jayaram wrote:
Interesting article on her music:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/folio/fo0012/00120100.htmWhat about the North and South Indian systems of music... is there a meeting point, I ask. "I do not believe in these bifurcations. The sruthis are the same, the ragas are almost the same. I want you to blend it into a whole, you should think of it as a world of notes. We should not put too many words, too many rhythmical acrobatics into our singing.
Starts off with a noble concept of which I am a votary: a pan-Indian bharatiya shastriya sangeet. But Kishori, brilliant though she is, is prone to making random comments in public. Indian music (at least that of the highest quality) is far more than a one-dimensional "world of notes".
For a more thoughtful perspective, I might quote Pt. V.N. Bhatkhande:
"...In my opinion a happy fusion between the two great music systems of the country is most desirable. When it comes on, the Hindustani system will be considerably enriched. Hundreds of beautiful ragas can be reintroduced here into our system...The southern system will again have have an opportunity of adopting our northern graces in the vadi/samvadi rules and thereby of making its music much more interesting...By a study of the works pertaining to the southern system, we can compose songs for the northern musicians in the ragas which are sung there but which have not found a place in the northern system, and thus introduce, at some date, a fusion of the two sister systems of music."
Although Bhatkhande's vision is apparently limited to adaptation of ragas, I think he makes strong points. I don't think changing the structure of a kriti or a varnam or khayal or dhrupad is advisable. I think these compositional forms should remain well-defined, but there should be an underlying integration of theory and raga concepts that are used in creating these various musical forms.
I hope this post does not stir its own "hornet's nest" !!
SR
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