Music
is the one form of art that is universally appreciated by human beings of all
ages and climes.
Music,
the queenliest of the fine arts, is extolled by writers and artists of all
countries. Poets have sung its glory
and testified to its power long ago.
Thousands of years ago India recognised its value and gave it a
spiritual dimension. Sama Veda was
transmitted through music. The most
important quality of Indian music is its spirituality. The Vedik scholars are known for their
rhythmic and sing song recitation of the slokas.
According to scriptures, Narada and Tumbura were celestial musicians who were super-specialists in music. Once there was a dispute between these two musicians and Hanuman was asked to arbitrate or adjudge. Hanuman vocally rendered the raga of GUNDAKRIYA in a wonderful manner. The melody melted the rocks! The pride of the two divine disputants was cured! So goes the legend.
Goddess Saraswathy is always portrayed with Veena, India’s oldest stringed instrument and Sri Krishna with his flute.
According to Pythagoras, the Greek Philosopher, the planets produce music as they revolve in the firmament. It was called the Music of the Spheres. According to Greek mythology, Orpheus was such a great musician that animals, birds and stones followed him when he played on the lyre.
No wonder, Shakespeare wrote in ‘Merchant of Venice’.
‘There is not the smallest orb, which thou beholdest
But in his motion like an angel sing’
‘Such harmony is in immortal souls
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it’.
India’s
cultural heritage gives a high place to music, especially devotional
music. Annamacharya of 15th
century wrote 34,000 compositions and dedicated the best of them to God- Lord
Venkateswara of Tirupathi. Thyagaraja
wrote and sang immortal Kritis consecrated to Lord Sri Rama. There were many musicians among the devotees
like Tulasidas. Purandardas, Tukaram
and Ramadas who became legends in their life-time.
Tansen
of Akbar’s Court was a famous musician.
Sir William Ounseley, Orientalist and writer (1767 – 1842) relates on
the basis of historical documents that darkness fell on the place when Tansen
of the Emperor’s court began to sing an evening raga at midday! Such is the power of music.
There
is a story that Akbar and Tansen went on an evening walk far away from the city
and they heard an extremely melodious song sung by Haridas, Tansen’s guru. Akbar asked Tansen why Haridas could sing
better than Tansen himself, his court musician. Tansen said: “Sir, I am singing in praise of an emperor who is a
temporal authority whereas he is singing in praise of the Almighty God”. There is always a difference between the performance
of a hired mercenary and that of God – intoxicated devotee! Nadopasana is worship through music.
John
Dryden in his poem Alexander’s Feast or the Power of Music points out the
influence of music on the emotions and feelings of human beings. Scientists say that music promotes
intelligence in children and makes them active. Jel Miller, Governor of Georgia (U.S.) said that music improves
the functioning of the brain in children.
In Texas two cassettes and compact discs are being supplied free of cost
by the National Academy of Recording of Arts & Sciences. They are supplied to hospitals too. There are about 10 lakh children in Texas.
Shakespeare
used music to make his plays universally popular. All his heroes and heroines are lovers of music. His Villains hate music.
“Most heavenly music!
It nips me into listening and thick slumber Hangs
upon mine eyes, let me rest”
- Shakespeare’s ‘Pericles’
Jessica: ‘How
sweet the music sleeps upon this bank I
know not why I am not Merry when I hear sweet music’
Lorenzo: “The
reason is thy spirits are attentive”
-
‘Merchant
of Venice’
Nor
is not moved with concord of sweet sounds
Is
fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils
Let
no such man be trusted’
-
Shakespeare
Portia says when Bassanio is about to make his
choice of the caskets: ‘Let music sound while he doth make his choice then if
he lose, he makes a swan – like end and fading in music He may win and what is
music then?
– ‘Merchant of Venice’
Shakespeare says “the notes of music will calm a
wanton herd of unhandled colts.” In
another context he said: “Music hath charms to soothe the savage beasts”.
It
is interesting to find that Shakespeare’s unmusical men are Shylock who loathes
“the vile squeaking of the wry-necked fife”, Hotspur, the hero-barbarian;
Benedick, the would be woman hater; Cassius, the conspiratorial politician;
Othello, the half-civilised moor.
On
the other hand all his more refined creations are musical – Ophelia, Desdemona,
Jaques, The Duke and Viola of the ‘Twelfth Night’. The last named comedy is surely interpenetrated with music: “If
music be the food of love, play on.
Give me excess of it.”
In
“Julius Caesar” when Lucius the servant boy slept soundly with the music
instrument on his body, Brutas gently removes it! No less sensitive and devoted to music than the Duke of ‘Twelfth
Night’, Lorenzo of ‘Merchant of Venice’ and other delicate characters their
creator himself must have been.
The
soothing music of Bach, Beethoven and Wagner are being used in a Dutch town
called Heerlen in Netherlands to keep the drug users away from a railway
tunnel! Experiments in Paris and
Hamburg about its efficacy proved to be successful. In Denmark dairy farms make liberal use of music to make the cattle
yield more milk.
Music
soothes the frayed nerves and reduces the level of metabolism. There is a therapy based on music to cure
patients of physical and mental disorders without drugs and injections. When Pandit Taranath who practiced the
Ayurvedic system of medicine had claimed to cure diseases by means of music,
people laughed at him. Today
experimental Psychologists and Psychiatrists have proved its truth. In recent times Sri Ganapati Satchidananda
Swami of Mysore demonstrated in a public meeting that certain ragas in music
can cure certain diseases.
Sri
Jayendra Saraswathy and Vijayendra Saraswathy of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham
published ‘Heritage of Bharatavarsha and Sanatana Dharma Discourses’ in which
they discussed Vedic heritage. Part IV
deals with the spiritual value of music in daily life and worship. Music and spiritual pursuit go together.
All
songs in classical music are generally in praise of God. The art of singing it related to yogic
discipline involving the centre of breath and concentration. The pure melodic elaborations of a raga help
both the singer and the listener to become fully absorbed when mundane things
are forgotten and the spirit gains a lilt and poise. Raga in music and poetry is the manifestation of divinity. One gains a feeling of getting a glimpse of
the all pervading Almighty, a praise – God experience!
Human
beings have no copy-right over music.
It has attraction for birds, beasts and reptiles too. Sir William Jones of 18th century
wrote: “I have been assured by a creditable witness that two wild antelopes
often used to come to the woods near the place where Sirajuddaula entertained
himself with music concerts and that they listened to the strains with an
appearance of pleasure till he shot one of them to display his archery. An intelligent Persian told me that a
celebrated Lutenist Mirza Mohammed was playing to a large group of people in a
grove near Shiraz, and he saw the nightingales trying to compete with the musician
– some times warbling in the trees, some times fluttering from branch to branch
as if they wished to approach the instrument whence the music was
produced.” The ragas of Kalyani and
Saranga are believed to produce calling effect.
Colonel
Meadows Taylor (1808 – 1876) administrator and novelist, wrote: “One large
cobra which frequented my garden at Ellichpur and of which every one was in
dread, was caught by a professional snake charmer in my own presence by means
of the ‘pungi’. The ragas of Naga Varali
and Pungi todi are expected to attract the snakes”.
Chowdaiah,
the violinist of Mysore was of strong conviction that plants can be made to
yield better, if music is provided to them at a particular stage of
development. He made experiments.
Male
hump back whales sing a lot and can vocalise over a range of seven
octaves. Hermit thrush (a bird) also
sings. The palmcacktoo of Australia
breaks a twig to use as a drumstick. It
beats time!
Over
the years Music moved from the temple to the court and now to hotels,
cassettes, computer, cinema and television.
Time was when one needed to be a connoisseur to be able to understand
and appreciate the nuances and sublities of Carnatak or Hindustani music. One needed a trained ear to appreciate Jazz
and Western classical. Now came
Pop. We have action music. Gradually music became all-embracing. Its frontiers and horizons expanded. New trends appeared in innovation, improvisation
and sound manipulation. It is left to
the artist to devise creative presentations.
There is fusion music. Today’s
trend is to go commercial.
However,
at the highest level music is akin to mysticism which takes humans to the high
peaks of God vision.
As
Browning said:
“God
has a few of us whom he whispers in the ear;
The
rest may reason and welcome;
It’s
we musicians know.”