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“Music is life. That’s why our hearts have beats.”
Cecily Morgan
In times immemorial,
music existed! Not in the manner that it does today, but in the rustle of the
wind, the whispering of the greens, the gushing of water and in the crescendo of
a waterfall! It nestled in the buzzing of bees, in the melodious chirping of
the birds and the sonorous rumbling of thunder… these were, perhaps, the first
sounds that inspired the very idea of music. In fact, it was Shakespeare
himself who said, “The earth has music for those who listen.”
The very first
musical instruments were believed to be bone flutes that came into existence in
the Upper Paleolithic era. Different civilizations – Egyptian, Greek, Chinese,
Persian, Mesopotamian, Middle Eastern and of course, Indian, had their versions
of ancient music that influenced the world.
In olden times, early
man in hunter and gatherer societies also used crude instruments like rattles,
drums and shakers out of gourds, reeds, bark and skins.
There were also
towering figures who were credited with creating music, such as our very own Hindu
Goddess Saraswati, Shah Jamshed in Persian/Iranian culture and Jubal, the
descendent of Cain in Christian mythology. In Chinese mythology, it was the
famed musician Ling Lun, whose ear for tunes caught the songs of the mythical Feng
Huang birds from where he invented the bamboo flute. The Muses in Greek mythology
were also believed to play a part in having invented the arts, including music.
India had a rich
repository of ancient music mentioned in Sanskrit, right from the four Vedas to
the works of Kalidasa. Ilango Adigal wrote extensively about music in his Silappatikaram,
which is considered one of the earliest Tamil epics. It is a glorious tale
about the handsome young merchant Kovilan who marries the loyal and virtuous
Kannagi, but is led astray by his passion for Madhavi, the beauteous courtesan.
Music plays a significant role when the lovers sing about their love for each
other and betrayal, in a music festival dedicated to Indra, the king of the
gods. Later, they forsake their love and Kovilan returns to his faithful
Kannagi who forgives him. She gives him her priceless anklet so that he can
make some money to start life again.
When Kovilan tries to
sell Kannagi’s anklet to a greedy goldsmith, he is unjustly accused of stealing
the queen’s anklet. The incensed king has him executed without a trial. A
heartbroken Kannagi storms into the king’s court and proves that the anklet belongs
to her. She throws her anklet which breaks open, showering rubies on the floor.
The queen’s anklet contained pearls within.
The king, filled with
remorse, kills himself, and his queen, unable to bear the shame, soon follows
suit. Kannagi’s fury still burns high and she curses the city of Madurai,
burning it to the ground, till goddess Meenakshi, the guardian of Madurai, calms
her down. Later, Kannagi was worshipped as a goddess holding an anklet in her
hand, in parts of South India and Sri Lanka.
Mian Tansen’s name is
synonymous with Hindustani music. He was a celebrated musician in the court of
Raja Man Singh of Gwalior who gave him his first break. Later, he was patronized
by Raja Ramachandra Singh Baghel of Rewa. His amazing musical talent and his knowledge
soon reached the ears of the Mughal emperor, Akbar. At the age of sixty, Tansen
became one of Akbar’s Navaratnas, one of his nine gems, and he was given the
title of Mian by the emperor. Tansen went on to compose many classical
compositions which form the bedrock of Hindustani music. He was also a
brilliant instrumentalist.
Tansen - Instagram
Every year, a national
music festival is held near Tansen’s tomb at Hazira, Gwalior, in his honour. Selected
exponents of Hindustani classical music are awarded with the Tansen Samman on
the occasion.
There are legends
galore about the virtuosity and brilliance of Tansen’s musical talent. It is
believed that he could cause rain by rendering the Raga Megh Malhar and light
lamps by performing Raag Deepak. His talents also included taming wild animals
by singing to them.
Another famed singer
and poet was Mirabai, whose bhajans about Krishna are sung even today with fervour.
Mirabai was married to Bhoj Raj, the crown prince of Mewar, and her adoration
for Krishna made her in-laws look upon her with rancour. She would immerse
herself, singing devotedly to her blue god, and maybe it was her devout worship
that made her escape attempts on her life by her husband’s family. It is said
that they tried to poison her pretending to send her a glass of nectar. Miraculously,
the poison did turn into nectar, or so the legend goes. They also promised her
a basket of flowers, sending a snake to bite her, but again, she escaped harm. It
was her music that kept her happy and it was her songs that have survived to
this very day, though there are doubts about whether all of them were actually
penned by her.
Mirabai - Wikimedia Commons
I come from a family of music lovers who firmly believe the
Hans Christian Andersen quote which goes: “Where words fail, music speaks.” Right
from the rich and meaningful melodies rendered by Hemant Kumar, Mohd. Rafi, Talat
Mahmood, Kishore Kumar, Geeta Dutt, Asha
Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar, to the more contemporary music makers like Sonu
Nigam, Shaan, Kavita Krishnamurthy and the delightful Shreya Ghoshal, to bands
like Colonial Cousins and brilliant voices like the husky Usha Uthup and the
evergreen Arijit Singh, music has played a stellar role in all our lives.
When I was growing up, Beatle mania was still prevalent,
but there were also albums by ABBA, Boney M, the Carpenters, Kenny Rogers, Neil
Diamond (a favourite), Cliff Richards and so many more. The one movie that I
can watch repeatedly is, without doubt, The Sound of Music, the story of the
legendary Von Trapp family.
Amazon UK
And to end, if there is one song which brings a smile on my face and sets my feet a tapping, it is the brilliant song by Gene Kelly in which he dances ever so delightfully… Singing in the Rain. For those of you who have not seen it, here is the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0asbGJbLKc
This list of mine is only a drop in the vast ocean of
music, and as I hum a song, priding myself on being a bathroom singer, there is
only one quote that comes to mind by the inimitable Henry Van Dyke.
“Use what talent you possess. The woods would be very
silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”
