Vedic Orgins of Classical Music

CHENNAI: We are aware there is no aspect of life where  music cannot play its role.  The soothening of nerves and calming of the mind the music brings about are marvelous. Through a combination of swaras, we can create ragas which have the capacity to call upon the forces of nature such as the rain, fire etc.

The study of the Indian music has its own practical lessons for our daily life. In childhood, learning music helps one to develop a rhythm and order in his or her daily activities. Through upasana of naada, he or she catches the glimpses of the unity in diversity. Indian music was divided into two systems — northern Hindustani and southern Carnatic. We have in our mind both the systems of music, though they differ, fundamentally in their forms, structures and methods of application. Both of them stem from the same source and are governed by the same laws of music, so much so, that their differences can characterised  as ‘dialectical’.

When we turn to the musical trinity of the south — Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Syama Sastry —  one can see that they did not keep themselves aloof from Hindustani schools of music treating the north and south, as distinct watertight, compartments. Thyagaraja composed his song ‘Samaja vara / gamana’ in the raga ‘Indolam’ according to the swara prasathara then in vogue in the Carnatic school. Sometime later, Dikshitar noticing during his visit to Banaras, a different type of swara manipulation in the handling of ‘malkus’ which is akin to ‘Indolam’. Attracted by deft handling of the new combination of swaras, Dikshitar incorporated it in his ‘Neera jakshi Kamakshi’, a kriti in ‘Indolam’ composed by him. This was emulated by Thagaraja in his kriti ‘Manasulonima’.

While the delineation of Carnatic tunes and the rendering of kritis was marked by contiguous notes and brisk moments, the adumbration of Hindustani ragas is characterised by elongated notes with typical guides and graces and the gradual working of the tempo, somewhat resonant like the Vedas from which music has been derived.