Which scholar has classified the instruments in medieval period ?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3: Sharangdev.

Pandit Sharangdev, who lived in the 13th century (1175–1247 CE), is the celebrated scholar who comprehensively classified instruments in the medieval period. His monumental Sanskrit treatise, *Sangita Ratnakara* (Ocean of Music and Dance), serves as the crucial link between the ancient musical traditions of *Natyashastra* and the modern Hindustani and Carnatic systems. Within the *Vadyadhyaya* (Chapter on Instruments), he systematically detailed the ancient fourfold classification—*Tat* (string), *Sushira* (wind), *Avanaddha* (percussion with leather), and *Ghana* (solid idiophones)—providing exhaustive descriptions of each instrument category prevalent in the music of the medieval era. This codification established the definitive framework for instrumental music for centuries.

The incorrect option is 1: Matang.
Matang Muni is an important musicologist, but he belongs to the earlier, transitional phase, typically dated between the 6th and 8th centuries CE, which is pre-medieval. His main contribution, the *Brihaddeshi*, is famous for being the first text to define the term *Raga* explicitly. While he addressed various musical components, his work predates the widespread systemisation of the complete musicological framework that Sharangdev accomplished in the 13th century. Therefore, he is considered a pivotal figure of the late-ancient or early-medieval period, but not the primary classifier for the core medieval tradition.

The incorrect option is 2: Bharat.
Bharat Muni is the father of Indian performing arts and the most ancient of the choices, estimated to have lived between 200 BCE and 200 CE. His seminal work, the *Natyashastra*, is the absolute foundation of Indian dramaturgy, music, and dance. It was Bharat who first established the original four categories of musical instruments (*Tat, Avanaddha, Sushir, Ghan*). Since his work belongs to the ancient, not the medieval, period, he cannot be the correct answer, although his classification is the basis for all later scholars.

The incorrect option is 4: Lalit Kishor Singh.
Lalit Kishor Singh is a scholar from the modern or contemporary period of Indian music, not the medieval era. His literary contributions and compositions would be considered recent, post-dating the medieval era by several centuries. The medieval period is generally considered to conclude before the significant changes brought about by the later Mughal and post-Mughal influences, which is a context far removed from this modern musicologist's work.