Introduction

Indian music, along with the dance, arts, literature, and philosophical thoughts, has been closely related to the Indian religious background for a long time. Brahmanism, the religion that has played an essential role in Indian cultural development, is based on the concept of transmigration in different levels. According to this belief, everyone is supposed to have his/her own responsibility in the human world. It is only when one faithfully performs this task that he would be allowed to enter a higher status in his next birth (Powers 1980: 71).

The ancient Indian followed this concept so well that different population groups “could be accommodated together in vertical and horizontal hierarchies ” (Powers 1980: 71). Each group or caste, like every individual in this culture, has its “clearly defined obligations to society as a whole,” (Powers 1980: 71) and the membership of a group is always hereditary. This caste system has not only let different groups of Indian people exist simultaneously without losing their identity; it also functioned well with the concept of “universal Muslim brotherhood and equality before one God” when the Muslims invaded India in the 12^th century (Powers 1980: 71). Music, as mentioned earlier, influenced by the religion also reflects this caste system thoroughly.

Sociocultural View of Indian Classical Music

According to Neuman, the basic social elements in the structure of Indian classical music, whether North-Hindustani or South-Karnatak tradition, are the solo part and accompaniment part (Neuman 1977: 233). Since music is considered a “personal mode of religious expression” (Benary 1972: 43), the melodic pattern of the solo part along with the ancient sacred text has a superior position than to of the accompanist’s rhythmic or antiphonal part. Therefore, music structure itself has an obvious superordinate and subordinate relationship between the melodic and its accompaniment part.

When it comes to a performance practice, this relationship derived from the caste system is represented by the different roles that the soloist and accompanist play. In any Indian classical music performance, as what Neuman suggests, the very first sound being heard , except the drone, is always produced by the soloist. The soloist also gets to select rag, composition, tempo, and rhythmic cycle and controls the dynamics of accompanying instruments as well as the intonation and duration of accompaniment (Neuman 1977: 234). The accompanist, although allowed to decide particular rhythmic patterns when he plays by himself sometimes, has to follow the soloist most of the time either in performance or offstage.

The Succession of Indian Classical Music

This caste system does not only determine the music performance practice, it also has influenced the succession in music tradition. Although there are treaties regarding music theories and concepts, Indian classical music has mainly been transmitted orally. In order to impart the authentic music knowledge, master-disciple relationship is necessary. Solis suggests that this relationship is like “the form of a life contract” (Solis, 1970: 30). Once this musical lineage, the most essential concept in this succession system, is formed the members may become the representatives to carry on the family- profession or tradition. This is illustrated by Gharana (the Hindu word for house), “ a social unit for musical tradition” of North India (Neuman 1977: 236), which has been “responsible for the transmission of musical knowledge” (Solis 1970: 31).

Traditionally in Hindustani music, the hereditary dhrupad, the syllabic vocal form, is exclusively for members of the male lines of the seniyas or descendents, who are less willing to teach outsiders their knowledge (Solis 1970: 33). This exclusive family tradition makes the seniyas exalt themselves, and consequently, a bias toward other music profession, such as the tradition of tabla or the other accompaniment instruments appears. A lower rank of music category, Mirasis, which provides the “vast majority of sarangi and tabla players in North India” (Neuman 1977: 237) exemplifies this fact.

While the soloist is responsible for the whole music performance, the accompanist, within such a music structure, only provides some embellishment to fill in the spaces (Neuman 1977: 239). Neuman also suggests that the role of an accompanist is “interchangeable with other individuals”, and it is not a “fundamental requirement” for a performance (Neuman 1977: 239). Many offstage behaviors such as soloist’s “requesting services of the accompanist” and “walking onstage first (Neuman 1977: 238) also demonstrate this gulf between these two ranks.

The classical music in the south –Karnatak, is influenced by the caste system too. However, its succession is not as rigid as that of the Hindustani tradition. The majority of the musicians in the south, both composers and performers, belong to the Brahmins caste. The Brahmins regard music as a devotion to god. What they believe is that “it is usually the god who reaches down” to the musicians, “revealing himself through vision or miracle and instructing or inspiring the devotee to worship him” (Benary 1972: 45). Unlike the Hindustani tradition of being adhered to the Gharana, the classical music in the south is strongly “associated with temples” and “with more individualized religious devotion” (Powers 1980: 73). Therefore, the first and the most essential line to pass the music is built on the relationship between the musicians and their gods. The sishyas or disciples of the teachers then take the turn to carry on the music tradition to the others in the public.

Change

Like other individuals in different groups, these two ranks of musicians have been assigned “clearly defined obligations” (Powers 1980: 71) to serve in the society. In order to ensure that the rank system will function well, the succession of their obligations is required, and it needs to be directed in a certain way, such as employing the concept of lineage. The transmission of Indian classical music under this lineage system has preserved the great tradition for centuries. However, European and American culture in the late 19^th and 20^th centuries have influenced the way music is being transmitted.

By means of the modern media forms, Indian classical music has been spread to the public to a great extent. Concerts are held not only in different regions of India, but also in many countries around the world. The background of audience has become more diverse and due to this diversity, the function of music is not solely for the devotion to God or serving the members for higher rank or court. Instead, the virtuosity which the audience expects is the most important aspect to judge a performance.

This change of audience background breaks the line which used to separate the roles of soloist and accompanist since the rhythmic complexity of accompaniment (mridangam or tabla) has drawn more audience’s attention than before. Although this phenomenon has loosened the hierarchy system in the Indian musical society, music, as a performing art, has reached its most flourishing period.

Conclusion

The social identification in the Indian caste system has enabled groups of different origins and functions to work together as a whole society. Different religions and political powers such as the invasion of Islamic in the 12^th century and the occupation of British in the 19^th century have interrupted the native Hindu cultural development. Yet, to the Indians, the universal order reflected by the hierarchy is still a basic belief, which makes them continually live within this frame. An example of this fact, the Indian classical music shows that it has been changed, and yet, still follows the tradition to a great extent. Old tradition and new concepts co-exist in the way that different groups of people live together. This coexistence, is a “part of the amazement and fascination of India” (Reck, 1996: 256). The interaction between music and the caste system illustrates this fantastic part of Indian heritage. Whether being co-existed or deviated from each other, the great tradition of Indian music and hierarchy concepts would always be incorporated to the new culture and continue to serve the people of the world.

Bibliorgphy:

Benary, Barbara

1972 “Composers and Tradition in Karnatic Music.” Asian Music 3(2): 42-51

ML1.A834MUSIC

Neuman, Daniel

1977 “The Social Organization of a Music Tradition: Hereditary Music Specialists in North India.” Ethnomusicology 21(2): 233-245. ML1.E77MUSIC

Powers, Harold S.

1980 “India,”in Stanley Sadie (Ed.), The New Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol.9: 69-91. London: Marxist Press. ML100.N48MUSICREF

Reck, David B.

1996 “ India/South India,” in Jeff Titon (Ed.), Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World’s Peoples, pp.252-315. New York: Schirmer Books. ML3545.W67

Solis, Theodore

1970 The Sarod: Its Gt-Toda Tradition with Examples by Amir Khan and Three of His Students ,pp.30-36. MA Thesis University of Hawaii. ML 1015.S37 S6x.