Music & Dance

Religiosity, season, migration, and rites the passage – birth, marriage, and death – are the themes around which the music, dance, and amusements of the village folk of Bihar revolve. This is common to both men and women. Here religious entertainment takes the form of amusement for the masses.

The region's folk songs are associated with the various events in the life of an ordinary person. The historical ballads dealing with the heroic deeds of the freedom fighter Kunwar Singh have also been immortalized through folk songs in the plain tracts of Bihar. Religiosity is the pivot around which the music and amusements of the village folk of Bihar revolve. There are songs like sohar - performed during childbirth, sumangali - associated with wedding, ropnigeet - performed during the season of sowing paddy, katnigeet - performed during the paddy harvesting season, purbi, Fagua- Holi festival song, Ghato-Chaita & Chaiti is very popular in the month of Chait (Hindi calendar), bidesia, birha, kajari, irni/ birni, pachra, jhumar, jatsari, aalah, nirgun and samdaun. There is also the tradition of war songs called Beer Kunwar. There is a great tradition of folk songs started by Bhikhari Thakur, an artist from the Bhojpur region.
The influence of Bihari music in seen in regions such as Mauritius, South Africa and the Caribbean, where a large number of Bihari indentured labourers were taken during the nineteenth century as well as Pakistan and Bangladesh where many Bihari Muslims migrated to after the partition of India.

Other wandering folk singers include the Kathaks, who travelled in groups and performed accompanied by dholak, sarangi, tamburu and majira. Other musician classes included Roshan Chouki, Bhajaniya, Kirtaniya, Pamaria and Bhakliya.

Bihar, in the ancient times has been an important place for dance and music. In places like Vaishali and Rajgir, in ancient Bihar, beautiful girls acted as Nagar Shobhinis or town ornaments (courtesans). Lord Buddha himself accepted this fact and he himself received an invitation from Amrapali, the chief courtesan of Vaishali. These girls were proficient in music and dancing and were part of processions of religious and social nature. It appears that singing and dancing were the chief amusements of that age.

The regular history of Mithila music dates back from Nanyadeva (1097-1133), a great patron of music and author of a treatise on this art. He developed the popular ragas on systematic lines. This Mithila music was carried to Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, etc. Later during the Muslim period, music and dance met with many set-backs as these were tabooed for them. But the famous saint of Bihar, H.Sharif-ud-din Ahmed Manari was not averse to music, vocal or instrumental.

Folk songs, folk dances and religious songs of the Vaishanavas were also popular in medieval period.

During the famous chhath parva of Bihar, there is much music and a lot of singing of folk songs, both at home and on the river bank. The historical ballads dealing with the heroic deeds of the freedom fighter Kunwar Singh have also been immortalized through folk songs in the plain tracts of Bihar. The folk music of Bihar has survived all attacks of modernism. Some performers of Bihar's traditions have achieved commercial success. For example, Sharda Sinha (b. 1953) sings Bihari language folk songs in concerts throughout the world and has released many recordings. Maithil musicians, who seem to have been more popular outside Bihar, enriched Nepalese music and carried the traditions of their Folk songs. Some of the ragas, which may be claimed as special to Bihar, are 'Nachari', 'Phag', 'Chaita', 'Purbi',’lagani raag’etc.In the religious-type of dance the gods and goddesses are invoked through dance accompanied by folk-songs and music.

Religiosity is the pivot around which the music and amusements of the village folk of Bihar revolve. This is common to both men and women. Here religious entertainment takes the form of amusement for the masses. At the slightest pretext, “Satyanarayana Katha” is held in all seasons of the year and some religious scriptures are read and devotional songs are sung. There are some religious songs in praise of Satyanarayana who is a convenient deity that could be worshiped at any time.

Reading of the Tulsidas Ramayana is another form of common religious entertainment which keeps the village folk enthralled.

Ramlila, Nautanki and the Bhikharia songs enthral thousands of men and women in the fairs and gatherings. Ramlila is essentially religious and based on active presentation of the story of Rama and Sita. Nautanki are social plays, where many social evils are caricatured and they have an educative value. Bhikharia songs have a wide range of themes and usually they aim at social inhibitions and drawbacks of the society.
Festival songs mark another important category of folk-song. Navaratra is religious and ritualistic to the core. People, especially women-folk, worship goddess Devi for nine days with proper rituals and observe fast. During the festivals, music conferences are arranged. There are certain rural centres where fine forms of music have been developed. Darbhanga, Panchgachia in Saharsa district, Ara and Jhabua towns have developed prolifically the music of various forms. There used to be a school of music where village girls and boys were being trained in playing of Mridanga.

Some of the rich local Zamindar families in different parts used to hold regular music conferences every year. This form of entertainment has become rare now.
Pastoral songs express the thoughts, aspirations and sorrows of the villagers. Kuvar-Vijay folk songs are historical while Sobhnaika is sung at the time of marriage. Folk songs are widely recited and appreciated on religious and social occasions like Nagpanchami, Janmasthami, Teej, Chauk Chanda, Anant, Chhath, karma etc.

The marriage ceremony holds an important place among the ceremonies prescribed by both shastras and folklore. This ceremony lasting for several days is equally important for folk-songs. For example, some songs are called nehchu songs, sung on the nail-cutting ceremony of the bridegroom. Jyonar is also a form of folk-song which is sung when the bride and the wedding party enjoy a feast. These jyonar songs enumerate the things which are being served in the feast. Marriage songs can be said to be of three categories. The first one is ritualistic and has an air of magical charm about it. Various spirits are involved by a song and imagining that the spirits are coming in they are shut up in the cap, which is pasted on the wall of a room, and which during these marriage days is called ‘Kohbar’. There are other songs imploring the presence and protection of various divinities and spirits.
Purely seasonal songs are those which are sung during raining season, especially in the month of Savan and Bhadon. A class of these songs is called malhar. These songs express the pleasure of ladies when they enjoy ‘rimjhim’ or light showers. They insist in swinging (jhula) while singing with their friends and relatives.

A category of songs are those in which women are free to sing according to their own choice and pleasure, expressing feelings and emotions for different occasions. As this is a very important occasion in the family life, there are many glimpses of delicate family relationship and finer sentiments.