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"If you practice for ten years, you may begin
to please yourself, after twenty years you
may become a performer and please an audience,
after thirty years you may please even your
guru, but you must practice for many more years
before you finally become a true artist -- then
you may please even God. "
-Ali Akbar Khan
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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.
-Ravi Shankar
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-realization, 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 celestial 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-make 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, 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 colors the mind is a raga." For a raga to truly colors 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."
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 recognized.
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.
Interviewer: Can you describe, for a layman, the difference between North and South Indian systems?
Zakir Hussain: North Indian music is first of all a confluence of two major ways of life in India...that is, Hinduism and Islam. They both emerged from the religious elements. Indian classical music at that time, which is a thousand years ago, was coming from the temples and therefore was always sung in praise of the gods and goddesses and so on. Islamic music was also sung in praise of Allah and was the sufi music called kawalli. So those two musical forms were kind of fused together into this new emerging classical style which is what now is the premier Indian classical music in the last thousand years. And so North Indian classical music is a confluence of these two while South Indian classical music still adheres to the Hindu system or temple worship, and so the music is still connected directly to that. And so any kind of composers or great masters who have written music in praise of the great being or beings...there are many gods and goddesses in South India...have used that system. Now the system-wise, the raga scales or rhythm scales are similar but because of having different types of instruments the treatments are different, the tonal experience is different. For example, the sitar (North Indian instrument) doesn’t sound like a vina (South Indian instrument). They are two different instruments altogether and therefore you play them differently. Tabla (North) and ghatam (South) are two different instruments, so the language that is used on each is dictated by the technique that it allows you to project through it. So the basic core is similar but the packaging is different -- the tones are different, the instruments are different and one is a combination of Hindu and Islam culture, the other one is just mainly a Hindu culture. To further illustrate the point, Vikku comes from the South Indian system and I’m from the North Indian system. Until the 1970s it was considered taboo for North Indian and South Indian musicians to get together and play. So Vikku and Shankar and I were some of the first musicians from both systems to actually interact together and play together. And at the time that Shakti began it was considered really like, "How can you do this?" by senior musicians. Even my father said, "Hmmm...how is this going to work? Nobody’s going to like this," and what he meant was the musical fraternity or connoisseurs. But it caught on. And now it’s a common thing. It has become normal to do mix systems, so I guess a hundred years from now there will be maybe a different way of looking at music in India where there’ll be a third line, which will be a combination of all these three elements.
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