Monday 30 July 2012

For the Love of Music


In this monotonous & fast world, few things bring happiness into the, otherwise, mundane life. Music is one such thing. Friedrich Nietzsche in Twilight of the Idols wrote “Without music, life would be a mistake.”
   Wikipedia defines music thus:
      “Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses").”

Music is a universal language & everybody relates to it. Though interests & choices vary, all human beings enjoy music.

My rendezvous with music began thirty years back when I started learning Indian Classical music. Though not very keen at that age, I was compulsorily asked to attend the classes. Here I would like to mention that majority of my clan (my grandparents, father, mother, aunt & cousins) could sing which made music classes more demanding as the need to excel was challenging for me. As I grew older, my fascination towards music grew with me. I became an avid listener, thanks to my grandfather, who had an awesome collection of records.

I was introduced to the likes of Lata Mangheskar, Mohd Rafi, Kishore Kumar through his records. The thirst towards music was immense & I started savoring the music of Maestro Illayaraaja at this stage. I grew & my world sprouted, matured, and flourished listening to his music.

His music was my consort & has travelled with me through my good and bad times. All emotions, ranging from elation to despair, pride to humility was related with his music.

I also learnt to appreciate the nuances of classical music during this period. The search for soulful music introduced me to the melodies of Bombay Jayashree & Unnikrishnan(not many people would agree with my choices but I have always found solace in their music).

However, as a music lover I have not been able to relate to Western Music. Some of them have indeed captivated me but the majority I failed to understand. Is it my ignorance or my refusal to embrace anything other than Indian music?

The music that we listen to now has evolved through lot of revolutions & innovations. It is the new voice of music. Though the changes have been impressive & remarkable, I fail to comprehend them & my heart still yearns for “Illayaraaja”.

Certain new musicians do create magic but it fails to stand the test of time. Among the recent musicians A.R. Rehman & Vidyasagar have enthralled their fans with their music. The former of the two has indeed revolutionized music & made the country proud with his achievements.

Since my childhood days I have been accustomed to a particular kind of music which has filled each cell of my body & I cannot distil the same from my blood.

By writing this I do not wish to glorify a particular artiste or demean another. It is just an opinion which I wanted to share. Music is still my companion & has helped me to overcome stress & eased my mind.

I would like to conclude by quoting Shakespeare:

"The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils."

2 comments:

  1. yes,music is a good medicine for stress and worries;rightly said.
    great going!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The author has falied to mention the music escapedes of her maternal uncle! Nevertheless, she deserves kudos for this article

    ReplyDelete