Music in India: An Overview

 Music in India: An Overview

The music of India compares to its incredibly diverse population: it can range from classical music called Ragas to the hyper-pop music produced for Bollywood, the Indian film industry. So, why is music so important to the development of Indian culture? In Indian philosophy, sound in its purest form is the absolute truth. Before written language developed, the higher powers would spread their teachings, or truths, orally, allowing sound to be the only form of "knowing and understanding the truth" (Evans, 2). The significance of sound translates to music. According to Indian philosophy, the truths perceived in the universe are not rigid, not universal, and inarguable. The truth is construed as the smaller subsets of individual or communal beliefs that vary depending on the circumstances. The truth is a penetrable boundary that we can easily cross with logical criticism.

The universe was created from the initial sound, "Aum." It is said that "Aum" is what separates humanity from nature, as only humans can produce it. Music has a direct link to gods. Shiva, the God of destruction, performs a dance called the "tandava," representing the cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction in our universe. Lord Shiva is also known as "Nataraja," which translates to the "Lord of the Dance." The link between Hindu Gods and music is a 'truth' in Indian culture. Some Indian music is performed to become closer to God intrinsically. 

Indian classical music is made of two components: raga and tala. Translated, the loose definition of raga is the melody, and the tala is the rhythm. Ragas are sung with many ornaments of the singer's discretion, giving the piece an improvised or spontaneous feel. Tala is simultaneously performed with a Tabla, keeping the beat and tempo. The tala is performed with "onomatopoeic" syllables corresponding to the type of sound played on the Tabla. In general, classical Indian music presents a fascinating concept in Hindu philosophy that is not usually understood in music; this is the idea of cycles. Cycles should be repeated until the end of a musical phrase without interrupting or overshadowing the melody. 

Before learning instrumentations, musicians establish their fundamentals in Indian classical vocal training. Indian classical vocal music has no vibrato, a steady pitch, ornamentation, and extended consonants. The most significant difference between Western and Eastern music is the lack of harmony in Indian classical music. Indian classical music focuses on writing melodies and cyclic phrases rather than various phrases. Over time, the differences between classical Indian music and Western music have lessened with the Westernization of India. The influence of the British incorporated the harmonium and violin into Indian classical music. 

The rise of the Indian film industry brought listeners of Indian classical music to Indian/Bollywood film pop music. Most Indian films consist of a Filmi sangit and many Filmi git. A Filmi sangit means the theme song of the movie; the unlying score of a movie. Filmi git means a song in the middle of a movie that is the cause for the interruption in the plot. The film music contributes to the success of Bollywood movies, which is due to the commercialization of Bollywood and the connection between the sight and sound of these blockbuster songs. This connection between sight and sound is used in Indian classical music, as discussed above, and film music. For context, every Indian film song has a complimentary dance number or music video. Images, dance, and film stars lip-syncing to the song popularize and give character to the song. With the help of innovative technologies, it is becoming more accessible and easier to replicate, and mass produces a music video to complement the music. When songs are paired with the visual aid of the music video, it is effortless for the viewer to recall the song by the scene of the film and vice-versa. 

To conclude, the music of India has progressed a long way from its classical music roots to Bollywood film music. However, we do not see those fundamentals disappear; for example, Bollywood producers still use the connection between sight and sound to appeal to audiences. This provides a unique spiritual connection for each song. "The depth of culture [of Indian music] providing the backdrop of the importance of music and spirituality of India, when understood properly, reminds us that Western thought is simply that- Western" (Evans, 8). 



Article Summarized: 

Evans, A. E. (2014, March 17). Music in India: An overview - Cedarville University. Digital Commons - Cedarville. Retrieved February 23, 2022, from https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1349&context=research_scholarship_symposium 

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