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On Appreciation of Indian Classical Music by RaviShankar
Indian
classical music is principally based on melody and rhythm, not on
harmony, counterpoint, chords, modulation and the other basics of
Western classical music. The
system of Indian music known as Raga Sangeet can be traced back nearly
two thousand years to its origin in the Vedic hymns of the Hindu
temples, the fundamental source of all Indian music. Thus, as in Western
music, the roots of Indian classical music are religious. To us, music
can be a spiritual discipline on the path to self-realisation, for we
follow the traditional teaching that sound is God - Nada Brahma: By this
process individual consciousness can be elevated to a realm of
awareness where the revelation of the true meaning of the universe - its
eternal and unchanging essence - can be joyfully experienced. Our ragas
are the vehicles by which this essence can be perceived.
The
ancient Vedic scriptures teach that there are two types of sound. One
is a vibration of ether, the upper or purer air near the celestral
realm. This sound is called Anahata Nad or unstruck sound. Sought after
by great enlightened yogis, it can only be heard by them. The sound of
the universe is the vibration thought by some to be like the music of
the spheres that the Greek Pythagoras described in the 6th century B.C.
The other sound Ahata Nad or struck sound, is the vibration of air in
the lower atmosphere closer to the earth. It is any sound that we hear
in nature or man-made sounds, musical and non-musical.
The
tradition of Indian classical music is an oral one. It is taught
directly by the guru to the disciple, rather than by the notation method
used in the West. The very heart of Indian music is the raga: the
melodic form upon which the musician improvises. This framework is
established by tradition and inspired by the creative spirits of master
musicians.
Ragas are extremely
difficult to explain in a few words. Though Indian music is modal in
character, ragas should not be mistaken as modes that one hears in the
music of the Middle and Far Eastern countries, nor be understood to be a
scale, melody per se, a composition, or a key. A raga is a scientific,
precise, subtle and aesthetic melodic form with its own peculiar
ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven note
octave, or a series of six or five notes (or a combination of any of
these) in a rising or falling structure called the Arohana and
Avarohana. It is the subtle difference in the order of notes, an
omission of a dissonant note, an emphasis on a particular note, the
slide from one note to another, and the use of microtones together with
other subtleties, that demarcate one raga from the other.
There
is a saying in Sanskrit - "Ranjayathi iti Ragah" - which means, "that
which colours the mind is a raga." For a raga to truly colour the mind
of the listener, its effect must be created not only through the notes
and the embellishments, but also by the presentation of the specific
emotion or mood characteristic of each raga. Thus through rich melodies
in our music, every human emotion, every subtle feeling in man and
nature can be musically expressed and experienced.
The performing
arts in India - music, dance,drama, and poetry - are based on the
concept of Nava Rasa , or the "nine sentiments." Literally, rasa means
"juice" or "extract" but here in this context, we take it to mean
"emotion" or "sentiment." The acknowledged order of these sentiments is
as follows: Shringara (romantic and erotic): Hasya (humorous): Karuna
(pathetic): Raudra (anger): Veera (heroic): Bhayanaka (fearful):
Vibhatsa (disgustful): Adbhuta (amazement): Shanta (peaceful).
Each
raga is principally dominated by one of these nine rasas, although the
performer can also bring out other emotions in a less prominent way. The
more closely the notes of a raga conform to the expression of one
single idea or emotion, the more overwhelming the effect of the raga.
In
addition to being associated with a particular mood, each raga is also
closely connected to a particular time of day or a season of the year.
The cycle of day and night, as well as the cycle of the seasons, is
analogous to the cycle of life itself. Each part of the day - such as
the time before dawn, noon, late afternoon, early evening, late night -
is associated with a definite sentiment. The explanation of the time
associated with each raga may be found in the nature of the notes that
comprise it, or in historical anecdotes concerning the raga.
Although
there are 72 "melas" or parent scales upon which ragas are based,
Indian music scholars have estimated that, with all their permutations
and combinations, there exist over 6,000 ragas ! But a raga is not
merely a matter of the ascending - descending structure. It must have
its "chalan "- or certain note patterns characteristic of the raga; its
principle important note (vadi); the second important note (samavadi);
and its main feature known as "jan" (life) or "mukhda" (face), the
cluster of a few notes by which a raga is immediately recognised.In
terms of aesthetics, a raga is the projection of the artist's inner
spirit, a manifestation of his most profound sentiments and
sensibilities brought forth through tones and melodies. The musician
must breath life into each raga as he unfolds and expands it. As much as
90 percent of Indian music may be improvised and because so very much
depends on understanding the spirit and nuances of the art, the
relationship between the artist and his guru is the keystone of this
ancient tradition. From the beginning, the aspiring musician requires
special and individual attention to bring him to the moment of artistic
mastery. The unique aura of a raga (one might say its "soul") is its
spiritual quality and manner of expression, and this cannot be learned
from any book.
It is only after many long and extensive years of
"sadhana" (dedicated practice and discipline) under the guidance of
one's guru and his blessings, that the artist is empowered to put
"prana" (the breath of life) into a raga. This is accomplished by
employing the secrets imparted by one's teacher such as the use of
"shrutis" (microtones other than the 12 semitones in an octave, Indian
music using smaller intervals than Western music: 22 within an octave):
"gamakas" (special varieties of glissando which connect one note to the
other), and "andolan" (a sway - but not a vibrato). The result is that
each note pulsates with life and the raga becomes vibrant and
incandescent.
Next to be
considered are the "talas" or "rhythmic cycles" of a raga. There is
unique intricacy and rhythmic sophistication in Indian music. There are
talas ranging from a 3 beat cycle to 108 beats within a cycle! The most
popular talas are those which have 5,6,7,8,10,12,14, and 16 beats to a
cycle. There are also other cycles such as 9,11,13,15,17, and 19 beats,
etc., which are only played by outstanding musicians on rare occasions.
The
division in a tala, and the stress on the first beat (called sum), are
the most important rhythmic factors. While there are talas having the
same number of beats,they differ because the division and accents are
not the same. For example, there is a tala known as "Dhamar" which has
14 beats in the cycle divided 5+5+4: another tala, "Ada Chautal" has the
same number of beats, but is divided 2+4+4+4: still another tala,
"Chanchar: is divided 3+4+3+4. In
vocal music, a drummer will accompany a singer either in slow, medium,
or fast tempo at the start of a song in whatever tala the singer
chooses. He will do the same when he accompanies an instrumentalist in
the gat section of a composition. Like ragas, talas also have their own
characteristics. Some of the older traditional talas , such as "Chautal"
(12 beats) and "Dhamar" (14 beats) are played on a two-faced drum known
as pakhawaj. This accompaniment is used in the old traditional
"Dhrupad-Dhamar" form of singing and in instrumental performances on the
veena, rabab, surbahar, etc. Today, most vocal and instrumental music
is based on the contemporary form called"khyal" and is accompanied by
the tabla, a two-piece drum.
The improvisatory nature of Indian
classical music requires the artist to take into consideration the
setting, time allowed for his recital, his mood and the feeling he
discerns in the audience before playing. Since Indian music is religious
in origin, one finds the spiritual quality in most of the musician's
performances.
The traditional recital begins with the alap
section - the stately and serene exploration of the chosen raga. After
this slow, introspective, heartfelt, sometimes sad beginning, the
musician moves on to the jor. In this part, rhythm enters and is
developed. Innumerable variations on the raga's basic theme are
elaborated. There is no drum accompaniment in either the alap or the
jor.
The alap and the jor evolve into the gat, the fixed
composition of the raga. Here the drums enter with the wonderful
rhythmic structure of the gat and its time cycle, the tala. This section
in based on the "Khyal: form. From this moment on, the gat (which can
be anything between 4 and 16 bars of fixed composition) becomes the
vehicle for the musician to return to after his improvisation. While the
artist has complete freedom to improvise, he may do so only as long as
he does not leave the format of the raga and tala. This freedom within
the bounds of artistic discipline comes only after many years of
training and sadhana. This is why one cannot rightfully compare the
improvisation in Indian music with the improvisation of jazz.
The
step-by-step acceleration of the rhythm in the gat finally culminates
in the jhala portion as it becomes more and more playful and
exciting.Sawal jabab ,the dazzling and rapid dialogue between sitar and
tabla, has the power to enthrall even the most uninitiated listener with
its thrilling interplay.
Often at the conclusion of a recital,
the musician may choose to play a "thumri' or "dhun." This
semi-classical style is much freer and completely romantic, sensual and
erotic.
Indian music is much more appreciated and respected today
in the west. Many composers and musicians have been influenced by our
music. The openness, willingness to learn, and sincere enthusiasm of
western audiences are a continuing source of inspiration and delight.
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Pt. Ravi Shankar (1949)
Other Sitar Links
Indian Music - A good hypertext introduction to North Indian classical music.
David and Chandrakantha Courtney's Homepage - A husband / wife team who perform traditional Indian music.
Hetal Mehta's Homepage - Manju Mehta's daughter
Bharati Chokshi's Homepage - A fine sitarist and a student of Manju Mehta.
Chandrakantha Courtney's Music Page - Go to this site for complete songs in streaming audio.
Tablasite - It is THE place to go for information and discussions on tabla.
Makar Records - A record company which specializes in Indian music.
Indian Links Page - An excellent collection of links about India and Indian Music.
Neelam Audio and Video Company - A fine producer / distributor of Indian music recordings.Navrang Radio - An online radio that plays Indian music.
Kala - A good online magazine about Indian Arts.
David Philipson - Bansuri player David Philipson's website.
The Art of Tabla - A nice site on tabla.
Shawn Mativetsky's Homepage - A good tablaplayer in Canada Indian Classical Music - A new online radio.
Trilok Fusion Inc. - A group that is doing some interesting fusion.
The Music Room - Homepage of Alan Posselt, a fine sitarist.
Tzara's Tabla Page - A good place for tabla.
Srinivas Koumounduri's Homepage - A fine sitarist.
Kalavant Center for Music and Dance - A fine Indian music center in New York.
DIRECTORIES AND SEARCH ENGINES
Main Yahan Tu Kahan - A search engine for Hindi songs.
Ultimate Band List - A good search engine for mainstream music.
OTHER MUSICAL LINKS
"Realm of Raga Rock" - Here is a fusion project that we are working on. Check this out for something really different!
Music Link Central - A first rate directory of music and musicians on the internet.
Band Link Online - A new yet fairly extensive directory of bands.
Incredible String Band Lyics - A good listing of the lyrics of the songs of the "Incredible Stringed Band".
Be Glad, For the Song Has No Ending - A fine site for the "Incredible Stringed Band".
Independents Music - Good site for independent bands and musicians.
Ancient Future - One of the oldest and finest fusion groups around.
Bob Goldman's Homepage - Bob Goldman is an excellent flute player that we work with.
Gus Busbee's Homepage - Gus Buzbee is the man for Raga-Rock on the guitar.
The Local Music Directory - A good search engine for music.
ProMusicFind.Com - A good music search engine.
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Ravi & Family (Front)
George & Olivia Harrison (Back)
Krishna Mohan Bhatt
Realm of Raga Rock
Chandra & David
George Harrison
A List of 62 Sitarist
From WikiPedia
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