Dhrupad

• Dhrupad is a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest and purest
• It’s name is derived from the words dhruva, the steadfast evening star that moves through our galaxy and pada (poetry), where a part of the poem (dhruva) is used as a refrain 
• The term may denote both the verse form of the poetry and the style in which it is sung
• Dhrupad is spiritual, seeking not to entertain but to induce feelings of peace and contemplation in the listener 
• Like all Indian classical music, dhrupad is modal and monophonic, with a single melodic line and no chord progression. Each raga has a modal frame - a wealth of micro-tonal ornamentations (gamaka) 
• There are said to be four broad stylistic variants (vanis or banis) of classical dhrupad – the Gauri (Gohar), Khandar, Nauhar, and Dagar, tentatively linked to five singing styles (geetis) known from the 7th Century: Shuddha, Bhinna, Gauri, Vegswara, and Sadharani 
• But more importantly, there are a number of dhrupad gharanas: schools or family styles. The best-known gharana is the Dagar family who sing in the Dagar vani. The Dagar style puts great emphasis on aalaap.