Week 2: Music in India -- Classical and Folk, Great and Little Traditions
1. Raga Jaijaiwanti, Ektal: "Jhanan Jhanan Jhanan Payal Baje," sung by Padmabhushan Bhimsen Joshi in the Hindustani tradition. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, one of India's foremost classical vocalists, "belongs to the Kirana Gharana, and is the direct disciple of the legendary Sawai Gandharva. While Panditji basically sings Hindustani classical music, he has blended the use of carnatic [Karnatic] ragas in his music." (taken from CD liner notes) Note that raga Jaijaiwanti is briefly mentioned in your readings (Wade, p. 88) as an "amiable, playful, rather romantic raga," and is referred to in greater detail on p. 100.
Source: The Multifaceted Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, EMI CD-PSLP 5465, 1991.
2. Raga Bhairavi performed by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan on sarod, in the Hindustani tradition. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is one of India's most famous sarod players. Note that raga Bhairavi is mentioned briefly in your readings (Wade, p. 88) as being "distinguished by a slight vibrato on pitches Reb and Dhab, and by a pulling slur (called mind or meend) from Ga or Ma down to Reb after Ga or Ma has been sung in ascent." Raga Bhairavi is referred to in more detail on pp. 95 and 98.
Source: Music of India, EMI CDI ECSD 42001, 1985.
3. Raga Sri, Adi Tala: "Endaro Mahanubhavulu," performed by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, in the Karnatic tradition. Raga Sri is discussed in Wade (p. 101) as a representative raga of the South Indian or Karnatic classical tradition. Note the liberal ornamentation of the pitches in this raga, and listen for the articulation of the adi tala (refer to Wade, p. 102).
Source: Karnatic Classical Vocal: Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Sangeetha, CD PSA 1404C, n.d.
4. "A husband and wife team of street musicians sing and play a one-string folk vina and tambourine in Pune, India." This selection comes from a CD called "Music of the Open Air," which features music played outside from India, China, and Indonesia. "What is music of the open air?....It is music played by loud, penetrating instruments -- drums, oboes, cymbals, high-pitched melodic instruments, percussion instruments beaten with great force....It is the sustained noise of a festival, proclaiming an auspicious season and driving away evil spirits....It is the music of religious celebrants wishing to share their ecstasy....It is a procession which invites the participation of bystanders....It is a street musician or entertainer whose stage is the street." (from CD liner notes)
Source: Music of the Open Air, CD ODE 1379, 1991.
5. "A band of two folk shenai oboes and drums leads a procession carrying a large effigy of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganapati in Bombay, India." This selection is also from "Music of the Open Air." How does this construction of "the folk" and particularly "folk music" in India relate to Carol Babiracki's discussion of the categories of classical, folk, and tribal in Indian music?
Source: same as Nº 4.
6. "Nagapattu" (Song to the Snake Deities), from field tape collected by Carol Reck, Cheruthurthy, Kerala, 1970. Sung by C. P. Saraswathi, a minstrel from the Kerala region of South India, who accompanies herself on the kudam. "Minstrels carrying simple instruments like the one-stringed gourd and bamboo ektara or the washtub bass-like kudam (literally 'clay pot') sing from door to door hoping for a few paisa (pennies) or a gift of rice....Musical elements like 'oriental ' scale, melodic ornamentation, drone, assymetrical phrasing, and a strongly accented rhythmic accompaniment mark this (quite sophisticated) folk song as distinctly 'Indian,' and connect it to 'classical' traditions found in the same culture." (David Reck, Worlds of Music, p. 216) Compare David Reck's analysis of this Indian folk tune with Carol Babiracki's more general observations about scholarly opinions toward Indian folk and tribal music.
Source: Worlds of Music, 3rd edition, CD 2, ISBN 0-02-872612-X, 1996.
7. "Folk Melody," performed by Tarun Bhattacharya on santoor (struck zither) and Ustad Sabir Khan on tabla. Both Bhattacharya and Khan typically play Hindustani classical music for a living. Compare this "folk melody" (there is no more specific title listed on the recording) with the other "folk tunes" on this tape. Also, how does this tune compare with the classical selections on the tape?
Source: The Exotic Santoor, AIM Records, CDIM 200, 1991.
8. Engal kalyanam, an example of cine music or film music. Indian pop music is called cine music or film music because almost all the songs come from hit movies in Hindi, Tamil, or other regional lnguages. Virtually all movies are musiclas in India. Cine music is a curious and sometimes bizarre blend of East and West: choppy and hyperactive melodies, often in ‘oriental’ scales, are belted out by nasal singers over Latin rhythms and an eclectic accompaniment that may include a trap set, electric organs and guitars, violins, xylophones, celeste, bongos, sitar, tabla, or bamboo flute. Morew recently some genres of Indian pop music have been crafted to sound exactly like their Western pop counterparts, with only their lyrics in Indian languages making them distinguishable from the latest hit tune. The lyrics of cine music tend to focus on love and romance. ‘Engal kalyanam’ (Our Wedding) takes a light-hearted look at the commotion and excitement of an Indian wedding.”
Partial lyrics for “Engal kalyanam”:
(translation from the Tamil by S. B. Rajeswari)
Our marriage is a confusion/commotion marriage!
Sons-in-law spend for the marriage
And the father-in-law puts up the pandal [wedding canopy]
To receive gifts.
Morning is the wedding, and evening is the wedding night.
Enliven yourselves! This is a love marriage.
[.…]
Mother-in-law is putting on eye makeup
And the sons-in-law are staring at the mirror;
Processions wind along the streets with firecrackers,
And all are giving their blessing.
Shall we have ten to sixteen children?
Shall the trimness of the body be lost?
You hated men, yet you gave desire!
I am the God of Love!
You are the reason!
[.…]
(liner notes and lyrics from Worlds of Music, 3d ed., 1996, pp. 256-258)
Source: Worlds
of Music, 3rd edition, CD 2, ISBN
0-02-872612-X, 1996.
9. Arna Sangeet, a subgenre of Punjabi Bhangra music known as Bhangra Bass. Bhangra music was born sometime between the 14th and 15th centuries in the state of Punjab, split between India and Pakistan, and is considered one of the oldest folk dances in the world. Bhangra is the culmination of the hard season of harvest when farmers celebrate by singing and dancing to Bhangra songs and beats. Bhangra music and dance was also performed during sewing celebrations. In the early 1980s, Punjabi expatriates living in Great Britain developed Bhangra into a popular British musical genre. The dhol - the double barreled drum banged with two sticks - is the foundation of Bhangra music worldwide. Bhangra and its modernized sound still retain traditional elements but also utilize contemporary instrumentation and language, producing Bhangra songs that can appeal to any type of audience. Present-day Bhangra could be considered a hybrid of traditional Indian music fused with hip-hop, reggae, rap, rhythm and blues, and pop, with hard-hitting dhol beats and tumbi strings (plucked drone instrument used in Indian folk ensembles) leading the way for the expressive vocals.” (from notes on Bhangra at http:// www.worldmusiccentral.org
Source: Bhangra 1998, NDR CD 1998-01, 1998.
10. Rivers of Dub, performed by Asian Dub Foundation. ÒThe Asian Dub Foundation is EnglandÕs answer to AmericaÕs Rage Against the Machine ––– without theÉscreechy posturing. They’re a group of young, politically driven musicians of Asian descent out to change social and political agendas through music. Though Asian Dub Foundation works within the faceless, often issue-less world of electronic music, they still manage to say some things. And the message seems clear: education, humanism, racial justice, and the ‘true history of colonialism.’ This mission was especially timely when the group emerged with the aptly titled “Conscious” EP in 1994, as anti-Asian acts of violence were casting shadows over Britain....1998’s ‘Rafi’s Revenge’ is replete with musings on the repercussions of hate and racial conflict, and the song ‘Assassin’ proclaims: ‘The time is right now to burst the imperial bubble/ And my act of revenge is just a part of the struggle.’ However, such militant themes are made accessible with a decidedly upbeat dance format. A self-described ‘Asian Jungle Punk’ group, ADF has searched the wide array of its heritage and musical influences to get the message across. Their music employs everything from drum ’n’ bass beats, trip-hop rhythms and scratches, hip-hop riffs, dancehall reggae tunes, Bengali raps, and funked-out sitars and tables, with layered guitars and keyboards.” (from notes to Asian Dub Foundation at “www.artandculture.com”)
Source: Spirit of India, WAGRAM Music CD 3078522 WAG 336, 2002.