Nostalgic, Yet Progressive!

Old vs New

Reminiscing about the past and thriving in its glory is normal in all walks of life. Efficient ways of archiving, with the effective use of modern technology, has given us unimaginable ways to relive and connect with the bygone days. Music is no exception to this rule. Nostalgia is something that is a strong driving force in classical art forms, especially Carnatic Music. Today, we continue to interpret and listen to music through this layer of nostalgia that gives us a feeling of comfort, warmth and familiarity.

Being respectful of the tradition and learning from its heritage is an important process. Even the greatest of artistes, in their early formative years, gave us music that was undoubtedly an echo of their past musical generation. Eventually, the echo always slowly faded away and from its silence emerged the distinctive music of each artiste. Through this essential and predestined journey of understanding the past and discovering themselves, they were able to freely explore the art form and ultimately find their own voice. The past has always supported and determined the future and has organically paved the way towards the next rational phase. But is the music we sing today any different from that which existed numerous decades ago, has there been any natural progression of the art form itself, or do we continue to allow the music of the present be strongly influenced by the past?

The availability of historic recordings of celebrated musicians has played a very interesting role in today’s evolution of Carnatic Music. It has made sure that the music we practice today is a compulsory reflection of the olden days. While making the artiste more self aware and mindful of his or her own music in relation to that of the past, it has also placed the present music within the bubble of a past interpretation. By analysing the earliest recordings available of musicians from the 1900s, it is very clear that the music of their succeeding generation, which we constantly refer to as the ‘golden era’ of Carnatic Music, was a vibrant and radical break away from that which preceded them in terms of aesthetic orientation and structural construct. Though the majority of the available recordings of many musicians such as Ariyakudi, Musiri and others are merely samples from the final years of their musical output, it helps in reiterating the fact that the evolution of the art has always been constant, with artistes searching for their musical expression sans inhibitions, relentlessly daring in their approach to creatively express their beliefs.

When we listen to unearthed vintage recordings of our favourite artistes, we are immediately hit with a jolt of musical nostalgia. For an ardent listener today, he is constantly bombarded with music from two different time periods. There are yesteryear doyens who continue to live through their music, whose music is constantly falling on one ear, while the music of the present generation artiste falls on the other. The mind automatically draws biased parallels between the two. For example, anyone who sings Kshinamai is immediately compared and equated with Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, irrespective of the interpretation or style of that particular artiste. Music listening isn’t disconnected from the past anymore, and this mindset has redefined the understanding of an historical construe, a standard against which all present music is equated with.

The connoisseurs of the past also lived in the moment, and embraced the music that was presented to them at that time. Memory was the only tool that they associated and recollected past music with, and this gave them the liberty to embrace the music around them without any reservations and expectations. The art remained the focus, with both the artiste and the listener enhancing and accepting changes that came along the way, towards aesthetic development. This wonderful and dynamic approach towards evolvement made sure that the artistes were true to the musical form and the times that they lived in.

One of the boons of their time was the pure experience of live music. Because live concerts were few and far in number with rare repetition of artistes, sharp listening skills and utmost focus were vital. It gave musicians the exciting prospect to understand and assimilate music in a conducive environment that provided the creative space to absorb the melody around them, make it their own, and then present it, in a manner that was wholly theirs. This naturally made every interpretation of each artiste tremendously, effortlessly unique.

When we revisit the music of these masters with this comprehension, we realise that their grasp of manodharma sangita was in stark contrast to the way we comprehend it today. Every artiste approached music in a fashion that was profoundly different from the others. Every artiste understood their strengths and highlighted them, while giving us glimpses of magic in other areas of expertise that they subtly underscored. Every artiste sang at a different kalapramana and used different facets of their voice and musical understanding to enhance the beauty of music. Every artiste approached the same phrase of a raga differently with their own layering of aesthetics, gamaka, usage of syllables, vocalisation, style and individuality, because of which the same phrase got new colour and import when sung by different artistes.

However, when we honestly introspect and faithfully look at the approach towards music in the current scenario, the comparative styles and interpretations of artistes are not strikingly distinctive and unique. The method and approach towards the various aspects of manodharma sangita in particular, have all merged into one common design idea that is widely practiced and taught. Linear thinking and methodical interpretations have arrested the organic evolution of music. With standardisation of creative music through time-tested routes that drives popular and successful concert music, abstraction in music remains adrift. Beyond a certain threshold, it is inevitable that the music sounds mechanical and planned.

A present listener also needs to fathom that these masters gave us such wonderful music after years of musical understanding, maturity, constant assimilation and internalisation of the art. But the modern day pressures of being a successful musician, inevitably drives artistes towards making a choice driven by compulsion and competition rather than one that is motivated by the art. Do artistes cater to popular time-tested formulas or do they venture into uncharted territories like their predecessors and hope that the audience will also have an open mind like their predecessors? Is it possible to still eschew the need for reassurance and explore the musical contours without inhibitions and give us freedom of creative expression? This situation also exists, not because we lack the artistry, introspection or the intelligence today, but purely because of conscious efforts to try and recreate that wistful sound, thereby establishing a sense of familiarity with the listeners and ourselves.

Artistes equally have the responsibility to be true and honest to their own personality and try and discover the music that is solely theirs. This is a genre that provides ample scope for experimentation, and it is our duty to try and push the limits and play with the boundaries to find music that is yet to be found. With deep introspection and fresh application of intellect, the possibility to create an aesthetic understanding of our own, which does justice to the past and is true to the present, is very real. Independent music comes with time and age, but it might never surface if we as listeners and artistes narrow down expectations and confine the music within common territory. Change should to be organic and progressive, without disregarding the history and the aesthetic boundaries of an art form. Hostility to change is normal, but with time, the mind learns to appreciate and embrace the fresh and novel, thereby carving the path to a prospective future, filled with new possibilities and opportunities. Maybe with a more forward thinking attitude, music might be nostalgic, yet progressive!

Originally written as part of my column titled ‘Unheard Melodies’ for Bangalore based Performing Art Magazine – Saamagaana, The First Melody