World Music Presentation The Influence of Indian Ragas on John Coltrane
Demographics of India In the 1950 s, the population of India was around 369,880,000 As of 2016, the population of India is estimated to be around 1,327,820,494 people according to data provided by the U.N. The national census of India doesn t recognize racial or ethnic groups, instead recognizing scheduled tribes and castes (designations given to various groups of people, ex. untouchables ). India is home to at least 9 recognized religions; Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and the Baha i faith. The size of India is roughly 1.296 million square miles.
Geographical Influences The indian subcontinent is divided into 3 parts; the Himalayan uplands, Indo-Gangetic plains, and Peninsular India.
Demographics (cont.) There were numerous political and socioeconomic influences on India in the 1950 s. (1947) After being under control of The British Raj, India gains its independence, severing all ties from the British empire. (1950) India becomes a republic.
Ravi Shankar I m certain that if I recorded with him I d increase my possibilities tenfold, because I m familiar with what he does and I understand and appreciate his work. -John Coltrane on Ravi Shankar April 7, 1920-December 11, 2012
Ravi Shankar (cont.) Ravi Shankar was an Indian musician and composer Played the sitar Best known for popularizing Indian classical music in the west, and for songs such as Ragas in Minor Scale, and I Am Missing You. After meeting multi-instrumentalist Allaudin Khan at a music conference in 1934, Ravi would go on to study sitar under Khan just 4 years later. 6 years of lessons under Khan, provided him with the skill to play with featured performers such as Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan. Even influenced the Beatles by teaching George Harrison sitar, who went on to play the instrument on Norwegian Wood, by the Beatles. Scored the movie Gandhi Received 14 honorary degrees, and 3 Grammy awards.
Ragas Ragas are a part of Hindustani classical music Date back over 3,500 year Spiritual music About 500 known ragas Comprised of a minimum of 5 notes in an octave
Examples of Raga Scales Purvi Scale: Marwa Scale:
Instruments Sitar Tablas
Musical Excerpt: Raag Khamaj
John Coltrane You can play a shoestring if you re sincere. - John Coltrane September 23, 1926- July 17, 1967
John Coltrane (cont.) Trane was a very prominent jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer from the 20th century. John studied clarinet and alto saxophone at Ornstein School of Music in Philadelphia, and then at Granoff studios in 1943. He played with many other iconic jazz musicians of the time such as Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, and even the father of jazz Miles Davis. Coltrane was revolutionary in the jazz world with his sheets of sound. Prominent works: Moment s notice, Blue Train, In a Sentimental Mood. Struggled with drug addiction. Earned 5 musical awards in his lifetime, 3 of which were Grammy s.
Instruments Tenor Sax Piano Drums Double Bass
Musical Excerpt: Giant Steps
Differences Giant Steps Written in E-major. Wind instrument has melody. Space is filled by the bass and piano voices. Raag Khamaj Uses the mixolydian scale. String instrument has melody. More empty space. Uses less instruments.
Comparisons Secondary Link: Tempo Fast tempo. Drums keep tempo, steadily in the background. Primary Link: Modal Improvisation Both pieces feature improvisation with sheets of sound. Improvisation isn t tied to a single key. Not confined to chord changes. Resulted in rhythmic flexibility.
Works Cited "India Population 2016." India Population (2016). N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016. http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/india-population/ "Demographics of India." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/demographics_of_india#ethnic_groups "How Many Religions Are There in India?" Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2016. https://www.reference.com/world-view/many-religions-india-6bd1414129861aed "Land Area - World Statistics and Charts as Map, Diagram and Table." Land Area / Countries of the World. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2016 http://world.bymap.org/landarea.html. "Influence of Geography on Indian History." History Discussion Discuss Anything About History. N.p., 08 Aug. 2015. Web. 10 Nov. 2016. http://www.historydiscussion.net/articles/influence-of-geography-on-indian-history/1944 Weschler, PJ. "Population India." Population India. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016. http://www.bluemarblecitizen.com/world-population/india Tripmonk0. "Pandit Ravi Shankar - Ind Day Celebrations." YouTube. YouTube, 02 June 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcsmvk06sca
Works Cited (cont.) Khilnani, Sunil. "1950s: Era of Wrong Turnings." 1950's: Era of Wrong Turnings : Cover Story - India Today 2072007. Living Media India Limited, 02 July 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2016. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-faced-challenges-in-1950s/1/155687.html "John Coltrane." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016. https://www.britannica.com/biography/john-coltrane Sadhana. "What Is a Raga? Scales in Indian Classical Music - Sadhana's Raag-Hindustani." What Is a Raga? Scales in Indian Classical Music - Sadhana's Raag-Hindustani. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016. http://raag-hindustani.com/scales1.html