Sarangadeva

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Śārṅgadeva (1175–1247) (शार्ङ्गदेव), [1] also spelled Sharngadeva or Sarnga Deva, was the 13th-century Indian musicologist who authored Sangita Ratnakara – the classical Sanskrit text on music and drama. [2] It is considered to be the authoritative treatise in Indian classical music by both the Hindustani music and the Carnatic music traditions. [3] [4]

India Country in South Asia

India, also known as the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh largest country by area and with more than 1.3 billion people, it is the second most populous country and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

<i>Sangita Ratnakara</i> 13th century Sanskrit text on music and dance by Sharngadeva

The Sangita-Ratnakara, सङ्गीतरत्नाकर,, literally "Ocean of Music and Dance", is one of the most important Sanskrit musicological texts from India. Composed by Śārṅgadeva (शार्ङ्गदेव) in the 13th century, both Hindustani music and Carnatic music traditions of Indian classical music regard it as a definitive text. The author was a part of the court of King Singhana II (1210–1247) of the Yādava dynasty whose capital was Devagiri, Maharashtra.

Indian classical music ancient music and music theories from the Indian subcontinent

Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music tradition is called Hindustani, while the South Indian expression is called Carnatic. These traditions were not distinct till about the 16th century. There on, during the turmoils of Islamic rule period of the Indian subcontinent, the traditions separated and evolved into distinct forms. Hindustani music emphasizes improvisation and exploring all aspects of a raga, while Carnatic performances tend to be short and composition-based. However, the two systems continue to have more common features than differences.

Contents

Śārṅgadeva was born in a Brahmin family of Kashmir. [5] In an era of Islamic invasion of the northwest regions of the Indian subcontinent and the start of Delhi Sultanate, his family migrated south and settled in the Hindu kingdom in the Deccan region ruled by the Yadava dynasty near Ellora Caves (Maharashtra). Sarangadeva worked as an accountant with freedom to pursue his music interests in the court of King Singhana II (1210–1247). [5] [6] [7]

Brahmin varna (class) in Hinduism, one of four castes

Brahmin is a varna (class) in Hinduism specialising as priests, teachers (acharya) and protectors of sacred learning across generations.

Kashmir former princely state, now a conflict territory between India and Pakistan

Kashmir is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, it denotes a larger area that includes the Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and Chinese-administered territories of Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract.

Indian subcontinent Peninsular region in south-central Asia south of the Himalayas

The Indian subcontinent is a southern region and peninsula of Asia, mostly situated on the Indian Plate and projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geologically, the Indian subcontinent is related to the land mass that rifted from Gondwana and merged with the Eurasian plate nearly 55 million years ago. Geographically, it is the peninsular region in south-central Asia delineated by the Himalayas in the north, the Hindu Kush in the west, and the Arakanese in the east. Politically, the Indian subcontinent includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Ideas

Śārṅgadeva presented his ideas on music and dance in seven chapters of Sangita Ratnakara, but integrated it with philosophical context. [2] He systematically presented his ideas on the nature of sound, register, the smallest distinct sounds that humans can hear and musical instruments can produce ( shruti ), musical scales and modes, 264 ragas , beats and role of time ( tala ), prosody ( Chandas ), relation between performance arts and human emotions and sentiments, musical and vocal ornaments, the composition of drama and songs, and the limitless opportunities available to the artist to express and affect her audience. [2] [8]

Shruti or śruti, is a Sanskrit word, found in the Vedic texts of Hinduism where it means lyrics and "what is heard" in general. It is also an important concept in Indian music, where it means the smallest interval of pitch that the human ear can detect and a singer or musical instrument can produce. The musical shruti concept is found in ancient and medieval Sanskrit texts such as the Natya Shastra, the Dattilam, the Brihaddeshi, and the Sangita Ratnakara. Chandogya Upanishad speaks of the division of the octave in 22 parts.

Raga melodic mode in South Asian music

A raga or raag is a melodic framework for improvisation akin to a melodic mode in Indian classical music. While the raag is a remarkable and central feature of the classical music tradition, it has no direct translation to concepts in the classical European music tradition. Each raag is an array of melodic structures with musical motifs, considered in the Indian tradition to have the ability to "colour the mind" and affect the emotions of the audience.

Tala (music) meter, time cycle measure in Indian music

A Tala, sometimes spelled Taal or Tal, literally means a "clap, tapping one's hand on one's arm, a musical measure". It is the term used in Indian classical music to refer to musical meter, that is any rhythmic beat or strike that measures musical time. The measure is typically established by hand clapping, waving, touching fingers on thigh or the other hand, verbally, striking of small cymbals, or a percussion instrument in the Indian subcontinental traditions. Along with raga which forms the fabric of a melodic structure, the tala forms the life cycle and thereby constitutes one of the two foundational elements of Indian music.

According to Peter Fletcher – a professor of Music and Drama, Śārṅgadeva states in Sangita Ratnakara that "the composer was expected to be a competent performer, but he also made clear that the composer was expected to know his audience, and how their minds work, rising above his own likes and dislikes, in order to bring delight to everyone". [9] Sarangadeva's views on music, states Fletcher, exemplified ideas in the Bhagavad Gita relating to non-attachment. [9]

Peter G. Fletcher was a noted British orchestral and choral conductor, music educator and author.

<i>Bhagavad Gita</i> A scripture of the Hindus in Sanskrit

The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Sanskrit scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

Influence

Śārṅgadeva is one of the most influential medieval era music theorists of the Indian subcontinent, and his book has been called "the first modern book on Indian classical music". [4] The book is considered by some to be as significant as Bharata's Natya Shastra . This is the text in the Indian musicology that is referred to by both Carnatic and Hindustani Classical Music traditions. [10] According to Don Randel – a professor of Musicology, Śārṅgadeva's text is the most comprehensive treatise that interprets the Natya Shastra and Brihaddeshi of the ancient Indian music tradition. [11] [12]

Bharata Muni was an ancient Indian theatrologist and musicologist who wrote the Natya Shastra, a theoretical treatise on ancient Indian dramaturgy and histrionics, especially Sanskrit theatre. Bharata is considered the father of Indian theatrical art forms. He is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary between 500 BCE and 500 CE.

Natya Shastra an ancient Sanskrit text on dance, music and dramatic arts

The Nāṭya Śāstra is a Sanskrit text on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary between 500 BCE and 500 CE.

Musicology Scientific discipline whose content is the practical and theoretical study of music

Musicology is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although music research is often more scientific in focus. A scholar who participates in musical research is a musicologist.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Ananda Lal (2009). Theatres of India: A Concise Companion. Oxford University Press. p. 298. ISBN   978-0-19-569917-3.
  2. 1 2 3 Mohan Lal (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot. Sahitya Akademi. p. 3987. ISBN   978-81-260-1221-3.
  3. ↑ Rens Bod (2013). A New History of the Humanities: The Search for Principles and Patterns from Antiquity to the Present. Oxford University Press. p. 116. ISBN   978-0-19-164294-4.
  4. 1 2 Reginald Massey; Jamila Massey (1996). The Music Of India. Abhinav Publications. p. 42. ISBN   978-81-7017-332-8 . Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  5. 1 2 Reginald Massey; Jamila Massey (1996). The Music Of India. Abhinav Publications. pp. 41–42. ISBN   978-81-7017-332-8.
  6. ↑ Ramanlal Chhotalal Mehta, Musical Musings: Selected Essays, Indian Musicological Society (1996), p. 46
  7. ↑ T. V. Kuppuswami (1992). Carnātic Music and the Tamils. Kalinga Publications. pp. vii–viii. ISBN   978-81-85163-25-3.
  8. ↑ Lewis Rowell (2015). Music and Musical Thought in Early India. University of Chicago Press. pp. 13, 212–214, 284–285. ISBN   978-0-226-73034-9.
  9. 1 2 Peter Fletcher (2001). World Musics in Context: A Comprehensive Survey of the World's Major Musical Cultures. Oxford University Press. p. 253. ISBN   978-0-19-816636-8.
  10. ↑ Vijaya Moorthy (2001). Romance Of The Raga. Abhinav Publications. pp. 18–. ISBN   978-81-7017-382-3 . Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  11. ↑ Don Michael Randel (2003). The Harvard Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press. p. 813. ISBN   978-0-674-01163-2.
  12. ↑ Emmie te Nijenhuis (1977). Musicological literature. Harrassowitz. p. 12. ISBN   978-3-447-01831-9.

Bibliography

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