The sāraṅgī in contemporary North Indian music practice: A comparison of classical and folk contexts

Despite being considered as the main bowed lute of North India, the sāraṅgī is still an instrument that many people do not recognise. There are many reasons for this enigma, including the structural complexity of the instrument itself; its notoriously difficult playing technique; and the traditionally low social status of musicians who play sāraṅgī. Nonetheless, the sāraṅgī survives in a number of different forms in contemporary North India.
This article compares the modern classical sāraṅgī of North Indian art music with the Sindhi sāraṅgī, which is played by the Sāraṅgīyā Laṅgā folk musicians from Western Rajasthan. As well as comparing the instruments themselves as organological objects, we will examine the symbiotic relationship between the “local” folk sāraṅgī tradition of the Laṅgās and the “great” hegemonic tradition of North Indian classical music.