MUSIC
September 2011
Response to T.M.Krishna's article
"Poetics of Performance"
published in the Weekly Magazine edition Dt.12th
December, 2010
- Sandhyavandanam
Madhva Muni Rao, Bangalore
email: munirao2001@hotmail.com /
munirao2001@yahoo.com
It was pleasure in reading Mr.T.M.Krishna's article
"Poetics of Performance" published in the Weekly
Magazine edition Dt.12th December, 2010.
He had raised the question "Is this Rasa evoked
from the Bhava born out of poetry? Similarly, does
pure art music serves lyrical content evoke a
Rasa?" for discussion.
I am presenting my humble contribution to the
discussion:
Effects of Rasa are of three categories, serving the
discerning Rasika(s). They are:
- Effects of a set of words, conveying/depicting a
heightened/expected state of feeling/emotion. Music
or melody incapable of touching the heart or
stirring the mind, with only obsessed with the power
of a word or a set of words.
- Effects of a set of words aided and abetted by
Angitka/Abhinaya or musical expression, depicting a
heightened / exalted state of feeling/emotion. Music
or melody acting as a good medium for better
understanding and appreciation.
- Effects of a pure and powerful nada- a swara or
sublimely beautiful garland of Swaras, without
either aided or abetted by angika depiction or a
word or a set of Words, conveying/depicting, a
heightened or exalted state of feeling or emotion.
Rasika transcends the power of word or a set of
words, which only act as a structure or scaffolding.
Rasikas and performers use one, two or all of them
to achieve the aesthetic experience. But, the last
category really is the Ultimate, because the noble,
pure and powerful nada, strikingly makes one totally
unaware of the Self, a state of thought less ness,
begetting potent energy, transcends the Self to
achieve Universal Self gaining Bliss, Unalloyed Love
and Peace!
Primitive humans at first realized and used the
sounds and made sounds to serve for safety and
security- a physical existential need. Gaining in
intelligence, observing and imitating the other
living beings and nature's play with sounds,
resultant pleasant experience, started using the
objects-stones, wood, creepers and finally the
vocals for creating and achieving the ear pleasing
sounds. Progressing further through the use of
vocals, inventing and use of the power of words and
the instruments for making Music, achieved the
judicial usage, to sway the heart. Turning inward
and becoming religious, found and realized the
Ultimate- Omkara Nada - all powerful and all
pervading - through the effect of noble, pure and
powerful Nada - a note, two or a set of three notes
- depicted by A-U-M - the symbolic representation of
Pranava or Omkara Nada, serving the Chitta.
Thus the folk/tribal- predominantly rhythmic, with
lesser use of words and the melody, the light music-
predominantly melody and words, with lesser emphasis
on rhythm and the Light Classical music -
judiciously using all the three forms- rhythm,
melody and the words and finally, Celebrating
Excellence, the Classical Music - with heavy use of
melody - rhythm and words, with good sense of
proportion, developed.
To the majority of the rasikas, who have not taken
minimal efforts to know or learn the intricacies of
the Classical music, Rasa is invariably evoked from
the Bhava, born out dominating Poetry. To the
minority of rasikas, who have taken, at least
minimal efforts to know or learn the intricacies of
the pure art music (Classical Music), Rasa is
evoked, sans lyrical content.
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