Towards a composite Indian culture: The Unifying role of Indian Music

by Guest Sun Mar 06, 2016 3:22 pm

Among the factors that account for this unique type of unity are the use of Sanskrit as a cultural link language and the existence of a single system of classical music throughout the country. It was only after the twelfth and the thirteenth centuries that regional differences developed even within the sphere of classical music but this was reflected only in the practical side of the music. The ‘Natya Shastra’ of Bharata and the ‘Sangita Ratnakara’ of Sarngadeva still continue as authorities for the theory of Indian music and commentators on these and other treatises hailed from Kashmir in the North to Tamil Nadu in the South and from Gujarat and Rajasthan in the West to Mithila and Bengal in the East. The theory part remained surprisingly intact which made the continuity of Indian music possible. Every treatise on music written before the twentieth century mentions only one variety of classical music.

It was only in the early years of this century that Pandit Kashinath Appa Tulasi, a musicologist from Hyderabad, mentioned in his work ‘Sangita Sudhakara’ that there were two varieties of Indian music – Carnatic, prevalent in South India and Hindustani, prevalent in the North.

“Tadapi dvividham jneyam Dakshinottara bhedatah
Karnatakam dakshine syad Hindustani tathottare”

But even this writer calls them only as two variations of the same system and not as two different systems of music. The oldest detailed exposition of Indian dance, musical theory and theatrical art, which has survived the ravages of time, is the Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni. We do not know which part of India Bharata hailed from, but by the 2nd century A.D. his Natya Shastra appears to have become familiar in the Tamil country down south. Poet Ilango Adigal, the author of the ‘Silappadhikaram’, one of the five Tamil Sangam classics gives ample evidence that he was acquainted with Bharata’s treatise. A number of Tamil works on music, extant in his time and quoted by his later commentator Adiyarkunallar show that the Tamil musicologists of the Sangam period were fully conversant with Sanskrit works on music written by authors who obviously lived in the Northern part of India.

http://carnatica.net/special/tsp-unify1.htm

by Guest Sun Mar 06, 2016 3:25 pm

An early name seen as belonging to Kashmir is Bharata Muni of the Natyashastra. The indirect reasons for this identification are that the rasa idea of the Natyashastra was discussed by many scholars in Kashmir. Another reason is that the Natyashastra has a total of 36 chapters and it is suggested that this number may have been deliberately chosen to conform to the theory of 36 tattvas which is a part of the later Shaivite system of Kashmir. Many descriptions in this book seem especially true for Kashmir. The bhana, a one-actor play described by Bharata is still performed in Kashmir by groups called bhand pather (bhana patra, in Sanskrit).

It should be mentioned here parenthetically that a few scholars take Bharata to be a Southerner. It is also interesting that there exist some very close connections between Kashmir and South India in the cultural tradition like the worship of Shiva, Pancharatra, Tantra, and the arts. Recently, when I pointed this out to Vasundhara Filliozat, the art historian who has worked on Karnataka, she said that the inscriptional evidence indicates a continuing movement of teachers from Kashmir to the South and that Kashmir is likely to have been the original source of many of the early Shaivite, Tantric, and Sthapatya Agamas.

http://ikashmir.net/subhashkak/article3.html

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Mar 06, 2016 4:35 pm

all kinds of claims about the primogeniture of indian music are made by agenda driven folks. however, it is indisputable that the first complete description of the mElakarthA scheme which leads to the 72 scales that form the genetic material for all indian music, carnatic and hindustani was first formalized in a text by venkatamakhin called chatur dhandi prakAshikA. the hindustani thAt scheme which only captures ten of the 72 mElakarthA scales is highly incomplete.

in the 90s there were vigorous (and now settled) debates on usenet about such matters in a group called rec.music.indian.classical. i am sure archived posts can be found by googling by those interested. i used to be fly on the wall learning from highly knowledgeable people like dr.rajan parrikar.

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Mar 06, 2016 4:37 pm

a recent book on such matters for those interested written by vidwan t.m.krishna:

https://books.google.com/books?id=WqvRBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT300&lpg=PT300&dq=sangita+ratnakara+versus+chatur+dandi+prakasika&source=bl&ots=FKmx2YhUG6&sig=z41e9-uDzmHA5DtJR7VfD1UVcf8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj89NmcgK3LAhUKPz4KHfbEBAAQ6AEIKzAC#v=onepage&q=sangita%20ratnakara%20versus%20chatur%20dandi%20prakasika&f=false

by Guest Sun Mar 06, 2016 6:50 pm

Factors	Hindustani Music	Carnatic Music
Raga System	Based on 10 Thaats and 32 Ragang Ragas	Based on 72 Melakarta or Janak Raga
24-hr Time-Cycle of Ragas	Yes	No
Taal	Popular 10-12 Taal(also 10-12 Rare Taal)	Popular 35 Taal(108 total)
Composition or Kriti Forms	Khayal, Dhrupad, Tarana, Thumri, Dhamaar divide into parts like -Sthayi, Antara, Snachari and Abhog	Varnam, Kriti divided into parts like-Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charnam
Composers	Stalwarts from many 'Gharana' or Schools in different regions of Northern India	Saint Purnadardas, Tyagraja, Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri
Demography	Popular in North, central, West and Eastern India. Also in Pakistan and Bangladesh	Popular in South India (Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala)
Shuddha Swara Saptaka (Primary Notes Scale)	Raga Bilawal (Similar to Carnatic Raga Dheer Shankarbharnam)	Raga Maya Malav Gaula (Similar to Hindustani Raga Bhairav)
Rendition	Improvisation given more importance	Composition given more importance

by Guest Sun Mar 06, 2016 6:54 pm

some of the best Hindustani classical music exponents have come from Northern Karnataka (Bhimsen Joshi, Mallikarjun Mansoor, etc.)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/How-Hindustani-music-took-roots-in-Dharwad/articleshow/4804370.cms

http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/dharwad-gharana-hindustani-musics-southern-home-34850

http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=hub190311WHAT.asp

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Mar 06, 2016 6:57 pm

once you have the mElakarthA scheme, the thAt system is superfluous as it is subsumed by the mElakarthA scheme. one should correctly regard the mElakarthA scheme as the genetic tonal material for all indian music, carnatic and hindustani. one could say that carnatic music more closely hews to the most ancient form of indian music, whereas hindustani music has undergone more radical changes having been enriched by persian influence.

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Mar 06, 2016 6:59 pm

Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps wrote:some of the best Hindustani classical music exponents have come from Northern Karnataka (Bhimsen Joshi, Mallikarjun Mansoor, etc.)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/How-Hindustani-music-took-roots-in-Dharwad/articleshow/4804370.cms

http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/dharwad-gharana-hindustani-musics-southern-home-34850

http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=hub190311WHAT.asp

very true. if you have developed an interest recently, an excellent but highly opinionated (mostly correct) and entertaining resource to learn about ICM:
http://www.parrikar.org/

rajan is a very quirky by highly informed rasika. his writing is always excellent. i have posted extensively about mansur here and at sulekha. mansur is a very very special musician. listening to him sing is a form of bhakti yoga.

the following article written by a fan not so well schooled in the technicalities of hindustani music is one of the most moving tributes to mansur that i have ever read:
http://www.themusicmagazine.com/mansursugu.html

by Guest Sun Mar 06, 2016 9:30 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps wrote:some of the best Hindustani classical music exponents have come from Northern Karnataka (Bhimsen Joshi, Mallikarjun Mansoor, etc.)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/How-Hindustani-music-took-roots-in-Dharwad/articleshow/4804370.cms

http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/dharwad-gharana-hindustani-musics-southern-home-34850

http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=hub190311WHAT.asp

very true. if you have developed an interest recently, an excellent but highly opinionated (mostly correct) and entertaining resource to learn about ICM:
http://www.parrikar.org/

rajan is a very quirky by highly informed rasika. his writing is always excellent. i have posted extensively about mansur here and at sulekha. mansur is a very very special musician. listening to him sing is a form of bhakti yoga.

the following article written by a fan not so well schooled in the technicalities of hindustani music is one of the most moving tributes to mansur that i have ever read:
http://www.themusicmagazine.com/mansursugu.html

the article by his fan is really nice. the parrikar link looks very promising. thanks.

by Guest Sun Mar 06, 2016 9:32 pm

by Guest Sun Mar 06, 2016 10:02 pm

for those who like Thumri, hear the song 'kaisi kari barajori shyam' here:

http://gaana.com/playlist/piyush-palhade-parveen-sultana

by Guest Mon Mar 07, 2016 5:57 am

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Mar 07, 2016 6:23 am

a three year old thread on mansur. you'll find a youtube link to a documentary on his life:
https://such.forumotion.com/t10825-the-musical-burning-bush

by Guest Mon Mar 07, 2016 7:01 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:a three year old thread on mansur. you'll find a youtube link to a documentary on his life:
https://such.forumotion.com/t10825-the-musical-burning-bush

looks very promising. will watch it later today. Meanwhile, here is Bhimsen Joshi introducing Mallikarjun Mansur to the audience prior to a live performance.

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