river Kaveri in the south, and it is probable that Sarngadeva had come into contact with the music of the south as well as with that of the north. His work, the Sangita-Ratnakara shows many signs of this contact. It is possible that he is endeavouring to give the common theory which underlies both systems. The result is that a great deal of controversy has arisen as to the exact system described in the book and even as to the reading of the ragas which he describes. No scholar has been able to give a thoroughly satisfactory account of these. The work deals with the whole range of musical form, and composition and gives a very detailed account of ancient musical theory. It also mentions a number of musical writers between Bharata and the author, but none of their works survive to-day. The fundamental scale {suddha raga) of Sarrigadeva is Mtikhart, the modern Kanakahgi, which is the sitddha scale of Carnatic music to-day.
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries are the most important in the development of the Northern school. It was the time of the Muhammadan conquest. Many of the emperors did a great deal to extend the practice of music and most of them had musicians attached to their court. From this time dates the introduction of Persian models into Indian music, and we also find the differentiation of the northern and southern schools becoming more marked. Amir Khusru was a famous singer at the court of Sultan Alla-ud-din (a.d. 1295-1316). He was not only a poet and musician but also a soldier and statesman and v/as a minister of two of the Sultans. The qavali mode of singing — a judicious mixture of Persian and Indian models — was introduced by him, and several of our modern ragas are said to have been originated by him. The Sitar, a modification of the vTtjaj was probably first introduced by him. There is a story told of a contest between Amir Khusru and Gopal Naik, a musician from the court of Vijayanagar. While Gopal was singing a beautiful composition, Khusru hid under the throne of the king and afterwards imitated all the beauties of Gopal's melodies and even surpassed them. Muhammadan historians relate that, when the Moghuls completed the conquest of the
