- History
- Construction styles
- Playing
- Notable figures
- See also
- References
- External links
The ' or esraaj (from the Shahmukhi: اسراج Bengali: এস্রাজ) is a stringed instrument found in two forms throughout South Asia. It is a relatively recent instrument, being only about 300 years old. It is found in Pakistan and North India, primarily Punjab, where it is used in Sikh music, Bangladesh and West Bengal, India where it is used in Rabindra Sangeet and Classical Music. The is a modern variant of the ', differing slightly in structure.
The and its variant, the , had been declining in popularity for many decades. By the 1980s, the instrument was nearly extinct. However, with the rising influence of the "Gurmat Sangeet" movement in an effort to revive the traditional instrumentation of Sikh Kirtan, the instrument has been once again attracting attention. In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore made this instrument mandatory for all the students of the (Music Academy) in Visva-Bharati University (otherwise known as Shantiniketan). Because of this, is considered the main accompanying instrument for traditional .