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{{Short description|Form of Indian semi-classical vocal music}}
{{for|the sites known in Persian as ''tepe''|Tell (archaeology)}}
'''Tappa''' is a form of Indian semi-classical [[vocal music]]. Its specialty is a rolling pace based on fast, subtle and knotty construction. Its tunes are melodious and sweet, and depict the emotional outbursts of a lover. Tappe (plural) were sung mostly by songstresses, known as baigees, in royal courts.

==History==
Tappa originated from the folk songs of the camel riders in [[Punjab region|Punjab]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/types-of-music-compositions-tappa-1344414719-1|title = Types of Music Compositions: Tappa|date = 8 August 2012}}</ref> The tappa style of music was refined and introduced to the imperial court of the [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Muhammad Shah]],<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=The Music of India|author1=Massey, R.|author2=Massey, J.|date=1996|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=9788170173328|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yySNDP9XVggC|page=55|access-date=November 17, 2014}}</ref> and later by [[Mian Ghulam Nabi Shori]] or Shori Mian, a court singer of [[Asaf-Ud-Dowlah]], [[Nawab of Awadh]].{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

In Bengal, [[Nidhu Babu|Ramnidhi Gupta]] & [[Kalidas Chattopadhyay]] composed Bengali tappa and they are called Nidhu Babu's Tappa. Tappa ''gayaki'' took new shape and over decades became ''puratani'', a semi-classical form of Bengali songs.

Tappa, as a significant genre in Bengali musical styles, reached levels of excellence in lyrics and rendition (gayaki), arguably unmatched in other parts of India. Hugely popular in the latter half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, tappa was the genre of choice of the wealthy elite as well as the classes with more modest means. An evolved format of the tappa was the ''baithaki'' style, which evolved under the direct patronage of the landed elites of the [[zamindari]] classes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in their ''baithak-khanas'' (literally, ''baithak'' - assembly, ''khana'' - halls or salons) and [[jalsaghar]] (literally, halls for entertainment, [[mujra]] or [[nautch]] halls)

Composers of repute included Bidyasundar, Roopchaand Pakkhi, [[Dadathakur]], and Hiralal Sarkhel.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}} Unfortunately, tappa being mainly a vocal tradition, a lot of priceless material from the body of art has been lost in the passage of time. Many celebrated artists died before recordings of music became common. What is left today is mainly handed down from the generations by oral traditions as well as some written matter, occasionally turned up in the course of research.

[[Ramkumar Chattopadhyay]] was perhaps the most significant vocal proponent in recent times,{{citation needed|date=April 2018}} of the tappa style in Bengal, renowned for his semi-humorous and majorly artistic renditions and his comical incorporation of English into the Bengali lyrics, either his own translations or his anecdotal translations based on prior sources, ostensibly for the 'comprehension' of the British 'sahibs' in the [[British Raj]] era, but containing many subversive and sarcastic tones in the English transliterations, clearly against the Imperial regime, but subtly put, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the strict and (usually) sensitive colonial government and invite charges of [[sedition]]. (e.g. ''Let me go, ohe dwari'', ''tumi kader kuler bou'' (humorously translated by him as "Madam, whose family you belong to...").

==Performers==
Among the prominent living performers of this style are Pt. Laxmanrao and his daughter Vidushi [[Meeta Pandit]],<ref>[[Meeta Pandit]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=July 2019}} Pandita [[Malini Rajurkar]] and [[Shashwati Mandal]] of the [[Gwalior Gharana]],<ref name="News">{{cite news |last1=Pandit |first1=Meeta |title=Sitarist Adnan Khan spells magic on stage |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/community/sitarist-adnan-khan-spells-magic-on-stage/310284.html |agency=The Tribune, Chandigarh |issue=15 October 2016 |work=The Tribune}}</ref> [[Shanno Khurana]] of the [[Rampur-Sahaswan gharana]],<ref name=tap>{{cite news|title=Tapping tappas |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/01/16/stories/2006011600620100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009030622/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/01/16/stories/2006011600620100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 9, 2013 |date=Jan 16, 2006 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=May 29, 2013}}</ref> Smt. Shubhada Paradkar, a disciple of [[Gajananrao Joshi]] and Pt. [[Ajoy Chakrabarty]] of the [[Patiala gharana]].

Among instrumentalists, [[sarod]] player Shekhar Borkar from [[Pune]] was the first ever to perform a tappa on an instrument, implementing the Tarankaar Baaz, a style of playing he invented.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/ueetxxlnIrY Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150603082326/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueetxxlnIrY&feature=youtu.be Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueetxxlnIrY| title = Pt. Shekhar Borkar - Tappa on the Sarod | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shekharborkar.com/tarankaar.htm |title=Shekhar Borkar |access-date=2014-04-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140405101719/http://www.shekharborkar.com/tarankaar.htm |archive-date=2014-04-05 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=gQWLa--IHjIC&dq=tappa+in+classical+music&pg=PA146 ''The Dictionary of Hindustani Classical Music'' at Google Books]

{{Hindustani Classical Music page end}}

[[Category:Indian styles of music]]
[[Category:Hindustani music genres]]

Tappa - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article