Why Don’t They Tell You What They
Will Play?
Sandeep Krishnamurthy,
Introduction
It is typical to know
little prior to attending an Indian classical music concert. The flyer we
receive for our Ragamala concerts in
This is a major contrast
from the typical Western classical music concert, which is a predictable
experience. Typically, programs are decided a year
in advance and every single detail of the concert is available prior to the
event. The listener knows what compositions will be played, the name of the
composer, if any special instrument will be used (e.g. organ) etc. Every
attendee knows when the concert will start and when it will end prior to
arriving.
Therefore, the Indian
classical music concert may appear less organized and more informal to the
Western listener. Many South Asian youngsters who are trained
in the Western tradition are unable to connect to the Indian concert experience
and label it as weird (or worse) -- much to the chagrin of their parents who
are unable to explain or justify the differences. This impression leads even
knowledgeable people to place this music in the same category as folk or tribal
music in music festivals. Yet, a keen analysis of why the listener is told so little helps us understand the fundamental
differences between the two proud traditions.
Nature of Music
In Indian classical music,
the singer or the featured instrument player is all-important. This person is
the leader of the event and sets the agenda. He or she makes all the important
decisions -- e.g. which songs to sing, in what sequence. She has the maximum
latitude in structuring the concert. She could decide on the songs an hour
before the event. If she wished, she could change the order of the songs during
the concert. She decides how long each piece is going to be and when to
take the intermission -- if at all. She decides when the concert will end. The
singer is, thus, more powerful than the conductor of the Western orchestra.
This is possible, given the
different emphasis Indian classical music places on orchestration and harmony.
The Indian classical music troupe is a small one -- typically consisting of
between 3-5 people (contrast this with the Western
orchestra which could easily be larger than 100 people). Moreover, there is a
clear hierarchy among these musicians. All except the featured musician exist
in a subservient supporting role. Their job is to enhance the beauty of the
concert and the music of the featured musician. The accompanist (e.g. harmonium
player in Hindustani and violinist in Carnatic) does not exist to provide
harmony. Rather he exists to punctuate, emphasize and accentuate what the
featured musician does.
This lack of structure in
the Indian classical concert also stems from the paramount importance of
improvisation in this tradition. Western classical music is 'fully composed'.
Listeners judge a performance on how faithfully the musicians rendered the
vision of the composer. In direct contrast, the composer in Indian music
provides a structure to the musician that includes the scale (i.e. raga),
the rhythm (i.e. tala) and the composition (i.e. krithi in
Carnatic, khayal or bandish in Hindustani). The composer does not
intend for his vision to dominate the performance. The musician rediscovers and
reinterprets the nature of the composition every time it is presented. In fact,
an expert musician will use the structure of the composition to bring out the
character of the raga. Most concerts present music from a set of
composers in contrast to the Western style where it is common to feature a
single composer in a concert.
The improvisation in Indian
music has perhaps single-handedly confused the Western listener. Some have
erroneously compared Indian classical music to Jazz -- Ravi Shankar has
famously scolded his audience for doing this. The difference is that in Indian
classical music, the improvisation is within a prescribed structure that is
general enough to accommodate a rich variety of music.
Nature of
Musician-Listener Interaction
Interaction between the
musician and the listener in Western concerts is very formal. The musicians
play the piece, the audience applauds and everybody goes home. There is
absolute silence when the concert is in progress.
On the other hand, there is
a certain playfulness in the interaction between the
singer and listener in the Indian tradition. On many occasions, the singer may
not announce the raga ahead of time and let the audience guess it. It is
common for audience members to ask the musicians to sing/play a particular
piece. Of course, the musician is free to accept or reject these requests.
Not announcing the names of
the compositions prior to the concert maintains a sense of mystery. There is a guessing game that is mandatory to the attendance
of every Indian classical concert. Listeners quibble about which raga is
being played (during the concert!). Many a youngster has felt a sense of
elation when he correctly guesses a tune or tala. Expert listeners (my Dad, for example) can guess which piece will be played by
honing in on characteristic phrases in the alaap (i.e. improvised
phase). There is a 'I-told-you-so' moment when the
listener is proven right or a heated debate about how one was misled by the
choice of phrases.
This is part of the concert
experience. Listeners participate aggressively and provide real-time support
and feedback to the musician.
Conclusion
The Indian classical music
concert may seem unplanned and less formal because of the nature of the music
and the 'contract' between the musician and the listener. This must not be
confused for less rigor. It must
also not be mistaken for less sophistication. To understand the concert
experience, one must simply get into the right spirit of celebrating the music
and then, the joy is considerable.