Classical Music
Virtuosity and Style in Hindustani Classical Music
- by Colonel R.S. Alvar (Retd)
- January 18th, 2022
ca. 1735 India (Rajasthan, Kishangarh)
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Virtuosity and Style in Hindustani Classical Music
ca. 1735 India (Rajasthan, Kishangarh)
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performed by Alfred Brendel
performed by Alfred Brendel
In the same manner, when you hear any work of Beethoven you cannot fail to see Beethoven in every note/chord. Overall, the feeling is inescapable that the work is one of the Classical Period and that it, very subtly, heralds the advent of the Romantic Period as yet well in the far distance. Beethoven’s music is full of grandeur not explicitly stated by the chords themselves but that which emerges in the Minds of listeners as the work progresses. You cannot find all that in the score no matter how hard you may look. Computer analysis using high mathematical tools will not explain the sense of awe and grander; of the rise of noble sentiments; of the feelings of fulfilment of Man’s destiny; or of self-realisation or self-actualisation, if you like; in the scores of Beethoven’s Music. Tools of mathematical analysis backed by computers with complex algorithms will not help in identifying and explaining many other facets of Beethoven’s music such his deep Philosophy of Life; his anger against injustice by Man against his fellowmen and fellow creatures; his despair and great anguish due to his increasing deafness, his courage and will to fight adversities and so on. These become evident in our Minds only when we listen to any work of Beethoven anywhere and at any moment. Nothing but conjecture or faith in the emotions generated can make a person realise that Beethoven had indeed read the Upanishads influenced by his Guru. It is often said by music scholars that beginning from 1802 to around 1812, which was his middle period, Beethoven had begun to fashion an individual style divergent from the great Joseph Haydn and the peerless Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. That unique style of Beethoven is sometimes called ‘heroic’.
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performed by Alfred Brendel
performed by Alfred Brendel
In the same manner, when you hear any work of Beethoven you cannot fail to see Beethoven in every note/chord. Overall, the feeling is inescapable that the work is one of the Classical Period and that it, very subtly, heralds the advent of the Romantic Period as yet well in the far distance. Beethoven’s music is full of grandeur not explicitly stated by the chords themselves but that which emerges in the Minds of listeners as the work progresses. You cannot find all that in the score no matter how hard you may look. Computer analysis using high mathematical tools will not explain the sense of awe and grander; of the rise of noble sentiments; of the feelings of fulfilment of Man’s destiny; or of self-realisation or self-actualisation, if you like; in the scores of Beethoven’s Music. Tools of mathematical analysis backed by computers with complex algorithms will not help in identifying and explaining many other facets of Beethoven’s music such his deep Philosophy of Life; his anger against injustice by Man against his fellowmen and fellow creatures; his despair and great anguish due to his increasing deafness, his courage and will to fight adversities and so on. These become evident in our Minds only when we listen to any work of Beethoven anywhere and at any moment. Nothing but conjecture or faith in the emotions generated can make a person realise that Beethoven had indeed read the Upanishads influenced by his Guru. It is often said by music scholars that beginning from 1802 to around 1812, which was his middle period, Beethoven had begun to fashion an individual style divergent from the great Joseph Haydn and the peerless Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. That unique style of Beethoven is sometimes called ‘heroic’.
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I have cited two examples from Western Classical Music to illustrate how individual style/artistry is linked with an overall style of a School. Let me turn to Hindustani Classical Music. I love both deeply and from the heart more than from the Mind. If pressed at the point of a gun, as an old Gunner, I would hesitantly choose the latter. Before, I give examples from Hindustani Classical Music, let me explain the concept of the Gharana or School in Hindustani Classical Music. In the case of Hindustani Classical Music, individual style flourishes more intimately within the larger framework of what is known in Hindi as the ‘Gharana’s’ style traditions than in Western Classical Music. That means an Artiste exhibits his or her personal virtuosity, musical skills, inside a more rigid framework of certain musical characteristics, rules and an overall distinctive system of presentation. Knowledgeable listeners, especially connoisseurs, are keenly aware of the characteristics and overall flavor of the music to be found in each School. This comes through over and above the individual style and presentation of the artiste, no matter how great. The degree of virtuosity, therefore, depends upon many complex factors such as a person’s individual talent or genius, the quality and quantity of training received, personal application and hard work, the social and musical ambience in which brought up or taught, the nature and personalities of the Gurus, personal likes and dislikes in music and the influence of great musicians heard, to name some. Style will also depend upon all these considerations and in addition, upon the Gharana to which the Artiste belongs to. This is the beauty of the Gharana system.
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I have cited two examples from Western Classical Music to illustrate how individual style/artistry is linked with an overall style of a School. Let me turn to Hindustani Classical Music. I love both deeply and from the heart more than from the Mind. If pressed at the point of a gun, as an old Gunner, I would hesitantly choose the latter. Before, I give examples from Hindustani Classical Music, let me explain the concept of the Gharana or School in Hindustani Classical Music. In the case of Hindustani Classical Music, individual style flourishes more intimately within the larger framework of what is known in Hindi as the ‘Gharana’s’ style traditions than in Western Classical Music. That means an Artiste exhibits his or her personal virtuosity, musical skills, inside a more rigid framework of certain musical characteristics, rules and an overall distinctive system of presentation. Knowledgeable listeners, especially connoisseurs, are keenly aware of the characteristics and overall flavor of the music to be found in each School. This comes through over and above the individual style and presentation of the artiste, no matter how great. The degree of virtuosity, therefore, depends upon many complex factors such as a person’s individual talent or genius, the quality and quantity of training received, personal application and hard work, the social and musical ambience in which brought up or taught, the nature and personalities of the Gurus, personal likes and dislikes in music and the influence of great musicians heard, to name some. Style will also depend upon all these considerations and in addition, upon the Gharana to which the Artiste belongs to. This is the beauty of the Gharana system.
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1880-1950
1921-1955
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1880-1950
1921-1955
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In Hindustani Classical Music especially, Artistes tend to perpetuate the unique flavour of their own Schools in their concerts, talks in seminars, panel discussions, lecture-cum demonstrations and other such presentations with more zeal and affinity than in other forms of classical music. After years of performances by different artistes all over the Nation in different Centres of Music, at the Old Princely Courts, at Music Conferences arranged by well to do lovers of music, at homes in private concerts, on the Radio and other Media as available in the times, the fusion of individual virtuosity and Gharana style becomes complete. When it so happens that many people develop a special liking for a particular Style/ Framework of Singing/Playing, that style gains prominence as a living force. Then a Gharana representing that unique style just comes into being like a butterfly emerging from some cocoon.
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In Hindustani Classical Music especially, Artistes tend to perpetuate the unique flavour of their own Schools in their concerts, talks in seminars, panel discussions, lecture-cum demonstrations and other such presentations with more zeal and affinity than in other forms of classical music. After years of performances by different artistes all over the Nation in different Centres of Music, at the Old Princely Courts, at Music Conferences arranged by well to do lovers of music, at homes in private concerts, on the Radio and other Media as available in the times, the fusion of individual virtuosity and Gharana style becomes complete. When it so happens that many people develop a special liking for a particular Style/ Framework of Singing/Playing, that style gains prominence as a living force. Then a Gharana representing that unique style just comes into being like a butterfly emerging from some cocoon.
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But who has spun such a cocoon? When the virtuosity and style of a great Singer happens to be so distinctive from other prevalent styles and, when it becomes so appealing that it begins to attract significant numbers of adherents both as disciples and connoisseurs, then the seed of a future Gharana may have been sown. In due course, when that particular style is propagated by large numbers of musicians and gains such widespread acceptance at mehfils and discussions that a name is also invariably given by common consensus in order to readily identify that style of singing and for ease of reference. But such an event is very rare, else we would have had a thousand gharanas today as compared to the handful in actual practice.
The Changing Nature of Virtuosity & Style
When we listen carefully to a personal style operating within a larger framework which we can recognize, we are able to place our finger on the Gharana as well. If we find the larger framework to be a fusion which we know to be in vogue, we can say that he or she is from such and such a gharana which is a mix of two gharanas. Usually, such a fusion of two Gharanas is not popular. It tastes like a Jalebi and Mysore Pak scrambled together with some honey syrup poured on it. It will not do for a fussy diner. Seldom is virtuosity or style constant in any given Artiste, varying as they do between individual performances and from one period to the other. Artistes who sounded delightful in one period appear flat in another, not necessarily in chronological order. Some Artistes who have been rigidly classical at one stage, have taken to light music at another. Others have found their creativity and inspiration fluctuating over time.
Artistes who have gained popularity and acceptability are also subject to changes due to the efflux of time. The reasons are mysterious. What are these changes? Some seem to have lost the spiritual element while others appear have re-discovered it suddenly at some point of time. Some have lost a bit of the charisma in their voice while others have gained it. Some have abandoned an element of music like the Ālāp while others have taken to it with relish. Some have become rigid and monotonous while others have become more free-flowing and innovative. It is not clear why such changes should occur over time.
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But who has spun such a cocoon? When the virtuosity and style of a great Singer happens to be so distinctive from other prevalent styles and, when it becomes so appealing that it begins to attract significant numbers of adherents both as disciples and connoisseurs, then the seed of a future Gharana may have been sown. In due course, when that particular style is propagated by large numbers of musicians and gains such widespread acceptance at mehfils and discussions that a name is also invariably given by common consensus in order to readily identify that style of singing and for ease of reference. But such an event is very rare, else we would have had a thousand gharanas today as compared to the handful in actual practice.
The Changing Nature of Virtuosity & Style
When we listen carefully to a personal style operating within a larger framework which we can recognize, we are able to place our finger on the Gharana as well. If we find the larger framework to be a fusion which we know to be in vogue, we can say that he or she is from such and such a gharana which is a mix of two gharanas. Usually, such a fusion of two Gharanas is not popular. It tastes like a Jalebi and Mysore Pak scrambled together with some honey syrup poured on it. It will not do for a fussy diner. Seldom is virtuosity or style constant in any given Artiste, varying as they do between individual performances and from one period to the other. Artistes who sounded delightful in one period appear flat in another, not necessarily in chronological order. Some Artistes who have been rigidly classical at one stage, have taken to light music at another. Others have found their creativity and inspiration fluctuating over time.
Artistes who have gained popularity and acceptability are also subject to changes due to the efflux of time. The reasons are mysterious. What are these changes? Some seem to have lost the spiritual element while others appear have re-discovered it suddenly at some point of time. Some have lost a bit of the charisma in their voice while others have gained it. Some have abandoned an element of music like the Ālāp while others have taken to it with relish. Some have become rigid and monotonous while others have become more free-flowing and innovative. It is not clear why such changes should occur over time.
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Very few musicians have remained consistently appealing and exciting from start to finish. Very few musicians remain so consistently appealing that no matter how often one hears them one finds their singing/playing still appealing. Such musicians have another perennial quality that cannot be explained. It is that no matter how many times you listen to them render the same Rāga, over and over, there is no sense of déjà vu or boredom. One discovers new facets in the same Rāga each time one hears it afresh. This is baffling. What forces are at work that cause both virtuosity and style to remain unaffected over time? How have the few truly great musicians resisted these forces? Let us examine some aspects of music by which we can distinguish individual virtuosity and styles in Hindustani Classical Music.
The Ālāp
One of the major elements of music by which we can distinguish individual styles is the Ālāp. Ālāp is ‘anibaddha’ or ‘unbound’ element of music viz which is regarded as open and unfettered by conventions because it has no strictly defined beginning or end, no regular format in which one section follows the other in a pre-conceived design backed by formal, almost autocratic Tāla. In the Ālāp, the Rāga is built up note by note, phrase by phrase, until it emerges in its characteristic glory and flavour. It is often seen that if the performer starts with the lower pitches and works upwards very gradually, the results are more satisfying.
Styles vary with respect to the Ālāp. Some give it much importance; some try to avoid extended Ālāp s while others regard it as a mere formality and get onto the khayāl where they feel they can best exhibit their virtuosity. So their Ālāp is minimal and one has to wait for the khayāl to sense the arrival of the Rāga. In reality, the Ālāp is the most fundamental part of the Rāga. It is the Rāga’s very core and lifeblood. It is in the Ālāp that virtuosity can best be exhibited by the skilled musician because the most delicate and intricate melodic progressions are possible only therein. He who has mastered the melody can best reproduce it in the Ālāp. Great musicians have felt that it is only in the Ālāp that any Rāga can be properly delineated. It is the mantra for invoking the spirit of the Rāga provided that the Ālāp is free of the shackles of the Tāla and Puritan Restrictions of Convention and given full freedom to operate. Properly done, the Ālāp gives most satisfaction. It is in the Ālāp alone that the Rāga arrives on stage or not at all.
7
Very few musicians have remained consistently appealing and exciting from start to finish. Very few musicians remain so consistently appealing that no matter how often one hears them one finds their singing/playing still appealing. Such musicians have another perennial quality that cannot be explained. It is that no matter how many times you listen to them render the same Rāga, over and over, there is no sense of déjà vu or boredom. One discovers new facets in the same Rāga each time one hears it afresh. This is baffling. What forces are at work that cause both virtuosity and style to remain unaffected over time? How have the few truly great musicians resisted these forces? Let us examine some aspects of music by which we can distinguish individual virtuosity and styles in Hindustani Classical Music.
The Ālāp
One of the major elements of music by which we can distinguish individual styles is the Ālāp. Ālāp is ‘anibaddha’ or ‘unbound’ element of music viz which is regarded as open and unfettered by conventions because it has no strictly defined beginning or end, no regular format in which one section follows the other in a pre-conceived design backed by formal, almost autocratic Tāla. In the Ālāp, the Rāga is built up note by note, phrase by phrase, until it emerges in its characteristic glory and flavour. It is often seen that if the performer starts with the lower pitches and works upwards very gradually, the results are more satisfying.
Styles vary with respect to the Ālāp. Some give it much importance; some try to avoid extended Ālāp s while others regard it as a mere formality and get onto the khayāl where they feel they can best exhibit their virtuosity. So their Ālāp is minimal and one has to wait for the khayāl to sense the arrival of the Rāga. In reality, the Ālāp is the most fundamental part of the Rāga. It is the Rāga’s very core and lifeblood. It is in the Ālāp that virtuosity can best be exhibited by the skilled musician because the most delicate and intricate melodic progressions are possible only therein. He who has mastered the melody can best reproduce it in the Ālāp. Great musicians have felt that it is only in the Ālāp that any Rāga can be properly delineated. It is the mantra for invoking the spirit of the Rāga provided that the Ālāp is free of the shackles of the Tāla and Puritan Restrictions of Convention and given full freedom to operate. Properly done, the Ālāp gives most satisfaction. It is in the Ālāp alone that the Rāga arrives on stage or not at all.
7
The Dependence on Poetry
It is easier to reproduce a melodic line using the lyrics of the song than to do so using abstract sounds or meaningless words. Even in classical music, musicians find words of the poetic compositions very helpful in maintaining the melodic line of a given Rāga. In the case of time-honoured bandishes, it is as if the Rāga and the poem are one entity. But Ālāp with vowels such as a, ee, o is more difficult than the bol Ālāp . The use of apparently meaningless words such as tere, dere, re, nom, tom in the
nom-tom style of Ālāp helps the singer to sustain the Ālāp and develop the Rāga very satisfactorily. A musician’s virtuosity may be judged by the degree to which a Rāga is developed using abstract sounds rather that the words of the poem. In the final analysis, neither the words or the tune is as important as the sweetness or charismatic quality of the voice as the poet Iain Crichton Smith shows in his poem ‘Two Girls Singing’:
“It neither was the words nor yet the tune.
Any tune would have done and any words.
Any listener or no listener at all.
As nightingales in rocks or a child crooning
in its own world of strange awakening,
or larks for no reason but themselves.
So on the bus through late November running
by yellow lights tormented, darkness falling,
the two girls sang for miles and miles together
and it wasn’t the words or tune. It was the singing.
It was the human sweetness in that yellow,
The unpredicted voices of our kind.”
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The Dependence on Poetry
It is easier to reproduce a melodic line using the lyrics of the song than to do so using abstract sounds or meaningless words. Even in classical music, musicians find words of the poetic compositions very helpful in maintaining the melodic line of a given Rāga. In the case of time-honoured bandishes, it is as if the Rāga and the poem are one entity. But Ālāp with vowels such as a, ee, o is more difficult than the bol Ālāp . The use of apparently meaningless words such as tere, dere, re, nom, tom in the
nom-tom style of Ālāp helps the singer to sustain the Ālāp and develop the Rāga very satisfactorily. A musician’s virtuosity may be judged by the degree to which a Rāga is developed using abstract sounds rather that the words of the poem. In the final analysis, neither the words or the tune is as important as the sweetness or charismatic quality of the voice as the poet Iain Crichton Smith shows in his poem ‘Two Girls Singing’:
“It neither was the words nor yet the tune.
Any tune would have done and any words.
Any listener or no listener at all.
As nightingales in rocks or a child crooning
in its own world of strange awakening,
or larks for no reason but themselves.
So on the bus through late November running
by yellow lights tormented, darkness falling,
the two girls sang for miles and miles together
and it wasn’t the words or tune. It was the singing.
It was the human sweetness in that yellow,
The unpredicted voices of our kind.”
8
Rhythm or Tāla in Style
In Hindustani Music, the degree to which we sense the influence of Tāla while the Artiste is performing varies considerably. Although, Hindustani Music is predominantly Rāga or Melody based, we find Artistes who regard Tāla as paramount and feel that the hallmark of virtuosity is the ability to maintain perfect Tāla with perfect coordination with the percussion accompaniment. To them, closing on the sām with precision in each cycle is the highest aspect of the performance and each time they do so, a hand is raised, and the head nodded, indicating their joy and pride and drawing the attention of the audience to their virtuosity in sticking precisely to the Tāla.
Listeners who lay store by Tāla also find this very enjoyable and regard it as the Artiste’s supreme skill. But to those who feel that Melody is paramount, this repeated emphasis on the Tāla is subject to the law of diminishing returns. Other Artistes concentrate on Melody and feel that the Tāla accompaniment is secondary and not an end in itself. When we hear the old Masters, the overwhelming feeling is that of the melodic line and other elements of Melody. In their singing, rhythm appears to be in-built and very natural. There is no feeling of external imposition of the Tāla nor the impression that Tāla is dictating the course of the music. Their music appears to be free-flowing, continuous without the feeling of monotonous dissection of the melodic phrases by the sharp knife of rhythm, operating with rigid regularity. In their case, Tāla is like a loving handmaiden and not the Master overseeing purity of rendition of the rhythm.
If the music is repetitive and predictable, it may soon give way to the feeling of monotony. This is fatal in Hindustani while it may be the mainstay in other forms of classical music. When musicians move from one form of classical music to another, one hears traces of the former when the latter is being rendered. This may be an impediment in gaining widespread acceptance in all regions where the latter form of classical music is exclusively followed. In Hindustani Music, it is essential that some aspect of the performance must remain unpredictable/difficult to anticipate by train of thought and extrapolation. Some aspect has to be otherwise inexplicable, if it is to remain perennially fresh.
9
Rhythm or Tāla in Style
In Hindustani Music, the degree to which we sense the influence of Tāla while the Artiste is performing varies considerably. Although, Hindustani Music is predominantly Rāga or Melody based, we find Artistes who regard Tāla as paramount and feel that the hallmark of virtuosity is the ability to maintain perfect Tāla with perfect coordination with the percussion accompaniment. To them, closing on the sām with precision in each cycle is the highest aspect of the performance and each time they do so, a hand is raised, and the head nodded, indicating their joy and pride and drawing the attention of the audience to their virtuosity in sticking precisely to the Tāla.
Listeners who lay store by Tāla also find this very enjoyable and regard it as the Artiste’s supreme skill. But to those who feel that Melody is paramount, this repeated emphasis on the Tāla is subject to the law of diminishing returns. Other Artistes concentrate on Melody and feel that the Tāla accompaniment is secondary and not an end in itself. When we hear the old Masters, the overwhelming feeling is that of the melodic line and other elements of Melody. In their singing, rhythm appears to be in-built and very natural. There is no feeling of external imposition of the Tāla nor the impression that Tāla is dictating the course of the music. Their music appears to be free-flowing, continuous without the feeling of monotonous dissection of the melodic phrases by the sharp knife of rhythm, operating with rigid regularity. In their case, Tāla is like a loving handmaiden and not the Master overseeing purity of rendition of the rhythm.
If the music is repetitive and predictable, it may soon give way to the feeling of monotony. This is fatal in Hindustani while it may be the mainstay in other forms of classical music. When musicians move from one form of classical music to another, one hears traces of the former when the latter is being rendered. This may be an impediment in gaining widespread acceptance in all regions where the latter form of classical music is exclusively followed. In Hindustani Music, it is essential that some aspect of the performance must remain unpredictable/difficult to anticipate by train of thought and extrapolation. Some aspect has to be otherwise inexplicable, if it is to remain perennially fresh.
9
Streaming Feedback
To every Artiste, streaming feedback of his or her own music, live, is essential for maintaining, if not, improving the quality of that music, for selecting the direction the music should take and for propelling it forward in that direction. When listening to this live feedback, even as they are busy performing, which all aspects of their own music do they consciously listen to for monitoring? Do they also listen to any aspect sub-consciously? Musicians have remarked much after a concert, that they should have done this or that which would have enhanced the performance. Something from the sub-conscious reminds them of what they had consciously missed during the recital. On any given occasion, the overall quality of a concert and its effect upon the audience may be influenced, to some extent, by those aspects of music that the performer happens to be mostly focusing upon. This could be on some larger aspect such as melody or rhythm or harmony or the style of presentation. It may be on some specific aspect such as the pakkad, anga, varna or ranjana swara of a melodic phrase. Perhaps, one Artiste is paying more attention to an aspect of melodic punctuation such as the vādi, samvādi, anuvādi or vivādi swarās or concentrating on a feature of accent and intonation such as the gamakas. Artistes may also focus on more abstract aspects of their music such as purity of tone, colouring, mood, boldness, and imaginative interpretation.
But no musician can be expected to carefully listen to all aspects of the musical feedback, nor can we expect that a musician’s sub-conscious will take care to note all that the conscious mind may have missed out during the recital and remind him or her later. Ultimately what each musician’s ears actually hear will depend upon complex, subjective circumstances such as musical upbringing, individual training, the Gurus, the Gharana and their own genius, to name some. Whatever it may be, the music will not rise to the occasion unless the musician goes beyond the visual world and the written text and enters into the mind of the Rāga which dwells only in the world of sound. The degree to which this can be done is a measure of virtuosity.
10
Streaming Feedback
To every Artiste, streaming feedback of his or her own music, live, is essential for maintaining, if not, improving the quality of that music, for selecting the direction the music should take and for propelling it forward in that direction. When listening to this live feedback, even as they are busy performing, which all aspects of their own music do they consciously listen to for monitoring? Do they also listen to any aspect sub-consciously? Musicians have remarked much after a concert, that they should have done this or that which would have enhanced the performance. Something from the sub-conscious reminds them of what they had consciously missed during the recital. On any given occasion, the overall quality of a concert and its effect upon the audience may be influenced, to some extent, by those aspects of music that the performer happens to be mostly focusing upon. This could be on some larger aspect such as melody or rhythm or harmony or the style of presentation. It may be on some specific aspect such as the pakkad, anga, varna or ranjana swara of a melodic phrase. Perhaps, one Artiste is paying more attention to an aspect of melodic punctuation such as the vādi, samvādi, anuvādi or vivādi swarās or concentrating on a feature of accent and intonation such as the gamakas. Artistes may also focus on more abstract aspects of their music such as purity of tone, colouring, mood, boldness, and imaginative interpretation.
But no musician can be expected to carefully listen to all aspects of the musical feedback, nor can we expect that a musician’s sub-conscious will take care to note all that the conscious mind may have missed out during the recital and remind him or her later. Ultimately what each musician’s ears actually hear will depend upon complex, subjective circumstances such as musical upbringing, individual training, the Gurus, the Gharana and their own genius, to name some. Whatever it may be, the music will not rise to the occasion unless the musician goes beyond the visual world and the written text and enters into the mind of the Rāga which dwells only in the world of sound. The degree to which this can be done is a measure of virtuosity.
10
Voice, Pitch & Volume
When we say that a particular singer’s voice is pleasing, we are usually referring to some natural, in-built quality which is God-given and which we cannot attain through learning or practice. Voice culture and training can improve one’s ability to achieve greater tonal purity but that ‘pleasing’ quality or charisma of the voice is a natural gift. But pitch and volume differ from one Artiste to the other and they are the characteristic parts of the individual style, as it were. Some musicians feel that higher the pitch and volume, greater is their virtuosity. The ability to roam over three octaves is indeed the hallmark of the truly great vocalist. But, if a singer were to consistently sing with a high pitch & volume, the audience may begin to feel that the singer’s limit might have been reached. It is as if this singer were running the last lap of a ‘Rāga Marathon’. It is only a subjective feeling in the listener. Great masters, even when negotiating complex phrases towards the finale give the feeling that they have at least 30 to 40% in reserve as they cross the finishing line cruising in style.
The Limits of Virtuosity
As the various phrases of a melodic line are created by the Artiste and strung together, listeners recognize in it the structure of the Rāga being sung, the rasa or colour is experienced, and enjoyment of the music begins. As the performer continues this elaboration, at a certain point in time depending upon the virtuosity of that performer, changes begin to take place in the enjoyment of the listener. These changes are difficult to describe in words as they are subtle and subjective. One such change in the enjoyment of music is the feeling of ‘having heard it before’, which leads to a sense of repetitiveness. Another, is the feeling that’ this variation is not so good’ or that ‘now the variations are not so enjoyable’ which could lead to the feeling that perhaps, the Rāga has now been fully explored.
11
Voice, Pitch & Volume
When we say that a particular singer’s voice is pleasing, we are usually referring to some natural, in-built quality which is God-given and which we cannot attain through learning or practice. Voice culture and training can improve one’s ability to achieve greater tonal purity but that ‘pleasing’ quality or charisma of the voice is a natural gift. But pitch and volume differ from one Artiste to the other and they are the characteristic parts of the individual style, as it were. Some musicians feel that higher the pitch and volume, greater is their virtuosity. The ability to roam over three octaves is indeed the hallmark of the truly great vocalist. But, if a singer were to consistently sing with a high pitch & volume, the audience may begin to feel that the singer’s limit might have been reached. It is as if this singer were running the last lap of a ‘Rāga Marathon’. It is only a subjective feeling in the listener. Great masters, even when negotiating complex phrases towards the finale give the feeling that they have at least 30 to 40% in reserve as they cross the finishing line cruising in style.
The Limits of Virtuosity
As the various phrases of a melodic line are created by the Artiste and strung together, listeners recognize in it the structure of the Rāga being sung, the rasa or colour is experienced, and enjoyment of the music begins. As the performer continues this elaboration, at a certain point in time depending upon the virtuosity of that performer, changes begin to take place in the enjoyment of the listener. These changes are difficult to describe in words as they are subtle and subjective. One such change in the enjoyment of music is the feeling of ‘having heard it before’, which leads to a sense of repetitiveness. Another, is the feeling that’ this variation is not so good’ or that ‘now the variations are not so enjoyable’ which could lead to the feeling that perhaps, the Rāga has now been fully explored.
11
Boredom and frustration are still further away on the horizon. As the musician crosses this point, changes in the listener’s enjoyment rapidly increase in intensity. Soon, one comes to the conclusion that the Artiste can now, ‘no more extract any juice from the dry sugarcane’. Beyond this point, the listener may begin to regret that the musician is, purely for the sake of displaying his or her virtuosity, urging the ‘horse, which has dropped down, to gallop even faster’. This is like the flogging of a horse beyond its limits. It is a mystery how great musicians never allow such feelings to arise. They are able to, somehow, either defer the arrival of this critical point by their virtuosity or sense its coming well before the audience gets any inkling and to finish while the going is good in the minds of the audience. They are well aware of the limits of their virtuosity.
Musical Education
It may surprise some and some others also may not agree with the observation that at the time of the All India Music Conferences (1916-1925), Hindustani Classical Music was flashing its last glory, something like a star whose core is collapsing and it flares brightly one last time before the nuclear fuel runs out. What was happening to the old music that its days of glory should seem numbered around this period? What factors had been undermining its very core? Over the centuries, Hindustani Classical Music, just like other streams of classical music has been influenced by social and political changes, contact with different cultures, and new trends and advancements in technology. These factors have induced changes in style and presentation but not in the very foundation until the advent of western ideas in musicology. The spread of western values in our culture, created a demand for a theoretical survey of ancient Indian Music and its encapsulation into written texts with formal theories, classifications of Rāga, definitions of melody, harmony, rhythm, structure and other aspects of music, formal system of notation and above all, the laying down of musical rules. This logical well organized and written framework sounded the death knell of the old Hindustani Court Music not just in style and presentation but in its very soul. It must be said, in all fairness that we gained in many areas from contact with the West but not in music.
12
Boredom and frustration are still further away on the horizon. As the musician crosses this point, changes in the listener’s enjoyment rapidly increase in intensity. Soon, one comes to the conclusion that the Artiste can now, ‘no more extract any juice from the dry sugarcane’. Beyond this point, the listener may begin to regret that the musician is, purely for the sake of displaying his or her virtuosity, urging the ‘horse, which has dropped down, to gallop even faster’. This is like the flogging of a horse beyond its limits. It is a mystery how great musicians never allow such feelings to arise. They are able to, somehow, either defer the arrival of this critical point by their virtuosity or sense its coming well before the audience gets any inkling and to finish while the going is good in the minds of the audience. They are well aware of the limits of their virtuosity.
Musical Education
It may surprise some and some others also may not agree with the observation that at the time of the All India Music Conferences (1916-1925), Hindustani Classical Music was flashing its last glory, something like a star whose core is collapsing and it flares brightly one last time before the nuclear fuel runs out. What was happening to the old music that its days of glory should seem numbered around this period? What factors had been undermining its very core? Over the centuries, Hindustani Classical Music, just like other streams of classical music has been influenced by social and political changes, contact with different cultures, and new trends and advancements in technology. These factors have induced changes in style and presentation but not in the very foundation until the advent of western ideas in musicology. The spread of western values in our culture, created a demand for a theoretical survey of ancient Indian Music and its encapsulation into written texts with formal theories, classifications of Rāga, definitions of melody, harmony, rhythm, structure and other aspects of music, formal system of notation and above all, the laying down of musical rules. This logical well organized and written framework sounded the death knell of the old Hindustani Court Music not just in style and presentation but in its very soul. It must be said, in all fairness that we gained in many areas from contact with the West but not in music.
12
Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, in his quest for building up a fully systematized theory of Indian Classical Music, the classification of Rāga and the preservation of traditional bandiśes for posterity, encountered many practical musicians, a large majority of whom were Muslims. He found that these practical musicians had little or no knowledge of old texts or the underlying theories behind their music. Pandit Bhatkhande discovered that these musicians reproduced Rāga from out of their hearts or souls into which much music had been filled over years of oral training in the Guru-Śisya Paramparā or family-tradition. They composed songs in the Rāga and sang them in the styles embedded in the traditions of the Gharanas they belonged to. It was an oral system in which music was handed down from father to son, guru to shishya in the spoken ethos quite like the preservation of the Vedas, the Upaniśads, the great Epics and other sacred texts stored in the minds of succeeding generations and therefore beyond natural or man-made ravages.
At the time around 1925, music lovers had one last chance to savour the Hindustani Music of the Indian Courts. This was the music of feeling and not of the knowing mind. It was the fruit of the oral tradition. This music, resounding in the Indian Courts under royal patronage before select audiences had always been a mystery to western listeners as well as to those Indians who had sought in it, some predictable order, logic and organization. This then was the great secret of Hindustani Classical Music as to why it fascinated its admirers. Not that Hindustani music was unbridled then. There was lots of order, logic, discipline and rules of music too but it was something that could not be reduced to the text. It was oral, subjective, beyond words and it had to be learnt under the guru orally and assimilated in the form of sensitive feelings.
Today when we hear a budding young Artiste, I ask myself how should I react to the music presented? I am unfortunately one of those who form judgements quickly. But Cardus should be heeded when he says [ibid.], “When a composer introduces a new technique, we cannot say it is not good music, using the same system of values that enables us to say that a play is not good theatre because it is not true to life. We can only say that it is not like the music we have known up till now. It is nonsense to suggest that today’s experimental composers are all great composers who are not being recognised in their own time. Because of radio and television broadcasts, and the greater availability of musical scores, the theory of neglected genius is even less plausible than it used to be.” When I listen to a new singer of Hindustani Classical Music, I temper my assessment accordingly. The emergence of a new artiste of the same class as of the old singers is a very rare celestial event. I wait patiently for the newcomer to prove that he or she is of such a class. I have confidence in my own system of values. It is up to the youngster to pass their test.
13
Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, in his quest for building up a fully systematized theory of Indian Classical Music, the classification of Rāga and the preservation of traditional bandiśes for posterity, encountered many practical musicians, a large majority of whom were Muslims. He found that these practical musicians had little or no knowledge of old texts or the underlying theories behind their music. Pandit Bhatkhande discovered that these musicians reproduced Rāga from out of their hearts or souls into which much music had been filled over years of oral training in the Guru-Śisya Paramparā or family-tradition. They composed songs in the Rāga and sang them in the styles embedded in the traditions of the Gharanas they belonged to. It was an oral system in which music was handed down from father to son, guru to shishya in the spoken ethos quite like the preservation of the Vedas, the Upaniśads, the great Epics and other sacred texts stored in the minds of succeeding generations and therefore beyond natural or man-made ravages.
At the time around 1925, music lovers had one last chance to savour the Hindustani Music of the Indian Courts. This was the music of feeling and not of the knowing mind. It was the fruit of the oral tradition. This music, resounding in the Indian Courts under royal patronage before select audiences had always been a mystery to western listeners as well as to those Indians who had sought in it, some predictable order, logic and organization. This then was the great secret of Hindustani Classical Music as to why it fascinated its admirers. Not that Hindustani music was unbridled then. There was lots of order, logic, discipline and rules of music too but it was something that could not be reduced to the text. It was oral, subjective, beyond words and it had to be learnt under the guru orally and assimilated in the form of sensitive feelings.
Today when we hear a budding young Artiste, I ask myself how should I react to the music presented? I am unfortunately one of those who form judgements quickly. But Cardus should be heeded when he says [ibid.], “When a composer introduces a new technique, we cannot say it is not good music, using the same system of values that enables us to say that a play is not good theatre because it is not true to life. We can only say that it is not like the music we have known up till now. It is nonsense to suggest that today’s experimental composers are all great composers who are not being recognised in their own time. Because of radio and television broadcasts, and the greater availability of musical scores, the theory of neglected genius is even less plausible than it used to be.” When I listen to a new singer of Hindustani Classical Music, I temper my assessment accordingly. The emergence of a new artiste of the same class as of the old singers is a very rare celestial event. I wait patiently for the newcomer to prove that he or she is of such a class. I have confidence in my own system of values. It is up to the youngster to pass their test.
13
Most singers have aesthetic sensibility when they are young and sing with charming abandon. But as stress is laid upon theory, on purity and accuracy with regard to the written text some of their freshness and originality is lost. Of all forms of classical music, Hindustani is the one which requires the greatest freedom of expression and room to give vent to the unfettered imagination. Hindustani music is very sensitive to the outside imposition of any of the cardinal elements of music particularly rhythm and harmony. This freedom so vital for the khayal to flourish and spread its true fragrance around, is best epitomized by Alastair Reid in his poem:
A Lesson in Music
by Alastair Reid
“Play the tune again: but this time with more regard
for the movement at the source of it and less attention
to time. Time falls curiously in the course of it.
Play the tune again: not watching your fingering, but forgetting,
letting flow the sound till it surrounds you. Do not count or
even think. Let go.
Play the tune again: but try to be nobody, nothing, as though
the pace of the sound were your beating, as though the music
were your face.
Play the tune again: it should be easier to think less every time
of the notes, of the measure. It is all an arrangement of silence.
Be silent, and then play it for your pleasure.
Play the tune again: and this time, when it ends, do not ask me
what I think. Feel what is happening strangely in the room as the
sound glooms over you, me, everything.
Now, play the tune again.”
Although this poem is in the context of a musical instrument, it applies in full measure to vocal performances as well. Amazingly, a western poet has filled this poem with the most profound practical wisdom, any Guru can convey to an ardent pupil of Hindustani Classical.
Ramesh Shama Alvar
Bangalore India
Jan 2022
14
Most singers have aesthetic sensibility when they are young and sing with charming abandon. But as stress is laid upon theory, on purity and accuracy with regard to the written text some of their freshness and originality is lost. Of all forms of classical music, Hindustani is the one which requires the greatest freedom of expression and room to give vent to the unfettered imagination. Hindustani music is very sensitive to the outside imposition of any of the cardinal elements of music particularly rhythm and harmony. This freedom so vital for the khayal to flourish and spread its true fragrance around, is best epitomized by Alastair Reid in his poem:
A Lesson in Music
by Alastair Reid
“Play the tune again: but this time with more regard
for the movement at the source of it and less attention
to time. Time falls curiously in the course of it.
Play the tune again: not watching your fingering, but forgetting,
letting flow the sound till it surrounds you. Do not count or
even think. Let go.
Play the tune again: but try to be nobody, nothing, as though
the pace of the sound were your beating, as though the music
were your face.
Play the tune again: it should be easier to think less every time
of the notes, of the measure. It is all an arrangement of silence.
Be silent, and then play it for your pleasure.
Play the tune again: and this time, when it ends, do not ask me
what I think. Feel what is happening strangely in the room as the
sound glooms over you, me, everything.
Now, play the tune again.”
Although this poem is in the context of a musical instrument, it applies in full measure to vocal performances as well. Amazingly, a western poet has filled this poem with the most profound practical wisdom, any Guru can convey to an ardent pupil of Hindustani Classical.
Ramesh Shama Alvar
Bangalore India
Jan 2022
14
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