Hori (music)

Hori is a genre of semi-classical singing, popular in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It can be adorned with a Bhairavi, Thumri etc.

It comes in the series of season songs, like Chaiti, Sawani and Kajari, and is traditionally sung in the villages and towns of Uttar Pradesh: around Banaras, Mirzapur, Mathura, Allahabad and the Bhojpur regions of Bihar.It is also called Dhamar, which is sung with Dhamar taal. Songs of Hori/ Dhamar are related to Radha-Krishna Leela in the festival of Holi.

Hori is one of the light forms of Hindustani classical music, sung during the fevstial of Holi. It is a music that left its shades on the biggest entertainment industry, Bollywood, also known as Hindi Cinema, serving in many familiar films- "Kati Patang", the Holi song "Aaj na choddenge bas humjoli", "Holi khele raghubira Awadh mein" from the film "Baghban", the hugely popular "Rang barse" and "Holi aayi re kanhai" from "Mother India"- are some euphonious examples of its form in the industry.