Professor Sudhir Chandra, Irfan Zuberi, Sudha Raghuraman Mita Pandit. , Photo courtesy: Nitin Gupta

Is Indian classical music a living memory of raga rather than a limited structure of art? What is the relationship between memory and music? How much does the past define the present in art? These were some of the questions discussed by speakers at Raza Foundation’s ‘Art Matters’.

Curator Irfan Zuberi, Carnatic singer Sudha Raghuraman, historian and music expert Prof. Sudhir Chandra and Hindustani singer Meeta Pandit give their respective definitions of Smriti and how it helps uncover the many layers of classical music. Apart from learning, an artist keeps referring to all that he has absorbed, observed and assimilated over the years.

According to Ashok Vajpayee of the Raza Foundation, although the foundation of Indian classical music is laid on memory, it is characterized by impermanence. The melody cannot be set in time. The previous generation of artists viewed music as a living reality. Therefore, he avoided documenting or recording his work. But in this era, where recording has become a new normal, classical music has become a coded language, which has changed its nature.

Irfan Zubairi highlighted the non-linearity of our musical tradition by referring to the auditory-verbal tradition of music transmission. Music as memory includes memorization and memory of music heard. Zuberi shared how some compositions are remembered for their composers, while some renditions of ragas become immortalized by composers.

Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar used to get emotional while singing ragas as it brought alive the image of his father and grandfather’s mastery over them. , Photo Courtesy: The Hindu Archives

Irfan Zubairi highlighted the non-linearity of our musical tradition by referring to the auditory-verbal tradition of music transmission. Music as memory includes memorization and memory of music heard. Zuberi shared how some compositions are remembered for their composers, while some renditions of ragas become immortalized by composers.

assimilating rich values

Sudha Raghuraman spoke on the importance of maintaining the structure of the music. , Photo courtesy: The Hindu

Sudha Raghuraman’s conversation was extremely personal, reflecting her memories of the way she was taught and the values ​​she adopted during the learning phase. He told how his guru Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar had emphasized on memorizing the emotion in a composition rather than memorizing the notes.

Prof. Sudhir Chandra shared his memories of how his father, a Sanskrit scholar, was a great admirer of Ustad Faiyaz Khan’s music. , Photo Courtesy: The Hindu Archives

Professor Sudhir Chandra viewed music as a connoisseur rather than a practitioner. His association with music has been passed down through generations. His father, a Sanskrit scholar, wanted to listen to a recording of his favorite Ustad Faiyaz Khan instead of verses from the Bhagavad Gita in his last moments. In an era when musicians opt for political neutrality, Sudhir spoke of a courageous era when Pandit Bhimsen Joshi concluded his concerts with thought-provoking songs like ‘Soch Samjh Naadan, Is Nagari Mein Daya Dharam Nahin’.

According to Meeta Pandit, her ‘Sina Ba Sina’ (one-on-one) training is the most effective way to teach music. “Each nuance has to be assimilated and taken into account. His great grandfather Pt. Shankar Pandit had written eight books on music, dispelling the misconception that music practitioners were uneducated and ignorant at the beginning of the last century.

Pro. Sudhir Chandra recalled how musicians including Pt. Bhimsen Joshi included thought-provoking songs in his concerts. , Photo Courtesy: The Hindu Archives

Meeta Pandit with her father.

Mita stressed the importance of learning by memorizing rather than relying on notation. It is important to learn how to improve rather than learning what to improve.

The interesting thing that emerged from this discussion was that, in the Indian musical tradition, verbal communication is given priority over texts. Our musical memories play an important role in preserving and advancing the art.