thumri

English

Etymology

From Hindi ठुमरी (ṭhumrī).

Noun

thumri (countable and uncountable, plural thumris)

1. A genre of light classical north Indian music.
2. An individual piece of music in this style.
   • 1992 May 8, Bill Wyman, “Calendar”, in Chicago Reader‎^[1]:

     Subhra Guha's "rendition of the thumri is notable for its rich technique and aesthetic appeal emanating from her immaculate use of bol."

   • 1994 January 21, Ted Shen, “Lyon Leifer & Nancy Lesh”, in Chicago Reader‎^[2]:

     While the three main styles of Hindustani music have common origins and can be played on the some instruments, the dhrupad, which flourished in the 1500s, is less ornamental, more austere and serene than the khayal and the thumri, which evolved about two centuries later; the thumri is the more romantic of those two.

   • 2008, Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies, Penguin, published 2015, page 82:

     Like many dancers, Elokeshi had a fine voice and could sing exquisite thumris […]

   • 2015, Tridip Suhrud, translating Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi, Sarasvatichandra I, Orient BlackSwan 2015, p. 146:

     These courtesans sang beautiful tappas and thumris much to the delight of the citizens.