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Literary Review
A pastiche of information
INDIA'S musical heritage is as vast, as diverse, and as old as the nation itself. Presenting such an extensive topic within the space of one book is thus surely a daunting task. The present book, appropriately titled Musical Heritage of India, seeks to meet an even tougher remit; the blurb describes it as "a pleasing work that will satisfy the general reader as well as the serious student".
Wisely, the author has chosen to confine herself to our classical traditions. Covering all our folk and other non-classical forms as well would have definitely been beyond the scope of a single volume. The present book is divided into three broad parts, covering respectively the ancient classical traditions and the Hindustani and Karnatak forms.
The book opens with a lengthy description of the importance of music in ancient times. A detailed account is given of its theological function, as an essential aspect of Vedic chanting, as well as its temporal relevance, as a source of courtly entertainment. It explains ancient concepts such as Grama and Murchhana, and also how these concepts can be understood in terms of the Hindustani and Karnatak forms prevalent today. It then moves on to the notions of Nada, Shruti, Swara and so on.
Somewhat perplexingly, this is followed by an analysis of Raga and Alapa in general. Important ideas no doubt, but not strictly relevant in a discussion on ancient music. Similarly, the next chapter deals with Tala and Laya; though some emphasis is given to these notions in their age-old form, much of the discussion is too general to merit a place in the intended theme of the section. The following chapter discusses musical instruments used in ancient times. The section ends with a description of the Prabhandha compositional form in vogue then.
The section on Hindustani music begins with a chapter on its evolution and expansion. In one sweep it covers the lives and contributions of the important figures, right from Amir Khusro and Gopal Nayak, to Swami Haridas and Tansen, down to Bhimsen Joshi and Shobha Gurtu of the present day. The biological sketches have been arranged in a roughly chronological but still rather haphazard manner; the four Dagar brothers of the 20th Century are placed before Ramakrishnabua Vazo, and Prabha Atte precedes Omkarnath Thakur. Curiously, this chapter features no instrumentalist of the present era.
The author moves on to a discussion on Ragas and the Thaat system of Raga classification. Once again, considerable emphasis is laid on comparing the Hindustani and Karnatak systems. The next chapter deals with musical instruments. It is here, rather than in the chapter on evolution and expansion, that contemporary instrumentalists find a place. Each instrument is discussed separately together with its important exponents. Following this is an analysis of the percussive aspects of Hindustani music, entailing both instruments and rhythmic principles. The subsequent chapter is devoted to musical forms, a crucial aspect of Hindustani music. Once again, only forms of vocal music find place here; instrumental forms such as different kinds of Gats are discussed in the chapter on instruments. Finally, the author discusses Ragamala paintings.
The Karnatak music section is comparatively livelier. For one, the author seems to be much more at home here than in the preceding section. In the opening chapter, entitled "Emerging Identity of Indian Music", she covers important figures of this style, from Purandaradasa to contemporary vocalists, also briefly touching upon topics as diverse as the courtesan culture and instrumental accompaniment to vocal music. The next chapter is devoted to instrumental music. As in the Hindustani music section, each instrument is described separately along with brief sketches of its major performers.
The chapter on Mela and Sahitya is brief, for the most part merely a setting down of bare theoretical principles. At the same time it does have interesting insights on offer, such as the manner in which Ragas transform over time. The portion of Sahitya and its bearing on music is also brought out well. Tala and percussion have been dealt with very cursorily in the next chapter. That one of the most complex and highly developed aspects of Karnatak music is covered in only nine pages is certainly peculiar. On top of this, five are set aside for instruments and performers. Predictably, the four pages left for the theory of percussion is woefully inadequate. Compositional forms such as Varnam, Kriti, Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi and so on are discussed in the next chapter. The final chapter in the section, entitled "Characteristics of Karnatak Music", attempts a broad overview of the discipline and its performative aspects.
By way of an epilogue, the last chapter of the book discusses recent innovations in music. Particular emphasis is placed on the advent of electronic instrumentation, such as digital tablas and tanpuras and experimentations in fusion music.
The author's grasp over the subject is clearly thorough. Yet, the book fails to satisfy. For one, a haphazardness in presentation and arrangement of contents pervades throughout. Blunders abound in profusion. The Sarod and the Chitra Veena are described as very similar since both are fretless. Moreover, in both, apparently sliding a plectrum (sic) on a polished metal fingerboard modulates the sound. (For the record the Sarod is played with the fingertips or nails of the left hand and, to the best of the reviewer's knowledge, the Chitra Veena does not feature a polished metal fingerboard.) To complete the confusion, the familiarity between the two is ascribed to their being derived from the ancient Rudra Veena.
The Karnatak music section reads much better, but it features its own set of problems. Often the author presumes a certain familiarity with the subject on the part of the reader. Brevity of exposition, usually a virtue, places discussions on theory beyond the comprehension of the lay person.
Production is shoddy, especially given the price of the book. Many photographs seem to have been cut from magazines; very often they retain accompanying captions. At times, these captions conflict with those added by the author. A picture of L. Subramaniam and Kavita Krishnamurthy, with the original label still legible, is captioned "Shakti ensemble". Indeed, the photographs and illustrations are often misleading, and frequently mislabelled as well.
But the book's most serious drawback is that it does not display any identity of its own. For the most part it is merely a hurriedly collated pastiche of available information. It does not treat the subject in any depth, nor does it present existing knowledge in a novel and accessible manner. Hence, we are forced to conclude, rather harshly, that it fails to meet the needs of either the serious student or the lay reader.
Musical Heritage of India, Lalita Ramakrishna, Shubi Publication, 2003, p.291+xvi, Rs.2950.
ABHIK MAZUMDAR
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