The Construction, Reconstruction, and Deconstruction of Shruti

The influential sixteenth-century Sanskrit treatise Svara-mela-kalānidhi describes a novel system of naming tones, of organizing rāga-s by pitch content, and of reckoning svara-s on 12 fret positions rather than 22 śruti-s. Contrary to its common construal as a sudden rupture in tradition, we highlight the rhetorical means by which the treatise systematically grounds its authority (and that of its ambitious patron, Rāmarāya) in the canon of saṅgīta-śāstra. We also offer a new translation and a new (non-Pythagorean) interpretation of its svayambhu-based tuning system.

Indian Journal of History of Science, 2018

Indian classical music also known as rāga music traces its origin to the style of chanting hymns of the Sāmaveda (2 nd-3 rd Millennium BCE) that is in practice to this day. The transition from the sacred to secular or worldly music is textually evidenced for the first time in the Nāya-śāstra of Bharata (100 BCE-100CE). All texts attest to the fact that the string instrument generically called Vīā, that is in use since Vedic times is indispensable in understanding the subtle nuances of the theory behind Hindu classical music. The present paper reviews some of the well-known texts from a historical perspective to bring out several scientific aspects studied or expounded by our ancient authors regarding technical terms such as śruti, svara, dvigua and rāga that form the foundation of the theory. It is demonstrated that the theory and practice of rāga music is based on the probabilistic concept alpatva-bahutva, first enunciated by Bharata and elaborated later by Dattila, Mataga, Śārgadeva among others.

Science Reporter, 2023

The article brings out the mathematical elements embedded in Indian classical music.

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1984

Cross-culturally, most music is tonal in the sense that one particular tone, called the tonic, provides a focus around which the other tones are organized. The specific organizational structures around the tonic show considerable diversity. Previous studies of the perceptual response to Western tonal music have shown that listeners familiar with this musical tradition have internalized a great deal about its underlying organization. Krumhansl and Shepard (1979) developed a probe tone method for quantifying the perceived hierarchy of stability of tones. When applied to Western tonal contexts, the measured hierarchies were found to be consistent with music-theoretic accounts. In the present study, the probe tone method was used to quantify the perceived hierarchy of tones of North Indian music. Indian music is tonal and has many features in common with Western music. One of the most significant differences is that the primary means of expressing tonality in Indian music is through melody, whereas in Western music it is through harmony (the use of chords). Indian music is based on a standard set of melodic forms (called rags), which are themselves built on a large set of scales (thats). The tones within a rag are thought to be organized in a hierarchy of importance. Probe tone ratings were given by Indian and Western listeners in the context of 10 North Indian rags. These ratings confirmed the predicted hierarchical ordering. Both groups of listeners gave the highest ratings to the tonic and the fifth degree of the scale. These tones are considered by Indian music theorists to be structurally significant, as they are immovable tones around which the scale system is constructed, and they are sounded continuously in the drone. Relatively high ratings were also given to the vadi tone, which is designated for each rag and is given emphasis in the melody. The ratings of both groups of listeners generally reflected the pattern of tone durations in the musical contexts. This result suggests that the distribution of tones in music is a psychologically effective means of conveying the tonal hierarchy to listeners whether they are familiar with the musical tradition. Beyond this, only the Indian listeners were sensitive to the scales (thats) underlying the rags. For Indian listeners, multidimensional scaling of the correlations between the rating profiles recovered the theoretical representation of scales described by theorists of Indian music. Thus, the empirically measured tonal hierarchy induced by the rag contexts generates structure at the level of the underlying scales or thats, but its internalization apparently requires more extensive experience with music based on that scale system than that provided by the experimental context. There was little evidence that Western listeners assimilated the pitch materials to the major and minor diatonic system of Western music.

Interlocking dimensions of Hindustani music: texts of caitī, kajrī, and jhūlā, 2022

The PhD dissertation investigates the so-defined ‘intermediate sphere’ of Hindustani music as characterised by a variety of heterogeneous forms and focuses on texts as a privileged ground for observation. The research is based on an interdisciplinary approach drawing from multiple domains within the main Indological field, including literary studies, ethnomusicology, and linguistics. I integrated this outlook with extended participant observation, being myself a student of Hindustani music within the traditional guru-śiṣya-paramparā (master-disciple knowledge transmission) system with proponents of the Banāras gharānā (music school). The dissertation outlines the ‘intermediate’ and ‘semi-classical’ music genres of Hindustani music as a result of constant interaction between complex dimensions: vernacular and Sanskritic tradition, bhakti and courtly literature, art and folk music. Furthermore, special attention has been devoted to the implications of applying the terminology and concepts drawn from Western categories of thoughts to the Indian milieu, informed by multi-layered interlocking contexts. Three among intermediate, ṭhumrī-related forms–namely caitī, kajrī, and jhūlā–have been studied in their origins, idiosyncrasies, and within their performative settings. Song texts featuring different idioms–such as Hindi, Bhojpuri, Braj bhāṣā, Awadhi, and Sādhukkarī bhāṣā—have been translated and analysed from structural, linguistic, and stylistic points of view. Imagery, motifs, intra-textual and contextual references have been examined as enactments of interweaving aspects embracing, among others, literary, social, ritual, and religious meanings. Elements related to bhakti and courtly models have been considered in the influences they exerted on formal features, contents, and performative contexts. The dissertation is completed with reference tools—such as a table of the main characters and key motifs of the genres analysed, a chart of synonymic expressions found in the texts, and a glossary of technical terms. This work aims at shedding light on music forms rather neglected by scholarly attention by suggesting new interpretative and critical perspectives. Musical expressions reveal some fundamental cultural and social dynamics and are paradigmatic of the fluidity of certain categories and conceptualisations in the Indic context.

thoughts4.ideas.eu, 2023

An x-ray of two raga-s: Darbari Kanada and Jaunpuri. Using the method of making a 'tonagram' we can see the different tonal structure of two raga-s having the same scale. En passant I make some observations on colonial musicology and its language.

2012

ABSTRACT Intonation is a fffndamental mffsic concept that has a special relefiance in Indian art mffsic. It is characteristic of the rāga and intrinsic to the mffsical expression of the performer. Describing intonation is of importance to sefieral information retriefial tasks like the defielopment of rāga and artist similarity measffres.