south asia music with a spiritual dimension india (north & south) pakistan © taylor &...
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South AsiaMusic with a Spiritual Dimension
India (North & South)Pakistan
© Taylor & Francis
South Asia Map
© Taylor & Francis
Background Preparation
• More than 16% of world’s population (1.6+ billion)
• Ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity
• Strong British colonial influence
India’s famed Taj Mahal
© Taylor & Francis
IndiaSite 1: Hindustani Raga (Instrumental)
Site 2: Carnatic (Vocal) Kriti Site 3: Bhajan (Devotional Song)
© Taylor & Francis
Arrival: North India
• Major cities:• Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Lucknow
• Independent from British in 1947• Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948)
• World’s largest democracy• Caste system
• Disparity of wealth
• Religious pluralismMahatma Gandhi
(1869–1948)© Taylor & Francis
Site 1: Hindustani Raga
• First Impressions• “Dreamy” aura• “Boing” drums
• Aural Analysis• Melody: Sarod• Rhythm: Tabla• Drone: Tambura
© Taylor & Francis
Tambura
• Fretless plucked lute
• Four strings• “Pillar” pitch tuning
• Aural “incense”
• Played by shishya or vocalist
© Taylor & Francis
Sarod
• Fretless plucked lute
• Three sets of strings• Melodic• Drone/rhythm (Jhala)• Sympathetic
• Calfskinresonator face
© Taylor & Francis
Sympathetic Strings (on Sitar)
Passing beneath the metal curved frets,
the “sympathetic strings” vibrate involuntarily during performance.
© Taylor & Francis
Raga Performance
• Tuning system – 22 pitches
• Raga (or rag) – “atmosphere”• Mode: Framework forimprovisation and composition
• Scale, ornamentations, melodic patterns, hierarchy of pitches, etc.
• Rasa (mood), time of day, “magic”
© Taylor & Francis
Raga Melodic Form
• Alap• Free rhythm, all improvised• Ascending melodic range• Increasing rhythmic density
• Jor – Jhala
• Gat• Metered composition with improvisation• Drum enters• Second rising range and increasing density
© Taylor & Francis
Tabla
• Pair of hand drums
• Smaller drum – tabla• Tuned to central pitch
• Larger drum – baya
• Bols – drum language
• Theka – rhythmic patterns
© Taylor & Francis
Tala
• Rhythmic cycle
• Drummer and Audience “Keep the tal”
• Drummer “stretches” the beat with improvisation
A sixteen-beat cycle called tintal
© Taylor & Francis
Cultural Considerations• Oral Tradition
• Guru – Shishya
• Rasa: “Mood” across the arts• Ragamala
• “Star” artists• Ravi Shankar
• “Flexible” Time
© Taylor & Francis
Arrival: South India
• Major cities:• Hyderabad, Bangalore, Madras
• Carnatic culture more ancient
• Predominantly Hindu
A snake charmer plays the punjii
© Taylor & Francis
Site 2: Carnatic Classical Song
• Aural Analysis• Melody: Vocal• Imitation: Violin• Rhythm: Mridangam• Drone: Sruti Box
• First Impressions• Aural “incense”
• Melismatic vocalist with imitating fiddle
Note the sruti box to the vocalist’s left.
© Taylor & Francis
Carnatic Instruments
Violin Mridangam© Taylor & Francis
Kriti
• Hindu devotional poetry set to music
• Composed skeletal melody• Increased ornamentation
• Complex raga and tala systems• Some 36,000 possible raga• 175 variations of tala
© Taylor & Francis
Cultural Considerations
• Sri Tyagaraja(1767 - 1847)
• Devotee of Hindu god Rama
• Prolific composer
• Aradhana Festivals
A portrait of Sri Tyagaraja
© Taylor & Francis
Site 3: Bhajan Devotional Song
• First Impressions• Congregational
worship
• Aural Analysis• Harmonium
• Tabla, dandtal
• Antiphonal vocals• Eight-beat tala
A harmonium
© Taylor & Francis
Cultural Considerations
• Devotional Hindu songs
• Sai Baba TemplesSri Sai Baba (d. 1918)
Worshippers at aSai Baba temple
© Taylor & Francis
SITE 4: QAWWALI (SUFI DEVOTIONAL SONG)
PAKISTAN
© Taylor & Francis
ARRIVAL: PAKISTAN
• West and East Pakistan – 1947• Mass Migrations• Bangladesh – 1971• Music pluralism
© Taylor & Francis
SITE 4: QAWWALI
• First Impressions• Kriti? Bhajan? Qawwali?
• Aural Analysis• Harmonium• Melismatic Male Vocal• Dholak and tabla• Group Refrain
Dholak drums
© Taylor & Francis
CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
• Sufi Devotional Song• Communion with Allah (God)
• Trance state
• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan• Sabri Brothers
© Taylor & Francis
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