Sikh music

Sikh music is the classical music style that is practised within Sikhism. It exists in institutional, popular, and folk traditions, forms, and varieties. Three types of Sikh musicians are rababis, ragis, and dhadhis. Sikh music exists in various melodic modes, musical forms, styles, musicians, and performance contexts.

Sikh music is also known as Gurbani Sangeet (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ ਸੰਗੀਤ, romanized: Gurabāṇī sagīta; meaning music of the speech of wisdom), or Gurmat Sangeet (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਮਤਿ ਸੰਗੀਤ, romanized: Guramati sagīta; meaning music of the counsel or tenets of the Guru), and also as Shabad Kirtan (Gurmukhi: ਸ਼ਬਦ ਕੀਰਤਨ, romanized: Śabada kīratana).

Whilst the term Gurmat Sangeet has come to be used as a name for all Sikh kirtan performed as per the prescribed ragas found within the Sikh scripture, Inderjit Kaur believes a more fitting term for the raga genre is "rāg-ādhārit shabad kīrtan". She further believes that the Sikh musicology as a whole should be referred to as "gurmat sangīt shāstar/vigyān", of which, raga kirtan is a genre found within.

Musical expression has held a very important place within the Sikh tradition ever since its beginning, with Guru Nanak and his faithful companion, Bhai Mardana. Textual traditions connecting Guru Nanak and Mardana to music include the Janamsakhis and the Varan of Bhai Gurdas. There are also artistic depictions of Guru Nanak and Mardana as musicians amid various 18th and 19th century paintings, where Guru Nanak is shown singing whilst Mardana is playing his instrument.

References made to music during the time of Guru Nanak found within the Varan of Bhai Gurdas, includes:

ghar ghar hove dharamsāl, hove kīrtan sadā visoā

Every house was a place of worship with constant kīrtan as on Baisakhi

Regarding the Kartarpur chapter of Guru Nanak's life, Bhai Gurdas states: