Chapter 8 Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar 19202012 accompanied in this video by his longtime musical partner tabla drumming master Alla Rakha is the focus of this chapter Master of the ID: 809752
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Slide1
From Raga to Bollywood: Developments and Intercultural Crossings in Indian Music
Chapter 8
Slide2Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar (1920-2012), accompanied in
this
video
by his long-time musical partner, tabla drumming master
Alla
Rakha
, is the focus of
this chapter
Master of the
sitar
, master performer of
Hindustani
raga
, arguably the most central figure in the phenomenon of “world music” globally
Chapter
centers on his
career and legacy, both within the raga tradition and as a global pioneer and icon of world music broadly defined.
Trailer
for the film
Raga: Ravi Shankar
Slide3Lineage of Ravi Shankar (Fig. 8.1, p. 124)
Musician
Relation
to Ravi Shankar
“Baba”
Allaudin
Khan
Founder of
Maihar
Gharana
, Shankar’s guru
Alla
Rakha
[PL 8-13]
Tabla (drum) accompanist, father of tabla master
Zakir
Hussain [PL 8-13, 8-30,
8-31]
Yehudi Menuhin [PL 8-22]
Great Western classical violinist; important musical collaboration
s with RS from 1950s
John Coltrane [PL 8-24]
Legendary
jazz saxophonist; inspired by/studied briefly with RS
George Harrison [PL 8-25, 8-26, 8-27]
Sitar protégé of Shankar, Beatles lead guitarist
John McLaughlin [PL 8-29, 8-30]
Virtuoso jazz guitarist, leader of Shakti (w.
Zakir
Hussain)
A. R. Rahman [PL 8-31, 8-32]
Leading film music composer in
Bollywood
;
influenced by RS and performed with
Zakir
H.
Anoushka
Shankar & Norah Jones
Ravi Shankar’s daughters;
Anoushka
sitarist
,
Norah J pop star [PL 8-9,
Anoushka
/Norah; PL 8-10,
Anoushka
/Ravi]
Slide4Indian Music in Context
India
Diverse geographically, ecologically
Second most populous nation (after China), with over a billion people
More than 200 languages and
1600
dialects spoken
Home to
ancient civilization
dating back more than 5000 years
North India (Hindustani) vs. South India (
Karnatak
); distinction thought to date from ca
. 1500 BCE
Religion
Hinduism
Vedas (Rig,
Sama
,
Yajur
,
Atharva
)
Bhajan
[PL 8-1]
Nada Brahma: “The Sound of God” (sacredness of sound, music as path toward communion with divine)
Islam
Significant in North
India (Hindustani) but minimal in South (
Karnatak
)
Sufism
Devotional song [PL 8-2];
qawwali
(
Nusrat
Fateh
Ali Khan)
[PL 8-3]
Other: Buddhism
, Sikhism, Jainism, Christianity, etc
.
Slide5Musical Diversity
Thousands of folk, religious, devotional, popular, and film music genres.
Bollywood
=
Bo
mbay (now Mumbai) + H
o
llywood
Bhangra – popular musical style from Punjab originally; often featured in Bollywood films, music videos
Jasbir
Jassi
“
Kudi
Kudi
” (Girl Girl) [PL 8-4]
“
Ek
Geda
Gidhe
Vich
Hor
Jassi
”
Slide6Two Great Classical Traditions (see also Table 8.1, p. 127)
Karnatak
(Carnatic)
Hindustani
South India
North
India
Raga and
tala
Raga and
tala
(but distinct names and types)
Sangita
(music, dance, drama)
Sangita
(music, dance, drama)
Singing reigns
supreme
[PL 8-5 –
Aruna
Sairam
]
Singing
supreme (but not to same degree) [PL 8-6 –
Bhimsen
Joshi
]
Hindu-based; little
Islamic influence
Hindu-based, but with considerable Islamic influence
Less known internationally
Better known internationally (Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan [sarod] [PL 8-15])
Vina
, (tambura),
mrdangam
[PL 8-7]
PL 8-8: S. Indian percussion:
mrdangam
,
kanjira
, and
konnakol
– Trichy
Sankaran
Sitar, tambura,
tabla
Slide7The Hindustani Raga of Northern India
“We
turn now to a journey through the world of North Indian music from a vantage point specifically linked to the life, career, and influence of Ravi Shankar. In this section, we explore the unique sounds, rhythms, and instruments of Hindustani raga, using recordings that feature Shankar as our main guides. In the next section, we touch on Shankar’s encounters and associations with Western musicians, including the Beatles, and we explore a variety of examples that reflect the rich musical syncretism of such intercultural encounters along the way. The recordings by John Coltrane, John McLaughlin and Shakti, Bombay Dub Orchestra, and A. R. Rahman that we will examine are all reflective of such syncretism
.” p. 129
Slide8Ravi Shankar and the Maihar
Gharana
Shankar biography
Born 1920
Brahmin
caste
(see I&P box, p. 130)
Child prodigy – toured Europe as dancer with brother
Uday
Paris 1930s –
Allaudin
Khan (guru “Baba”), Yehudi Menuhin
Trained with Baba in
Maihar
(
Maihar
gharana
– see I&P box, p. 131)
1950s – concerts and recordings in West with Menuhin popularized Indian music internationally
1960s – John Coltrane, George Harrison/Beatles, Monterey Pop (1967
) and
Woodstock
(1969), w. Alla Rakha
Slide9Musical Guided Tour: “An Introduction to Indian Music” (Ravi Shankar)
Access at OLC: www. mhhe.com/bakan3e
Text transcript, p. 132
Audio track only available as PL 8-11
Terms introduced (to which we shall return)
Raga
Tala
Alap
Tintal
Theka
S
am
Instruments
Sitar (melody) [labeled diagram, Fig. 8.2, p. 133]
Tambura (drone) [photo, p. 134]
T
abla (rhythm/meter
) [labeled diagram, Fig.
8.3,
p.
134]
Slide10Other Hindustani Instruments
Sarod
Ali Akbar Khan
[PL 8-15] photo, p. 136 [PL 8-15
]; sarod is also featured on “Monsoon Malabar” [PL 2-20,
4:46]
Violin
N.
Rajam
[PL 8-16]
Bansuri
Raghunath
Seth
[PL 8-17]; bansuri is also featured on “Monsoon Malabar” [PL 2-20, 4:20]
Shahnai
Bismillah
Khan
(cue video to 0:37) [PL 8-18]
Sarangi
Ram Narayan
[PL 8-19]
Note:
Photos of all of these instruments may be found on p. 136 of the text. In each case except for one (bansuri), the performers seen in the photos are the same as those featured on the recordings and in the videos. The bansuri player in the photo is Benjamin Koen rather than
Raghunath
Seth.
Slide11Muslim Musicians in Hindustani Musical Society
(I&P Box, p. 134)
“It
may seem peculiar that the realm of Hindustani instrumental music, in which music is treated explicitly as a path toward spiritual enlightenment, is so heavily populated by followers of Islam, a religion that, in its familiar orthodox manifestations at least, views music as suspect where religious worship is concerned. As with other religions, though, Islam is highly diverse and takes many forms. The kind of Islam that developed in northern India (at least among denizens of the Hindustani music culture) shared with Hinduism a concept of music as a sacred, devotional art. Historically, this was partly the result of its absorption of Hindu influences, and, as was alluded to earlier, partly a product of the fact that Sufism was a major force in the spread of Islam to India
.” p. 135
Ravi Shankar (Hindu) and
Alla
Rakha
(Muslim) a celebrated “interfaith” musical partnership.
RS and AR performing together at Monterey Pop in 1967 [PL 8-12]
Alla
Rakha
and his son,
Zakir
Hussain, in an amazing “dueling
tablas
” performance [PL 8-13]
Zakir
Hussain and the Rhythm Experience, “Balinese Fantasy” (nod to a
different
Hindu culture; see Chapter 7) [PL 8-14]
Slide12Raga Defined (pp. 137-38)
Each raga
has a distinctive set of features that
includes:
An identifying set of
pitches, more
or less a “scale,” which usually consists of seven ascending pitches and seven descending pitches per octave.
A unique repertoire of melodic ornaments and melodic
motives, many incorporating microtones.
A system of rules and procedures for dealing with the various pitches, ornaments, and melodic motives of the raga in relation to one
another.
A repertoire of set (
precomposed
) compositions that is unique to that particular raga.
A host of
extramusical
associations, which may link a given raga to a particular time of day (e.g.,
morning raga [
PL
4-2] evening raga [PL 4-3]);
season of the
year, ceremonial event,
or
emotional
state
(rasa).
Slide13Tala: Meter and Rhythm in Raga Performance
Standard features of a
tala
summarized (I&P box, p. 138):
Each
tala
has a specific number of beats (e.g., 16 beats for
tintal
, 10 beats for
jhaptal
); the number ranges from as few as 3 beats per cycle to more than 100 beats per cycle.
The
metric cycle of the
tala
has a specific pattern of relatively stronger and weaker beats.
The
basic, “skeletal” drumming pattern that defines the
tala
is called the
theka
.
The
first beat of each
tala
cycle—which simultaneously functions as the last beat of the preceding cycle—is called
sam
.
Slide14Barhat: How a Raga “Grows”
Barhat
: “the
gradual, note-by-note expansion of a raga’s melodic range as it is being
performed.” (p. 139)
Word derives from
a Hindi verb meaning to increase, to multiply, or to
grow.
Various
metaphors are used to symbolize the musical growth process of
barhat
, from the growing of a seed to the act of making
love
The
raga is internalized not as some tangible music entity like a “piece of music” in the Western sense, but as a template for musical action that has been developed through many years of devoted study and practice
.
George
Ruckert
characterizes a raga as “
a map a musician follows in his or her creation of a musical performance: a catalog of melodic movements that the artist unfolds, details, and expands while following a traditional performance format that has been passed down orally from teacher to student,” generation after
generation.
Slide15Form in Raga Performance
Alap
I
mprovised
by the melodic soloist (e.g., the sitar player) with only
drone accompaniment
E
xploratory
journey through the raga’s melodic essence and range of
possibility.
N
o
drumming, no meter, no set
compositions
Jor
Intermediary section bridging
alap
and gat
More rhythmically active than
alap
, but still no drumming or metric cycle (
tala
)
Gat
Marked by entry of tabla and establishment of the
tala
Performance becomes highly interactive between melodic soloist and drummer
Alternation between passages featuring set compositions and others featuring improvisation
General tendencies: increase in tempo, progressively longer and complex patterns and sections
Jhala
Typically the ending portion of a raga performance
Marked by sudden jump in tempo and intensity, then by further acceleration/intensification
Playing style on the melodic instrument (e.g., sitar) becomes almost percussive
Slide16Keeping Tal with Ravi Shankar (pp. 141-43)
Marking the beats in a
tala
Tali
(x) = full beats – mark with a clap
Khali (o) = “empty” beats – mark with a silent wave
Matra
(not in text) = regular beats – mark with finger counts (see Fig. 8.6, p. 142
Sam
(X)
= first/last beat of cycle (strongest
tali
) – mark with loud clap
Tintal
(16 beats):
Practice keeping
tal
with PL 8-11, 1:45-2:00 and then 2:58-3:30 (which is difficult because of the fast tempo and the closing
tihai
-- see p. 143)
X
.
.
.
x
.
.
.
o
.
.
.
x
.
.
.
Slide17GLE: “Raga Sindhi-Bhairavi
” [PL 8-21]
Ravi Shankar (sitar),
Chatur
Lal (tabla), plus
tambura (N. C.
Mullick
)
Also from
the Ravi Shankar
album
The Sounds of
India
Raga Sindhi-
Bhairavi
Belongs to
Bhairavi
family of
morning ragas (though often performed at night, i.e., late at night crossing over
into
morning, at end of concert)
Identified with
the female form of
Bhairavi
:
“
The great poets sing of
Bhairavi
, the consort of Lord
Bhairava
, worshipping her Lord seated on a carved crystal on the peak of Mount
Kailasa
with soft leaves of full blossomed lotus flowers. She holds cymbals in her hands, and her eyes sparkle with a yellowish
glint.”
“Light
classical” raga – penance, forgiveness, calm, appeasement (but Shankar’s performance more “aggressive”)
Aroha: Bb C
Eb
F G
Eb
F Ab Bb C
Avroha
: C Bb A Bb Ab G F
Eb
G F
Eb
D
Eb
Db C
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Da Ni = C Db
Eb
F G Ab Bb
Slide18Guided Listening Quick Summary, Pt. 1:
OPENING
DEMONSTRATION OF RAGA AND TALA
0:00–0:15
Ravi Shankar introduces and demonstrates the
different ascending
(aroha) and descending (
avroha
) forms of the “basic” scale of Raga Sindhi-
Bhairavi
.
0:16–0:26
Shankar explains that the
tala
will be
tintal
, “a rhythmic cycle of 16 beats.”
ALAP
0:27–4:23
Following the establishment of the tambura drone and a
taruf
(glissando) across the sitar’s sympathetic resonance strings, Shankar progressively explores the notes, contours, and other characteristics of the raga through a free-rhythm sitar improvisation that gradually builds in melodic range, rhythmic activity, and intensity.
4:24–4:52
Increasing rhythmic activity and regularity in this last portion of the
alap
foreshadow the changing rhythmic character of what is to come.
Slide19Guided Listening Quick Summary, Pt. 2
JOR
4:53–5:51
Rhythmic strumming on the
jhala
strings, combined with near-perpetual rhythmic motion overall, characterizes this transitional section linking the preceding
alap
to the gat that follows.
GAT
5:52–7:03
A tabla flourish and another
taruf
on the sitar (5:52–5:54) mark the arrival of the gat.
The 16-beat
tintal
metric cycle is established starting at 5:58, preceded by seven even-paced melodic notes played on the sitar with tabla accompaniment.
The form alternates between statements of the principal melodic motive (
chalan
) and brief improvised passages (
toda
) played by Shankar on the sitar.
7:04–9:22
Shankar moves away from the
chalan-toda
alternation format to perform a more extended improvisation, then returns to the
chalan-toda
format at 7:25; the section at 8:13 adds new levels of rhythmic complexity, including a shift from duple to triple subdivisions of the beat.
Slide20Guided Listening Quick Summary, Pt. 3
(GAT, cont.)
9:23–11:25
The
antara
section, in which new melodic material is introduced, commences at 9:23; this is followed by a return to the
chalan
melody just over a minute later and by passages of improvisation that build the music’s intensity.
11:26–12:35
The gat concludes with a final section called
drut
gat (fast gat), which is marked by a sudden increase in tempo, extended passages of improvisation, and increasingly active drumming.
JHALA
12:36–end
Another jump in tempo and driving rhythms highlighting the
jhala
strings of the sitar signal the commencement of this closing section of the performance.
A series of exciting tempo accelerations and continually growing intensity drive toward the climactic, closing
tihai
at 14:49
.
Slide21Intercultural Crossings and Transformations
Ravi Shankar collaborated with Yehudi Menuhin beginning in the 1950s
Iconic recording:
West Meets East
(1967
)
[PL 8-22]
Shankar
also recorded with major jazz musicians including
the
“Fire Night,”
from album
Improvisations
(1962), w.
flutist
Bud
Shank, bassist Gary Peacock, drummer Louis Hayes [PL 8-23]
He heavily influenced the great jazz saxophonist John Coltrane as well
Coltrane,
“India”
[PL 8-24]
Coltrane studied briefly with Shankar in the winter of 1964-1965; plans for further, intensive studies never materialized due to his untimely death (1967)
Slide22Ravi Shankar, the Beatles, and the “Great Sitar Explosion”
George Harrison
Legend has it he first came across a sitar on set of movie
Help!
Played a sitar solo on
“Norwegian Wood”
(Beatles,
Rubber Soul
, 1965) [PL 8-25]
Lifelong
studies with Ravi Shankar
from 1966; deeper integration of sitar and Indian music elements reflected that same year in “Love You To” (Beatles,
Revolver
) [PL 8-26]
Ultimate foray into Indian music on “Within You, Without You” (Beatles,
Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
, 1967) [PL 8-27]
“Sitar rock” and “great sitar explosion” ensued
Drug use and “tripping out” to raga (disturbing to Shankar)
Shankar becomes unwitting pop superstar
Many bands used sitars, other Indian elements (though often superficially)
Rolling Stones,
“Paint It, Black”
[PL 8-28]
Slide23A New Level: John McLaughlin and Shakti
John
Mclaughlin
Virtuoso British jazz guitarist
Grew up also playing blues, flamenco, rock; also deeply into Western classical music as a youth
Moved to New York in 1969 and joined
Miles Davis’s band
Formed
Mahavishnu
Orchestra, innovative jazz-rock fusion band, in 1971
Mahavishnu
Orchestra, “Birds of Fire”
[PL 8-29]
Joined
Zakir
Hussain (tabla),
L. Shankar (violin – Ravi’s nephew), and South Indian percussionists R
.
Raghavan
and T. H.
Vinayakaram
to form the Indian/jazz fusion group
Shakti
in 1976
Slide24GLE: Shakti, “Joy” [PL 8-30]
0:00–2:23
Main melody (0:29–2:23) follows spoken introduction by McLaughlin (0:00–0:28).
Melody, mainly played in guitar-violin unison, is complex rhythmically but is anchored by a 16-beat
tala
.
Melody is accompanied by drone, tabla, and South Indian percussion.
2:24–2:34
Tabla solo by Zakir Hussain.
2:35–5:04
Improvised guitar solo by John McLaughlin.
5:05–6:50
Improvised violin solo by L. Shankar.
6:51–17:17
McLaughlin (guitar) and L. Shankar (violin) take turns soloing, going back and forth several times (with occasional unison passages in-between).
17:18–end
Final, climactic reprise of main melody.
Slide25Bollywood: A. R. Rahman
Leading Bollywood composer, music director, and singer
One of world’s top-selling musical artists of all time – 300 million-plus recordings sold
Classically trained in Hindustani and
Karnatak
music, also studied
qawwali
w.
Nusrat
Fateh
Ali Khan
Has
performed and recorded
with many top Indian musicians, including as keyboardist with
Zakir
Hussain on album
Colours
[PL 8-31]
Oscar-winning composer for score/song (“Jai Ho”) of 2008 international hit film
Slumdog
Millionaire
.
A. R. Rahman,
“Jai Ho”
[PL 8-32]
Time
magazine
included him on 2009 “
Time
100” list of world’s most influential
people;
called him “the Mozart of Madras”
Slide26GLE, A. R. Rahman, “
Barso
Re” [PL 8-33]
From
the Bollywood film
Guru
, starring
Aishwarya
Rai in role of Sujata
In
“
Barso
Re,”
she
celebrates coming of the rainy season in most dramatic fashion.
Rai appears to be singing the song, but it is voiced by
Shreya
Ghoshal
, a leading Bollywood
playback singer.
Though not a raga performance by any measure,
barhat
-like process of growth defines the performance overall.
Slide27Guided Listening Quick Summary, “Barso Re,”
P
t. 1
INTRODUCTION
0:00–0:44
A Brazilian
berimbau
(musical bow) sets the tone for the song with a drone-like rhythmic ostinato.
A simple motive on a single pitch is introduced by the singer, Shreya
Ghoshal
, at 0:04.
The opening motive is extended and developed melodically in call-and-response dialogue between the voice and a bansuri (flute) until 0:32.
The texture changes in the last part of the introduction (0:33–0:44): voice and
berimbau
drop out, drums enter, harmonized bansuri melody introduced, electronic groove established.
FIRST VERSE (VERSE I)
0:45–1:25
First part of verse (0:45–1:00) extends the
barhat
-like development of the opening motive, but now with words.
Change to more tuneful melodic character at 1:01. Singing becomes coy and playful in last few seconds before the chorus (1:20–1:25
).
Slide28Guided Listening Quick Summary, “Barso Re,”
Pt. 2
FIRST
CHORUS (CHORUS I)
1:26–1:43
The chorus arrives dramatically with ascending, harmonized vocals and a bhangra-inspired electro-acoustic groove (with
dhol
drum
).
INTERLUDE I
1:44–2:27
An apparent second verse at 1:44 never materializes, instead giving way to new melodic sections featuring, first, a male vocalist, and second, harmonized bansuri
.
BRIEF
REPRISE OF INTRODUCTION
2:28–2:31
Abrupt change in texture as the
berimbau
ostinato of the opening reappears in anticipation of the second verse.
Slide29Guided Listening Quick Summary, “Barso Re,”
Pt
.
3
SECOND
VERSE (VERSE II)
2:32–3:24
The second verse becomes an extended and developed variation on the first, with additional improvisation, ornamentation, textural variety, and other new features, as well as an overall increase in length (12 seconds longer). Exemplifies
barhat
process within the verse-chorus song form.
SECOND
CHORUS (CHORUS II)
3:25–3:41
Essentially the same as Chorus I.
INTERLUDE
II
3:42–3:59
Instrumental interlude introduces some new musical materials and links the preceding chorus to the verse to follow.
Slide30Guided Listening Quick Summary, “Barso Re,”
Pt
.
4
THIRD
VERSE (VERSE III)
4:00–4:40
This verse is the same length as Verse I (shorter than Verse II
).
THIRD
CHORUS (CHORUS III)
4:41–end
Starts off the same as the earlier choruses, but is extended and varied toward the end; at one point the instruments drop out, leaving just voices; last section (from 5:10) features exciting, Indian classical music–inspired vocal improvisation by
Ghoshal
.