Music – artiste- audience- enjoyment

Stalwarts say, ‘music is universal language’, ‘language of angels’ etc. they explained music in my dimensions. When an artiste performs, there is an unexplained conversation, this conversation connects people but one can’t explain or tell what it that. Music is surrounded by artiste, listener and enjoyment. Artiste and audience both enjoy music though their level of enjoyment is different and indeed main objective of music is enjoyment (Ananda).The word ‘enjoyment’ has different connotations, it differs from person to person. Some people enjoy watching cricket, some watching movie or eating ice cream. Here I am talking about the next level of enjoyment where you concentrate and involve for a long time. After some time you start feeling very nice, getting soothed by listening the performer’s raga renditions. To enjoy classical music it is mandatory to have some background knowledge to understand what‘s going on the stage.

Music is structured abstract, i.e. There is a boundary for us (set of of rules) but within that we can work according to our level of imagination, experience and training. One can’t predict that a concert that is yet to happen will be excellent. In a performance sometimes you can sense that the artiste is in a good mood and is singing well. Contrary to this he can perform average and an artiste can never guarantee a performance. Thus the benchmark of a great artiste is that he consistently delivers high quality performances, their percentage of average performances will be very low.

Enjoyment, a central point is the basic requirement in music. Music and enjoyment go hand in hand. We have heard incidences of amazing musical effects like starting Rain, Anandashru (tears of joy), when swami vivekanandji use to sing Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was attaining bhava Samadhi.

The audience can’t enjoy music unless and until the performer himself enjoys it. As a very famous drama artiste Master Hiranaih once told, ‘if you have lot of sweets, you can feed others’. A musician enjoys every aalap, every note, every piece of tabla bols he sings and plays. I used to sit with guruji for his concerts, I used to wonder at times see guruji saying ‘wah’ and ‘kya bath hai’ for tabla bol or a good harmonium support. Later I realized that it comes naturally from the bliss of sheer enjoyment. A listener enjoys an artistes work by experiencing “his work under progression”. A work is going on in ane raga and you enjoy that. For example, Leh-Laddhak is very beautiful place in India. We can see pictures or video of that place or narration of that place by friend and we can enjoy. You personally go there and experience the beauty of nature it is completely different. This is how an artiste and a listener enjoy music. Artiste visits that place and enjoy and listener enjoy in a different realm.

Music Organisation

Music festival – raising an organisation

I have been associated with Gururao Deshpande Sangeet Sabha since 1993, learnt many things, worked to my capacity. I have been seeing music organizations while performing or visiting with Guruji. ‘Passion’ about music is gravity of any music establishments. In Gururao Deshpande Sangeet Sabha, guruji and his guru bhakti is a motivation for us and center point in sabha. Everything connects to that. Many great artistes performed on this platform. Watching them on the stage and behind the stage is good opportunity to learn many things which can’t be taught, it is learnt from experience whether it is good or bad, you grab the best things out of it. I observed things like - Planning, conversations, interaction with different people and performing on the stage.

LearnQuest Academy of Music, Boston and its founder Sri Pradip Shuklaji, invited guruji for USA concert tour in 1999. He is math professor in Suffolk University, singer and teaching classical music at academy. He has great passion towards Hindustani classical music and Academy started organizing annual music conference in the month of April since 7 years. That has a great success story. This music meet transformed Boston area into Indian music hub in USA. Pradipji has a dream of spreading classical music in many parts of world with the motto,’ connecting people through music’.

On Jan 11th 2013, LearnQuest academy of music inaugurated its INDIA chapter at India habitat centre New delhi, Pt Rajan-Sajan Mishraji and Pt Pravin Godkhindi performed .Pt Ashis Sengupta and few likeminded people from different parts of India (Delhi,Pune, Bangalore,Varanasi,Kolkota and Chennai) came together and started this venture. I have been closely associated with LearnQuest from many years. It’s a kind gesture of Pradipji and Ashisji to include me as part of this good beginning. Sri Pravin Godkhindi played ‘Yaman’ and Hamsadhwani. He is very good artiste and has god gift in him. (God exists in his name) He can play both gayaki ang and tatrakari, which is a rare combination. Padmabhushana Pt Rajan-Sajan Mishraji sang Bageshri ang Chandrakouns, this brother duo is an extraordinary one. Two bodies but one musical soul.

Very nice beginning to Learnquest academy in India, Many more concerts to come….

Lecture on Bhatkhandeji

Yesterday, 30th dec 2012,Sri Ramesh Gangolli, a mathematician, musician and musicologist gave a lecture on ‘Pt Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande’ at vidhushi Aditi Kaikiniji’s residence Bangalore. Everywhere New year mood was there, mixed memories of 2012 and anxiety about 2013. Sri Gangolliji is very good friend of my guruji. First I met him when guruji took me to USA in 1999. Guruji sang at seattle and we went to gangolliji s house, a nice person, gentle and very learned human being. He sang few times at guruji s residence and taught us few bandishes. The Lecture was very nice, few months back for my M Music , I studied Bhatkhandeji little bit. When he was talking about bhatkhande‘s life history, somewhere my mind was telling, hey I know this, oh I studied this. But later when he explained how bhatkhandeji‘s musical journey, it was interesting and informative. He was an institution, he was pioneer of modern Hindustani classical music. two great musicians Paluskar and Bhatkhande started swaralipi and revised few like ‘That’ system and Rag Jati system. The in depth knowledge and experience of this professor made us wiser with great theoretical aspects of classical music. He spoke for more than two hours, educating us about Bhatkhandeji s work. ‘Great mind think alike’, old proverb but proven again and again in different situations for different people. I am writing a essay on ‘the role of sath-sangat (accompaniment) in Hindustani classical music’ for my M Music. I have meet many musicians like Guruji, Nirodyji, Lalit raoji, Yavagalji, Venkatesh Kumarji. I could gather a whole lot of information on saath sangat . Basically every great musician’s views on music is same, may be their language and expression are different. Music is great; every musician’s main motto on the stage is same, delivering good music,. There is nothing like main artiste and side artiste or accompanist. Everybody is equal but as a lead performer on stage the singer holds them all to deliver a well co-ordinated recitals. They shared their experiences, their journey with sathidars. Sath-Sangat is very important subject in classical music. Not only in classical but in every genre of music which use accompaniment. Without that we can’t think of a performance. Talking to the senior musicians is always a pleasure and for sure they are always a guru and guide . Wishing one and all A Happy new year……