Blurred affinities: tracing the influence of North Indian classical music in Keith Jarrett's solo piano improvisations

Popular Music ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-142
Author(s):  
Gernot Blume
Keyword(s):  
Classical Music ◽  
Country Rock ◽  
Western World ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Solo Piano ◽  
Music Making ◽  
Cultural Climate ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
Indian Music ◽  
Musical Traditions

In the first forty years of his career, American pianist Keith Jarrett has established a reputation in multiple stylistic directions. Jarrett has typically incorporated influences as varied as bebop, country, rock, gospel, minimalism, baroque and classical styles into his often lengthy improvisations. Vital to his musical persona, but less obvious, is the influence North Indian classical music has had in shaping Jarrett's improvisatory strategies. Although he never formally studied Indian music, and although his instrument – the piano – is far removed from the conceptual backdrop of North Indian raga performance, Indian music was a central component in the artistic climate out of which his improvised solo recitals grew.A cultural climate of global influences was the backdrop to the development of Jarrett's solo concerts. Therein, perhaps, lies one key to understanding the spell that this music has cast on large and international audiences. With this format, Jarrett tapped into the ambiance of a particular historic moment, which combined a desire for change with the discovery of spiritual and musical traditions outside the Western world.In this paper I will demonstrate how explicit and implicit references to classical Indian principles of music making helped shape Jarrett's unique free solo concerts.

Reimagining the archive as thick sound: A case study of Dhrupad from Bettiah and beyond

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-58
Author(s):  
Sumitra Ranganathan
Keyword(s):  
Complex I ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
Philosophical Problem ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Music Making ◽  
Musical Practices ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
And Function ◽  
Archival Work

The ephemerality of music is a consuming philosophical problem; it is also a practical dilemma for archivists and researchers. For oral traditions such as Indian classical music, notations, recordings and transcriptions fail to capture much of what is communicated in musical performance, which problematizes the creation and function of archives. This article explores an approach to archiving musical practices in relation to constitutive processes of emplacement, a complex I denote by the term ‘thick sound’. Using a rich and historic Dhrupad tradition as a case study, I discuss how I used documentary, material, aural, embodied and sensory performance data to construct my archive. I investigate the ways in which such documentation captures ecologies of music-making and the challenges posed for the analysis of histories of (thick) sound. I conclude by discussing the implications for theorizing archival work as active intervention, mediating relationships of past, present and future.

scholarly journals Theology of Music and Hindu Religion: From Divine Origins to Classical Songs

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 663
Author(s):  
Guy L. Beck
Keyword(s):  
Classical Music ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Biblical Narratives ◽  
Hindu Religion ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
Indian Music ◽  
The Rich

As a subfield in the study of religion and music, the theology of music is generally understood in Western terms. Yet to fully encompass the rich heritage of music in world religions, the theology of music must welcome non-Western traditions. After introducing ancient Greek and Biblical narratives regarding the origins of music, including metaphysical concepts, narratives of music as Divine Gift, musical angels, and the sacred origin of the notes and scales, this article explores music in Hindu religion through the lens of theology. We find that Indian music is also ‘given by the gods’ (i.e., Brahmā, Vishnu, and Śiva), associated with ‘musical angels,’ and originally formed from metaphysical principles (i.e., OM and the concept of Nāda-Brahman). What is demonstrated here, representing a long continuity, is how these same ideas are viable in the performance of Indian classical music today. Citing examples of compositions of Dhrupad and Khayal from the standard repertoire, this article reveals how modern-day classical songs contain references to sacred sound principles and the divine origins of music, both in their lyrics and in the unfoldment of musical notes (Svaras) and melodic patterns (Rāgas).

scholarly journals A Reflection on the Aesthetics of Indian Music, With Special Reference to Hindustani Raga-Sangita

SAGE Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401667451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santosh Kumar Pudaruth
Keyword(s):  
Special Reference ◽  
Aesthetic Experience ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
Ultimate Reality ◽  
Spiritual Exercise ◽  
Art Forms ◽  
Indian Aesthetics ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
Indian Music ◽  
The Aesthetic

Like in any other heteronomous art-forms, the practitioners of Indian music and dance ( Bharatiya Sangita) aim at expressing emotions and creating the aesthetic or the “beautiful.” Indian thinkers and musicologists have gone a step further in declaring that Indian classical music ( Raga-Sangita) is the most appropriate means for attaining aesthetic experience and delight, and the most suitable pathway, if not, downright, short-cut, toward self-realization or realization of the Ultimate Reality or Truth. Thus, aesthetics and spirituality make up the very woof and warp of the Indian arts, in general, and Raga-Sangita, in particular. Raga-Sangita is, thus, considered a spiritual exercise ( nada sadhana) to attain salvation ( moksha) through sound. This conceptual article reflects upon and sheds light on the Theory of Rasa, as propounded in Indian Aesthetics, and attempts to make an assessment of it in relation to Hindustani Raga-Sangita. Through this theory, the author examines and explains the different causes leading to an aesthetic experience, referred to as “out-of-this-world” ( alaukika). In doing so, he also brings to light the possible pitfalls which both the performer and the listener should avoid.

Teaching Indian Music in the West: Problems, Approaches and Possibilities

1986 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerry Farrell
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
Western Music ◽  
The West ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
Indian Music

This article explores ways in which the elements of north Indian classical music may be taught in a western context. It examines traditional methods of teaching in India and points out the difficulties of transferring such methods into Western music education. The basic materials of Indian music are examined, with a view to using them to heighten awareness of music in general, but not necessarily to produce solo performers. The article suggests ways in which Indian music can be explored without compromising its inherent complexity, sense of form and aesthetic beauty; while, at the same time, making it more accessible to a wide range of people.

scholarly journals A STUDY OF MUTHUSWAMI DIKSHITAR’S EXPERTISE ON VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF MUSICOLOGY REFLECTED THROUGH HIS COMPOSITIONS

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
Utpala Karanth ◽  
Dr. R Rangan
Keyword(s):  
Music Theory ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
The South ◽  
Sufficient Knowledge ◽  
South Indian ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
Indian Music ◽  
Ancient Texts

Musicology is the study of scientific and intellectually handling of music. This is a colossal subject of music and inquest into the History and phenomenon of music including; life and works of Composers and performers, music theory like melody, rhythm, harmony, modes, aesthetics, form etc. The Historical evidences of Indian Classical music have been discussed in several ancient texts like Veda’s, Upanishads, epics way back 2000 years ago. The Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda contains ritual hymns and incantations (vedic chants) , praising the specific dieties during the Sacrificial rituals. The South Indian music has a phlegmatic and pedagogic nature when compared with the music of other unconsecrated Hindustani traditions. This paper highlights the proficiency of Dikshitar’s knowledge of Musicology bequeathed from his father Ramaswami Dikshitar, a scholar, musician, learned musicologist, and recipient of many honours and emoluments in the knowledge of music gained sufficient knowledge in musicology who had settled down at Tiruvarur where Dikshitar was born. Tiruvarur then was a seat of learning of Sanskrit and Vedanta. Dikshitar’s compositions reflect his deep and thorough knowledge widely through the interpretation of their literature as seen in famous compositions like ‘Vatapi Ganapatim Bhaje’, ‘Amrutavarshini’ and others will be discussed with the various rasas created through the ragas as enunciated in the Natyashastra of Bharat Muni.

A Subtle Novelty: Repetition, transmission and the valorisation of innovation within North Indian Classical Music

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
John James Napier
Keyword(s):  
Classical Music ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
Indian Music ◽  
Instrumental Accompaniment ◽  
The Individual

This paper investigates the interrelation between two aspects of North Indian classical music that at first might appear to occupy opposite poles of creativity and constraint. The first is the soloist’s actual construction of melody itself, and the interpretation of this as improvised. The second is sangat, the imitative instrumental accompaniment afforded such melodies when performed by vocalists. I argue that the conventional description of North Indian music as ‘improvised’ downplays the importance of the re-presentation of fixed materials, thus underemphasising the projection of tradition and transmission. In turn, I suggest that sangat has a homologous relationship to pedagogy, the process of transmitting traditional materials. Both melodic construction and imitative accompaniment derive aspects of their overall form and quality from, and may be understood in reference to, an ideational cluster that attempts to reconcile a socially validated and hierarchically underscored conservatism with an acceptance of individual innovation. Both practices may be seen as performed subjectivities standing at temporal interstices between tradition and contemporaneity, the broadly cultural and the individual.

Intonation in present-day North Indian classical music

1963 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Jairazbhoy ◽  
A. W. Stone
Keyword(s):  
Classical Music ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Indian Music ◽  
General Opinion

Most Sanskrit texts dealing with Indian music refer to 7 svaras (notes) and 22 śrutis (intervals ? microtones ?) which are said to be the basis of Indian music. Many modern writers in Western as well as the vernacular languages consider that śrutis refer to the microtonal variations in particular notes from one rāga to another. In order to convey the general opinion on the subject of intonation, we quote from Alain Daniélou, a prominent writer on North Indian music:‘It is impossible to sing the complete scale of the shrutis accurately in succession (as some singers pretend to do), but they can all be sung with perfect accuracy when they are embodied in expressive scales’.

scholarly journals "A Lot of Different Streams": Questioning "Jazz" and Composing Beyond Genre

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmine Lovell-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Ensemble ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
Multiple Streams ◽  
Music Making ◽  
Creative Music ◽  
Harmonic Language ◽  
Work Concept ◽  
Musical Traditions ◽  
Language Strategies ◽  
Western Classical Music

<p><b>Many composers currently prominent in the jazz world draw upon multiple musical traditions or genres to create their work. The varied compositional activities of composers Nicole Mitchell, Tyshawn Sorey and Wayne Horvitz problematize attempts to classify their work as belonging to a single genre. Drawing on my interviews with these three composers and my analysis of selected works, I seek to understand how they conceptualize their compositional work and its relationship to the various musical traditions that have influenced them. Using Fabian Holt’s genre framework and George E. Lewis’s concept of the Afrological as critical tools, I propose that the work of these composers prioritizes spontaneity and agency, foregrounding process and transformation instead of a more fixed work concept, and claiming a mobility of practice that connects them strongly to the legacy of the AACM. I also use these concepts as ways to reflect on my own creative work developed throughout the DMA, and my relationship to the genre label of jazz.</b></p> <p>The creative portfolio developed as part of this research incorporates influences from multiple streams of music-making, particularly the traditions of jazz, creative music and Western classical music. The submitted works include Cerulean Haze, for jazz octet and 5-piece chamber ensemble (13:00); Sanctuary, a suite in three movements for 11-piece ensemble (18:49); “Noche Oscura” for 10-piece ensemble (6:48); “Moorings (Titahi Bay)” for chordless jazz quartet (6:00); “Jimmy,” “Nuevo Azul,” “Neither Here nor There” and “Metamorphosis” for improvising quartet. These works explore extended jazz and modal harmonic language; strategies for extending songform-derived compositional forms into larger, through-composed works; and varying degrees of notational specificity. The inclusion of improvisation is prioritized in each work.</p>

scholarly journals Relevance of Music in Vedic Traditions and Contemporary Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VI) ◽  
pp. 4954-4958
Author(s):  
Dr. Mrs. Tanuja Nafde
Keyword(s):  
Classical Music ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Earth ◽  
History Of ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
Indian Music ◽  
Topic Theory ◽  
Contemporary Context

Indian classical music has a very long-accumulated heritage of centuries. The origin of Indian music can be traced back to nearly two thousand years ago. It is undisputedly believed that the sage Narada introduced the art of music to the Earth, also it is said that the sound that pervades the whole universe, i.e. Nadabrahma, itself represents divinity. Scientifically structured Indian music owes its origin to the Samaveda. The Veda scriptures describe all the seven notes of the raga karaharpriya in descending order, which is a favorite research topic theory and treatise writers to explore, how the core sound ‘Om’ gave rise to the various notes. The first evidential reference to music dates back to 500 BC by Panini and the first reference to musical theory dates back to 400 BC found in Rikpratisakhya. Bharata’s Natya Shastra dating 4th Century AD contains several chapters on music. This is the first known work that clearly elaborated the octave of its structured characteristics for various applications. There is an eternal statement about the history of Indian Music, that "classical Indian music is derived from the Vedas". Although no one can say that this statement is false, it is deceptively simplistic, when discussing the Relevance of Music in Vedic Traditions and contemporary context.

Indian Culture and Music as a Source of Inspiration for French Opera Composers

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-121
Author(s):  
Noémi Karácsony ◽  
Mădălina Dana Rucsanda
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Music Composition ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
Indian Culture ◽  
Visual Elements ◽  
French Opera ◽  
Visual Dimension ◽  
Musical Discourse ◽  
Indian Classical Music ◽  
Indian Music

"The current paper strives to discover and reveal the influences of Indian culture and classical Indian music in French operas. At first, the evocation of India was obtained through the subjects of the operas and stunning scenic designs, fulfilling the requirements of exoticism. Gradually, the composers attempted to include in their musical discourses exotic rhythmic and melodic elements, in some instances inspired by Indian classical music, thus aiming to evoke a genuine image of India. At the same time, the use of elements pertaining to Indian music (rāgas, rhythmic patterns, timbres) offered the musicians the possibility to create novel sound discourses. The analysis focuses on several operas, composed between the eighteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, following the evolution of Indian representations in several dimensions: dramatic (libretto), visual (scenic representations, dance), and musical (melody, rhythm, timbre). The present paper investigates the way Indian themes influenced the conception of the libretto, and at the same time the visual dimension of the works (setting, costumes), observing how these visual elements were gradually absorbed into the musical discourse (analysis of the melodic structures), through the incorporation of Indian rāgas in works conceived according to the rules of Western music composition. Keywords: exoticism, orientalism, India, French opera, rāga "

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