Music late dance fell into some disrepute in the early nineteenth century, but towards the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, new inspirations began to emerge and a revival took place. Rabindranath Tagore composed unique songs which go under the name of Rabindra Sangeet. Ice patriotic fervour of the early twentieth century drew many musicians into the freedom struggle – Kazl Nazrul Islam, Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, Subramania Bharati – and they all sought to establish Indian music and musicology on the world map.

Institutions were established to encourage the study of music as a science. In 1901, Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, in his effort to remove music from the stranglehold of gharanas and give it a broader base, opened a school of music at Lahore – the Gandharva Mahavidyalays. Slowly the Lahore base shifted to Bombay. Later he opened the Prayag Samiti at Allahabad. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande was another notable pioneer in rescuing music Oom disrepute and going it deserved. His efforts led to the Marris College of Music being established in 1926 at Lucknow. It has now been renamed the Bhatkande College of Music. In the meanwhile in 1919, at All-India Music Academy was established. All this opened vast avenues for research, study and experiment and a better understanding of different styles, besides fostering an interest in music. In 1928 the Madras Music Academy was founded and it did much to revive, interest in Carnatic Music. Gradually many Indian universities and schools had music on their academic curricula, and several students of their rolls are studying and doing research in this filed. The spread of interest in music was also due to the part played by All India Radio, which brought concerts by famous musicians right inside the home and gave chance for building talents to be aired. Cinema too popularized music, though film songs are now very much influenced by Western techniques.