Vol. 5 - Indian Classical Music - MacMate

=Causeway Performing Arts=
GCSE Music AoS 2: Shared Music (Vol. 5)
Indian Classical Music
in conjunction with www.musicdepartment.info
AREA OF STUDY 2: SHARED MUSIC - ENSEMBLES
This chapter:
Focuses on the second part of Area of Study 2 by looking at how musicians work
together in ensembles. It considers five main areas:
•
Indian classical music
•
Gamelan music
•
Baroque and Classical chamber music
•
The great choral classics
•
African a cappella singing.
Background information is given for each genre and specific works are explored.
HOW DO MUSICIANS WORK TOGETHER IN ENSEMBLES?
Ensemble musicians must work together in order to interpret the music and
perform effectively as one. They have to listen carefully to each other to make sure they:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Start together
Maintain the same tempo
Share a similar interpretation of dynamics and expression
Negotiate any changes of tempo together
Share a ‘dialogue’ with each other
Finish together.
For an ensemble it is usually essential to have many group rehearsals, to discuss the
interpretation of the music and to rehearse the pieces until they flow easily, with all parts
acting together as one. After sorting out the basics it is important to spend time on all the
subtle details, such as:
•
•
•
The articulation - for example, which notes to accent or to play staccato
Small changes in tempo - which may include pauses written in by the composer or
rubato added by the performers
The balance between the different parts - when should each musician dominate the
texture, or instead provide an accompanying role? Who should play the loudest?
prominent today despite the competition from folk and popular music.This section
Indian
music
has a history
that can
traced back
years
(to
looks atclassical
the basic
elements,
instruments
andbe
structures
thatover
make3000
up the
music,
roughly 1700 BC). It has since developed into a strong tradition that is still
prominent today despite the competition from folk and popular music.This section
INDIAN
MUSIC instruments and structures that make up the music,
looks atCLASSICAL
the basic elements,
Indian classical music usually has:
Indian classical music has a history that can be traced back over 3000 years (to roughly 1700
BC). It has since developed into a strong tradition that is still prominent today despite the
I A singlefrom
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competition
folk and
Indian
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instruments
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asup
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MELODY,
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RHYTHM
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melody line
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basic
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more complex.
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_ _ , The following
example of a raga shows how the descending notes might be
ascending
-differentones:
from the ascending ones:
Atala is a cycle of beats that forms the rhythmic basis of a piece of music. There
undredscoffedil¥erent tala patterns in Indian classical music.
,
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performers in thetala
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undredscoffedil¥erent
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in Indian
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eachthe
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theperformers
sam, showing
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usually
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performers in the ensemble usually come together on the sam, however complex
becomes more and more complex.
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beats in
tala are
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Other
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basic
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tala beats
pattern
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with
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works,
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clapping
the
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the
notes
marked
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accented
and the
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indicated
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justtala
a wave
of the
hand):
tala pattern works, try clapping the following rhythms, with the notes marked
‘x'being accented and the notes marked ‘o’ much quieter (or completely silent,
indicated with just a wave of the hand):
l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 l 0 1 l 1 Z l 3 l 4 1 5 l 6
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l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 l 0 1 l 1 Z l 3 l 4 1 5 l 6
A drone is a repeated note (or number of notes) heard constantly throughout the music. In
Indian classical music, the drone usually emphasises the most important note, or notes, in
the raga.
INSTRUMENTS
The following instruments are commonly used in Indian classical music:
•Sitar (for the melody) - a plucked string instrument with over 20
strings, although only four of them are used to play the melody, and
another two or three used to play a drone. The others vibrate in
sympathy which means they are not touched but they produce a
sound because the main strings have been plucked, creating a
distinctive shimmering sound. There are movable frets on the neck,
allowing the instrument to be tuned to the notes of the raga. The
strings are plucked with a metal plectrum in one hand, while the
other hand presses down on the strings, or pulls them to one side to
create a characteristic slide called a pitch bend. other instruments
that might perform the melody includes a sarangi - a bowed string
instrument, a bansuri - flute, and voice.
•Tanpura (for the drone) - an instrument similar to the sitar but with
only four strings, usually tuned to two different notes of the raga.
The strings are plucked repeatedly to maintain the drone.
•Tabla (for the rhythm) - a pair of small, single headed drums (one
slightly larger than the other), played with the fingers and the palm
of the hand. The drum head has a varied texture, with a black circle
in the centre of the skin made from a paste of iron filings and starch.
This adds a hard surface to the drum which allows a wide range of
sounds to be produced by the player.
In an ensemble with just three instruments,
each musician has a very obvious role: the
sitar takes the melody, the tabla the rhythm
and the tanpura the drone. By combining
these three elements, musicians were
together to create a whole piece of music.
However, each role is not completely
separate or clearly defined, and this
overlap allows the musicians to enter into a
dialogue with each other. For example, a
tabla player can change the way he strikes
the drum to create different pitches, which
means that he can imitate the melody
played on the sitar. In contrast, the sitar
player might choose to imitate the rhythms
played on the tabla.
The musicians sit cross-legged on the floor, and often facing towards each other. Musicians
learn and perform Indian classical music without notation, which makes it easier for them to
interact with each other in performances. With experience, the players develop an
understanding of the basic ingredients of the music and learn to improvise accordingly,
responding to each other's ideas and energy.
STRUCTURE
A typical raga performance is usually into four sections with the entire performance lasting
anything from 30 minutes to many hours:
Opening section
The raga scale is introduced by the sitar or melody instruments, followed by some simple
improvisation. The tabla player is silent during this section, allowing the sitar player to explore
the raga scale in a free rhythm, without being constrained by the rhythmic accompaniment.
The tempo is slow and there is no regular beat. The sitar melody is accompanied by the
drone.
Middle sections
The pace gradually increases and there is a greater sense of the metre. There is more
elaborate improvisation and ornamentation of the raga.
Final section
The tabla player enters and gives a rhythmic structure to the music. This section is based on
a fixed composition. Towards the end the music becomes very fast, with complex rhythmic
and melodic ideas. The sitar and tabla player usually have an energetic dialogue that
involves question and answer phrasing and imitation.
PERFORMERS
Two of the most internationally famous performers of Indian Classical Music are:
•
•
Ravi Shankar - a sitar player who influenced many different performers, including
George Harrison from The Beatles and western violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
Alla Rakha - a tabla player whose technique amazed the famous American jazz
drummer Buddy Rich.
Shankar and Rakha often performed together. The fact that they came from different religions
(Shankar was a Hindu and my Rakha a Muslim) made the musical collaboration all the more
significant. Their obvious rapport, developed through the highly imitative musical dialogue,
became so impressive that they toured the world with their music from many years.
Listen to the following performances by Ravi
Shankar aaa Alla Rake on YouTube:
Ravi Shankar, AIla Rakha - Tabla Solo in
Jhaptal. At the start of this video clip Ravi
Shankar explains what a tala is and Alla Rakha
introduces a few basic sounds on the tabla. Alla
Rakha then performs a tabla solo, based on a
basic 10 - beat tala (2 beats, 3 beats, 2 beats, 3
beats), which Ravi Shankar claps throughout.
Alla Rakha improvises more and more complex
rhythms as the piece progresses. Notice how the
two musicians watch each other throughout most
of the performance.
Ravi Shankar, AIla Rakha - Rag Charukeshi.
Firstly, the raga is explored slowly with a free
rhythm. Notice the added ornamentation and
how some of the pitches are bent by pulling the
strings sideways.The sympathetic strings on the
sitar add to the background drone created by the
tanpura. After the introduction the tabla enters
with the tala, giving structure and regularity to
the rhythm. Gradually the sitar part becomes more rhythmic as well. Observe how the two
players are obviously listening to and watching each other throughout the performance,
responding to each other’s improvisations.
Performing Ideas
Using Indian classical instruments or suitable western alternatives create an ensemble
in which you:
•
•
•
explore the melodic possibilities of the basic raga
explore the rhythmic possibilities of the basic Tama
add a drone.
Because Indian classical music is largely improvised, there are many ways in which you
could combine Indian instruments with jazz instruments to create a fusion of styles. Try
to include the following as the music progresses:
•
•
•
•
•
•
A relaxed feel between the performers, which allows the music to develop in an
unhurried way
imaginative improvisation
a controlled increase in tempo
rhythmic drive, adding excitement to the music
an increasing complexity of melody and rhythm
communication and dialogue between the performers.
Listening Ideas
Listen to and compare as much Indian classical music as you can. You can access
many examples of music via YouTube by simply typing Indian classical music into the
search box. Think about and discuss following points
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
meter and tempo - when does the music settle down into a regular meter? Does
the tempo increase throughout the performance?
Melody - how is the melody developed out of the basic raga?
Rhythm - can you work out how long the tala is, and how it is improvised?
Instrumentation - what instruments are being played?
Texture - does the texture become more complex as the peace progresses?
Stylistic features - can you hear any examples of slides or pitch bends?
Structure - if the piece follows the typical structure given above can you work out
where it moves from one section to the next?
Test yourself
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is a raga?
What is the basic rhythm pattern called in Indian Classical Music?
Name the instrument used for:
•
the melody,
•
the rhythm
•
the drone.
How do musicians work together in Indian Classical Music?