my musical wanderings

The classical music season in Calcutta is famous.  The most concerts are scheduled during the winter.  But even now, during the off-season, the Telegraph usually advertises a few music programs every day.  I've found that music--and the poetry of music--is an outward and important part of Bengali culture. 

I experienced this especially on the Bengali new year, when dozens of societies, mandirs and associations were holding concerts.  In the morning I attended a pretty small devotional performance at a mandir.  And in the evening, I went to a famous annual open-air concert.  There, while I was buying popular Bengali music, I met an American musician, Timothy Hill, who is in Calcutta for a couple of weeks to continue his classical Indian musical education.  He met an ustaad (master) in New York who lives in Calcutta, and is studying under his direction.

So interestingly, I learned about the sensibilities and conventions of Indian classical music from an extremely talented American musician.  The central concept that he explained (and I was totally unfamiliar with) is that of a raaga.  I think it can be described as the base on which complex melodies and rhythms are built.  Its kind of a signature that forms the basic essence of a song, but an artist is expected to play with, and improvise from, any particular raaga.  Raagas are both flexible and very rule-driven.  They are also deeply and specifically evocative of various seasons, times of day, feelings or events.

In addition to getting to hear Timothy practice ragaas while walking around, I actually went to a raaga-centered performance tonight.  Timothy's ustaad invited him to a concert this evening, and he took me along.  The show was hosted by an organization called Sangeet Ashram.  We heard two famous vocalists-- Ustaads Mohammed Sayeed Khan and Amir Mohammed Khan.  I could tell that they were virtuosos.  Their voices were amazing and their technical skills on full display. And I could also tell that much of what there was to appreciate about their vocal feats was totally lost on me.

I'm surprised to have this musical introduction, and very happy about it.  Besides being fun and kind of challenging, I feel like it is giving me a sense of a part of this city's cultural personality.  Which, ultimately, will probably help my research and writing somehow?  Or maybe that's a bit of a stretch :)