In this article, I examine the repeated musical formulas that appear in ṭhumrī performances. Chunks of recurring musical material, my analysis has revealed a large number
of different types of formulas in ṭhumrī recordings by a wide variety of musicians from
throughout the twentieth century. Here, I propose ways of understanding how and why they
occur in ṭhumrī and suggest ways of taking them into account in an analysis of ṭhumrī style.
In Parts I and II, I lay some of the theoretical groundwork for my analysis of formulas in ṭhumrī. In Part I, I consider the nature of improvisation in North Indian classical music and
begin to explore the significance of musical formulas in ṭhumrī. Attempting to account for
their widespread occurrence, I argue that they are a result of the way in which North Indian
classical musicians teach, learn and practice ṭhumrī, in preparation for largely improvised
performances. In Part II, I explore wider contexts in which to make sense of formulas in
North Indian classical music; specifically, I draw attention to parallels with the formulas that
appear in other musical traditions, oral poetry and spoken language. In Part III, I take the
formulas of ṭhumrī as a starting point for an analysis of ṭhumrī style. Categorizing these
formulas into different types, I distinguish, for example, between the precise repetition of
memorized musical figures and the repeated use of abstract musical strategies, which produce
entirely different musical phrases whenever they appear. I consider the role that formulas
play in delineating phrase structure and creating a sense of musical syntax. Finally, I argue
that the examination of formulas offers a means of characterizing different ṭhumrī styles.
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