So the other day during one of our Carnatic theory sessions, my teacher and I discussed the history and development of Carnatic music. I asked him why he thought Carnatic (and also Hindustani) music was so obviously rhythmically superior to Western Classical. He said that unlike the West, the East did not gravitate towards ensemble and group playing. The emphasis (which we noted parallels with the spiritual aspect/development) was the individual. Because harmony could not be developed without the the ensemble, naturally rhythm became a main focus.
The complexity of Carnatic rhythm is so rich that I cannot even begin to understand it all. The subdivisions are to a much greater extent. It seems that in the West rhythmic emphasis has diminished in recent years. We tend to emphasize intonation and good tone over rhythm, but of course without rhythm we cannot have music! Tala, my teacher said, is a way to measure or structure rhythm. The world has a rhythm; life has a rhythm. Tala is a way of balancing movement. When he said this it was like a light went on. Hello! Of course- rhythm is not just a mere pattern of beats or something we impose on the music; rather, rhythm is innate. Rhythm is life! This reminded me of the Hindu's insistence that life is one cosmic dance. Tala as well emphasizes the concept of the cycle; not just patterns repeating necessarily, but the feeling of execution-growth-return. It seems often to me that Western classical performance has lost this feeling of oneness-especially rhythmically.
Hari said that out of this focus on the individual came the idea of manodharma sangeeta. Manodharma sangeeta is usually used to refer to music made on the spot, unplanned, improvised. However, it is not merely improvised music. From Hari's explanation of the term, I have come to understand the it as the personal mark of a person, expressed through music. He told me that mano means mind, dharma means (here) state of mind, and sangeeta means music. Therefore when one performs in this manner, the music manifested is not something imposed or forced or mindless, it is a direct experience of one's soul, one's being. Thus manodharma sangeeta is not just a result of one's style/personality, but stems from the result of one's inner being. Often we hear teachers say we need to have our own style, we need to develop our own way of interpreting music. However, this implies that our experience in music can be imposed- we choose how we play something. We like it this way or that. We do a slide here or a pause there. Yet, manodharma sangeeta implies that our music performance reveals our innermost essence. We cannot choose how we experience a piece, we can only surrender to it.
Thoughts on Yoga...
I had some good experiences with yoga at Ayurvedagram (an Ayurvedic retreat center outside Bangalore) a while back. Today I was contemplating the major differences between yoga in the East and the West. Besides the overall energetic component (which the West's "yoga" lacks), there is a balance of activity and receptivity. Both Rebecca and I have done yoga with different teachers here in India. While I never attended her class, she mentioned that one aspect which she appreciated here was the emphasis on rest. I woke up today and remembered that my yoga teachers, too had insisted on the resting component of yoga. This of course then got me thinking even more... why in the West we often only emphasize the "doing" part? Where is the other half? As I mentioned in an earlier post, aren't we missing half of the puzzle? Isn't life about balance? We are very active and fill our days with endless lists. We even call them "to do" lists... why can't we rest though? Even on a physical level, if we do not rest enough, we cannot function, we cannot perform well, we cannot live well. We know this yet we still obsess over activity.
My Carnatic teacher had referenced a Zen poem some time ago: A pot is only useful because it is empty. Of course! This makes so much sense to me! I GET it. Since then I have been contemplating on allowing my pot to be more empty (wow that sounds CHEESY). But in all seriousness- receptivity is uncomfortable, makes one vulnerable... I don't like it. I try to ignore it... yet it is there. It is a part of me. So... I've been experimenting with how to be more receptive to life, how to not be so active (in an unhealthy, obsessive manner). How can I take things as they come, how can I allow myself to be empty and open? If my pot is filled too high with garbage and meaningless thought and activity, how can I even recognize something else? something greater? something more subtle... hmmm the subtlety of life...
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