Theka

A Theka (IAST: Ṭhekā) literally means "support, prop".[1] The term also refers to a musical composition in classical Indian music for percussion instruments that establish a rhythm (Chanda), beats (Matras) and the metric cycle of beats (Tala) in a performance.[1]

A theka is the basic rhythmic phrase of a particular tala.[2] It is the underlying repeated pattern that shapes the time cycle of a musical expression.[3] Theka is a term used by the drummers such as the tabla players.[4][5][6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Caudhurī 2000, p. 151.
  2. Te Nijenhuis 1974, pp. 60, 92.
  3. Kayal, Encyclopædia Britannica, Quote: "The rhythm of the melodic performance is nonmetric, but the percussion accompaniment is cast in a tala, and the time cycle is shaped by the repeated pattern (theka) performed by the accompanist."
  4. Randel 2003, p. 878.
  5. Jairazbhoy 1995, p. 30.
  6. Nettl et al. 1998, p. 124.

Bibliography

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