Here's some more recordings to ease understanding.
Indian Music is not written down. It is passed down from guru to
student. The tradition is pretty accurate it seems, as all evolution
process is done consciously, involving continuous memory of earlier
styles. There always has been a written tradition of musicology in
India, and the urge to name every concept.
(The earliest source is the Natyashastra, which is on the performing
arts in general, dealing also, or mainly, with acting, staging a
production etc.)
So it's pretty safe to say that this album represents the style of the
16th century, and these compositions are indeed by Tansen or his school:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Oe4u_0tPo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=435aayz5OH0
It seems Indian musicians also have something like "historically
informed" music making. For these oldschool Ragas, often the Rudra Vina
is chosen, not the sitar or surbahar. Also, the percussion is often the
Pakhawaj (a cylindrical drum with two heads and powerful bass), not
Tabla. (These might have existed in ancient times, but they became
popular and were refined only later).
Instead of harmonium (which personally I don't like in Indian music
because it has a rigid tone), often a Sarangi (similar to an alto viola
da gamba) is used to accompany. It has a function of echoing and also
supporting the soloist, often marking the important notes of the raga,
while the soloist is embellishing.
Embellishments include meends (glissando), murki (mordent) and basically
every other ornament also known in Baroque music, or from the Capirola book.
The main difference to European music is the importance of meend, which
is why the Persian setar has been modified with bent steel frets and a
wider fretboard to facilitate heavy string bending.
Again, I don't claim anything (yet), just for understanding it a little
better: this piece by Giovanni Valentini is quite similar to the Indian
style (anyway very imaginative).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rucCGaolgI4
In Hindustani music there is more emphasis on the time when a Raga
should be played.
I highly recommend all of the Raga series by Music Today, all to be
found on youtube. Just search for Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night
Ragas Vol. 1 - 4. (There are four of each).
Those are very good near audiophile recordings.
This brings us to a not so nice point: many recordings are poor quality,
due to the fact that Indian Music is performed and recorded live. Though
this is actually nice, few recordings capture a clear sound. You have to
live with this, especially if you want to listen to the old masters.
However, there are select old albums that deserve attention and can be
considered audiophile.
This is one of my favourites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5trNs7M3MU
Beware though, this is true Dhrupad where the exposition takes most of
the time of the 70 minutes. This is not for casual listening, but you
will be rewarded with near-vocal Rudra Veena playing.
If you have a Colascione, you can tune it to C-G-c-f and play in this style.
A good site to start from is this Raga search wheel:
http://oceanofragas.com/RagaSearch.aspx
If you are looking for interesting scales, just punch one in and see
what comes up.
This includes Carnatic (South Indian) Melakarta Ragas.
Melakarta is a very strict South Indian system of 72 Ragas. Carnatic
Music is much more like serial music, but also fascinating.
Many of the Ragas are basically the same as those in the North, they
just bear another names, as do the modes.
Hindustani Ragas with southern origins have the name "Kanhada" or
"Kanada" in it, like "Darbari Kanada", which is the slow
passacaglia/lamento-like night Raga of the Mughal court.
Ragas are often named for their origin, in combination with a group of
ragas. For example there is "Shuddh Sarang", the "original" Sarang Raga,
with "Gaud Sarang" being the "Gaud version" of Sarang, with alterations
in the rendering, but similarities in structure.
(to be continued)
Am 08.05.2018 um 22:00 schrieb Mark Seifert:
Thank you many times, Tristan. You have provided a starting point well
worth savoring/studying.
Mark
On Tuesday, May 8, 2018 10:51 AM, Tristan von Neumann
<[email protected]> wrote:
Thanks Mark,
you're welcome.
As for your question - there is probably a reason why you have to study
for years to make Indian music.
I have learned a lot during my research, but it is a vast topic...
Making mashups - regardless of Indian influence on Europe - has helped
me quite a lot in understanding how Ragas work.
Here's some basic things:
- a Raga is not merely a scale (that would be "thaat")
- a Raga is not a composition (you can improvise on it)
So what is it? There we have a connection to European music:
What is a Ciacona? What is a Passacaglia?
It is not merely a bass or harmonic pattern, nor is it a composition.
A Raga is a melodic pattern that is embellished within the cycle of a
beat pattern (Taal or Tala).
As I understand so far, this really works like improvising on a hidden
ostinato, bringing out the important notes while improvising in between.
Each Raga also has a significant phrase which establishes its identity.
Also, each Raga has a characteristic Up and Down scale - these can be
different, and there sometimes are "vakra" movements, that is zig-zag
(think of late 16th century diminutions in England).
In certain cases more than 7 notes can be used. On C, it is mostly the
4th that can be pure in the downscale, but augmented in the upscale,
also the Seventh can be made flat in descent in some ragas.
A Raga has a main note and a consonant to the main note (4th or 5th),
and also notes that are avoided.
The drone is sometimes also the main note.
Even if the scales of two Ragas are the same, they can be fundamentally
different due to their main notes.
For example, Raga Yaman is in the Kalyan thaat (Lydian), so if "sa" (ut)
is on C, the main notes are B and E, bringing shades of e minor into the
Raga though the drone is on C. The Yaman melodic structure is thus
organised to enhance something like a C major/e minor mood.
It seems that the structures are basically emerging from the mode and
main notes from a part of a harmonic series.
That is why they capture certain moods and colors to perfection (also a
reason why many people exploited this for pop music).
Here's one rendering of Tilak Kamod that really makes things clear,
because its recurring theme resembles the familiar "Branle de Bourgogne"
by Gervaise (I don't claim any connection other than deep rooted
cultural heritage - Tilak Kamod is said to have originated from folk music)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtoMZwMtpe4
Notice how the mood is established in a free improvisation without
pulse, making clear which are the important relations of the main notes
to the melodic structure, then in gradually increasing tempi the best
ideas are sought, without leaving the exact framework.
Notice how the Fourth is used like it were a suspension note to the
Third. The main notes are first and fifth of the scale. The seventh is
avoided. The "C" - "G" jump is often used.
Trying to guess certain phrases and their would be "key" in relation to
the Raga seems a good idea to grasp the main features.
Now compare this to Alhaiya Bilawal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77vtFARtAso
It uses the same mode, yet uses mostly the upper tetrachord. Main notes
are "B" and "E", B is flat in downscale (like in late 16th century
diminutions). This is a different mood.
It is interesting how 16th century theoreticians in Europe start
building databases of modes not only describing their scale, but also
giving voice leading patterns associated with the specific mode.
This is actually what is done to describe Ragas in literature today (and
as I understand also in Indian historical music literature), this
parallel might help to understand.
I hope this is of some help - I must admit though, it puzzles me how
these musicians come up with such great renderings. As I said, decades
of study are necessary - again, also found in lutes: it takes a while
until you can pull off original yet true style diminutions on anything
you touch.
Am 08.05.2018 um 17:48 schrieb Mark Seifert:
> Dear Tristan,
> This is great material, thanks. Would it be possible to
> occasionally provide basic instruction on "Indian music for dummies?"
> Though I have in the past spent time studying Indian literature, even
> Mughal poetry, I never attempted to understand Indian music as I was
> not even well versed in Western music. Are there some basics that can
> be addressed that might aid opening minds to an undoubtedly vast and
> ancient tradition?
> I just got through watching lectures on the British Raj in India
> describing the relentless wealth extraction, brutal suppression, and
> market-based agricultural austerity that led to starvation of millions
> especially in Bengal and the Ganges valley in 1872-79, WWI,
between the
> war, and during WWII. In this new age of oligarchy and corruption, we
> have a lot to learn from India.
> Best wishes,
> Mark Seifert MD
> On Monday, May 7, 2018 10:16 AM, Tristan von Neumann
> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
> I found a documentation of an Indian Rudra Veena in the making.
> Traditional woodworking without powertools:
>
[1]https://www.flickr.com/photos/carstenwicke/collections/7215764015396
> 9553/
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> [2]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
> --
>
> References
>
> 1.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/carstenwicke/collections/72157640153969553/
> 2. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
>
