Shelemay Reading Topic: Sargam
The sargam is the Indian Classical music equivalent to the Western music’s “scale”. Existing also on syllables (Sa, Re/Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni, Sa) (Shelemay, 2017). I chose the to study sargam and, in broader terms, Indian classical music because it is not something that I experience on a remotely regular basis. After listening to a variety of different styles ranging from classical to some forms of contemporary classical style Indian classical music, it changed my perspective. At first the music was weird and hard to listen to. It feels extremely modal and that is not something I experience often enough to feel comfortable hearing, so it almost felt alarming and confusing. However, it seems that it is very interesting to listen deeply to. The sargam in general is just the language of the pitches (our solfege equivalent), whereas the raga is essentially the key signature, or context of the sargam. The raga is a lot more than just a key signature. Through research done by Neumann (2015), I’ve discovered that the raga is understood to mean colours of the mind, which means that there is a lot of spiritual connection between the raga, music, and one’s spirit. In addition, ragas can be directly related to a time of day. This makes me super interested in this style of music, a lot of contemporary Western music tries to imitate art, emotion, and nature through abstract ideas whereas they have attached direct meanings to certain ragas. In addition, through some previous knowledge I understand that ragas are all taught by rote and that they can vary in style and technique based on who teachers you (i.e. your father, or music teacher etc.). This is a cool concept to me because I think it keeps the cultural integrity of this style of music intact since it first was born, which is super important in a world where music can be stripped from cultures that must be kept safe. Indian classical music takes lots of time and commitment throughout your whole life and that has been around since Ancient India (Sadhana, 2011). In general, it also focuses on melodic movement and rhythm, which makes it a lot more rhythmically fluid within it’s “time signature” also known as tala (Ancient Future Music, 2014). This makes the music very interesting because it can be in 7/8 or in a triple meter or combined, which I only hear in lots of contemporary concert music. However, this is interesting to understand that compared to Western music and how back many eras ago we stuck to stricter time signatures and 4/4 time, Ancient India experimented with rhythm and time. I found that through studying Indian classical music, sargam, raga, and tala, I have a much deeper understanding of the cultural beings behind Indian classical music as well as technique, style, and grown more interest in hearing more of it in the future!
References List
Ancient Future Music (2014). Section one: north indian raga and tala. World Rhythms, Issue 14. Summer 2014. Retrieved from http://www.ancient-future.com/worldrhythms14.html
Neumann, F. (2015). Indian classical music and the essence of raga. Sacred Arts Research Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.sacredartsresearch.org/blog/2015/3/10/indian-classical-music-and-the-essence-of-raga
Sadhana (2011). An introduction to Indian classical music. Demystifying Indian Classical Music. Retrieved from https://raag-hindustani.com/Introduction.hthttps://raag-hindustani.com/Introduction.html#ml#
Shelemay, K. K. (2017). Sound: The materials of music. In K.K. Shelemay (Au.). Soundscapes: Exploring Music in a Changing World. Ch.1. Pp. 26-76. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Inc. ISBN- -10: 0393918289 ISBN-13: 978-0393918281