--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-int/vocal/hindustani-classical/tarana' title: 'Tarana: Hindustani song sung on syllables' author: name: Anonymous updated: '2026-10-31T16:41:35+00:00' type: website summary: 'Tarana is a Hindustani classical vocal composition sung on syllables such as ta, na and dir in place of lyrics. It often closes a khayal presentation of a raga.' tags: - 'Hindustani Classical' image: 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:secure_url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:type': image/svg+xml 'image:alt': KalaSudha --- Specific Discipline # Tarana तराना A Hindustani vocal composition sung on rhythmic syllables, set in raga and tala Rhythmic Syllables Medium to fast tempo Tarana is a Hindustani classical vocal composition sung on syllables such as ta, na, dir and tom, set in a raga and tala. It often follows the khayal in a raga presentation. [ Explore Courses ](/en-int/courses?discipline=64) [ Show interest ](/en-int/vocal/hindustani-classical/tarana/show-interest) [Sign in to follow](/en-int/user/login?flag_anon=follow_term-64&destination=/en-int/markdownify/taxonomy/term/64) [ Share ](/en-int/share/term/64) ## Overview **Tarana** is a Hindustani classical vocal composition sung on syllables such as ta, na, dir, tom, dani and odani in place of ordinary lyrics, set in a raga and a tala (rhythmic cycle) and usually sung at medium to fast tempo. It stands with dhrupad, dhamar and khayal among the named vocal forms of [Hindustani classical vocal music](/en-int/vocal/hindustani-classical). The word itself is Persian and means a song. Musicians still disagree over whether the syllables once carried meaning. Tradition credits the poet and musician **Amir Khusrau** (1253 to 1325) with creating the form, though the written credit comes from writers who lived centuries after him. Many traditional taranas also carry **Persian verse** in their second section. In a [khayal](/en-int/vocal/hindustani-classical/khayal) performance, a tarana often follows the fast **chhota khayal** (the short, fast khayal composition) and closes the presentation of that raga. The concert itself usually ends with a lighter, semi-classical piece. In South India, the Carnatic [tillana](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/tillana) is the counterpart of the tarana: it is tied to dance, often closes a concert and carries no Persian verse. Tarana also left a mark on instrumental music. Early 20th-century sarod recordings contain fast compositions (drut gats) that follow tarana style and structure. Part of **Hindustani Classical**: Hindustani classical vocal music is the singing tradition of North Indian art music. Singers develop a raga through composition and improvisation in khayal and dhrupad. ### Quick Facts Sung on Syllables such as ta, na, dir and tom; some add Persian verse Tempo Medium to fast (madhya to drut laya) Concert Role Often follows the khayal in a raga presentation Attribution Amir Khusrau (traditional) ## History & Evolution Most accounts name **Amir Khusrau** as the creator of tarana. The **Dilli gharana** traces its tarana repertoire to him through the qawwal bachche, the hereditary qawwal community of Delhi, beginning with his disciple Samat bin Ibrahim. Supporters of the attribution cite later Indo-Persian writers. Pandey and Bhardwaj (2024) report that Abul Fazl's Ain-i-Akbari, from the late 16th century, names Khusrau as the creator of tarana, and that Faqirullah's Rag Darpan (1663) credits him with tarana singing. The writer Abhik Majumdar sets out the grounds for doubt. In his Ejaz-e-Khusravi, Khusrau names ragas that he says already existed and claims none of them as his own. Majumdar's account of the origin legend cites Willard's treatise of 1834. In that story Khusrau hears Gopal Nayak sing raga Kadambak and reproduces it on meaningless syllables, and modern writers treat it as legend. Majumdar still credits Khusrau with a significant role in the form's emergence. Among later schools, the **Rampur-Sahaswan gharana** is known for tarana. The Sangeet Natak Akademi, in its award to Nisar Hussain Khan, recognised his expert rendering of the form. 13th to 14th Century ### Attributed to Amir Khusrau Amir Khusrau (1253 to 1325), poet and musician at the Delhi Sultanate court, is the traditional creator of tarana. Writers on both sides of that attribution see tarana as building on nirgit, wordless singing that existed in India before him. 19th Century ### Rampur court taranas At the Rampur court, Seniya dhrupad musicians such as Bahadur Hussain and Wazir Khan were prolific tarana composers. Maihar gharana teachers later collected dozens of fast sarod compositions (drut gats) said to be built on Rampur taranas. 20th Century ### Recording Era Tarana reached 78 rpm discs, including fast taranas by Nisar Hussain Khan of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. Amir Khan (1912 to 1974), founder of the Indore gharana, researched tarana from 1958 and published on its style in 1966. Late 20th century to present ### Contemporary Practice Rashid Khan (1968 to 2024), a disciple of Nisar Hussain Khan, sang taranas in the Rampur-Sahaswan tradition. Taranas also feature in ensembles joining Hindustani and Carnatic musicians, such as Ravi Shankar's tarana in raga Kirvani. ## Technical Aspects ### Rhythmic Syllables A tarana draws on a stock of **syllables**: ta, na, dir (also dere or dare), tom, dani, odani, tadeem and tana, with yali and ali-alla in some compositions. Many draw on **bols**, the spoken syllables that name an instrument's strokes: [pakhawaj](/instrumental/hindustani-classical/pakhawaj) and [tabla](/instrumental/hindustani-classical/tabla) bols such as dha, tirkit and dhum, stroke sounds such as dir dir and, by some accounts, sitar bols. What the syllables mean is disputed. One view holds that they have no lexical meaning and are chosen for sound and alliteration. Amir Khan argued that they are **Persian and Arabic words** whose sense was lost through repetition, reading dani as 'he knows' and yala as 'Ya Allah'. Prabha Atre is reported as holding that tarana began with meaningful words that later singers mispronounced. Other musicians hold that a Persian base existed and has since been lost. The word tarana also names a technique. Musicians sometimes call the **nom-tom** passages of khayal and dhrupad, sung on syllables such as nom, tom and ta-ra-na, tarana. Those passages elaborate other forms; the composed tarana stands as a piece in its own right. ### Structure and Types Like khayal, a tarana has two sections: the **sthayi**, the first section, and the **antara**, the second. A tarana with a Persian couplet or quatrain (ruba'i), usually placed in the antara, is a **ruba'idar tarana**. Such stanzas sometimes include Urdu, Hindi or Sanskrit lines among the Persian. One typology, reported from the Dilli gharana, names three kinds: a tarana on syllables alone, one whose antara adds verse, and the **trivat**, whose sthayi uses tarana syllables while the antara switches to percussion bols. The classification belongs to that gharana's tradition, and other schools may group taranas differently. ### Tempo and Tala Tarana is most often sung at **drut laya** (fast tempo), though taranas are set in various talas and tempi. Documented examples sit in teentaal (16 beats) and ektaal (12 beats). Some open at **madhya laya** (medium tempo) and accelerate to drut. Rashid Khan's tarana in raga Gaud Sarang, in ektaal, follows that arc. A slow variant, the **khayalnuma**, is rarely heard now. Jal Balaporia sings one in raga Yaman in Rajat Kapoor's 1995 Films Division film Tarana. ## Journey to Mastery Follow this structured journey to master this discipline 1. 1 ### Khayal Grounding Start with khayal. A tarana is a short piece in khayal style, often heard after the fast chhota khayal, and it shares the two-section form of a khayal composition. India's CBSE syllabus for Hindustani vocal music sets one tarana in a prescribed raga as a Class XII practical item, after a Class XI theory topic on the history of tarana. 2. 2 ### Syllable Vocabulary Learn the syllables composition by composition, because the stock varies between taranas and between gharanas. Take each tarana's syllables from a teacher or a recording, and keep the spelling your source uses, since romanisations differ. The Rhythmic Syllables section of this page lists the common ones. 3. 3 ### Tala and Tempo Learn to keep the tala, the rhythmic cycle, while you sing. Track each cycle to its sam, the first beat, against the tabla's theka, the basic stroke pattern for the tala. Some taranas begin at madhya laya (medium tempo) and accelerate to drut (fast), so practise holding the cycle steady as the tempo rises. 4. 4 ### Repertoire Build repertoire across talas and tempi. Learn taranas in teentaal (16 beats) and in ektaal (12 beats), the tala of Rashid Khan's tarana in raga Gaud Sarang. Then practise a tarana that begins at medium tempo (madhya laya) and moves to fast (drut), as some taranas do. 5. 5 ### Performance Practice Listen to recorded taranas and compare singers. The 78 rpm drut (fast) taranas of Nisar Hussain Khan and the television recording of Amir Khan's tarana serve as listening models. For each recording, note the raga and tala, whether the antara carries Persian verse, and whether the singer adds tans, the fast melodic runs of khayal, as Amir Khan did. ## Frequently Asked Questions Where can I learn to sing tarana online with a live teacher? A [tarana](/en-int/vocal/hindustani-classical/tarana) is sung on syllables such as ta, na, dir and tom in place of words, and KalaSudha teaches it online, live and one-to-one. It is set in a raga, the melodic framework, and a tala, the rhythmic cycle, usually at medium to fast tempo. A tarana is a short piece in khayal style, often heard after the fast chhota khayal, so at **Foundation** you start with **khayal**. Our [courses](/en-int/courses) then move up in levels, and lessons run in HD video with stereo audio built for music. Where enough learners sign up, we add workshops and summer camps. Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help! Stay close ## Keep KalaSudha close. Receive news of concerts, learning opportunities, recordings and the work taking shape at KalaSudha. - Concert news - ·Learning opportunities - ·Recordings and stories We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.