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A highly evolved system of music is not merely about organized sounds. It is as much about organized thoughts, whether in improvisation or compositions. Great systems like Carnatic music, Western classical music and Hindustani music are examples of this.
Any system of music relying on the improvisational aspects needs to be very organized in its basics, if creativity has to be meaningful. As far as the musician is concerned, clarity of thought is the first step towards creativity, or, for that matter, re -creativity.
Only when a musician decides a fraction of a second earlier, exactly what phrase is to be rendered, will the execution be sure and organized. Any artiste in two minds is in danger of losing track and doing justice to neither idea in the end.
If creativity and classicism must co-exist, the boundaries must be well defined, norms adhered to and conventions dutifully followed, as far as possible. Random noises should not be produced under the banner of experimentation. Restraint is the hallmark of refinement, which in turn is one of the chief indicators of the stage of evolution of a system.
Does this look like too many chains on the artiste? Can one create when the mind is preoccupied with rules, borders and conventions? Can such a system appeal to listeners? These are but natural questions which anyone is likely to ask. The answer is 'No 'on all counts.
Balance in Carnatic music
Carnatic music prides itself in the magnificent balance between compositions and improvisation. There are few parallels to the world in this. One may imagine Carnatic music as the ideal blend between the improvisationoriented Hindustani or Jazz systems of music and the composition- reliant Western Classical music. This makes it possible for a Carnatic musician to perform whole concerts based only on compositions or improvisation and without the listeners missing anything. However, in a typical Carnatic concert, one will find about 50% of compositions and 50% of improvisation.
Duration
The important aspect that needs to be emphasized here is that duration of improvisation is no yardstick to measure the impact or greatness of a system or even the creativity of an artiste. The key is not how long one improvises but how well one projects the raga....