Riyaaz

Learners’ perspectives on music training in institutions of North India

This study explores the learners’ perspectives on the prevalent pedagogy being followed in an institutionalized setup in teaching Hindustani music; their preferences for learning (one-to-one, one-to-many, etc.) and the importance of riāz to them; the dynamics of teacher-student relationship; and the factors contributing to their creative music making. 100 music students (of 4 music institutions) getting training in Hindustani music at different academic career levels in an institutionalized setup, completed a survey and provided answers to the abovementioned themes. Students reported that teachers across all the institutions generally followed the prescribed syllabus but some of them tried to manage the syllabus as per the students' potential. At higher levels of training, findings indicated that teachers started giving training in their own style or in their guru’s style. During the initial years of training, according to the students, teachers emphasized mostly on imitation of the taught things. Results show that over the years, students developed preferences in terms of mode of music learning and method of music practice. With the progress in training, students became more open to the teachers for their critical evaluations and comments. Despite the fact that institutions do follow rigid curriculum for music education, which is contrary to guru–shishya tradition, it so appeared that the institutionalized music training is not entirely exclusive to typical learning system. Keywords - Hindustani music; learning preference; riāz; institutionalization; guru–shishya tradition

Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, Vol 5, No3, 2013

MUSICAL FORMS (Department of Indian Music, University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai 600005) [Seminar paper presented on 28th & 29th October 2015], 349-359. Chennai, India. ISBN: 978-93-5254-627--5., 2015

India has a very long tradition of music. The course of music has been flowing in the human life since the civilization started. There are basically two trends of music in India namely folk music and classical music. Folk music deals with folk tales, culture and rituals. This music narrates the day to day life of the common people. Classical music, on the other hand, may be explained as music for the class people. Raga is the core of Indian music and it plays a very significant role in classical music. The traditional folk songs acknowledge the regional tunes with colloquial language and void of the strictness of Raga. India has passed through several vicissitudes in the evolution of classical music. Raga is being exercised among the musicologists and the classical performers through various forms of different ages. Deshi or regional tunes were classicized by the musicologists and were elevated as Abhijata Deshi Raga. These Ragas were in use in the form of Prabandha. Different Prabandhas, in course of time, resulted into a number of derivative classical forms in Hindustani and Carnatic music. Dhrupad and Khyal are two classical forms in Hindustani music where proper application of Raga may be possible. Many expert musicians and performers have brought about changes and modifications in the form of Khyal. Gharana is an exclusive feature in Hindustani music which indicates different schools of music (Gayaki). There are recognized Gharanas of Khyal with certain exponent/s and followers of the same. Gharana encourages Practice and Discipline. Practice brings forth perfection and discipline or step works for enhancement of artistic sense. The popularity and practice of Khyal are rising day by day. The purity of Raga and the consistency of the Gayaki should be kept in mind in time of performance so that the tradition of Hindustani classical music may be assessed.

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy in Music Education, Oxford University Press, 2012

Although Persian art music rests on a complex and highly detailed theoretical system, musical instruction practices have historically avoided reference to this system, favoring aural transmission of the tradition's repertoire, which is learned exclusively by repetition and memorization within an apprentice system. The discussion examines the importance of these methods within this musical tradition, with particular attention to its concern for developing performative freedom and fluency grounded in intuitive awareness of deep structure. It concludes with an analysis of what this implies about the concepts used in philosophical analysis when they are applied across different musical traditions.

International Journal of Humanities & Social Science Studies (IJHSSS), 2024

The tradition of Hindustani Classical Music is age-old. Different forms under this music evolved out of Indian Classical Music in due course time. Raga is the core of Indian Classical Music and the prevailing Cultural tradition as well. Various Classical and Semi-classical Forms of Hindustani Classical Music such as Dhrupad, Dhamar, Khyal, Tappa, Thummri, Tarana etc. had been exercised by the Court-musicians and the Gharana Maestros since from the medieval period in northern India. Gharana, an exclusive feature or system in Hindustani Classical Music, is meant for maintaining the standard and variety. The practice of the same has also meticulously been observed among the Performers and Practitioners belonging to specified Gharanas till the twentieth century. The overall standard as well as the versatility of such music is being found gradually deteriorated in spite of the foundation of numerous institutions under the Department of Higher Education across the country as well as consistent practice and performances among the learners both from institutional and private segments. This paper intends to find the cause of the concurrent problem through proper analysis and the solution at the same time.

In this paper I consider the concept of virtuosity theoretically, by drawing on my ethnographic research in Iranian classical music. The concept of virtuosity is explained as an additional driving force to expand the technical proficiency of the players, and thus the potential of each particular instrument. Attention is given to the first teaching manuals that introduced western concepts and methods of acquiring technical skills and physical dexterity. The concept and practice of virtuosity will be also connected with the status of the Iranian musician as such, and particularly the tombak players and their growing participation in Iranian classical music.

Kalakalpa, IGNCA Journal of Arts, 2021

The melodic structure of any rāga is best expressed through the khayāl genre of Hindustani Classical Music. Performance of khayāl provides scope to the vocalist to establish a mood centred on particular emotions through a rāga melody and a bandish. The audiences who partake in experiencing khayāl performance feel the methodical application of different ingredients of rāga melody by vocalists, indulging in tasting the rasas evoked in the senses. Rigorous studies have been undertaken by musicians and scholars of classical music from the perspective of notational systems, empirical analysis of rāgas and socio-cultural interpretation of the emergence of different genres but critical engagement in analysing aesthetics of North Indian music has been rare. This paper explores causes of arousal of rasa experiences in connoisseurs of khayāl. The methodology is to understand the relation between rāgas and rasas and the connection of bandishes of khayāl with rasas. It attempts to understand the attributes of a rasika or a connoisseur under the framework of rasa theory by discussing a rasika’s journey of assimilation into khayāl’s aesthetics.

Role of Teachers in Nation Building, 2020

Indian classical music implies an organised and developed state of music. Devotion and dedication of several centuries went into the preparation and perfection of Indian classical music. Ragas, the integral part of Indian classical music, have been a prevailing Cultural Tradition through the expression of various musical forms. Indian classical music started its journey through the evolution of Deshi and Marga Sangeet and met Hindustani classical music with some specific forms in northern India during medieval period. Hindustani Ragas are rendered basically through the forms of Dhrupad and Khyal for centuries with different social and cultural mind-set. The excellence of these musical forms depends upon proper execution of several specific articulations of sound and embellishments. The Gharana representatives have left remarkable contributions to the formation as well as exclusive presentation of Raga till before the Institutional system was introduced. Academic institutions under the Department of Higher Education have immense scopes to explore different aspects for the development of Hindustani classical music. To be continued with advanced and sustainable development in this regard, some specified ideologies are to be incorporated along with formal training.

Granthaalayah Publications and Printers, 2023

Indian classical music is one of the most accomplished ancient art forms of the world. This music tradition represents music of different genres which has been merged with ritualistic, folk, and cultural expression of the landmass. The history of Indian music can be broadly divided into three major periods as-Ancient, Medieval and Modern. Indian music has a highly coloured and fascinating history of the legends and traditions to be found in the ancient texts, conserved, and passed down through the continuing cycles of ages, and the ravages of time. Indian music had stably stood as an original and ancient along its norms, and systems that had been handed through generations from ancient period and Medieval period passing on the Modern period with all the musical texts-oral and written scriptures ceremonies and performances in the present forms and features abounding in historical perspectives. The communication of different musical styles endemic and multicultural has resulted in the two broad tradition of Indian classical music i.e., North Indian classical music (Hindustani music) and South Indian classical music (Carnatic music) which has evolved into two distinct forms. Even though there are differences in the forms and styles of these two music systems, the basic elements of swara, raga and tala are the foundation of both the system. Raga works to elaborate and explore the melodic and emotional prospects of various sets of notes merge with tala. Tala measures the time cycle of the creative framework of raga for rhythmic improvisation using time. It attains its full form with the contribution of great scholars, musician and composers who mainly emphasized on the modern theory of music standardization of musical material techniques of Raga developments, principles of the music system which attempts to form a new era in Hindustani music.

Congrès des Musiques dans le monde de l'islam. Assilah., 2007

Iranian musician, since the early stages of learning music in school of tradition, learns how to employ this heritage in his or her performance. This heritage is called radif. By attempting to writing down the radif of Iranian music in last three or four decades and appearing various notated versions on the radif, however, signs of a new problem is being seen. This problem seems to have an indirect connection with the new circumstances of learning the radif through the notations instead of gaining its essence of by heart. The problem is decline of ability to improvise music based on the written versions of the radif-ha. Moreover, it seems that the majority of new generation of teachers and pupils are not willing to disregard the notation system and go back to traditional learning system. This means there is need for a scholarly solution in which the ability of improvisation resumed while the new generation of performers can go on with using the notation system they have been getting used to in last four decades. Studying numerous performances of contemporary performers of Iranian traditional music and participating in several teaching occasions made this fact clear that the problem primarily comes from treating the gusheh-ha of the radif as finished tunes rather than looking them as raw-materials. In other words, since the notational system normally notates only one possibility of performing each gusheh in shape of a finished tune, pupils mainly memorise that as the key formation of gusheh and representing it with little or no change once they are asked to replay it. The problem with this is that for newly trained performer it is very hard to distinguish the ‘elementary features’ of each gusheh from the ‘momentary ornamentations and optional tahrir-ha’ once he comes to set the basis of such gusheh for improvisation. This study tries to provide a guidance of melodic abstract of each gusheh to illustrate the elementary features which performer can use as the point of departure for his or her improvisation without loosing the identity of gusheh through out the performance. This will take place by analytically comparing the available versions of radif-ha of Iranian music with the co-operation of a number of radifdan-ha and high rank performers in Iran.