Table Of ContentSangeet
Nalak
VOLUMEXXXIX. NUMBER 2, 2005
3
The Hi_d.stui Music: Mukd Today:
Tne Road Alliead ror the Mush:-maker
DEEPAKS. RAJA
19
HindustaoiMusic andTwoIdiomsof
Aesthetic Concern
S.K.SAXENA
30
Suresbbabu Through the
Notes ofYamao
PRABHAATRRE
39
The Boodhi-lilaor Bra]:
Its BackgroundandPresentPerformance
CHHEDlLAL KANSYAKAR
47
DrumsofJodia:
An Etbnomusicological Perspective
ASHOK DRANADE
58
Book Review
Tabla vadan-kataourShastra by Sudhir Mainkar
S.K.SAXE1'lA
62
Recut AcquisitiODI
65
Select Periodical Llteraeere
66
A Re.du·s Rrspoau
Front cover: Radha. Krishna. and gOp;:J indie
castof Bocdhi-lila, withthe organizer ofthelila,
Brajabhushan (seated extreme left).
Badcover: Mansukh. Krishna's friend, inthe
Cbutia-bandhan episode ofthe Boodhi-lila,All
three photographs of Boodhi-lila publi:Jh,dilJ
rhis iuru are by courtesy ofChh~dilaJ
Kansyacar:
SDngttlNal4A isajournalof music,dance.and CONTRIBUTORS
drama published since 1965bySangeet Natale
Akademi-tbe National Academy ofMusic. Dance DeepekS. Raja is aSilarandSurbatwplayer,
and Drama for India. andequally a writeron music.Hindustonl
Mwic:ATradition inTraroi,ion ishisfmt
All writings.illustrations, andphotographs published book.Heiscurrentlybasedin NewDelhi,where
inSangeetNatak are protected by copyright. and can he isSecretary General oftheIndianNewspaper
bereproducedonly with the publisher's permission. Society.email: [email protected]
The opinions expressed in thejournal belong to the
S.K..Saxena isaphilosopherof arteswell as
writers.and do not necessarily reflect the policies of
criticofHindustani music and Kathakdance.
SangeerNatal Akademi.
Hindustani Music andAesthetics Today:A
Se1ectiv, Studyis his next publication.Helives
Contributions offered for publication may besent 10
inDelhi.andhas been nominated fortheSangeet
theeditorbypostore-mail (sangeetnatakwbol.aet.ln).
NetaxAkademiAward.email: [email protected]
Apart from thisjournal. Sangeet Narak Akedemi PrabhaAtrre isa performer and teacher of
publishes bookson Indian music. dance, and drama On Hindustani vocal music.She has headedthe
a smaJlscale.Enquiriesandorders may beaddressed 10 Department of Music in Mumbai's SNDT
the editor. Women's University, and writes on musk in
t"!
both Marathland English. £nlighuning
Annual subscription in India:individuals Rs50. Listener(2001) isher last published book 10
institutionsllibraries Rs75(Rs30extra for registered English. email: [email protected]
mail);single issue: individuals RslS.institutions!
libraries Rs25.Annual overseas subscription: U.S.S Cbbedilal KansJakar is a teacher of Hindi
15($ 10extra forairmail);singleissueS5.Cheques literature. He is currently Readerin the
draftszpostalorders covering subscription should be SachchidanandaSinha Mahavidyalaya in
payable to Secretary.Sangeet NatalAbderrti.New Aurangabad. Bihar.
Delhi. Bankcharges shouldbeaddedto OUtslatl·on Kumkom Lal is a performer and teacher of
i:htqut':J. Monty orders may plto"u b, avoided. Odissi dance who since the 19705had been
closely associated withher late guru
Publisher: Secretary. Sangeet NatalAkadc:mi.
KelucbaranMohapatra.She has alsobeen aD
Rabindra Bhavan, Feroze Shah Road. New Delhi
active stage actress in Delhi.and hastaught .
110001. English in colleges in the UniversitYof oelhi.
email: esbokumkumwyahoc-co-ln
Typesetting: G.Subramanian
A~bok D. Ranade is a historian ofmusic and
Prfnl~ at: Nutecb Photolithographers. Dk..hla an ethnornusicologist. He has written00 Slag.e
Industrial Estate, Phase-I, New Delhi. music in Maharashtra, interpreted keywords10
Indian music, anddiscussed inhisessays
varices topics at lhe cutting edge ofmusical
studiesin India. He lives in Mumbai.
email : [email protected]
The Hindustani Music Market Today:
The Road Ahead for the Music-maker*
DEEPAK S. RAJA
POPUlJSMANI>RIVALFORCES
Populism has beenthemost widelynoticedtendencyinpost-IndependenceHindustani
music. While it has, without doubt, shaped the musicscape in the latter halfof the
twentiethcentury,ithasalsoacquiredrivals.AnditistheserivalswhicharedrivingHindustani
musicintothetwenty-firstcentury.Populism,by itsvery nature,iseasilyunderstood.The
operationofitsrivalsis,however,relativelyopaque.It isthereforenecessarytoexamine
populismalongwithitsrivals,sothatwemayacquireaclearerpictureofthedirectionthat
Hindustanimusicistaking.
IndependenceimposedamajordiscontinuityonHindustanimusic.Thedisappearanceof
feudal patronage exposed it to market forces, and converted something that provided a
securewayoflifeforthetrulygreatintoahigh-riskself-employedprofessionforall
As a result, classical music suffered a depletion oftalent, along with a dccay in the
processofgroomingthe subsequentgenerationsinto the art.Thegreat music disappeared
along with the giants ofthe early twentieth century.As a legacy,what most ofthem left
behindWasnot muchmorethanthebonsaiofabanyantree-s-veryfewcompetentdisciples,
andcommercialrecordings,mostlyofthree-minuteduration.
TechnologicaladvancesSOOnenabledthecreationofamassmarketforartmusic.Byrbis
time,however,therewereneitherenoughmusicianswithstrongmooringsinthetradition,
noraudienceswithawell-definedyardstickforjudgingwhatwas beingdishedouttothem,
theseforcesgaverisetostrongpopulisttendenciesinHindustanimusic.Thesetenden
cieshave,inturn,triggeredoffaconservationistreaction.whichinsistsonthesanctityof
thedividinglinebetweenartandentertainment.Inthefortificationoflhisbarrier,theconser
vationists have found an ally amongst Hindustani music enthusiasts and scholars in the
U.S.andWesternEurope.
Hindustanimusicisnow setonapathofirreversibleglobalization,whichhasraisedfears
ofits 'de-culturation.'TheIndianaesthetemustnowcome toterms withthisnewreality.
TheEmergenceofaMarket
By the mid-1970s, mostofthe towering musicians ofthe twentiethcenturyhaddeparted.
·ElI.~tedwithkifJd pennissioooftheauthorfromhisbook HinduJtani.Music:ATraditionInTransit;on,
published byD.K. Printwortd,NewDelhi,earlierthisyear(pp.432,po« Rs 850 bardback..~ Rs490
paperback),TheexcerptisfromPartIofthe book. titled'Culture,Tet;hoologyandEconomiC!' fpp.25
83).It bas beenedited minimally inaccordancewithbousestyle. andgivenanewhtle-Ed.
SallgutNotok Vol.XXXIX,No.2, 2005
OEEPAK S.RAJA
4
Musicianswithinadequategroominginthemusicofthegreatgharanas invadedthestage.
Fromthenon,musicianshavebeenmarketingtheirrespectivebrandsofmusicinacompeti
tive,multi-mediaenvironment Thefinancialrewardsofacareer inmusicexperienceda
significant boostwben, inthe mid-1960s and 1970s, Europe and the U.S. openedupin
responsetopioneeringeffortsbysomeoflndia'sgreatestmusicians.
Thepost-IndependenceHindustanimusiciannowaddresses an internationalmarketof
considerablesizeanddiversity.Today'smarketforclassicalmusicconsistsof80percent
'innocenti',andonly20percentcognoscenti.Therewardsofaddressingonlythecognosceoti
arenowbeyondthereachofmostmusicians,whiletheriskofignoringtheinnocentibas
becomeunaffordable.Hindustanimusicnowfindsitprofitable10address thelowestcom
moodenominatorbykeepingitselfaccessible,intellectuallyundemanding,andfamiliar.This
realitydefmescontemporaryclassicalmusicmorecomprehensivelythanmostprofessiooal
musicianswillcaretoadmit.
DimensionsofPopulism
Fortheuninitiated,instrumentalmusiciseasiertohandlethanvocal musicbecauseaudi
encesarenotrequiredtocometotermswiththequality ofthe voice deliveringit,orto
grapplewiththepoeticelement.Inthe 1960sand 1970s,the formidable musicianshipof
UstadBismillahKhan,PanditPannaIaIGhosh,UstadVilayatKhan,PanditRaviShankar,aod
UstadAliAkbarKhanovertookthegiantsamongsttheirvocalistcontemporariesintermsof
popularity.Inthe1980sand19905,PanditShivkwnarSharma,PanditHariPrasadChaurasia,
PanditBrijbhushan Kabra,andUstad Zakir Hussain consolidated this trend.Thisisre
flectedinthegrowingdisparitybetweentheconcertfeesoftheleadingvocalistsandinstru
mentalistsofcomparablestature,
Thedeclineofvocalmusicthreatensnotonlyvocalmusic,butallofclassicalmusic.This
hastobesobecausevocalmusicistheprincipaloriginatorofallmusicalideas,andalsoits
mostauthenticexponent. Whentheoriginatorand themost authentic exponentceasesto
attractthe besttalent,theart-formriskslosingitsabilityforself-generatinggrowth.
Partlybecauseoftheascendancyofinstrumentalmusicovervocalmusic,classicalmusic
isalsoundergoingamelodicsimplification.Thistrendalso permitswider reachtoamore
diverseandlessdiscerningaudienceprofile.Fewerandfewerragasarenowheard--fromall
musicianscollectively,andevenfromeachmusicianindividually.Eveninthepresentatiooof
commonorpopularragas,thereisatendencytosimplify,compress,ortruncatetheformof
thetraditional,andoftencomplex,compositions.Theprinciplesofsystematicandcompre
hensiveragaexpositionhavealsobeenthrowntothewinds.
Thesameshrinkageofvarietyandrichnessisdiscernible inthe choiceoftalas.Ektola
and tintalanowdominatevocalmusic.Thebada [slowtempo)khayalsinjhumra,tilvaJa.
rupakaandjhaptalaarethreatenedbyextinction.Ininstrumental music,thevarietymaybe
alinlericher.However,theretoo,dhamar,chautala,andektalahavevirtuallydisaPpeared
fromtheconcertplatform.TheenigmaticadochautalaisnowararityininstrumentalaswtU
asvocalrenditions.
THE HINDUSTANI MUSICMARKETTODAY 5
Thegallopingpopulism of classical musicisevidentalso inthe changingroleofthe
percussionaccompanist.Heisnolongerinasupportiveroletotheprocessofmusic-making.
Undertheguiseofsecuringfull-fledgedparticipationintheprocess,heexpectsthefreedom
tointrudeuponittojustifyhispresence.Itisinthenatureofrhythmtotitillateandbenumb
themind.Rhythmbinds;melodyliberates.MusicologistDrAshokRanadehasoftenargued
thatifthiswerenottrue,whywouldmartialanddiscomusicbeheavyonrhythmandflimsy
onmelodicandpoeticcontent?
Itwouldbedifficultforanyonetoarguethatthenewcelebritystatusfortablaplayersis
basedonasuperiorpublicunderstandingoftheintricaciesofthetablaidiom.Ifthiswereso,
itwouldhaveshapedasubstantialmarketfortablasolos.Infact,justthereverseistrue.In
the 1940sand 1950s,tablaexponentslikeUstadAbmedjanThirakwaandUstadAmeer
HussainKhancouldmakealivingprimarilyassoloistsandteachers.Suchcareersarevirtu
allyinconceivabletoday.Withnodemandforthecomprehensiveartofthepercussionist,it
couldperishatthealtarofaudiencetitillation.
Musiciansandtheirpercussionistsarefmdingitprofitabletoengageinamusicalstrip
tease. unashamedly orgasmic in itsaesthetic intent. Instrumentalists-more than vocal
ists-are nowexploiting the undiscerningmajorityofaudiencesbysellingRollsRoyce
bodies,fittedwithVolkswagenengines.Musicfitfordiscosnowseekstherespectabilityof
theclassicalplatform,andgetsit.
Ragapresentationsnowhabituallyacceleratetoatempoatwhichneitherthemelodic
contours oftheraga,northeaccentual structure of thetala,canretain their respective
distinctivecharacters.Crossingthelimitsofaculturallydefmedmusicalitynowmeritshand
somerewards interms ofthunderous applauseandconcertengagements.
TheHindustanimusic scene ishurtlingtowardsthe familiar, thepredictable, andthe
titillating.Thecontentofmusicisfastfallingpreytothemachinationsofexpression.Agreat
dealofclassicalmusicnowchallengesthedividinglinebetweenartandentertainment.
TheConservationist Reaction
Likeallsocio-culturaltrends,thesetrendstoohavetriggeredoff'thcirowncorrectivemecha
nism.Thetusslebetweenpopulismandconservationismhascommenced.
Thepopulistsarguethatculturalchangeisaninevitableresponsetochangingaudience
profilesandaestheticvalues.It is,therefore,futiletoquestionitsvalidity. Inthepresent
context,conservationismhastobedistinguishedfromconservatism.Conservationismdoes
notresistchangeperse andisnot,therefore,reactionaryinitsinclinations.Theconserva
tionistscontendthatallchangeisanswerabletoayardstickof'propriety'; andthetestof
proprietyneitherbegins,norends,withpublicacceptability.Thenotionofpropriety,accord
ingto them, is founded on a society's concernfor orderlyandevolutionary change.It
assumesadiscerniblelinkofcontinuitybetweenthepast,thepresent,andthefuture.They
seetheir taskas one ofrestoring the quality-controlmechanismwhichhasbeengreatly
corrodedinrecentyears,ofgivingtheperformingartthebenefitofthescholarshipthatled
tothetwentieth-centuryrenaissanceinHindustani music,andofprotectingthetradition
6 DEEPAK S.RAJA
againsttheconsequences ofdiscontinuity.
Attemptsatre-injecting continuityinto thecultural process haveto contendwith the
absenceoftheearly-twentieth-centurygiantsgroomedundercondition~whicharenow,in
retrospect,regardedasideal.The near-impossibilityofreviving the traditionalsystemof
hereditarymusicianshipand highlypersonalized tutelage isalso afait accompli.Despite
theselimitations,theSangeetResearchAcademy(SRA)inKolkatahasproventhepossibil
ityofcreatinganenvironment conducivetotheperpetuation ofdistinctivestylistictradi
tions eveninanenvironment unfriendly to the forces ofcontinuity.Anothersignificant
experiment waslaunched in the early 1980s, when theGovernment ofMadhyaPradesh
sponsored the Dhrupad Kendra at Bhopal to revive the medieval genre threatenedwith
extinction.Thisinstitutionhasbynowproducedqualitymusicianshipinsignificantnum
bers,andhelpeddhrupadtoreturntothemainstreamconcertplatform.
Thereare,indeed,divergentopinionsabouttheSRAandtheDhrupadKendraasmodels
forbuildinginstitutionsfnrreplacingthetraditionalpedagogicalmodel.However,thesuc
cessoftheseinstitutions- whateverthe magnitude-hasstimulateddiscussionamongst
musicians,musicologists,andscholarsonthewholeissue.Thisisasignificantdevelopment
inthefieldofartmusic.
Anotherimportantphenomenonistherecedingfamineofconcert-lengthrecordingsof
thegreatmasters.Therestorationofold,poor-qualityrecordingshasnowbecomefeasible
andeconomical. Pricelessoldmusicisnow hitting themarket onasignificantscale.Its
popularityisencouragingrecordingcompaniestopursuethissegmentmoreavidly.
Individual as well as institutional archivists, who have hitherto been possessiveand
secretiveabout theircollections,nowrealizethattheirtreasures willhavenoaestheticor
commercial valueasSOonasthe present fifty-plus generationoflistenersdeparts. They
haveverylirtletimeinwhichtogetanykindofpricefortheirlaboursofpreservation.This
realizationispersuadingthemtosurrendertheirgemstotherecordingcompaniesforcom
mercialization.Thesearchivescanserveasasubstitute,howeverlimited,forqualitytraining.
whichhasall butdisappeared. Moresignificantly,contemporary music can nowbeheld
answerabletoademandingyardstickofmusicianship,whichrefusestogoaway.
Archives,asrestorersofcontinuity,have often been pooh-poohed on the pretextthat
thereISnosuchthingastimelessmusic;andtherefore,itisimpossibletorespondmeaning
fullyto music, especially artmusic. fromasubstantialdistance intime.This argument.
however,underestimatesthehighlycreativeandcomplexprocessby whichtheenquiring
musicalmindabsorbsandutilizesoldideastogeneratenewones.
. Theeducationofaudiencesisgainingmomentum.Inthisendeavour,culturalorganiza~
nonsareincreasinglyholdingpublicseminars,lecture-demonstrations,music-appreciation
c~urses,andworkshopsatdifferentlevelsofsophistication.Theseareattractingaprogres~
sivelylargernumberofpanicipants.
co~servationist
The movementisnowshowingsignsofbecominggalvanized.Thisphe·
nomenonISbestreflectedintheactivitiesofTheMusicforum,aninformalbodyrepresent-
THE HINDUSTANI MUSIC MARKET TODAY 7
ingallthesignificantsegmentsoftheclassicalmusiccommunityinthemajorcities.The
movementwaslaunchedinMumbaiattheinitiativeofthescholar-musicianArvindParikh,
andShantaGokhale,[formerly]theArtsEditorofTImesofIndia,withtheobjectiveofcreat
ingahealthierclimatefortheevolutionofclassicalmusicinthecity. TheMusic Forum
movementhasnow spreadtoKolkata,Chennai,andDelhi,andcould,oneday,becomea
formidablevoiceofsanityintheclassicalmusicworld.
Despite isolated success stories, the magnitude ofthis endeavourmay notbe able to
keeppacewiththegrowthoftheaudiencepopulationandthedilutionofaudiencediscern
ment.Thesheermagnitudeofthetaskissufficienttocondemniliafailure.
TheUnlikel)'AI~v
The conservationists at home have, in recent years,forged an interesting alliance with
HindustanimusicenthusiastsintheU.S.andEurope.TheWesternmarketforIndianclassi
calmusic mightstillbe numerically small.But, ithasaconsiderablepresenceofserious
scholars within it,andeven theJess initiated members approachHindustani music with
respectfortheseriousnessofitsmusicmakingprocess.Thissensibilityisabletoexpress
itself-tosome extent-in theirpreferences,becausethesizeofthepopulaceinvolvedin
Hindustanimusicisnotlargeenoughtotriggeroffthedynamicsoramarket.Ifthereisno
'market',thereisnoincentivefortheproducttopandertothelowestcommondenominator.
Insuchanenvironment,arthasabetterchance'ofremainingtruetoitsideals.
Inthiscontext,theIndianMusic&TheWestSeminarheldinMumbaiin1996wasavery
significantevent.OverthirtyWesternscholarsandmusicianspresentedpapersandperfor
mances. The understanding and respectthey exhibitedfortheessentialsof Hindustani
musiccouldhaveembarrassedmanyanIndianmusicianandscholar.
ThesuperiorityofWestem scholarshipsurprisesnobody.Therealsurpriseisthecred
iblechallengeposedtoIndianmusiciansbyWesternperformers.Severalforeignperformers
ofHindustanimusicaresteadilybecominghouseholdnamesamongstIndianconnoisseurs,
especially the Swiss sarodist Ken Zuckerman, theAmericanflutistSteveGom, and rhe
ItaIiandhrupadvocalistAmeliaCuni.
ThetrackrecordoftheinternationalrecordingcompaniesinproducingHindustanimusic
isevenbetter.TheRotterdamConservatoryofMusicresearchedanauthoritativecontempo
raryanthologyofragas,andNimhus,aBritishlabel,publishedit.NavrasRecords,theleader
intheHindustanirecordingsmarket,isaBritishcompany,thoughownedbyNon-Resident
Indians.IndiaArchiveMusicLtdandRagaRecordsInc(bothinNewYork),ChhandaDhara
ofStuttgan (Germany), and Makar Records(France)haveemergedasseriousspecialist
producersofHindustanimusic.Someofthesecompanieshavevirtuallynodistributionm
theIndianmarket.Despitethesmallsizeofthemarkettheyservice-theU.S.,andWestern
Europe-theirstandards,acrosstheboard,canmakeIndianrecordingcompaniesblushin
embarrassment.
Indop~i~emo~·ement.
However.thesearedevelopmentsatthemostseriousendofthe in
theu.S.andEurope.Qualitatively,whattheWestern'market'forHindustanimusiccontnb-
8 DEEPAKS. RAJA
utes byitsseriousness islargely setoffbythe undeveloped state ofdiscernmentamongst
audiences,andtheisolation ofthemusic fromculturalmeaning. Itis,nodoubt,significant
thatthecommitmentofsomedevelopedcountriestoaseriousmulticulturalismshouldpro
vide astrongimpetus tothe sustenanceand growth of Hindustani music. John Naisbitt's
"GlobalParadox"iswith usalready.But,itisnotclearwhetherthis representsutopia.
India,anuncompetitiveexporterofmosttangibleproducts,nowtakesprideinthesuc
cessful andprofitableglobalizationofitsclassical music. Thispride istingedwithanxiety
about the paradox inherent in the situation. Hindustani music. as we understandit,isun
likely tosurvive withoutceasingto belongexclusively to the people ofHindustan. Ithas
becomedependentontheWestfor economicsustenance. discerningaudiences,andschol
arlyinputs.
A significantmanifestationofthis phenomenon is the numberofbrilliantyoung musi
cians whohave becomesobusy and successful inUSA and Europe that theyhave neither
thetime.northeeconomicnecessitytocultivateIndianaudiencesfortheirart.Isolatedfrom
anactiveengagementwiththeculturalmeaningoftheirmusic,manyofthemareevolvinga
musical idiomthatrecallsthesigns outsidemany establishmentsduringthe colonial era
"Forwhitesonly: Indians and dogs notallowed."
Under thesecircumstances. the anxietyabout the 'de-culturation' ofHindustani music
wouldbenatural and.manybelieve.legitimate.But. ifthis process isirreversible.itreally
doesnot matter whetherthese concerns are legitimate or not. How, then, musttheIndian
aesthetecometotermswiththisreality?
Responsiblemusicologists often citethe example ofWestern classical music, whichis
tendingtostagnateandbecome excessivelyintelIectualbecauseithas remainedinsularand
parochial.Againstthisbackdrop,theyseetheglobalizationofHindustanimusicasasignof
itsvitality,andaguaranteeofitssurvival.This view appearstohavethesupportofhistory.
Hindustani music survivedthesecondmillenniumbecause itadapted itselfto thetastesof
itsnewpatrons fromtheMiddle East,byassimilatingPerso-Arabicinfluences.
Itisinevitablethateconomicswindrivethecontentandform ofHindustanimusic.asof
everyotheraspectofasociety'sartistic expression.Economically,HindustanimusicisnOW
beingdrivenbypopulismathome,andelitismabroad. Inboththese tendencies,theperform
ingarenaallowsthemusictoevolve freefromaccountabilitytotheIndianconnoisseur.who
constitutes the principal element ofthe qualiry-control mechanism in Hindustani music.
Comparedtothefinancial muscleoftheaudiencesthat sustain Hindustani music.thesalu
tary presence ofthe conservationistforces athome will remain too miniscule. feeble. and
disorganizedtoinfluenceHindustanimusic inasubstantivemanner.
Ofthetwodiversionaryforces.globalismisperhapsthemoreinsidiousbecauseitwields
greaterfinancial cloutandisalsopregnantwith a'de-culturation'ofHindustanimusic.The
irnp~ndi~gdi~orc~
ofmusic from cultural meaning. and the burgeoningpresenceofalien
mU~lcalldeas
mHmdustanimusic arealmostaforegoneconclusion. Ifthis is thecase.the
Indian aesthete shouldderive some satisfaction from the fact that,in India as well asthe
THEHINDUSTANI " usle MARKET TODAY 9
Westernmarkets,thereexistsaseriousconservationistforce,howeversmall,tosetoffalarm
signals,howeverinaudible,whenwarranted.
An enlightened viewofthescenarioshouldcertainlylamentthatthegreatgharanasof
Hindustanimusichavenowmergedintothe'cocktailgharana',But,thisviewshouldalso
permitprideintheemergenceofa'Rotterdamgharana',anda'SanRafael-Seniyagharana',
whosecommitmenttoexcellencemightrevitalizeI£industanimusic,evenifitdoessoinways
wecannotforesee,andinwayssomemaynotreadilyapprove.
"liAr
IFPf.A1II1JTSIS YOUPAY
DiscerninglistenersofHindustaniclassicalmusic,therasikas,areanunhappylot.Theyfind
thatmusicnolonger matchesuptotheirstandardsofexcellence,andthattheyhavebeen
reducedtoaminorityunabletoholdmusicprovidersaccountableforthequalityofmusicin
circulation
Therasika's reductionto aminorityhasbeencausedbyasteadydeclineinthepriceof
musicto the consumer,andtheresulting explosioninthesizeofthemarket Explosive
numericalgrowthhasbeenaccompanied,predictably,byadilutioninthediscemmentlevels
ofaudiences. The result ofthisprocess isabrandofmusicthatfailstoqualifyassound
classicalmusic,asunderstoodby discerningaudiences.
Theprocessof'commoditization' ofhighartisnotuniquetoIndia.Post-wardevelop
mentsintheIechnologiesofstorageanddistributionhavemadeitaglobalphenomenon.In
theWest,classicalmusicwasinsulatedfromtheforcesofmarket-drivenpopulismbygreat
institutionswithsubstantialgovernmentandcorporatefunding.Bul,asubstantialcontribu
tiontowardsthesustenance ofhighartwasalsomadebythewillingness ofaudiencesto
payexorbitantratesforaface-to-faceencounterwithclassicalmusic.
In India,neithergovernmentsupportnorcorporatepatronagehavehadanysignificant
conservationist impact.Theonus ofpreserving thoroughbred music hastherefore been
SUbstantially on the rasika.Not realizingthis,hebecameanunwittingaccompliceinthe
processthathasdrivenqualitymusicoutofcirculation.perhapsforever.
The Changing Can/ext
Fortoday'srasikas,thebenchmarkisthemusicthatwasperformedbetween1940and1950,
thetailendoftheperiodoftendescribedastheGoldenAgeofHindustanimusic.
Inthatera,theconcertplatformwasrheprimaryinterfacebetweenmusiciansandaudi
ences,Thepenetrationofradiowasbelow10percentofurbanhouseholds,whilethegramo-
phonerecordhadperhaps notreachedmorethan5percentofthem. .
Otherthanthepatron-employersofthemusicians. itwasthearistocracy inthema~or
citieswhichtypicallyhostedconcerts.Audiencesattendedfree,andbyinvitation.Thesize
oftheaudiencerarelyexceeded350-400.ThiscouldbepartlybecauseamplifIcationaCOUS
ticswerescarce,andpartlybecauseselectivitybasedonaestheticcultivationwasaninte-
