A young, musically talented nephew of mine, raised a question: Why is it that Indian classical music did not explore harmony like Western music did? Even when they encountered new European instruments like harmonium and violin, the Indians made it an accompaniment to individual, vocal renderings rather than use it for exploring harmony, he observed. As far as he was concerned, moving from monophony to harmony and polyphony was a natural progression in the evolution of music. And here, according to him, Indian music had failed miserably.
The recognition of the absence of harmony in Indian classical music and the evaluation of this absence as a ‘lack’ is not new. The absence of harmony in Indian classical music has been noted from the beginning of colonial encounter by Orientalists on Indian music. One of the firsts to note that the Hindus were ignorant of the concept of harmony in music which was the hallmark of Western music was William Jones in the late 18th century. Often absence of harmony was also taken to be evidence of superiority of Western music over Indian. Subsequently, such views were reinforced by Weber and other Orientalists as well. The absence of harmony in Indian music was seen as a sign of its lack of refinement.
Today, no one would characterize Indian classical music as “unrefined” or ‘unsophisticated’, as the Orientalists tended to. Everybody recognizes the beauty and the complexity of the art and the years of discipline it takes to learn it. How then do we understand the difference between Indian classical music and Western classical music?
Perhaps, the distinction we need to focus on is harmony versus raga music, both of which are intense explorations of different kinds but both equally complex and equally exhilarating to those initiated into the art forms. While harmony is polyphonous, exploring several tones at different levels simultaneously, raga music, peculiar to our culture, is often an individual exploration of swaras, the distance between them, the microtones within a swara and the arrangement of swaras in a particular pattern. However, the abstract concept of raga is always more than just a mere arrangement of swaras, as any practitioners knows.
This reminds me of the discussion between harmonic supremacy versus melodic supremacy that took place in the middle of the 18th century Europe. The composer Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), the most well-known music scholar of the times, had singled out harmony to be essential and natural to musical expression while Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) held onto the significance and centrality of melody to music. What began as Rousseau’s strong criticism of the French Opera and the preponderance of harmony in it and Rameau’ defense of it would become one of the most significant debates on music in Europe, with Rousseau favoring the melody-based aesthetics of Italian opera. A philosophical inquiry into the nature of music, the debate raised several issues of significance which continue to be discussed till today.
Is the distinction between harmony versus raga music of a similar kind? Raga can be seen as belonging to the realm of melody, involving a succession or an arrangement of single tones. However, the distinction would not capture the complex nature of what a raga is. Raga is a fairly abstract form of musical elaboration and exploration at several levels that results in an experience to be savoured. Raga-bhava-rasa-anubhava is the phrase through which the experience of appreciating a raga is captured in these parts of the world and it takes years for a student of Indian classical music to master a raga and in fact, even a swara in all its oscillatory and expressive states and shapes. One could see raga as a melodic framework within which all improvisation takes place and the abstract alapana, rendered uniquely by every artist, is its lifeblood.
Our film music, particularly the music of Ilayaraja and A. R. Rahman, is one of the few sites where we have seen some fascinating experiments with the two – harmony and melody. It has been successful in seamlessly merging harmony within the larger melodic grammar that is characteristic of Indian Classical music, producing some noteworthy music. So rather than hold one form as superior or inferior, the better way would be to understand the two forms of music as distinct in their own right, both an important part of world inheritance and also attend to the fusion of the two in certain musical experiments. This would help us understand how cultures interact in the domain of music.
Why did we develop two different approaches to music? Why did the West give rise to harmony and India to raga music where the exploration of a raga was inseparable from individual Saadhana? That for another time!
Provoking question by your nephew, Shashi. It pushes us to understand cultural differences in comparable creative works.
For me as you point out, both traditions are rich and complex and have their own aesthetic values. Therefore, comparisons should not be for the sake of determining which is superior but to appreciate the difference and distinctness of forms. For example, I tend to think of the texture of compositions when it comes to harmony while I think of patterns and frameworks in the context of raaga explorations.
I am intrigued too with your question on why the difference in approach to music, what was the emphasis in West versus India and then what of classical music in other cultures.
Well analysed Shashi.
Western (classical) music started from the churches, which did not have harmony, that is known as Gregorian music. The chords that make up most of the harmony part started much later.
There was something known as Kutapa in Indian classical music that can be translated to as Orchestra. In fact Bharata, in his Natya shastra, says where are the exact positions of wind instruments, string instruments and so on to be situated on the stage and Harmony being an integral part of any Orchestra. I would say that Indian classical music of course had harmony and maybe due to the musicians’ dearth or people’s need and situation eradicated harmony in Indian classical music. Having said this I enjoy thoroughly the harmonic aspect in western music and do feel that Indian music should revive its harmonic aspects .