Excursions Instructor s Manual Chapter 2: South Asia (Jim Sykes)

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1 Excursions 2: South Asia 1 Excursions Instructor s Manual Chapter 2: South Asia (Jim Sykes) Introducing South Asia The area under consideration in this chapter is large and diverse India is expected to have 1.6 billion people by 2050 o It will have the world s largest population at that time It is already a huge economy and the world s largest democracy India s global cultural influence is deep o Bollywood films are popular around the world o Bollywood dance classes are taught in many countries o Yoga is ubiquitous o Buddhism has spread around the world o The Beatles and subsequent artists have introduced Western audiences to some Indian instruments and musical practices Popular music has gained increasing global prominence o Artists and composers include: Panjabi MC: British Indian electronic music artists who plays a modernized version of bhangra AR Rahman: Composer for 2008 film Slum Dog Millionaire Maya Arulpragasam (MIA): rapper and visual artist from Sri Lanka Classical traditions are also changing rapidly and spreading ever more quickly around the world o Hindustani (North Indian classical music) o Carnatic (South Indian classical music, also sometimes spelled Karnatak) o Knowledge is increasingly available through Skype lessons, streaming video, etc. Hinduism o Vastly diverse religion o Followers constitute 80% of the populations of India and Nepal o Large following in Sri Lanka and Bhutan o Also, large Hindu communities in major world cities like London, Johannesburg, and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) o Hindu temple festivals in these cities bring Hindu religious sounds into ethnically and religiously mixed public spaces Islam o Also extremely diverse o Followers constitute majorities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh o Sufism: mystical form of Islam, founded in the Middle East, but with strong roots in South Asia o Many people travel throughout South and Southeast Asia visiting networks of Sufi shrines o South Asian Sufi music became globally known through performances by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a Pakistani singer of Qawwali, in the 1990s Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism

2 Excursions 2: South Asia 2 o Major South Asian religions with a global reach o Buddhism is a small minority religion in India Majority religion in Sri Lanka and Bhutan Has spread throughout Asia and the world o Jainism is from Western India, founded around the same time as Buddhism o Sikhism traces its heritage to the Punjab region, now split between India and Pakistan South Asian music and Indian music are not synonymous o Indian music has had a powerful influence both in the region and in shaping the global imagination of the area o Anne Sheeran went to do dissertation research in Sri Lanka, and many people asked her why she hadn t gone to India Current political borders are modern constructions o Many are vestiges of colonial boundaries worked out in Europe o Throughout history, the area was composed of regional kingdoms, all with their own languages and cultures o Today, there is a great deal of regional diversity within South Asian countries Political History o Interactions with Central Asia Medieval Muslim travelers were the first to use Hindu as a geographic designation Term referred to people living beyond the Indus River Mughal Empire ( ) was the first to establish boundaries that more closely resemble contemporary ones Dynasty of Central Asian Muslim migrants and their descendants The influence of Islam began spreading in the north even before this period This had a profound effect on North Indian musical culture o Interactions with Europe Traders began coming to South Asia in the early 17th century Portuguese, Dutch, British, French By the late 19th century, British had gained effective control of the entire Indian Subcontinent Old Mughal provinces Ceylon (British name for Sri Lanka) Present-day Burma, Malaysia, Singapore India gains independence in 1947, in the wake of WWII Followed shortly by the cataclysmic event called Partition Northwest India split off to become Pakistan Hindu and Muslim populations uprooted and moved Muslim-majority regions of Bengal (east) split off to become East Pakistan Became the independent country of Bangladesh in 1971

3 Excursions 2: South Asia the British colony of Ceylon, which had been a separate province, gains independence (later renamed Sri Lanka) There had been migration between southern India and Sri Lanka for many centuries o All of this emphasizes that current borders are modern constructions They inform how people in the region think about themselves in relation to others But they don t reflect deep, cultural divisions between peoples With this regional diversity, constant movement, and extensive cultural and musical dialogue with the rest of the world (in traditional, classical, religious, and popular music), South Asian music presents a dizzying level of diversity o This chapter attempts to unpack some of this diversity by offering simplified discussion o One goal is to help readers distinguish between styles Hindustani Music: The Growth of a Tradition According to Indian lore, there was once a unified musical tradition This was based on the Vedas: ancient Hindu texts o Earliest ones were completed around 1200 BCE o Passed down orally for generations, written down later Sound and proper recitation of the Vedas was extremely important o Even more important than the meaning of the text o Proper pronunciation was necessary for the gods to accept the offerings made during rituals Vedas provide the earliest articulation of India s caste system (varna) o People divided into categories based on profession o Many regional variations and subdivisions o Basic scheme: Brahmans: ritual specialists Kshatriya: warriors Vaishyas: merchants, landowners Shudras: servants and subordinates o Untouchables : Technically outside the list of varnas Considered impure because they were forced to engage in impure activities Playing drums at funerals Cleaning latrines o Scholars debate the emergence and contemporary strength or weakness of the caste system Natyasastra: Treatise on the arts written sometime before the 5th century CE Written in Sanskrit Discusses music, dance, drama Features a complex system of categorization Theorizes the concept of rasa

4 Excursions 2: South Asia 4 o Term usually translated as moods or emotions, o Used to refer to flavor produced through artistic expression In the 12th century, North Indian musical system breaks off from the South Musical influence brought by Muslim migrants Two systems emerged that persist to the present: Hindustani and Carnatic music The Mughals were descendants of the Mongol Empire o Spoke Persian o Brought Persian cultural influence to North India o Results in fusion between Persian and Indian musical systems Hindustani Music History, Culture, and Learning Practices Learning Practices o This music was orally transmitted o Passed down through generations within mainly Muslim families of professional musicians o By the 19th century, these musical lineages, called gharanas, were well defined o Musicians learned to play through years of rigorous training with a master musician Ustad (Muslim musical master) Pandit (Hindu musical master) o Student apprentice (shishya) studied with a teacher (guru) Students tried to hang around and absorb musical knowledge, labor for years doing household chores for the guru Knowledge was doled out slowly over years and even decades o Author includes a legendary story about Baba Allaudin Khan (ca ) and the lengths to which he had to go tobe accepted as a student by sarod player Wazir Khan Many great musicians were associated with regional courts during Mughal and British Colonial periods Hindustani musicians are famous for virtuosity o Practice routines are a common topic of conversation among musicians o Some level of bragging and exaggeration might occur o Ustad Ahmed Jan Thirakwa would grow his hair long and tie it to the ceiling with a rope, so that when he fell asleep, his head would jerk and he could keep practicing Hindustani Music: Theory and Performance Raga: a modal framework (a scale plus a set of rules that state how to perform that scale) in which performers improvise A Hindustani raag (singular) can be classified by many extra-musical criteria, according to their rasa (mood) o Time of day or season in which it should be performed o Some are accorded supernatural powers

5 Excursions 2: South Asia 5 Ability to start fires or chase away evil spirits Raag Malhar is thought to bring rain o Some might connote stories about Hindu gods and goddesses, flowers, colors, or animals Alap: unmetered, free-flowing introduction o Hindustani classical performances begin with this practice o Soloist explores, gradually reveals the characteristics of the raag o Begin in a low or middle register, start slowly o Gradually move up and then down the scale, as pace increases Tala: System of beat cycles Metrical framework for improvisation for soloist and percussionist Tabla: main percussion instrument in Hindustani music o Two bowl-shaped drums, played with the fingers while seated Many tala cycles are additive o Jhaptal has ten beats: o Rupak Tal has seven beats: o Tin Taal has sixteen beats: Each taal (singular) has a set of hand motions that accompanies it o Claps and waves indicate stressed and unstressed beats o Musicians will incorporate this rhythmic emphasis into their playing Khali and sam Tihai: cadential pattern o Fast virtuosic runs o Played at the conclusion of virtuosic improv sections and at the ends of performances o Patter is played three times, and then entire pattern of three is played three times Hindustani Instruments Sitar o Plucked lute with strings o 6 7 plucked strings o The rest are sympathetic, run under the frets Sarod o Another plucked lute o Originally from Afghanistan (where it is called the rubab) o Also has sympathetic strings o No frets Sarangi o Bowed instrument o Originally played accompanying role o Now used as a lead instrument Bansuri: Flute Santoor o Hammered dulcimer

6 Excursions 2: South Asia 6 o Used in folk music of the Kashmir region o Comes from the Persian dulcimer, santur Tanpura o Long-necked lute o Four strings o Only used for drone o Usually played by a student of the lead musician Harmonium o Hand-pumped organ o Introduced by Christian missionaries o Controversial Limited to the 12 pitches of the Western chromatic scale Cannot produce the microtones that are common in Hindustani and Carnatic performance Some musicians argue that it changed and simplified Hindustani music o Not used as extensively in the South Carnatic Classical Musics: The Growth of the Southern Tradition The tradition date back for many centuries, but contemporary practice was deeply shaped by wandering musicians in the 18th and 19th centuries Important Composers Purandara Dasa ( CE) o Considered the grandfather of Carnatic music o Developed a teaching system still in use today Trinity of Carnatic Composers o Tyagaraja ( ) o Muthuswami Dikshitar ( ) o Syama Sastri ( ) The Trinity developed a repertoire of compositions and a set of structural forms that are important today Carnatic music was performed mainly by Tamils, but not sung in Tamil Similarities and Differences between Hindustani and Carnatic Music They share some language (raga(m), tala(m), etc.) Hindustani music features more extensive improvisation Carnatic music is more focused on vocal compositions o Neither of these associations is exclusive Musical Forms in Carnatic Music Kriti: main compositional form performed at Carnatic concerts o Three sections Pallavi (refrain) Anupallavi (second verse)

7 Excursions 2: South Asia 7 Charanam (final, long verse) Pallavi repeats after each of the other two sections in the following form: PAPCP o Performance may begin with alapanam (similar to alap): unmetered, improvisatory exploration of the ragam Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi o Improvisational sequence o Can be performed after a kriti or independently Improvisation o Although much Carnatic music is based on precomposed music, several forms of improvisation are woven into a performance Niraval: improvising on a line from a kriti, bringing out the essence of the ragam Kalpanaswaram: improvising on solfege syllables sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, sa Trikala: doubling tripling and quadrupling the duration of the notes of the pallavi Padams and Javalis are other genres historically associated with dance Carnatic Instruments Veena o Plucked lute: four feet long o Held horizontally or at a slight angle o Sometimes called Saraswati Veena Associated with Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge and the arts Mridangam o Thin, barrel-shaped drum o Main percussion instrument in Carnatic classical music Ghatam o Clay pot played with the fingers o Often used as supporting percussion instrument for mridangam Thavil o Barrel-shaped drum played with one hand and one stick o Associated with music played at Hindu temples Nadaswaram o Long and loud reed instrument used in Hindu temples and temple festivals Violin o European instrument played in a unique style o May be played as a lead instrument or to accompany vocal performance Hindu Music and Dance: Temples, Gender, and Caste Music and dance are deeply integrated in South Asia and have historically developed together Devadasis

8 Excursions 2: South Asia 8 o Women who were ritually married to gods o Their job was to dance and sing for the deity in a Hindu temple o Practice emerged in medieval South India o Became controversial in the 19th century British colonists looked down on them, informed by Victorian mores Assumed they were prostitutes Practice was eventually outlawed Some devadasi communities do still exist Scholars debate the truth of the accusations of prostitution Current consensus is that the devadasis were treated unfairly o Devadasis dance was called sadir Went through transformation in the early- to mid-20th century Upper-caste women took up this dance in order to make it a respectable art form New tradition was called Bharata Natyam ( Indian Dance ) o Differences between sadir and Bharata Natyam Sadir is slower with more hand gestures and facial expressions Music performed by Dalits Bharata Natyam is faster with more elaborate footwork Dancers do not sing Outcastes, untouchables are a downtrodden group in India o Historically, they were forced to perform work for the middle and upper castes that they did not want to perform themselves o One community, the paraiyars, performed drumming Some auspicious occasions Some work associated with death B.R. Ambedkar promoted the rights of untouchables in the early- and mid-20th c. o Changed name to Dalits (a Sanskrit-derived word meaning crushed or broken Term acknowledges their marginalization by the upper castes, does not carry the same stigma Bollywood Paraiyars play a frame drum called the parai o Some Dalit groups have embraced it as a way to generate communal pride India s film industry, based primarily in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), produces thousands of films a year, many of which feature music prominently History Indian film grew out of a theater tradition that was already globally influential in the 19th century Parsi Theatre o Small community of Persian descent, called the Parsis

9 Excursions 2: South Asia 9 o Traveled throughout the subcontinent and around the Indian Ocean, performing music, dance, drama o These performances gave rise to local forms of musical theater throughout the subcontinent o First Bollywood productions drew heavily on Parsi Theatre o Film song, or filmigit, was essential Filmigit o Early on, mostly light classical style Tabla, sitar, harmonium, flute o Over time, composers developed their own style, blending contemporary global popular music influences with Indian influences Most films use music and dance sequences extensively, though they are not necessarily about music per se There are many regional cinema traditions flourishing outside Mumbai o Thus the term, Bollywood incompletely describes the style Playback singer o Many films throughout the history of the industry have dubbed singers voices during musical sequences o Many films passed through the same recording studios o Individual singers may record for a wide variety of actors, in different films and different languages o Two sisters, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle (b and 1933) recorded thousands of songs between them Important Genres and Regional Styles: Qawwali Genre of Sufi Muslim music that has spread throughout North India and Pakistan Blurs the boundaries between sacred, popular, folk and classical o It deals with sacred themes from Islam o It contains many vernacular styles o It is now hailed as the national music of Pakistan o Qawwali songs have become huge hits, sometimes appearing in Bollywood films Sufism is the mystical dimension of Islam o Emerged in the Middle East toward the end of the first millennium CE o Spread rapidly to places like Turkey, Central Asia, and North India Qawwali o Practice that is traditionally held at Sufi saints shrines in North India and Pakistan o Amir Khusrao, a 13th c. poet and musician is considered one of the founders for Qawwali and Hindustani music o Ghazal is the main poetic form used in Qawwali Rhyming couplets with a refrain Themes often revolve around unrequited love Often speak of human love as a metaphor for love of God o Standard instrumentation

10 Excursions 2: South Asia 10 One or two harmoniums Chorus who sings and claps Lead vocalist o Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( ) was the most famous Qawwali singer Collaborated with Eddie Vedder Concertized at venues throughout the world o Most singers are men, but Abida Parveen was a highly regarded female singer She has become a pop icon in South Asia Important Genres and Regional Styles: Afghanistan Before the political turmoil of recent decades, Afghanistan had thriving popular and classical music traditions Popular Music o Singer Ahmad Zahir ( ) was called the Afghan Elvis Had sideburns and an Elvis-like swagger o Music brought together South Asian and Western popular influences o Zahir died mysteriously in a car crash shortly after communist takeover of Afghanistan o His music recalls a musical golden age for many Afghans around the world Classical Music o Heart, in the west, has more musical inspiration from Persian classical music o Kabul, in the northeast, has more influence from Hindustani music o Classical musicians of Kabul have had direct contact with ustads of North Indian classical music since the 19th century o Klasik: Afghan version of Hindustani classical music Shares instruments, vocabulary, and many theoretical concepts Differs in rhythmic style Afghanistan post-1979 o Communist takeover in 1979 o Protracted proxy war between U.S. and Soviet Union ensues This devastated the country o CIA funded a group called the mujahideen (included a young Osama Bin Laden) o Taliban trace their roots to the mujahideen Emerged in the mid-1990s Took over the country shortly before the U.S. invasion in 2001 Taliban banned music o They believed its sensual quality leads people to bad behavior o They cited text from the hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Mohammed) There is broad disagreement over these interpretations o When they took Kabul in 1996, they issued a decree Anyone with cassette tapes would be imprisoned

11 Excursions 2: South Asia 11 Instruments, cassettes, T.V. set were publicly burned People were flogged, some had limbs amputated o Important to remember that throughout history Christians (Quakers), certain Buddhist sects, and others had negative views toward music o Certain styles of vocal recitation were permitted Taliban were driven out of Kabul but are still active in Pashtun-majority provinces Many musicians have left the country in recent decades o Poorer professional musicians went to Peshawar, Pakistan o Wealthier amateur musicians have moved to migrant communities around the world, like Fremont, CA Rock music festival took place in Kabul o First in over 30 years o Has expanded in subsequent years to become an alternative arts festival Important Genres and Regional Styles: The Bauls of Bengal The Bauls are a community of itinerate musicians in West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh Overview o Draw on aspects of Sufism and Vaishnavism (worship of the Hindu god, Vishnu) Don t technically belong to either tradition o Perform music and dance for sustenance o Sadhana: spiritual practice designed to transcend the ego o Reject the belief in class, caste, and other divisions between people Music: Baul Sangeet (Baul music) o Ektara: skinny neck with a string, attached to a small drum at its base o Jangles worn on feet to keep rhythm with dance Rabindranath Tagore ( ) o Playwright, novelist, musician o First (and only) Indian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1913) o Song lyrics are influenced by themes from Baul poet Lalon Fakir ( ) o Founded a school for higher learning: Santiniketan (later called Visva- Bharati University) Influenced generations of subsequent musicians Important Genres and Regional Styles: Sri Lanka Much less is known about Sri Lankan music than Indian music, but it displays themes that are important elsewhere, though they re often overlooked o These include Buddhism, Portuguese colonialism, and the influence of Portuguese and African music Sri Lanka is radically diverse: numerous populations Sinhalas make up about 74% of the population o Majority are Theravada Buddhist

12 Excursions 2: South Asia 12 o This is considered the oldest form of Buddhism Sinhala Buddhist rituals strive to affect the interactions between humans and deities There is an annual ceremony in Kandy in which hundreds of dancers and drummers accompany a procession featuring the Buddha s tooth around the city During colonial period, European colonists had the strongest cultural impact in the coastal areas o Kandyan Dance from the Kandyan Kingdom in the central part of the country, up country, forms the national music and dance genre of Sri Lanka o They seemed more authentic than other styles during early independence o Low country or southern coastal areas also have highly revered traditions Baila: Sri Lankan musical style that blends Portuguese and African influences o Portuguese brought African slaves (probably from Mozambique) Music created by Sri Lankans of African descent drew in these influences Influenced Portuguese music in turn Later, this style drew on other popular genres like calypso and disco Coke Television: Rock, Hip-Hop, and the New Folk Music In 2008 a T.V. show called Coke Studios aired in Pakistan Based on a Brazilian show of the same name, launched the year before Pakistani version featured studio performances of music from throughout Pakistan Show was a huge success and immensely influential o Committed to representing the diversity of religions, ethnic communities, and traditional, classical, and popular genres Similar program launched in India in 2011 The South Asian Diaspora 19th Century Labor Migration The British moved many Indian laborers to plantations in other colonies Many were untouchables hoping for a better life Many were Tamil laborers from the south o Moved to Mauritius, Malaysia, and Singapore o Conditions were extremely difficult and squalid Now there is a diasporic feedback loop in which cultural practices and mediated images circulate between Tamil Nadu and the Tamil diaspora o Urumi melam: new Hindu drumming ensemble from Malaysia and Singapore MIA (Maya Arulpragasam) British-born Sri Lankan Tamil rapper

13 Excursions 2: South Asia 13 Family moved from West London to Sri Lanka when she was a baby o Tamil population was (and still is) disenfranchised o Father became involved in an independence movement o Family moved back to London She achieved underground success Was later included on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack Performed at the 2009 Grammy Awards She has been outspoken against injustices committed by the Sri Lankan government She has also produced some videos that trade in crass exoticism Bhangra Derived from Punjabi folk music associated with the Sikh population In the 1980s, Punjabi DJs in the UK created electronic versions of bhangra Genre took off in international markets In the 1990s, DJ Panjabi MC began fusing it with hip-hop Punjabi and Indian student associations at U.S. universities have formed bhangra dance troupes o Popular among both Indian and non-indian students Summary: There are many more traditions than those covered here Additional Resources