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Introduction to Indian Music
Twenty
centuries ago, the essential role of music of India was deemed to be
purely ritualistic. Music as entertainment is supposed to have evolved
much later. Another part of Indian music is folk music. Indian classical music is said to have evolved out of the mixture of these. It is presumed that folk music
existed long before the Aryans came to India, the Dravidians having
their own. The art of music practised in India has a special
significance, as it has developed from the ritualistic music in
association with folk music and other musical expressions of
neighbouring nations, developing into its own characteristic art.
Matured through ``thought, experience and expression'', Indian classical
music has become unique in the world.
THE ORIGINS OF INDIAN MUSIC
The origin of Indian music is said to be rooted in the Vedas. It is said that God Himself is musical sound,
the sound which pervades the whole universe, i.e. Nadabrahma. The
origins of Indian music are therefore considered divine. It is said that
the musician has to cultivate an attitude of self-abandonment, in order to fuse with the Supreme Reality, Brahma.
Brahma is said to be the author
of the four Vedas, of which the SamaVeda was chanted in definite musical
patterns. Vedic hymns were sung in plain melody, using only 3 notes.
It took a long time for music to come to the form
found in present-day India. The most important advance in music was
made between the 14th and 18th centuries. During this period, the music
sung in the north came in contact with Persian music and assimilated it,
through the Pathans and the Mughals. It is then that two schools of
music resulted, the Hindustani and the Carnatic. Hindustani music
adopted a scale of Shudha Swara saptaka(octave of natural notes) and
Carnatic music retained the traditional octave. During this period,
different styles of classical compositions such as Dhrupad, Dhamar,
Khayal,etc. were contributed to Hindustani music, along with many
exquisite hymns, bhajans, kirtans, etc.
TRADITION OF MUSIC
The music of India is a
pervasive influence in Indian life. It pervades the big and small events
of Indian life, from child birth to death, religious rites and seasonal
festivals. Originally, not all developments of music were reduced to
writing. To keep their traditional integrity, they were imparted orally
from teacher to pupil -- the Guru-Shishya tradition. In the past, there
used to be a system of Gurukul Ashram where teachers imparted knowledge
to deserving students.
SHRUTI AND SAPTAKA
The Indian musical scale is said
to have evolved from 3 notes to a scale of 7 primary notes, on the
basis of 22 intervals. A scale is divided into 22 shrutis or intervals,
and these are the basis of the musical notes.
The 7 notes of the scale are known to musicians as Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa,
Dha and Ni. These 7 notes of the scale do not have equal intervals
between them. A Saptak is a group of 7 notes, divided by the shrutis or
intervals as follows --
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
The first and fifth notes(Sa and
Pa) do not alter their positions on this interval. The other 5 notes
can change their positions in the interval, leading to different ragas.
RAGA - THE SOUL OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
The combination of several notes
woven into a composition in a way which is pleasing to the ear is
called a Raga. Each raga creates an atmosphere which is associated with
feelings and sentiments. Any stray combination of notes cannot be called
a Raga.
Raga is the basis of classical
music. A raga is based on the principle of a combination of notes
selected out the 22 note intervals of the octave. A performer with
sufficient training and knowledge alone can create the desired emotions,
through the combination of shrutis and notes.
There are a limited number of
ragas in Hindustani music; as the use of a ``KING" note and a ``QUEEN"
note restricts to a great extent, the creation of new ragas. The raga
forms the backbone of Indian music, and the laws laid down for the ragas
have to be carefully observed to preserve and safeguard their
integrity. The following points are required in the construction of a
Raga --
