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CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

MUSIC

ML

VerSl,y

338.fl2 i882

Ubrary

3 1924 022 411 650

Cornell University
Library

The

original of this

book

is in

the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright

restrictions in

the United States on the use of the

text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 92402241 1 650

"

HINDU MUSIC
FROM

VARIOUS AUTHORS,
POM.PIL.ED

AND J^UBLISHED

RAJAH COMM. SOURINDRO MOHUN TAGORE,

MUS. DOC.J F.R.S.L., M.U.A.S.,
Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire

KNIGHT COMMANDER OF THE FIRST CLASS OF THE ORDER OF

ALBERT, SAXONY
OF THE ORDER OF LEOPOLD, BELGIUM
OF THE MOST EXALTED ORDEE OF FRANCIS JOSEPH, AUSTRIA
OF THE ROYAL ORDER OF THE CROWN OF ITALY
OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ORDER OF DANNEBROG, DENMARK ;
AND OF THE ROYAL ORDER OF MELTJSINE OF
PRINCESS MARY OF LUSIGNAN
FRANC CHEVALIER OF THE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE
HOLY SAVIOUR OF MONT-REAL, JERUSALEM, RHODES AND MALTA ;
COMMANDEUR DE ORDRE RELIGIEOX ET MILITAIRE DE
SAINT-SAUVEUR DE MONT-REAL, DE SAINT-JEAN DE JERUSALEM,
DU TEMPLE, DU SAINT SEPULCRE, DE RHODES ET MALTE REFORME
KNIGHT OF THE FIRST CLASS OF THE IMPERIAL ORDER OF THE
" PAOU SING," OR PRECIOUS STAR, CHINA
OF THE SECOND CLASS OF THE HIGH IMPERIAL ORDER OF
THE LION AND SUN, PERSIA;
OF THE SECOND CLASS OF THE IMPERIAL ORDER
OF MEDJIDIE, TURKEY ;
AND OF THE ROYAL MILITARY ORDER OF CHRIST, PORTUGAL
KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF BASABAMALA, SIAM
AND OF THE GURKHA STAR, NEPAL " NAWAB SHAHZADA
FROM THE SHAH OF PERSIA, &C, &C, &C.
;

TWO

IN

SECOND

PARTS.
EDITION.

Calcutta:
Printed by

0. Bose & Co., Stanhope Press,

249, Bow-Bazar Street.
I.

1882.
[All rights reserved.']

PREFACE TO THE EIEST EDITION.

The

very deep interest which

the

have of late evinced with regard to

European Public

my humble

labors

towards the revival of Hindu Music, has created in

desire to present to

them

me

a collection of all that have ever

been written on the subject by the Oriental Scholars of

Europe, together with

my own comments

on their views

and on those of our ancient Sanscrit musical

The whole

consist of two parts

will

contains extracts from

on Hindu Music extant

It

is

almost

all

the

writers.

The

first

in the English language.

therefore hoped that the present collection, not-

withstanding

its

short-comings,

will

be received with

indulgence by those interested in the subject.

this
-

part

eminent works

hope be

realized,

Should

purpose soon to publish the

second part which will contain a dissertation on our

ancient Sanscrit musical works and a
different

criticism

on the

views taken by the European writers on Hindu

Music, together with further collections

All the extracts bear

the

if

available.

name of the works from

With regard to one taken

which they have been taken.

from the " Ain-i-Akbari," a valuable translation of which
has lately been published by H. Blochmann, Esq., m.

my

a.,

best

acknowledgments are

due to that learned gentleman

for his kind permission

to

have only to add that

make use

of his work.

SOURINDEO MOHUN TAGORE.

CALCUTTA,
PATHURIAGHATA,

The 28th January, 1875.

PEEFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

The

increasing interest which has of late been evinced

by the Public

in the

Music of

India, has led

out a second edition of this work.

me

to bring

have incorporated

with this a further collection of the views of foreign

writers on

Hindu Music, which has been placed

second part.

As

in

the

have already published a Dissertation

on Indian Music under the designation of " Six Principal

Kagas of the Hindus,"

give in this work

my own

have thought

it

had promised to do, while bringing out the

My

unnecessary to

views on the subject, such as I

acknowledgments are due

first edition.

to the learned writers,

extracts from whose works form the subject of Part II.

SOURINDRO MOHUN TAGORE.

CALCUTTA,
PATHURIAGHATA RAJBATI,
20th October 1882.

^
C
\

PART

I.

......

CONTENTS,
A

Page.

By

Treatise on the Music of Hindoostan.

Willard

..

...

On the Musical Modes

On the GrSmas
Esq.

By

..

By

By

..

Sir William

W. Ouseley

Sir

..

..

By

Lyre.

..

...

. .

. .

The Naqqarahkhanah and the Imperial Musicians.

..
by H. Blochmann, Esq., M. a.
.

By

Music of the Hindus.

On the Music

By

India.

J.

of Hindustan.

William

Nathan
(From the

By

Lieut.-Col.

James Tod

..

Col. P. T.

..

Notes on the Musical Instruments of the Nepalese.

bell, Esq., M. D.

Music of Ceylon.

..

By John

Music and Dancing.

..

..

Davy, m.

By Crawfurd,

d., t. e. s.

Esq.

..

Scientific Intelligence.)

By

..

125-160

163-172

.,

175-189

193-197

201-208

Translated

C. Stafford

..

Catalogue of Indian Musical Instruments.

Music.

1-122

J. D. Paterson,

Francis Fowke, Esq.

Francis Gladwin, Esq.

The Music of Hindustan or

..

Jones
.

By

or Musical Scales of the Hindus.

On the Vina or Indian

Sungeet.

..

...

of the Hindoos.

Anecdotes of Indian Music.

Captain N. Augustus

French

..

By
..

..

..

211-216

218-228

..

231-232
235-239

243-273

..

277-282

A. Camp..

285-290

293-294

,,.

297-308

TREATISE
ON

THE MUSIC OF HINJDOOSTAN,

COMPRISING A DETAIL OF

The Ancient Theory

AND

MODEBN

PRACTICE.

The similarity of the music of Egypt and Greece to- that of this
eountry has been traced and pointed out harmony and melody have
been compared and time noticed. The varieties of song have been
enumerated, and the character of each detailed a brief account of
the principal musicians superadded, and the work concluded with a
short alphabetical glossary of the most useful musical terms.
:

The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is

fit

for treasons.

Shakespear's Merchant of Venice.

BY

CAPTAIN
Commanding

N.

AUGUSTUS WILLARD,

in the Service of

B, H.

the

Nawab

of Banda.

TO

LADY

W.

BENTINCK,

C.

&C &C

dsc.

Madam,
The

whom

illustrious

much

so

my

of

Governor-General,

present

sentiments

the

benefited

as

conveyed

doubt,

Lord

W.

feel

an

equal

benefit

though not

The

to acknowledge them.

in a private

known

letter are only

in a newspaper, are but of

or if recorded

have, therefore, taken this method of expressing

my humble sentiments towards

to

bound

the

for

by them,

concerned,

parties

and

that I consider myself,

of gratitude

to

entrusted, has done

particular,

ephemeral existence, and

relation

is

the good of the country at large,

for

countrymen in

individually

to

our

statesman,

the administration of the affairs of India

His Lordship

degree

of

and from your Ladyships

you

Bentinck,

0.

will,

satisfaction,

the real sentiments of one of a community

when

no

entertain

convinced

of

whom he has laid under such

important obligations.

With
it

was

yourself,

respect to
chiefly

Madam,

have only

to

observe,

with the view of being enabled to dedicate

to your Ladyship, that

it

the

that

work

has been so abruptly and almost prematurely

introduced to public view, in this season of public depression through

the recent failures.

With

my

heartfelt

acknowledgments

for

the very condescending

handsome manner in which your Ladyship has been pleased

my request, that you would permit me

and

to accede to

the honor of dedicating the

work

to your Ladyship.
I

beg

to subscribe myself,

with

all respect,

Madam,
Tour Ladyship's very

obedient,

and much

obliged

N. A.

humble

servant,

WILLARD.

..

..

CONTENTS.
Page.

Preface.

general view

Introduction.

Music.

and contents

of the plan

power on the human mind.

Its

of the

work

That of Hin-

The opinion of the Natives with respect to their ancient

How a knowledge of it may be acquired. Not generally

dustan.

musicians.
liked

by Europeans.

regard to

to poetry considered.

of

life

for this.

Native opinion with

Musical instruments.

Relation of music

Reasons assigned

its lawfulness.

Progress of music in Hindustan. The manner

to ensure eminence in this science.

which should be led

Cause of

its

Date of

depravity.

The

its decline.

similarity

which

the music of this country seems to bear to that of Egypt and Greece.

How a knowledge

of the. music of

Hindustan might conduce to a

Comparisons

revival of that of those countries.

made

the Natives of Greece or Hindustan had

offered.

Comparisons decide in favor of the latter

music.

Hindustanee Music.

What

it is

termed in the

Whether

greater progress in
.

original.

. .

The

15

treatises

Native divisions what and how

..
many. The arrangement adopted in, this work
..37
Of the Gamut. What it is called. The derivation of the word. The
subdivisions of tones. Resemblance of these to the Great diesis.

held in the greatest estimation.

Opinions of Dr. Burney and Mr. Moore on the enharmonic genus.

Names

of the seven notes.

Origin of these.

The gamut invented by

'39

Guido and Le Maire. Dr. Pepusch. Srooti

Of Time. The various measures used in Europe. Difference between
them and those of Hindustan. Their resemblance to the rhythm of
the Greeks. Similarity between the Greek and Sungscrit languages.
.

The Hebrew unmusical, likewise the Arabic.

considered.
controverted.

from

it.

The

dignified prose in Sungscrit,

Oordu.

Its superiority to the

modern musical measure.

Hindustan.

fifth,

its

Whether the rhythmical

possesses greater

advantages.

nions of several learned

of the author.

Probable origin of the

origin

men on

measure from the

opposed to the practice of

the

musical

measure

Opinion hazarded thereon.

Characters for expressing time.

Of Harmony and Melody. The

or

endeavoured to bo

and tongues derived

Tartini's deduction of

proportions of the octave and

table.

Melody and metre

Tartini's objections against metre,

Their varieties

and harmony in Europe.

Time
. .

45

Opi-

the subject of harmony with that

Claims of melody

. .

54

.
.

..
.

..,.
.

CONTENTS.
Page.

Oriental Melody. Not generally susceptible of harmony. Limited

to a certain number. Its character
.
Or Rags and Raginees, The general acceptation of the terms supposed
to be incorrect. Reasons offered, why they are limited to season and
time. Of the Ragmala. Absurdity of limiting tunes to seasons.
Divisions of Rags and Raginees into classes. Rules for determining
Otf

. .

the names of the mixed Raginees. Table of compounded Rags.

Ragmala copiously described

Of

Mi'sical Instruments.

improvement.

now

in use

Of the various species of Vocal Compositions of Hindustan.

different species described

Of the Peculiarities
allusions are

made in

their song.

Brief Account of the

now no
.

most celebrated Musicians of Hindustan

90

101

which

Reasons

longer exist,
.

Twenty

in Hindustan, to

Its characteristic nature.

assigned for several of them, which

examples produced

Manners and Customs

of

63

much
of the

Detailed description
.

The
. .

Their present state susceptible of

Their classification.

several instruments

60

and
. .

108

. .

118

GLOSSARY
OP

THE MOST USEFUL MUSICAL TERMS.

B.

A species of

Bishnoopud.
Bugeed, Bur.

Bum.

The

divine songs, p. 106.

species of song, vide curca, p. 107.

bass end of a drum.

Bunsee or Banslee.

flute.

An

Byree, m. Byrum, /.
ha, and

Hindu

enemy.

some other birds

Crishnu's

flute,

are thus designated

the Pupee-

by the females

of Hindustan, as being the enemies to their repose.

C.

Songs in the Oordu, comprising four couplets,

Charbyt.
p. 107.

A sort of

Chhund.

ancient songs, chiefly in the

Sungscrit,

p. 101.

Chutoorung.
styles. 1,

Cool.

Songs consisting of four strains in different

Kheal

A sort of

Curtar, castanets

2,

Turana

3,

Surgum

4,

Tirwut, p. 106.

songs, p. 107.

made

Cymbals and Castanets.

of wood, ivory, &c.

Jhanjh, Munjeera, Curtar, &c.

D.

Dadra.

Original songs of Boondelkhund and Bhughelkhund,

p. 107.

Gholkee.

A sort of

drum.

Dhoon, from h^fif a sound.

Rag and Raginee

It is used in contradistinction to

any piece of melody not

formity with the established melody

is

strictly in con-

thus characterised.

GLOSSARY.

ii

A species

Dhoorpud.

of song on

tlie

ancient fashion,

It

is

not generally understood or relished, and its use seems to

be about to be superseded by lighter compositions, as Tuppa, p. 101.

Drums

are of various sorts,

the

chief of

them

For their construction, &c,

Mridung, Tubla, and Dholkee.

on Musical Instruments,

see the Chapter

Nukara,

are

p. 90.

F.

Ulghozub.

Flageolet.

The famous instrument played

Bansulee or Bunsee.

Flute.

upon by the god Krishnu.

It is

few tolerable performers on

it

seldom used, and there are

now.

G.

Gamut.

The native term

Geet.

Ghuzel.

for this is

Surgum.

species of ancient songs, chiefly in Sungscrit, p. 101.

Persian lyric poetry, and in imitation of

it,

those in

Oordu, p. 106.

Gramsthau.
gram, and

The

The
is

first

in

extent of

or lowest note of an octave is

some measure equivalent

Hindu

called

to our key note.

music being limited

to

three

octaves, the notes of the lowest octave are said to belong to

Khuruj, or mundar gram, and the sounds supposed to proceed from the umbilical region, which
those of the middle octave, to

is its

gramsthan

mu&dhum gram, and

posed to proceed from the throat immediately

are sup-

and the

notes of the highest octave are believed to have their origin

in

some

of the cavities of the scull

denominated tarook gram.

Griha.

Qrunth.
Guitar.

The key

note.

Native treatises on music.

See Eubab, Sitar, &c.

or brain,

and thence

GLOSSARY.

Ill

H.

A species

Holee, or Horee.

of song, p. 103.
I.

These are divided into four

Instruments (Musical).
],

"Tut

;'>

2,

"Bitut

;" 3,

"

Ghun

;"

and

4,

classes

" Sooghur."

For

a description of these, vide the Chapter on musical instru-

ments,

p. 90.
J.

Large cymbals.

Jhanjh.
Jut.

A species of

song, p. 105.

K.

Khadoo.

Rag or Raginee, which comprises

in

its

course

only six soors or notes.

Kheal.

species of songs, p. 102.

L.

Letters and Syllables, unpropitious.

The

following eight letters

reckoned unpropitious, and

are

should not begin any piece of Hindu poetry or song,

Words

Wt3 ^mT&mCfl.

syllables, (which is the

sorts, are believed to

consisting

same in Nagree,)

be equally unlucky

have the middle syllable long, and the

and are
'

the two

called " Jugun, v as nf^[j

first syllables short,

" Sukun," as

jj|f^fcjT

long ones, " Rukun,'' as

3.

and the

SR^i^

long and the last short, as

or

of the following
1.

first

2.

viz.,

three letters

of

Those which

and third

short,

Those which have

last long,

denominated

short syllable between two

;

4.

" Tukun" the two

first

ijt cTT^f.

M.
Moorchhuna.

Hindu

scale

term expressive of the

of

music, and as this

full

extent of the

extends

to

three

GLOSSARY.

Moorchhunas,

octaves, there are consequently twenty-one

A Moorchhuna differs from

having distinct names.

in this respect,

that,

and only seven of the

same name whether

highest octave

a aoor

there are twenty-one of the former

that every soor has the

latter, so
it

belong to the lowest, middle, or

whereas every individual sound through the

whole range of three octaves has a distinct name when

it

is

considered as Moorchhuna, by which way of naming them

the octave of any particular sound has a distinct appellative.

A Khadoo Rag for instance,

or notes
or

but

it

may comprehend

q. v.,

extends to six soors

within

its

compass seven,

more Moorchhunas, according to the numbe*

eight, or

of notes which are repeated in another octave.

Mridung.

sort of

drum, appropriately used to accompany

Dhoorpuds, and other solemn species of music.

Munjeera.

Muqamat

Little

Farsee.

their origin

cymbals used to mark the time.

These are said to have

Persian music.

from the prophets, whilst others ascribe them,

as well as the invention of musical instruments, to philoso-

phers.

Although the Muqamat Farsee are originally of

Persia,

yet as they are

now known

in this

country,

seems necessary to say a few words respecting them.

natives of Persia, like those of Hindustan,

reckon their

ancient music as comprising of twelve classes or

each of which has belonging to

Goshuhs.

The Muqams being

valent to the Bags of

it

it

The

Muqams,

two Shobuhs and four

generally considered equi-

Hindustan, the

Shobuhs

being

esteemed their Eaginees, and the Goshuhs their Putras

and Bharjyas.

The annexed

table, exhibits all

the

Muqams and Shobuhs, and

thirty of the Goshuhs, the rest being

unknown.

. ..

...

GLOSSARY.

IHmes

of

Moqamti.

Hehavee,

Goshuh.

Shobuh.

Buhare

Nourozi Urub,
consists of 6 notes,

Nourozi Ujum,

..

Ghumzooda.
Nubate Toork.

G notes,

Hoosynee,

Doogah,

Surfuraz.

2 notes,

Moohyyer,

Busta nigar.
Nubate Coordaneea.
Nihavunduk.

8 notes,

Mooturuffe,

Bast,

8 notes,

some say

9.

Punjgah,

Boozoorg,

Sigah

Nigar.

3 notes,
Hisar,
8 notes,

Visal.

some say
Hoomayoon,

10,

Buhre Cumal.
Buhre uslee.

.,

8 notes

Eukb,

Etedal.
Golistan.
Sureer.

3 notes,

Tyatee,
5 notes,

(Mookkalif,
Iraq,

77

..

..

Booh

Hyrut.
Moatedilah.

8 notes,

Muanuvee.

Isfuhan or Isfubang Tubreez,

Puhluvee.

5 notes,

Nusb apooruk
6 notes,
Nourozi Khava,
5 notes,

Mahvur,

..

6 notes,
Zaboel,
3 notes,

Ouj,
8 notes

Zungoolub.,

Chargah,
4 notes,

Boosuleek

Usbeeran,

Gliizal,

5 notes,

. .

10 notes,

Suba,

ufza.

Mughloob,

Oosbsbaq

Hyran.
Jumalee.

or
(.Rooe Iraq
5 notes,

Nava,

Shuhuree.
Usbeeran,
Gbizul.
Turub ungez.

4 notes,

Noobzut,

Cocbuk,

Sufa.
Dilbur.

Ouje Gumal.

5 notes,

Hijaz,

nishat.

Ghureeb.
Suwara.

..

5 notes,

GLOSSARY.

Vi

The

Music.

science

This in Sungscrit

of.

is

termed Sungeet.

invention of it is attributed to demi-gods,

The

Several treatises

they are so obscure, that

from,

them

and amongst

Sumeshwur, Hunooman, and Coolnath.

were written and are in existence, but

others to Narud,

benefit is to

little

be expected

to the science.

These are divided into classes by the Hindu

Musicians.

authors, agreeably to merit and extent of knowledge.

I.

Nayuh.

He

only has a right to claim this denomination

who has a thorough knowledge

theoretically

and

acquainted with

music, both

Bhould be intimately

the rules for vocal and instrumental

all

compositions, and

of ancient

He

practically.

Should be

dancing.

for

sing Qeet, Chhund, Prubund,

&c,

qualified to

to perfection, and able to

give instruction.
II

To

1.

who understand merely

this class belong those

practice of music,

Oundhurb.

and

is

One who

is

acquainted with the ancient

(Marg) Rags, as well as the modern

He who

Goonee, or Gooncar.

2.

the

subdivided into

(Desee),

and

has a knowledge of only

the modern ones.

Culavunt, Qundharbs, and

III.

Oooncars,

who

sing Dhoor-

puds, Tirvuts, &c, to perfection, go by this appellation.

IV.

Quvval, excels in singing Qoul, Turana, Kheal, Ac.

Dharee, sings Curca, &c.

V.
VI.
is

Pundit.

This term

applied to those

who

and do not engage in

literally

signifies a Doc. Mus.,

and

profess to teach the theory of music,

its practice.

(Culavunt and Quvval are modern terms.)

N.
Nucta.

Nuqaruh.

species of song, sung in Boondelkhund,

sort of large

&c,
drum played upon with

p.

107

sticks.

GLOSSARY.
It is one of the instruments of the

Nuy

Literally a

reed,

Persian.

Noubut Khanuh.

A Mahomedan

musical

instrument.
O.

Oodoo.

Oopuj.

An

Rag or Raginee which

Descending

Oorohee.

Ootpunnu.

consists of only five notes.

ad libitum passage.
scale.

Origin (of sounds).

P.

Cradle hymns, p. 107.

Palna.

A species

Prubund.

of ancient songs, p. 101.

Q.

..

Qulbana

...

Species of song,
e p.
r 107.

R.

Rag.

Hindu

Ragsagur.

Rekhtah.

tune, p. 61 et seq.

species of composition, p. 103.

Poetry in the tongue called Rekhtah, set to music,

p. 106.

Ritoo.

Seasons.

The poets and musicians

divide their year into six

seasons,

allotted to each Rag, with his Raginees, Pootras,

jyas.

The seasons
Busunt,

are
1

Greeshmu,
Burkha,

mm
5a

.9
.2

fChyt and Bysakh.

'

s o

Shishir,

The Rags allotted

Bhyron

CD

Jeth and Usarh.

Sravuu and Bhadru.

Ashwin and

Cartic.

Ughun and

Poos.

*" ^Magh and

-a
,

Phalgoon.

to the seasons are

Surut.

Malcous

Shishir.

Hindol

Busunt.

is

and Bhar-

Surut,

Hem,

Hindustan

of

and one of these

Deepuc

Greeshmu.

Sree

Hem.

Megh

Burkha.

CL0SSARY.

Vlii

Rohee.

Ascending

Kubab.

It

is

scale.

guitar strung with gut strings.

Mahomedan instrument, and

particularly liked

by the

Puthans.
S.

The Hindustanee

Sarungee.

a modern invention.

fiddle,

Seasons, vide Ritoo.

An

Sitar.

instrument of the Guitar species, invented by

Umeer Khosrow

A species

Sohla.

of Delhi.

of song, p. 107.

A sound, the key-note, and the octave alt of the Khuraj.

Soor.

To produce a sound from

Soor-bhurna.

meant
Srooti.

to

the throat, generally

sound the key-note.

The chromatic

scale

of the Hindus, consisting of

the sub-divisions of the seven notes of the gamut into

twenty-two parts.
T.
Tal.

Time

Thoomree.
Time.

melody

or measure of

One

of the

more modern

species of song, p. 103.

Tal.

Modern compositions

Tirwut and Turana.

be invented by

Umeer Khosrow,

Treatise on music

is called

the style said to

p. 106.

a grunth.

Small drums.

These are used two at a time, one

played upon with each hand ; the right is used for the

Tubla.

treble (Zeer)

and the

left for

the bass (Bumb).

It is

of

modern invention.
Tumboora.
note,

Tuppa.

and

A
fill

One

perfection

stringed instrument used to prolong the r key-

up pauses in song.

of the very

by the

late

modern species

of song

Shoree of Lukhnow,

brought to

p. 103.

OLOSSART.

IX

V.
Veen.

The most

ancient, extensive, and complicated musical

instrument of Hindustan.

Its invention is attributed to

the Mooni Narud.

Z.

Zeer.
Zicree.

The

treble

end

of

a drum.

A species of song

into Hindustan

originally

by Qazee Muhmood,

of Goojrat, introduced
p. 107.

PREFACE.
By

music minds an equal temper know,

swell too high nor sink too low
Warriors she fires with animated sounds,
Pours balms into the bleeding lover's wounds.

Nor

Pope.

Poets themselves must fall, like those they sung,

Deaf the praised ear, and mute the tuneful tongue.

general view of the plan

treatise on

the Music

and

contents of the work.

of Hindoostan

deratum which has not yet been

several eminent Orientalists have

Pope,

supplied.

is

a desi-

Although

endeavoured to pene-

trate this elegant branch of Indian science, scarcely

part of

it

has been elucidated or

Europeans.

ed to
so

fill ;

how

difficult

it is

It

It

is

far I

rendered

chasm which

this

have succeeded

(for reasons

familiar

any
to

have endeavour-

in

an undertaking

which shall presently appear),

for the public to determine.

is

impossible to convey an

by words or written language

grees of acuteness or gravity

accurate idea of music

is,

the various de-

of sounds,

together with

that

the precise quantity of the duration of each,

expressed by

common

cannot be

language, so as to be of any use

PREFACE.
to performers,

and as the musical characters now in use,

which

can express music in the manner that

alone

could be desired,

a modern invention, of course

is

attempts to define music

this

elegant

anterior

to

all

the invention of

and concise method must have necessarily

proved abortive.

How

country ad-

far the ancient philosophers of this

vanced towards the perfection of this science

pear in the course of this work

thing similar to the awkward attempts

previous to the invention of the system

were

ed by Magister Franco,

known

and

here,

and the time

only required a

it

ingenuity to connect the

made

now

The musical

insufficient for practice.

will ap-

but as they were somein

Europe

in use, they
scale, invent-

were both

table,
trifling

degree of

one with the other, so that

one individual character might instantly express both.

This step was wanting, and
dered

all

their

treatises

it

is

this

which has ren-

on music an unintelligible and

almost useless jargon.

During the
cultivated

literature, for

for

earlier

ages of Hindoostan, musie

by philosophers and men eminent

whom

was

for polite

such general directions and rules

composition sufficed, after a course of musteal edu-

cation acquired from living tutors

indeed,

the abhor-

rence of innovation, and veneration for the

established

national music, which was firmly believed to be of divine

origin,

precluded the necessity of any other

but when,

from the theory of music, a defection took place of

its

and men of learning confined themselves

ex-

practice,

clusively to the

former,

while the latter branch

was

PREFACE.

abandoned entirely to the

elucidate music from

illiterate,

down

rules laid

incapable of explanation by mere

This

is

the"

why even

reason

attempts to

all

in books, a scienco

became

words,

Orientalist as Sir William Jones has failed.

are insufficient for

to procure

there

are

this

although grossly

thod, although very

seems

to

made

in

lic

we

Books alone

must endeavour

laborious,

This me-

illiterate.

and

even

precarious,-

be the only one by which any advance can be

so

abstruse an undertaking.

Should the pub-

consider this work as at all conducive to the

which

whom

from living professors, of

solutions
several,

purpose

idle.

able and eminent an

so

it

achieves to

aspire,

it

end to

the intention of the

is

author to lay before them specimens of original Rags

and

set

Ragi'nees,

which

notices,

to

music,

accompanied with short

will serve to elucidate the facts

advanced

in this volume.

The

causes which induced- a defection of the theory

from the practice of music in Hindoostan

loped in the course of the work, and

it is

will be deve-

sufficient

here

to notice that Such a defection has actually taken place,

and that a search

less

as

for

of Indian

practice

that

tude will hold

after
still

one versed both in the theory and

music would perhaps prove as

The

the philosopher's stone.

further

if

we take the

fruitsimili-

trouble to

second our search with due caution, for there are

reputed Kemiagurs

in this country,

all

of

whom

many
prove

themselves to possess no more knowledge of the auriferous art, than the reader can himself possibly be
sessed

of.

2A

pos-

PREFACE.

A taste

for the

classics

No

school education.

is

imbibed by us from our

philologer will, I believe, deny that

impressions contracted in early infancy,

will, if possible,

It is therefore

tender age,

or

be effaced with the greatest

difficulty.

hard for us to divest ourselves of the

idea that whatever

is

of Greek or Egyptian

tion between poetry and music should not be

To

the antiquarian such researches afford

From

interest.

this source should be

neration for ancient music

entertain,

The

and

for

which

forgotten.

a two-fold

derived that ve-

all classical scholars

which several have laboured.

similitude between the music of the classical

and that of Hindoostan has never,

tions

must

origin

The near connec-

be deserving of respect and imitation.

and the following labour

traced,

be productive of some

There

is

will, I

I believe,

na-

been

presume to hope,

fruit.

no doubt that harmony

a refinement on

is

melody; but much modern music, divested of the har-

mony which
expression

and

it

"and most

Although

presents

am

us

to

blank

its

when

adorned

harmony

will

adorned

the

myself very fond of harmony,

cannot but be acknowledged that

lime stretch of the

is

it,

and want of that beauty which warranted the

nudity,

least."

accompanies

human mind,

it is

the

a very sub-

reasoning

on

perhaps convince the reader that harmony

more conducive to cover the nakedness, than shew

the

fertility,

of genius.

Indeed,

perhaps

all

the most

beautiful successions of tones which constitute agreeable

melody are exhausted, and

this

is

poorness of our modern melody, aud

the reason

of the

the abundant use

PREFACE.
of harmony,

pensates by

however

which
its

novelty.

At

a good

in

measure com-

we

the same time,

harmony

strained to allow that

is

nothing but

can never charm equally with nature.

melody can be produced by an

plain indication that the former

mind,

but

study,"

natural,

is

which

" Enthusiastic

illiterate

harmony always supposes previous

tolerable

con-

are

art,

the latter

artificial.

To be convinced that
not been accustomed
till

habit reconcile us to

sentiments of the

with

whom

always repugnant to our

we need only

it,

travellers

several

their particular feelings

we have

foreign music, such as

to, is

refer

taste,

to

the

who have recorded

on hearing the music of nations

they have had but

little intercourse.

Eu-

rope, the boast of civilization, will likewise throw an additional weight into the balance of impartiality

nations

of those

music or science

is

when the

concerned who are

designated semi-barbarous by her proud sons.

It should

be a question likewise whether they have witnessed the

performance of those who were reputed to excel in so
difficult

a practice.

If a native of India were

to

visit

Europe,

and who

haviDg never had opportunities of hearing music in

utmost perfection

who had

or a concert, directed

by an able musician, but had mere-

ly heard blind beggars, and

frequent inns
sic of

its

never witnessed an opera,

and taverns

itinerant scrapers,

were

Europe was execrable,

it

such as

to assert that the

mu-

would perhaps never have

occurred to his hearer that he had heard only such

music as he would himself designate by the same

title,

PREFACE.

and the poor

the

first

traveller's

and uppermost idea that would present

But when we
enlightened

possess

travellers

itself.

the contrary testimonies of two

with

respect

same

the

to

we may have reason to appear some-

surely

subject,

what

want of taste would perhaps be

On

sceptical.

the opinions given

by Europeans

on the music of Hindoostan, I shall produce an example.

Dr. Griffiths, in his Travels in Europe,

and Arabia, 1805, page 115,

the Turks some

who

understand not

'

says,

affect a taste

"There
for

Asia Minor,
are

music

amongst

but they

the concord of sweet sounds,' nor com-

prehend, according to our system, a single principle of

musical composition.

always out of

wires,

upon which

are

An ill-shaped
tune,

guitar, with several

narrow

wooden

fastened two catgut strings,

bourine of leather, instead of parchment,

with

many

discordantly,

case,

tam-

ornamented

small plates of brass,

which jingle most

and

made without any

a sort of

flute,

regard to the just proportion of distance between the

apertures,
virtuosi

constitute

yet

it is

the principal instruments of these

extremely

common

to

amongst

see,

the lowest orders, performers on the guitar, which they

continue for hours to torment with a monotony the

most detestable."
In a note on this paragraph, the Doctor says,
ideas were committed to paper

many

since seen Mr. Dallaway's interesting

years ago

may

have

remarks upon the

music of the Turks, which I shall transcribe

observe, that however correct

" These

and only

be their theory,

their

PREFACE.

execution has always appeared to

me

(and I had

many

occasions of attending to it) so far beneath mediocrity,

to merit no kind of comparison with any other music

as

From

or musical performers.
tones into
ness

minor tones,

which they are so much

of melody by

and which leads them

European

of

the division of the semi-

Mr. D. says, results that

music

delighted',

to disparage the greater

but

Turkish

sweet-

harmony

judgment

only

can give way to a preference so preposterous ; nor can

it

be supposed that performers, who play merely from

memory, and

reject

can acquire any eminenoe in

notes,

the difficult science of music."

Mr.

Dallaway

says,

" They are guided by strict rules of composition according to their

own musical

theory."

I have quoted this passage not

appropriate example, but because

as

the only or most

it "first

and the similarity between the Turkish,

occurred to me,

as

described by

Dr. G. and Mr. D., and the Indian music, appeared

me

to

to be sufficiently close to warrant its insertion in this

place.

From the

censure passed by Dr. G. on musicians

playing from memory,

occur to

him that

and Rome,

monk

all

lived in

of Arezzo,

it

should appear, that

it

did not

ancient musicians of Egypt, Greece,

an age much prior to that of the

who

supposed to be the inventor of

is

the modern musical characters, and must consequently

have played from memory, notwithstanding which they

are

celebrated to have

acquired eminence.

modern times we have had

men who were

either

several

In more

bright examples in

bora blind, or were deprived of

and constantly played from

infancy,

early

in

sight

memory, who became great musicians and composers.

In

eminent men have been of opinion that

fact, several

the study

of music

in

infancy,

his

his divine

was to be

recommended

chiefly

to

Saunderson, the algebraist, became blind

blind persons.

and Milton was so when he composed

poem, which shews what

men

capable of

are

doing from memory.

On

the acquisition of India to the Europeans,

it

was

generally believed to have been in a semi-barbarous state.

The

generous

and Dr.

attempts made by Sir William Jones

Gilchrist,

together with the elegant acquire-

ments of Mr. H. H. Wilson, have proved

ores of literature.

it

be an

to

pregnant with the most luxuriant

inexhaustible mine,

French authors have

Several

like-

wise contributed to the more intimate acquaintance of

the Europeans with Eastern learning.

The poetry
after

by the

considered by

while

it

of a nation
traveller

him that

is

almost universally sought

and the
its

curious,

and

it is

seldom

music deserves a thought

should be remembered, that poetry and music

have always illustrated and assisted each other, parti-

where both are subservient to

cularly in Hindoostan,
religion,

and where the ablest performers of music were

Munies and Jogees, a

set

of

men

reputed, for

sanctity,

and whose devout aspirations were continually poured

forth in

measured numbers and varied tone.

Every scrap of Egyptian and Grecian music

sured up as a relic of antiquity,
its

merits might be.

at least

how

is

trea-

despicable soever

have not discernment

PREPAdE.
sufficient to

inserted

many

comprehend the beauties of the Greek

the

in

Journal, No.

Flutist's

other pieces of equal merit,

air

page 123, and

6,

which

could point

out, were I inclined to criticise.

That Indian music, although

trinsic claim to

will be, I

to

presume, allowed

is

but why

to obtain

we never

it

strive for

nation so lost and

whenever we
it

but

We

as

think

it

in our

and therefore

never, never

the

after,

venture

shall

please,

may we

forgotten

possessing in-

seldom sought

because possession cloys.

say,

power

in general

beauty in melody,

become a

ancient Egyptains

and Greeks, whose music can only be gleaned from

some imperfect accounts in their writings, although it

would enhance the value of the music of this country.
I

am

however convinced,

an endeavour

to

for reasons given above, that

comprehend the ancient music of Hin-

doostan would not prove so easy an undertaking as one

would be inclined
I

to promise himself it would.

have endeavoured to notice the similarity which

appears to

me

to exist between the music of Hindoostan

and that of the other two ancient nations

conjectures have been correct,

ed to decide.

Should

my

one instance, I shall

it

how

far

my

remains with the learn-

labours prove successful in any

feel

happy

to

have contributed

even in so small a degree to the development of a science

so

intimately connected with the

respects

theatre of the

Egypt,
countries

belle lettres,

and which

a country acting so conspicuous a part on the

modern world.

Greece

and

which the

Rome

European

are

the

scholar

only
is

ancient

taught

to

PREFACE.

10
reverence
the

having been civilized and enlightened

as

he

rest

generally thought

rank

India

consider as barbarous.

to

is

all

not

any approxiraity in

as deserving of

of,

is

but the acuteuess of some has even led them to

doubt, whether this country was not in a state of civiliza-

most ancient of those three

tion even before the

whether

was not the parent country

this

found

we

better

from the parent

graft

If a

civilization.

Egypt,

in

and Kome

Greece,

gospel were not to have

for

the

who were

desirous

of

sword),

we should have found

(the

Mahomedan
and although
of

falsity

demonstrating but

which

with

the

and were thus far certainly iconoclasts, surely

So that

all

consist

in

to

the

the philosophy and

improvement of

sciences.

learning

Hindoos

of the

the knowledge of their most ancient writings.

should appear that in those times they had advanced

more towards the perfection

classical

their

India has be-

of illiberal

idolatry

thought of

were no encouragers

it

so did they

the truths of the

equally superstitious

eradicating

never

if

Iu India, to

Europe.

in

persecutions

princes,

If

and

two thousand years longer,

they

having

tree,

been announced to the world

the same things prevailing

sides suffered

birth

it

and idolatry prevail

superstition

day,

nay,

has flourished more luxuriantly, are

soil,

to despise the root which gave

this

the root of

nations,

bearing

it

the

seems to
palm,

at

of

music than did the

me

sufficient to authorise

least

in

this

branch of

science.

The theory and practice of music, as

known and practised in Hindoostan,

far as
I

it

hope

is

now
have

PREFACE.

succeeded

difficult

to

"Had

*
last

but

;*

will be
I

found on inquiry very

hope some one more able

the Indian empire continued in full energy for the

years, religion would,

permanence to systems

by

knowledge of what might be

presume

obtain

two thousand

believe,

in describing.

wanting here,

their gods,

of

no doubt, have given

music invented, as the Hindoos

and adapted

mystical poetry

to

but

such have been the revolutions of their government since the

time of Alexander, that, although the Sanscrit books have preserved the theory of their musical compositions, the practice

seems wholly

lost (as all the

Pandits and Rajahs confess)

of

it

in

Gour and Magadha, or the provinces

When

of

I first read the songs of Jayadiva,

each of

them the name

of the

mode

Bengal and Behar.

who has

in which

sung, T had hopes of procuring the original

it

prefixed to

was anciently

music

but the

Pandits of the south referred me to those of the west, and the

Brahmans of the west would have sent me to those of the
north

while they, I

mean

those of Nepal and Cashmir, declar-

ed that they had no ancient music, but imagined that the

notes of the Oitagovinda must exist,

if

anywhere, in one of the

southern provinces, where the poet was born

from

all this,

which flourished in India many centuries

ago, has faded for want of due culture, though some scanty
remnants of it may, perhaps, be preserved in the pastoral
roundelays of M athura on the loves and sports of the Indian

collect, that the art

Apollo."

Sir William Jones,

Sir William Jones,

it

vol. I,

p. 440.

seems, confined his search to that

phoenix, a learned Pandit,

who might

likewise be a musician

but, I believe, such a person does not exist in Hindoostan for

reasons which shall be hereafter noticed.

12

PREFACE,

and persevering

Many

this

country to

primitive state.

its

branches of Indian science and literature have been

revived by zealous
clear

and restore

supply the deficiencies,

will

music of

the original

why

its

and

Orientalists,

it

seems not quite

music has been so much neglected.

have not confined myself to the details in books,

but have

also

most famous performers,

consulted the

both Hindoos and Mussulmans,

the more expert

India,

the

Hukeem Sulamut Ulee Khan

Veeukars in

first

musicians of

Lucknow,

and

who has

writ-

of Benares,

ten a treatise on music.

The reader

will not

any of the existing

find

work a translation

this

of

on music, but an original

treatises

work, comprehending the system of Hindoostanee music

much

of

confirmed by the practice of the present day.

according to the ancient

it

as

is

theory,

have endeavoured, likewise,

assign the

noticing

as

throughout the work, to

motives for several peculiarities in Hindoo

music and manners, for which none has been hitherto

assigned, such as the confining their Eaginees

seasons of the year and

cular

the

difference

nations of Asia,

between

sung in

the
this

parti-

to

time of day and night

lyric

poetry

country

of

several

some ancient

customs now become wholly or partly obsolete,

now out

practices

and

of fashion, or rendered useless in con-

sequence of the security afforded by

the

British Go-

vernment.

In the definition of the term " Bag," I have taken

the liberty to differ from Dr. Gilchrist and Sir William

Jones

the

motives for

which

will,

hope,

appear

PREFACE.

13

oogeut to have warranted

sufficiently

the

presumption.

Some reasoning on harmony and melody

be found, which I hope

will

not

will likewise

be unacceptable

but

on impartial consideration found to possess some weight.

The immense
led

me

have

variety in

a great

treatises,

many

time noticed in the

of which are

still

original

practised, has

more largely than I should

number not been so limited in

to discuss this subject

had

done,

European

its

practice,

important.

All the

and the
species

subject

not appeared so

of composition

have been

noticed, with a short sketch of the distinguishing characters of each

sicians,

and a

brief account

from the most ancient

superadded.

of the
to

principal

mu-

the present time,

is

INTRODUCTION.
The

verse of Chaucer

not harmonious to us

is

him, thought

Music.

Its

power on

it musical.

human

the

The opinion of the Natives with

How

cians.

rally

ments.

live

mind.

That of Einioostan.

Not gene-

Reasons assigned for

The manner of

life

Progress of

which should be

Cause of its depravity.

The similarity which the music of

decline.

country seems to bear to that of Egypt

and

vival of that of those countries.

Comparisons

ther the natives of Greece or Hindoostan

to

offered.

re-

Whe-

had made greater

Comparisons decide in favor of the

sciences have undoubtedly

this

How

Greece.

knowledge of the music of Hindoostan might conduce

All arts and

Na-

this.

Musical instru-

to its lawfulness.

led to insure eminence in this science.

progress in music.

with

respect to their ancient musi-

Relation of music to poetry considered.

music in Hindoostan.

Date of its

who

a knowledge of it may be acquired.

liked by Europeans.

opinion with regard

tive

they

Dittoes.

latter.

had very trivial and

obscure beginnings, and the accounts given by historians of

their inventors are generally to bo
for

considered as fabulous

they certainly are the gradual productions of several,

wrought up into a system

time,

after

the lapse of considerable

and the confirmation of a variety

Nature

is

of time required to bring

portion

'to

takes ages

mushroom

of

experiments.

always gradual in her productions, and the length

any thing to perfection

the quality of that thing.

to

develope

springs up

its

in a

The

is

in pro-

stately bur tree

majesty, while the insignificant

few hours.

With the human

INTRODUCTION.

16
mind,

time and culture improve

adventitious

more
"
all

same as with other productions

observed, to be the

it is

of nature

it,

circumstances surrounding

and the more the

it

are favorable, the

it flourishes.

of great arts and sciences have amongst

The invention

nations of antiquity been attributed to deities or

actuated by

men

divine inspiration, except by the Hebrews, the

only nation upon' earth

God. Indeed, there

is

who had

particularly such as exercise

inspire us, that

the knowledge of the true

an awe with which men of great minds,

them

for the benefit of

Men

ancients as beings of a superior order."

command have

it

mankind,

no wonder they were regarded by the

it is

not in their

lence to an extensive

circle

power to

of limited

diffuse their benevo-

but when princes, or great

statesmen and able generals, condescend to employ their

works which are conducive to the

leisure in

benefit, or allevia-

tion of the cares, of society, they evince the natural

goodness

of their hearts, they gain the particular esteem of the people

whom

over

they exercise control, and are regarded as

men

of

a supeiior order.
All

guage.

philologers are agreed, that music

Dr.

that

antiquity,

mankind

Burney*

its

says,

origin

"Vocal music

is

is

anterior to lanof such high

seems to have been coeval with

at least the lengthened tones of pleasure

and pain,

of joy and affection,

must long have preceded every other

language, and music.

The

articulations,

voice

of passion wants

but few

and must have been nearly the same in

human creatures, differing

all

only in gravity or acuteness accord-

ing to age, sex, and organization,

till

the invention of words

* General History of Music from the earliest ages to the present period,
.vol.

i,

p. 464.

INTRODUCTION.

17

by particular convention,

in different societies, weakened,

by degrees rendered

unintelligible.

it

instinctive language, or cry

of nature,

animals, and universally understood

and

The primitive and

is

by

retained

still

while our

artificial

tongues are known only to the small part of the globe, where,
after

being learned with great pains, they are spoken.

talk of love,

and of

hatred,' says M.

de Voltaire,

'

'

We

in general

terms, without being able to express the different degrees of

those passions.
pleasure, of

It

is

the same with respect to pain and

which there are such innumerable

species.

The

shades and gradations of volition, repugnance or compulsion,

are equally indistinct

want of

This censure should,

colors.'

however, be confined to written language

for

though a word

can be accurately expressed in writing, and pronounced but

one way, yet the different tones of voice that can be given to
it

in the utterance are infinite.

may

diametrically opposite to the

From

A mere negative or affirmative

even be uttered in such a manner as to convey ideas

original

import of the word."

this it appears, that music, or at least variety in tone, is

the soul of language, and without which no precise meaning

can be attached to any particular word.

" * If the art of music be so natural

melody
can be

is

to

man

that vocal

practised wherever articulate sounds are used, there

little

reason for deducing the idea of music from the

whistling of winds through the reeds that grew on the river

And

Nile.

tion

indeed,

when we

reflect

we may pass from the

souuds

with how easy a transi-

accents of speaking to diatonic

when we observe how

early

children

adapt

language of their amusements to measure and melody,

ever rude

when we consider how

early

the

how-

and universally these

* Encyclopaedia Britannica, Art. Music.

INTRODUCTION.

18
practices take place

the idea of music

there

no avoiding the conclusion, that

is

connatural to man, and implied

is

the original principles of his constitution.''

attribute

music to Muhadev

the invention of

making due allowances

for

in

The Hindoos
but after

superstition and ignorance, as

well as for the innate pride of man, .it seems unnecessary to

argue this poiut any farther.

Every nation, how rude soever, has, we

the degree of
of

its

its professors.

refinement

She

is

Indians of America,

With the
have

left

that of

is

yet in her cradle with the rude

or the

" hideous virgins of

natives of Hindoostan,

she

may

progress towards

Congo."

be said long to

the puerile state, though perhaps

puberty, her

music, and

see, its

in proportion to the civilization

still

maturity

far

from

having

been checked, and her constitution ruined and thrown into

decay by the overwhelming and supercilious power of the

Mahomedan government;

while in Europe, and especially

of Italy, she sports in all the gaiety of

in the luxuriant soil

youthful bloom and heavenly beauty.

It is

with music, as

with painting, sculpture, statuary, architecture, and every

other art or science, chiefly ornamental or amusing, that
flourishes best under steady

encourage them by their patronage.

refinements, were encouraged

the

Roman

pontiffs,

the best melodies, the

chief graces

more

" Literature, arts,

early

is,

and

at the courts

than in any other country

to that circumstance, it

it

and peaceful governments, which

of

and owing

that the scale, the counterpoint,

dramas, religious and

secular,

the

and elegances of modern music, have derived

their origin from Italy."

It is a very ancient observation, that the
ters

in every

" greatest mas-

profession and science always appear in the

19

INTRODUCTION.

same

period of time

much

credit

any power
bodies,

some

of

and

;''

P.

Bossu and Juvenal do not give

doubting " whether any influence of

for

planets,

or

stars,

the heavenly

kindly aspect of

might not at times reach our globe, and impregnate

favorite race with

celestial

He

spirit."

also sneers

at the assertion of the supernatural conceptions and miracu-

lous nursings of Hercules

and

and the founders of the Roman and Per-

Plato, Pindar,

sian empires,

and Alexander, Orpheus; Homer,

and attributes the cause to emulation.

This

latter principle,

however, cannot exist without encourage-

ment, which

the

is

source of

all

Shah not encourage and patronize

not have been

filled

emulation.

Did Ukbur

genius, his

court would

Why is

with the gems " Nouratun."

of music

Italy considered as the school

Or why was she

with regard to the rest of Europe what ancient Greece was

to

Home

The power

of music on the

human mind has always been

acknowledged to be very great, as well as

dency towards the soft and

amiable

its

general ten-

passions.

Polibius;

speaking of the inhabitants of Cynete, Plato, with his oppo-

nent Aristotle, Theophrastus, and other ancient writers, were

of this mind.

In Arcadia, every

to learn music, to soften

the

man was

ferocity of

required
his

by law

manners

and her admirers of Hindoostan have not been backward in

their praises of

it.

Host natives faithfully

believe that ancient

when their government flourished,

only
over
human beings, and passions, but
not
had power

songsters of the period,

also over irrational

creatures.

animals and inanimate and insensible

There are

professors

on record to

whom

the

wild beasts listened with admiration, nay at the sound of

whose voice rocks melted and whole

rivers forgot to flow.

ISTHODUCHON.

20
<'

have been assured by a credible eye-witness," says

Sir William Jones, " *that

two wild antelopes used often

to

come from the woods, to the place where a more savage

beast, Siraj-ud-Doulah, entertained himself with concerts,

and

that they listened to the strain with an appearance of pleasure,

the monster, in whose soul there was no music,

till

shot one of them, to display his archery

native of this country told

me

secondly, a learned

that he had frequently seen

the more venomous and malignant snakes leave their holes,

upon hearing tunes on a

them

who

peculiar delight

which, as he supposed, gave

flute,

and

thirdly,

an intelligent Persian,

repeated his story again and again, and permitted

write

down from

it

his lips, told

me

to

me, he had more than once

been present when a celebrated

lutanist,

Mirza Mohummud,

surnamed Bulbvi, was playing

to a large

company in a grove

near Shiraz, where he distinctly saw the nightingales trying

to vie with the musician,

sometimes warbling on the

sometimes fluttering from branch to branch, as

ed to approach the instrument whence

if

trees,

they wish-

the melody pro-

ceeded, and at length dropping on the ground in a kind of

ecstaey,

from which they were soon

raised,

he assured me, by

a change of the mode."

Whatever poets or
of music,

fabulists

might have alleged in favor

and whatever extravagant praises the wildness

of

their heated imaginations, assisted by the dictates of a fertile

genius, led

them

to pronouuce,

very few persons

apathetic
spire.

On

larged

have

bosom did not

The power

it is

nevertheless certain that

been found in every age whose

feel

of music

the glow music

anciently,

it

is

wont to

the Musical Modes of the Hindoos, written in 1784, and since

by the

President, p. 415.

in-

has been supposed,

much

21

INTRODUCTION.
would, from the agreeable surprise,

be looked for in later times

it

much

to the effect that could

some have supposed,

could not but be irresistible.

music, although
all

it

fully

comprehended

yet

it

seems to

who have thus

me

very doubtful,

eulogised the subject

its beauties.

The only way by which

by studying the

living performers,

"With regard to Oriental

has been generally celebrated by almost

scholars of the East,

whether any of those

is

which must have been

indeed,

occasioned by its novelty, add

perfection in this

original

can be attained

works, and consulting the best

both vocal aud instrumental

and few per-

sons have inclination, leisure, and opportunities sufficient for

an undertaking in

complicated, and rendered more

itself so

so from the want of perspicuous definitions.

Indeed, without

the assistance of learned natives, the search would be entirely

The theory

fruitless.

sent, that

of music is so little discussed at pre-

few even of the best performers have the

least

knowledge of any thing but the practical part, in which to

their credit

it

which seems

must be acknowledged they

to be, that

are written in the

men

most

manner

treatises on

excel.

The reason

of

Hindoostanee music

of " Tartini on

of erudition have lamented

Harmony," which
was not committed " in a

style of greater perspicuity."

Notwithstanding what

men

of great

learning and taste

have alleged in favor of Oriental music, persons whose authority should be

venerable,

there are

many who

treat it with

some that pretend to be connoisseurs, but upon

whose judgment I shall leave others to offer their opinion, and
derision

will observe in

a transient manner, that the only reasoning

they have to allege

is

to

remark with a smile that

it is

Hin-

doostanee music, and not consistent with their natural taste

22

INTRODUCTION.

without satisfying us

that their taste

of the

is

most refined

nature.

There

Duta on

is

a note in Mr. Wilson's translation of the

this passage

" Not

e'en the vilest,

" Solicits help

which

it

when a

falling friend

once was his to lend,"

cannot help transcribing.

" The Hindus have been the

gyric,

Megha

and equally

object of

idle detraction

much

pane-

idle

some writers have invest-

ed them with every amiable attribute, and they have been

common

deprived by others of the

Amongst the

many

always particularized, and there are

residents of India,

who

all

natives of

To them, and

detractors on this head, the above verse is a satisfac-

tory reply

the

European

of the

scarcely imagine that the

the country ever heard of such a sentiment.

to

humanity.

virtues of

excellencies denied to them, gratitude has been

literal

may

and that no doubt

of its tenor

translation of the

original passage, "

remain, I add

Not even a

low man, when laid hold of for support by a friend, will turn

away

face with forgetfulness of former kindness

his

therefore should the exalted act thus

If

by Hindoostanee music

is

sion and noise which consists of

perhaps a

fife

if

heard these only, I

but

if it

the beauties which

it

of confu-

of different sorts,

made by such

as

and

have

admit, the assertom in its full extent

be so asserted of

the charge.

meant that medley

drums

the assertoin be

how

1"

all

Hindoostanee music, or of

possesses or

is

susceptible

The prepossession might

more of the following causes

first,

arise

of,

all

deny

from one or

ignorance, in which I

include the not having had opportunities of hearing the best

performers

secondly, natural

prepossession against Hin-

23

INTRODUCTION.
doostanee music
the second

thirdly, inattention to its

motive or otherwise

comprehension.

It

is

all

of

these

effect.

man

It is certainly not rational in a

any thing before he

incapacity

probably not unfrequent that

causes concur to produce the

from

beauties

fourthly,

is perfectly

to

or decry

praise

acquainted with

various

its

There are many things in

excellencies or imperfections.

nature which might appear impossible to a superficial observer of her works

there

are likewise several mechanical

and philosophical contrivances which present a similar view

to the uninitiated.

Who

would have thought that instinct

could lead an irrational animal so far as almost to approach

to sense, before proper attention was paid to the various
devices and arts employed

by

have credited the wonderful

different animals

Who

should

gunpowder, which ob-

effects of

Spaniards the appellation of the " mighty

tained for the

thunders" in the wars with the Incas so late as the middle

That

of the fourteenth century?

fire

might

be

literally

brought down from heaven was considered a miracle before

Dr. Franklin's time, and such a thing as the fulminating
silver

was not dreamed of before the invention of

Brugnatelli."

What

of late years been produced

agent as steam

it

by

surprising and stupendous effects have

by the action of so simple an

and to what variety of purposes has

been directed by the ingenuity of man!

How

it

it

would

have rejoiced Captain Savery to have beheld steam, acting

as

it

were from

its

own impulse and

ing that of a reasonable being

consciousness, resembl-

We can easily see how ignorance or

incapacity might lead

a person to wrong conclusions, yet we do not consider whether those persons

who decry Hindoostanee music have had

INTRODUCTION.

24

opportunities of hearing

it

advantage

to the best

whether,

supposing they had, they were at the time divested of

prejudices against

all

and were disposed to judge impartially

it,

whether they possessed the requisite capacity to compre-

hend

its beauties.

Dr. Barney, in his preface to his general History of Music,

from the

(MDCCLXXVI.)

earliest ages to the present period,

very justly observes, that "to love such music as our ears
are accustomed to

nature, that

it

estimation at

the highest
that

it

an instinct so generally subsisting in our

is

appears less wonderful

should hitherto never have had

provements and revolutions.''

It

not so

much esteemed

though

to this

that Oriental music

its

merit deserves.

is

Al-

have met with some European ladies who eagerly

a copy of a Hindoostanee song or air, yet

desired to possess

seemed

curiosity,

it,

perhaps

as

progressive im-

its

perhaps owing

is

general want of acquaintance with

it

should have been in

it

and in every place, than

times,

all

to

me

that they esteemed

more

it

perhaps to be sent home, than for

as a relic of
its intrinsic

worth in their eyes.

The author

An

of "

Inquiry into the Life and Writings of

Homer'' very justly observes, that

narrow capacities
sets

,of

of manners,

life.

our minds
or

"we

are born but with

are not able to

comprehend with

master two

facility different

ways

Our company, education and circumstances make

deep impressions, and form us into a character, of which we

can hardly divest
only

and

of the
family,

when we

stick

The manners, not

ourselves afterwards.

age and nation in which

closely

we

live,

but of our city

to us, and betray us at every turn

try to dissemble, and would pass for foreigners.

a similar manner, unless

we

are

perfectly

well

In

acquainted

INTRODUCTION.

25

with the manners, and customs, and mode

amongst a nation, and

the poet describes,

not possible to

it is

of life

prevalent

the very juncture of time which

at

the effect intend-

feel

ed to be conveyed."
Various are the opinions which the

music with regard to

its

doos are unanimous in their praises of

of the sweetest enjoyments

of

benevolent aud heroic actions

manner, the affluent enjoy

and extol

its

The Hinit

as

one

the gods are

and princes have their

most

recited in the

suitable

beauties without reproach,

aid forget their

its

it,

in which

life,

praised with due sublimity, kings

the needy by

natives entertain of

lawfulness or otherwise.

misery, the unfortunate

by giving vent to his sorrow in song, the lover

finds relief

pays the most gratifying compliment to his mistress, and the

coy maiden without a blush describes the ardour of her
passion.

The Moosulman

doctors, however, disagree

with each other.

use of
are

it

The more

severe

from them and

them

of

altogether as irreligious and profane

somewhat more indulgent, and permit

restrictions.

A few,

convinced of

prohibit the
;

while others

it

with certain

its excellence,

but dreading

the censure of casuists, have prudently preferred silence.

Some

have" considered

others, perhaps with

it

more

as

and

to be an incentive

it

bent of the inclination, and consequently possessing

to the

the property of producing both good and

writer

the spirits,

exhilirating

reason, declare

Shekh Sadee

Music

is

evil.

That moral

says,

either vocal or instrumental.

everywhere acknowledged

to

The former

be superior to the

latter.

is

It

26

INTRODUCTION.

not in the power of

is

man

so very delicate and

form an

to

instrument

artificial

beautiful in tone,

and possessing

all

the pliability of a truly good voice.

When

I speak of the

would have

beauties of Hindoostanee music, I

understood, that I

it

mean

its intrinsic

beauties, uncircumscribed in its acceptation to

branch of

towed

it.

ingenuity on the natives of India, which

their instrument, (or

real

Although nature might not perhaps have bes-

sufficient

might enable them to

cause

and

any individual

other nations in the nicety of

rival

what appears to me a more attributable

want of patronage from the distracted

state of the

country and depravity of the times,) she has, however, been

sufficiently

indulgent to

them

The

in their natural organs.

names, of Byjoo, Nayuk Gopal, and Tansen will never be

forgot in the

annals of Hindoostanee music

show whether any

of the

disciples

The above

ever rival him.

and time

will

of the late Shoree will

observation

on the musical

instruments of Hindoostan should only be applied to the

present times, for

we can

of the empire.

offer

no opinion as

to the care

manufacture during the flourishing state

bestowed on their

With

respect to the voice, there are

existence whose singing does

them

great credit,

some

in

and I have

myself had the pleasure of hearing a few both males and

females

who

richly deserve this praise.

It is allowed that

'

some compositions contain sentences so

pithy, delivered in such beautiful poetry, that they

all

do not at

stand in need of music to set them off to advantage

while there are sometimes

such happy effusions

could

all

retician

the

fire

of the poet or the persuasion

the

musician's imagination that they speak for themselves

nor

of the rheto-

add a single grace to those they already possess.'

INTRODUCTION.

The

27

natives of India are sensible of this power of music, and

have sometimes demonstrated

it

in their melodies, which

if

considered iu a musical view are really elegant, and engage

our attention but when we come to examine the sentiment which has been delivered in so delicate a strain, and
which we fancy will be in accordance with the beauty of the
melody, we find ourselves sadly disappointed, for they conall

tain

how

;,

odd sentences awkwardly put together.

this

comes to

The ancient musicians of Hindoostan were

poets and

men

and

also generally

own compositions

of erudition, and sung their

in fact, music

I shall explain

pass.

and poetry have always gone hand

as the Egyptain priests,,

by means

in hand,

of their hieroglyphics,

reserved the knowledge of their sciences exclusively to themselves, so the

ancient Brahmins of

this-

country threatened

with excommunication any of their tribe who should presume

to apostatise

and betray the sacred writings or Shasters to

any but members of the

esteemed

whose mouths only were

elect,

words so sacred

sufficiently holy to utter

the innate pride of

man would

themselves which was the sole cause of

all

the abject defer-

ence and almost adoration paid to Brahmins by

tribes.

On

indeed,

induce them to keep that to

all

the other

the other hand, none of the inferior tribes could

presume to wish to acquire a knowledge of the sacred

ings, as it

thus that the ancients sung their

progress of time, and
princes,

especially

when music became a

writ-

was
own composition but in
under the Mahomedan

would be reckoned impious to do

It

so.

distinct trade, (and all

whose

imaginations were fruitful for musical composition were not

likewise blessed with talent for poetry,) the musician, relying

on the strength of his own

abilities

in music,

and fancying

28

INTRODUCTION.

himself a poet of course, scorned to set melody to the poetry

The consequence has been what

of others.

in the preceding paragraph

have noticed

but notwithstanding this disad-

vantage, they have gained the palin from competitors,

as poet3 might claim superiority, whilst the

who

melody of the

others has preserved its rank for ages.

The

history of the world, and of the rise and decline of

em-

the biography of eminent men, and the account of the

pires,

invention and progress of arts and sciences, furnish us with

one melancholy and

common

moral, that nothing sublunary

is stable.

How trivial

and

of nations,

who

grew powerful, and became the terror

in time

were the beginnings

insignificant

of their neighbours, or of the world

How

different

the

picture of their flourishing state from that of their decline

and

fall

men

even to the time when

inquire of each other,

where was Thebes, or Palibothra situated

The
and

history of music, in

common with

that of other arts

sciences, furnishes us with similar instruction.

origin

Its first

seems to have been to convey the idea of our passions

to others.

In progress of time,

when language

arrived to a

certain degree of intelligibility, its use began to be restricted

to the worship of the

Supreme Being.

It

was afterwards

extended to the commemoration of great events, the celebration of the praises of chieftains

and heroes, and

alleviation of the cares of society, in

of the joys of love holds a distinguished place.

tan,

music arrived at

ing period

of the

Mahomedan
decline

trophe.

since

its greatest

then,

and

its

In Hindoos-

height during the flourish-

native princes, just a

conquest,

lastly to the

which the enumeration

little

before the

subsequent depravity

and

closed the scene with the usual catas-

29

INTRODUCTION.

Music has always been highly appreciated,

ts

charms have not been prostituted

of licentious poetry.
dised,

the greatest

admired

Hence

men

when

especially

add to the allurement

it is that after it

in

and patronised

it,

to

had been methoancient days

this country in
its professors

till

in course of

time, these becoming licentious, cast such a stigma on the

men of honor disdained to be numbered amongst

At present most native performers of this
science are the most immoral set of men on earth,

science, that

its professors.

noble

and the term

another word for

is

all

that

is

abominable,

synonimous with that of the most abandoned and profligate

The

exercises under the sun.

and Rome were no better

musicians of Greece

later

indeed the parallel will admit of

being drawn through the whole latitude.

The author

Homer,

of

An

Inquiry into the Life and Writings of

treating of bards of the age of that poet,

was indeed no
and much
and courts

life

honor.

of wealth or power, but

The AOIAOI were welcome

were necessary at feasts and

The

were highly reverenced by the people."

dours of Provence were likewise

sequent depravity

is

says,

well

all

to

"It
ease

of great

kings

sacrifices

and

ancient trouba-

musicians.*

Their sub-

known.

The common opinion in Hindoostan is, that to be a great

man must live retired from the world like a Jogee.

musician, a

This opinion
tices

of

influenced by a consideration of the prac-

is

the

greatest

antiquity,

professors of

perhaps without some foundation.

We

know

and

that

is

some

not
of

the greatest poets used to retire to their favorite romantic and

wildly beautiful spots, the most attracting parts of which they
*

Todos o

los

mas

cavalleros andantes de

Trobadores y grandes musicos.

Part

la

I, lib. iii,

edad passada eran grandes

Don

Quixote.

INTRODUCTION.

30

copied from nature, and adopted as the foundation of thenr

The

enchanting scenes.
is evident.

aid the painter

It is not only the poet

derives from

them

and the painter, however,

that such delightful places befriend, the genius of music

them, and in a special manner patronises

likewise inhabits

This opinion was also

her votaries there.

common with

the Greeks, as will appear from a passage quoted

Plato by Dr. Burney

"

The grasshopper

sings all

from

summer

men who, dedicating themselves tocommon concerns of life."

men of genius has been one reason for the

without food, like those

the muses, forget the

The paucity
estimation in

of

which they were held.

universally acknowledged.

This scarcity has beer*

Sir William

Temple

says,

"

Of

all

the numbers of mankind that live within the compass of a

man that
may be a

thousand years, for one

a great poet, there

making great

generals,

is

born capable of making

thousand born capable

or ministers

of

of State, as the

most

who adopted

this

renowned in story."

The musicians
method

austere

of this country of old,

of living, concerning themselves little about

the luxuries and vanities of the world, would not be bribed

to

display their talents in public as hired professors.

gifts or grants were considered

as they

cared for nothing.

Princes and great

their friendship,

men

of taste

the necessity of courting

therefore found themselves under

favor, for

No

by them as worth accepting,

and of accepting the

fruit of their genius as a

which they possessed no other means of repaying

them but with honor and

likewise screened

them from

insured respect.

The

who considered

these

kind

religious

persons

treatment.

all sacrilegious

Their tribe
violence,

and

sentiments of the natives,

as voluntary exiles,

who had

31

INTRODUCTION.

renounced the world, and dedicated themselves to the worship of the gods, added some weight to the admiration they

commanded and
;

men would
The

its acquisition in others.

consideration obtained by these men, in time, induced

an avaricious disposition to engage as pupils,

several of

and

the ease and independence enjoyed by such

spur the desire of

acquiring

after

for themselves

some knowledge of the

art,

to set

up

but the sordidness of their views was soon

continued to maintain their

discovered.

They, however,

ground,

the country became overstocked with professors,

who

till

prostituted their

still

mere

abilities for a

trifle

and

lastly,

considering themselves as ministers of pleasure, and seeing

answered their avaricious views, even engaged in

that

it

other

traffic

not at

all

honorable to a

and they might have

man

of any profession,

with the Provencal minstrel of

said,

the 12th and 13th century

I

from lovers tokens bear,

can flow'ry chaplets weave,

Amorous

And with

They were become

regin of

Edward

to restrain

II.

belts can well prepare,

courteous speech deceive.

like

the minstrels of England in the

when

them by express

it

was found necessary

in 1315

laws.

Musicians of real merit, however, continued to meet with

due honor and patronage

who

is

Delhi,

tilr

the reign of

Mohummud

and the splendur of whose court could not be maintain-

ed without expert musicians.

After the reign of this monarch,

his successors had neither tranquillity nor

for

Shah,

considered the most luxurious of the sovereigns of

leisure sufficient

such amusements, and became engaged

in sports of a

quite different nature, replete with dismal reflections.

INTRODUCTION.

32
in the

Carey,

Dr.

preface

his Sanscrit

to

Grammar,

Calcutta, 1820, supposes the Egyptians to have been a colony

from India.
very

The reasons

plausible,

reader.

by that gentleman appear

stated

may

which

be consulted by the curious

Bigland, in his Letters on the Study and Use of

Ancient and Modern History, page 67, treating on the

differ-

ence of castes, says, " This regulation has no where been found
in

'

any country of

aocient or modern, except Egypt

note,

and India, which has caused many

to suppose that the inha-

bitants of India were originally a colony from Egypt, or that

the Egyptians were a colony from India."

And

again, p. 69,

" These distinctions were sanctioned by religion, and inter-

woven

Egypt as well as in India.

into its very essence in

exactly hit the

In

and the Brahmans of India have

this the Egyptian priests

same mark, and met with equal

success."

music of the two countries

Although a similarity in the

would not have much weight in hazarding such an opinion,

yet,

added to other resemblances, and to the conjectures of

such respectable authorities,

dered out of place that I

mity which appeared

to

it

perhaps not be consi-

will

have pointed out

me

the confor-

all

to subsist between the two..

Every person who reads the history of ancient music must

be struck with the vast

laborious researches

branch of science, and cannot but admire the

patience of the authors.
their labours have

points,

in

is

has been the

in that

and

a matter of regret that

ascertaining

in obscurity, doubt,

the

desired

case with almost

and must perhaps

of great antiquity,

so for want of

it

more generally ended

and conjecture than

This, however,

But

made

abilities

all

point.

disputed

for ever

remain

authentic documents, which can never be

produced by either party

for

none could have existed pre-

33

INTRODUCTION.

vious to the invention of letters, and most of what was since

committed

writing has been destroyed by revolutions ami

to

There

time.

is,

however, another difficulty particularly

tending upon the history of music.

This

is

at-

a science which

addresses itself exclusively to the ear, and before the invention of the

modern method

description of

The hatred

to great uncertainty.

innovation has prompted

practice

of committing an air to paper, all

books must have been vague, and

it in

them

to preserve their ancient

almost inviolable, and hence perhaps

knowledge of Indian music

be found between

it

is

liable

of the natives of India to

acquired, and

a thorough

if

some

similarity

and that of the nations above noticed,

there would perhaps be some hopes of unravelling the practice

of

those

ancient music

celebrated

That great part of

countries.

is unintelligible is

most generally allowed, and

such as have endeavoured to elucidate them, have for the

most part made but

definitions

and

little

progress for want of perspicuous

living performers,

who might

assist in deci-

phering the theory.

If a comparison

between the ancient music of Greece,

which was principally borrowed from the Egyptians, and

that of Hindoostan ; might be hazarded,

it

would appear that

great similarity exists between the two.

The same rythmi-

cal

measure, the same subdivision of

divisions, the

same noisy* method

semitones into minor

of beating time not only

Many

ancient instruments were monotonous,

mark the measure

was

for this reason,

Fetronius.

But

it

perhaps,

would

that

afford us

little

use but to

the

cymbals were called

no very favourable idea of the

who would
"The more time

of modern musicians,

keeping together.

and of

such were the Cymbalum and the Systrum

and

it

by

abilities

much

parade and noise in

beat," says M.

Rousseau, "the less

acquire
is

.ffiera

so

34

INTRODUCTION.

with the hand, but also with instruments of percussion

melody without harmony,

in

present acceptation

its

and

the effects said to have been produced by

the similarity of

the music of the two

The Diatessaron

nations.

or 4th

of

the Greeks was always fixed, while the intermediate sounds

were mutable, which equally corresponds with the practice of

Hindoostan.

The Greeks

divided their diatonic scale into two tetra-

chords, which were exactly similar to each other, si ut re

mi and mi fa

sol

and the note mi, being that by which

la,

both were joined, was denominated the conjunctive tetra-

The Sarungee

chord.

or fiddle of

Hindoostan

tuned in this manner, and not by 5ths, as

Europe, and the Greek method
in intonation, and in
If

is

is

is

always

the practice in

allowed to be more correct

some respects more

simple.

were inquired whether the nation of Greece or Hin-

it

doostan proceeded farther in the cultivation of music, the

we have

accounts
living

of

its

review of

its flourishing state

decide in favor of

it

ages of Greece,

kept

is

amongst the former, and the

latter,

aided by a

under the native princes, would

The use

Hindoostan.

holes to produce melodies,

latter

state

examples at present found in the

of

as well as the performance on that

and in general, bad music and bad

musicians

seems

now

to

to

sucb autbors,

have been made

in use in

distinctly.

to observe tbat

train of

music.

despoiled

of

all

i,

p. 75.

no allowance

The music
its

beauty

but the ancient music was on the rythmical

which the greatest beauty

The same

of Hindoostan.

beg

Europe would certainly be

by sucb an accompaniment
principle, in

for tbe different styles of

moat

stand

in need of sucb noisy assistance." Burney's History of Music, vol.

With due deference

with

flute,

was only discovered during the

reasoning

consisted
will

in

account

marking the time

for

the

practica

35

INTRODUCTION.
instrument as a solo

both of which existed in Hindoostan-

from time immemorial.

was the instrument on which

It

The Greeks did not play solo, except on the

the Pythic games were celebrated, when Sacadas
said to have been the first who distinguished

Krishna played.
trumpet,

till

Argos

of

is

himself by playing on the flute alone.*

Agalaust of Tegea won the crown which was proposed

a player upon stringed instruments without singing.

was

so late as the 8th Pythiad, 558 B.

first

instance of such a performance.

The Greek

'

C, and seems

for

This

to be the

at the time of Aristoxemus extended

scale

to-

two octaves, and was called Systema perfectum, maximum,

The Veen, one

immutatum.'

ments of

of the

most ancient

and on which the Mooni Narud

India,

have performed, extends to three octaves and a

'

instru-

said to

is

half.

There was no instrument amongst the Greeks with necks

or finger-board,

method

so that they were not acquainted with the

of shortening strings

different sounds

(so their

in

playing,

so as to produce

melody must therefore have been

from four to ten sounds, as

confined to

only that number

of strings)

;'

their Cithara

had

while here various musical

instruments have existed which

possessed these improve-

ments, as will be shewn when I come to treat of them

respectively.

same note
'

these have one

The dancers

their dance

'

common name

for the

in every octave.

in

Kome were

frequent leaping and springing.'

graces.

of any sound

They did not express the octave

by the same character

This

is all

that

from thei*
is

known

of

but we have no account of their particular

The dance

Burney,

called Saltatores

vol.

i,

of the

p. 82.

Greeks was similar, and served

t

M&'

E2

1NTR0DT7CT10K.

36
as the

model which their conquerors, the Romans, adopted.

Amongst them

this class of people were

This description

is

denominated Cuvetes.'

evidently very defective, and give3 us no

very distinct or graceful idea of this amusement amongst

them.

The dance,

as

it is

now

a modern date.

paratively of

ancient times dedicated

Hiudoostan,

practised in

is

Music having been

in

com-

more

almost solely to religious purposes,

the dance was likewise practised by persons actuated with

religious

and warlike enthusiasm,

zeal

till

they were subse-

quently prostituted by interested performers for the enter-

tainment of the luxurious.

song, and the

hymns

theme

Dances beiug accompanied with

to love ditties, the actions of

the one were necessarily

conformed to the words of the other

time could not

fail,

charged from pious

of the latter being

and

this in a short

amongst so voluptuous a people as con-

quered the degenerate sons of India, to change into that

effeminate and meretricious style in which

Indeed, the want of morals amongst

sexes

is

it

is

at

present.

its professors of

both

the primary cause of the present derogation of this

elegant science amongst the natives from its original dignity.

If

we

consider, however, this branch

of

music abstractedly,

without revertiDg to any tendency which

the morals of the spectators,
they are accompanied with

it

it

might have on

cannot but be allowed that

much

grace,

and the Bhav, which

regards gesticulations expressive of the poetry,

is,

by expert

performers, such as would not disgrace a stage-player.

HINDOOSTANEE MUSIC.
S**Oo

What

it is

The

termed in the original.

Native divisions

what,

treatises held

and how many.

in Hie greatest estimation.

The arrangement adopted in

this

work.

Music
Sanscrit,
it

in

Hindoostau

whence

are derived.

science,
sian.

is

" Suogeet"

termed

as well as

this

all

from

There are various original

The most esteemed

of these are the Nadpooran, Bagar-

Bagdurpun, and the Sungeet Durpun,

and other works in the

counts in the works of

Sanscrit,

original

and short

the

The native authors

di-

Tohfuht-ool Hind, by Mirza Khan.

:

1,

Soor-udhyay, which treats

of the seven musical tones, with their subdivisions

udhyay, defines the melody

3,

5,

expression and gesture

first

4,

6,

Bhav-udhyay, confines

and
;

7,

my

Eag-

Nrit-udhyay,
signifi-

itself to

Hust-udhyay, instructs the

on the several musical instruments.

three of these heads are more immediately

nected with
sorily

Aurth-udhyay, expatiates on the

cation of the poetry sung

of performing

2,

Tal-udhyay, describes the

measures, with the manner of beating time

regards dancing

ac-

Hukeem Salamut Ulee Khan, and

vide Sungeet into seven parts

The

on this

treatises

with translations of several in the Hindee and Per-

nuvu, Subhavinod,

method

the

terms connected with

design.

Something

will

likewise

con-

be cur-

mentioned in the course of the work regarding the 5th

HINDOOSTANEE MUSIC.

38
and

last heads.

Those referring

to

dancing and

its

appro-

priate actions, I shall leave aside.

I shall not,

in the

however, confine myself to the method adopted

original

works on this subject, but shall treat of

its

various branches ia the order in which they will naturally

present themselves.

OF THE GAMUT.

Madam,

before you touch the instrument,

my fingering,

To learn the order of

must begin with rudiments of

To teach you Gamut

ai-t.

in a briefer sort.

Shakespear.

What

The derivation of

is called.

it

semblance of these of the Greek

on

the

Gamut

Names of

enharmonic genus.
invented by Guido

The Gamut
appellation is

in

The subdivisions of tones.

word.

Opinions of Dr.

Origin of

seven notes.

the

and Le Maire.

Dr. Pepusch.

Hindoostanee

is

A B

is

the alphabet, or the word

letters begin.

Re'

Bumey and Mr. Moore

these.

The

Srooti.

termed Surgum, which

said to be derived from the four

the scale, as our

Greek

the

diesis.

from the three

first

notes of

letters

first

of

from the two with which the

itself

The number

of tones is the

same as

in the modern music of Europe, but the subdivisions are more

in the manner of the ancient enharmonic genus of the

Greeks.

The

difference

in the

subdivision

of

the

tones

which characterised the enharmonic,

consisted in the notes

of the chromatic genus being divided

by the

diesis or quar-

modern music

of Europe, the

ter tone.

To a person versed
subdivisions of

in the

semi-tones

into,

minuter parts

will

appear

40

OF THE GAMUT.

incomprehensible, at least inasmuch

as

any melody that would be pleasing to the

say anything on

to

my own

be productive of

to

I shall forbear

ear.

authority, but shall quote a pas-

sage which I think appropriate.

Dr. Burney,

in his general dissertation

has this

How

"

on the music of the

Grecian enharmonic genus,

of the

treating

ancients, p. 43,

this quarter tone could be

be rendered pleasing,

managed, so as to

remains a mystery

still

yet the

diffi-

culty of splitting a semi-tone into two halves, or even divid-

ing

into

it

more minute

When

been imagined.

intervals, is less, perhaps,

it is

than has

practised by a capital siDger

a good performer on the violin or hautbois, at a pause,

wide

seems

it

or

how

"
!

T. Moore, in his translation of the XLIII.

has the following note on these lines

Ode

of Anacreon,

And while the harp impassioned

flings

Tuneful rapture from the strings.

"Barbiton, Anc.

Mus.

If one

of their

by quarter tones, which, we are

gression

modes was

was the na-

told,

ture of the enharmonic scale, simplicity was by no

characteristic of their
sion, of

melody

which modern music

That such subdivisions

tain,

but

it

must be

left

not susceptible."

exist in Hindoostanee

is

cer-

it

has any claim

the eulogium bestowed by this gentleman on the enhar-

monic

of the Greeks.

The names
Gundhur
Nikhad.
is

music

and more intimate acquaint-

to time,

ance with the science, to determine whether

to

means the

for this is a nicety of progres-

is

a pro-

4,

of the

notes are

Muddhum

5,

1,

In solfa-ing, however, the

mentioned

su, ru,

or

ri,

Khuruj

Punchum

6,

2,

Bikhub

Dhyvut, and

first syllable

gu, mu, pu, dhu, ni.

3,
7,

only of each

The Khuruj

OF THE GAMUT.
is

on account of

called su,

its

41

being likewise denominated soor,

way of pre-eminence.

or the fundamental note, by

any of those who have written on

I do not recollect that

Hindoostanee music has informed the public what system

has been adhered to by him

gum
It

that

which note

is,

of the

Sur-

has been made to correspond with which of our gamut.

me

seems to

to be a

matter of some consequence to de-

termine this point, for the benefit of those who might wish
to take the comparison.

As the number
first

Which

is,

of their scale, or Khuruj.

Khuruj to correspond
is

same

of notes is the

thing to be determined

to

to

correspond to the

William Jones makes the

Sir

;*

in both cases, the only

is

but in this

it

appears to

me he

guided more by alphabetical arrangement of letters than

by any connection
If the Khuruj

systematic,

it

is

may have

it

UT

tuned

with musical arrangement.

or 0,

it

seems to me to be more

being the key-note of the natural scale.

The musicians

of

Hindoostan never appear

to

have had

any determined pitch by which their instruments were regulated, each person tuning

ed by guess,

to

own

his

to a certain height, adapt-

the power of the instrument and quality of

the strings, the capacity of the voice intended to be accompanied, and other adventitious
it

may

be observed that

noted by which

it is

but

letter,

circumstances.

Prom

immaterial which note

it

seems to

me more

this

is desig-

systematic

that some such definition be made.

The authors of the

thing to
its place

its source, in

by

fable.

East, being desirous of tracing every

the want of

authentic history, supply

In the instance of the origin (oot-piinuu)

See his delineation of the finger-hoard of the Vina.

42

OF THE GAMUT.

of the gamut,
is

they say, that the various sounds of which

composed are derived from the natural sounds or

The Khuruj, they

various animals.

the call of

peeha

the peacock

assert, is in imitation of

the Rikhub, of the bird called pu-

the Gundhur, of the lowing of a sheep

from the

call

named Coolung

of the bird

Dbyvut, horse

How

nion can be maintained, I leave the reader to

was not aware, before

sic,

Muddhum,

Punchum, Eoel

and Nikhad, elephant.

it

calls of

far this opi-

determine.

a sight of native treatises on mu-

I got

that the lowing of sheep, the neighing of horses, or the

call of

the elephant, could be construed into musical sounds.

made no

allowed that the Hindoos have

It will be

cable advances in music,

when

it is

known

despi-

that they have

Beven distinct names for notes which compose their gamut.

Guido of Arezzo

in

monk

Tuscany, a

of the

order of St. Be-

nedict, is allowed to be the inventor of the

gamut

as

it is

adopted in Europe, although some dispute this point. The date

of

this

invention

ascribed to
syllables

him

The

about the year 1022.

is

syllables

are only six in number, taken from the first

of the

hymn

of St.

John ' Ul queont

laxis,"

the

major seventh being then considered merely as a note of

grace,

and not essential to the

about the
si

latter

was not

till

end of the sixteenth century that the

last

scale

and

it

was invented by Le Maire, a singing-master of Paris.*

* 8a, ri,

exactly,

&c.

Three of which syllables

though not in the same

David Montare, as a substitute

and which he arranges thus

Bo,

ce, di,

ga,

la,

places,

for the

are,

by a

singular concurrence,

with three of those invented by

troublesome gamut used in his time,

ma,

ni.

Sir

William Jones,

vol.

i,

p. 426.

OF THE GAMUT.

43

Solmization, however, in various parts of Europe,

con-

still

tinues to be performed hy the tetrachord, as was the practice

in

Greece, adapting only the Gujdonian terms in lieu

of the Grecian.

only were used,

In England, the syllables mi, fa,

so

eighteenth century,

that the octave of mi, was

when the whole

of

sol,

la,

la, till

the

the hexachord was

introduced by Dr. Pepusch.

The notes

of an octave are divided into twenty-two minor

subdivisions, instead of the twelve semi-tones, as is

distinct

done

These are called Srootis, and each of them has a

with us.

name

assigned to

ing table.

Soors.

it,

as

is

specified

in

the follow-

OF THE GAMUT.

44

of the octave are divided each into four parts

those between

the second and third and sixth and seventh, each into three
parts,

and those between the third and

fourth,

and seventh

and eighth, which with us are reckoned semi-tones, each into

two

parts.

OF TIME.

Musick do
Ha, ha

When time

heat

How sour

keep time.

sweet musick

is,

broke, and no proportion kept.

is

Sfiakespeav.

Heroes

Have
The

who

o'ertime, or die,

their hearts

hung extremely high

which in

strings of

battles'

heat

Against their very corslets beat

Keep time with

And

their

them most

yield

own

trumpet's measure,

excessive pleasure.
Prior,

The various measures

Hindoostan.

-used

in Europe.

Their resemblance

to

to be controverted

considered.

and

the

its fifth,

opposed

to

Oordoo.

Probable

table.

Time
is

the practice

from

the

modern musical

Whether

Opinion hazarded thereon.

in music signifies the measure by which the

acknowledged,

and without which there

that

I shall not

it

is

octave

the rythmical

Their varieties.

is

importance of this branch of the science

merits.

the Arabic.

likewise

the proportions of the

of Hindoostan.

Characters for expressing time.

regulated,

those of

and tongues derived from

origm of

or the musical measure possesses greater advantages.

Time

and

Similarity between

Tartini's objections against metre endeavoured

Tartini's deduction of measure

measure.

the Greeks.

the dignified prose in Sanscrit,

Its superiority to

it.

between them

Difference

rythm of

The Hebrew unmusical,

the Qreek'and Sanscrit languages.

Melody and metre

the

melody

no music.
is

The

so generally

superfluous to expatiate

on

'

its

here insist on the different measures

OF TIME.

46

all

who

have auy knowledge of music, and to those who are not

ini-

European

in

as

practice,

mast be understood by

it

my

object to enter into any

great difference prevails between

the music of Europe

tiated in

that science,

it

not

is

explanation.

and that of the Oriental nations in respect

branch

it

which

the measures peculiar to the

other ancient nations, than

modern music

To

of Europe.

all

with the principles of ancient music

observe, that this
feet

to time, in

resembles more the rhythm of the Greeks, and

those

who

it will

are acquainted

be unnecessary to

rhythm was no other than the

poetical

which formed the basis of their musical measure.

From

the certain knowledge of the

rhythm

of the ancients,

and the similarity observed in the practices of the natives of

and other Oriental countries,

India, Persia,

it inclines

the opinion that the rhythmical measure

spring of nature, found in

existed

much

prior to

all

is

one to

the lawful

off-

parts of the world, which

the birth of her younger

sister,

the

modern musical measure.

Much

has been said by writers against the use of rhythm,

as.it confines

the melody to.certain measures

but I question,

whether there can be any melody without restrictions of that

nature, be that the ancient rhythmical, or the present musical,

measure.

When

the -great variety, of poetical feet in the

Greek and Sanscrit languages, as well as in those derived

from the
ful,

latter,

is

taken-into consideration, it seems doubt-

whether the one wonld|Uot even .allow more variety than

the other.

The gebrew

is,

acknowledged tp.be a harsh lan-

guage, and unfavourable .toomusic, from the paucity of vowels

and abundance of consonants

to the Arabic

the same

the Sanscrit has

is

likewise applicable

sixteen vowels,

and the

OP TIME.
language

is

sonorous beyond a doubt.

be one reason for

On

freely

This should perhaps

being particularly adapted for music.

ita

who

authors have not been wanting

the contrary,

have defended

would

47

perhaps with more zeal than the subject

it,

Amongst

admit.

Isaac Vossius

others,

is

of

opinion, that "since the discontinuance of the use of rhythm,

and the adoption of the modern musical measure, musicians

have

that power over the passions which the ancients

lost

are said to have possessed."

transient manner, and

cision of

others

leave

mention
it

this

fact

on his authority

only in a
for the de-

but 1 must confess, that I can by no

means agree with him, when he

ascribes this

power to rhythm

unassisted by melody.
Sir

William Jones* seems -to have more reasonably

signed the cause of the power of the ancient musicians.

words are," It

is

in this view only that

effeets

which we find related by the greatest

ans and philosophers

it

always increased,
all its fine

histori-

was wholly passionate or descriptive,

and so closely united to poetry, that

with

consider the

Greeks, or attempt to account for its

music of the ancient

amazing

we must

as-

His

its influence

it

never obstructed, but

whereas our boasted harmony,

accords and numerous parts, paints nothing,

expresses nothing, says nothing to the heart, and consequently

can only give more or less pleasure to one of our senses

no reasonable

man

Will seriously prefer

which must soon end in

satiety, or

and

a transitory pleasure,

even iu disgust, to a delight

of the soul, being always interesting, always transporting."

However, to give

all

the merit to melody, and deny that rythm

*as any share in aiding the

* Essay

on the Arts commonly

vol. iv, p. 556.

effects

called

produced by melody in

imitative,

inserted in his works,

48

OF TIME.

exciting the
ing, as the

passions, caunot be consonant to

sound reason-

very idea of the necessity of some sort of measure

by which the melody might be regulated

is

repugnant to

How

if

written in

different

would epic poetry sound

measure peculiar to anacreontic odes, or

versA

vice

allowed to have this effect in poetry, and

is

music

It is very well

known

Metre

why

not in

that a mere transposition

without a change iu the time, has very

key,

little

it.

the

of

power on

the spirits of the hearer.

It has

been also alleged in defence of rythm, that " a

melody of even very ordinary merit, in which the time

distinctly

and accurately marked,

is

and giving satisfaction generally than a more

laboured composition that

is

more capable of pleasing

is deficient in this

scientific

and

Many

respect."

of our songs will prove this assertion.

From

the strict regard paid by the ancients to their long

and short

Tartini supposes, " they could not have

syllables,

prolonged any note beyond the time allowed to the syllable,

and from this cause a

its

fine voice

would be unabled to display

powers by passing rapidly from syllable

prevent the loss of time."

How

far

this

to

may

syllable to

hold good

with respect to the music of the Greeks, we possess no existing

is

means

of judging

not the case.

but with regard to Oriental music, this

For in

this

respect,

there

is

more

liberty

allowed than our modern system of time will permit, as I

shall

endeavour to demonstrate.

The

peculiar nature of the melody of Hindoostan not

permits but enjoins the singer,

to excel in

it,

if

only

he has the least pretention

not to sing a song throughout more than once

in its naked form

but on

its repetition,

which

is

a natural

consequence, occasioned by the brevity of the pieces iu general,

49

OF TIME.
to break

at the
sure,

and

sometimes

off

at

the conclusion,

commencement, middle, or any

and

into a rhapsodical

fall

much

united,

mea-

embellishment called Alap,

ad libitum

after going through a variety of

the melody with as

other times

at

certain part of a

grace as

if it

the musical accompaniment

passages, rejoin

had never been

all

dis-

the while keeping

time. These passages are not reckoned essential to the melody,

but are considered only as grace notes, introduced according

to the fancy

of the

which the performer

where the only limitations by

singer,
is

bound are the notes peculiar

particular melody, and a strict

and

rules exist for them,

regard to time.

to

that

No

other

measured with the opinion

if

of

Dr. Burney,* they appear to be in the right for not confining

them

to certain forms.

It will

perhaps be inquired, how in such cases

The

ence to time can be maintained.

these flights are

ad

more lengthened than

movement runs through

libitum

reply

strict

adher-

that

is,

when

a single apogiatura, the

the full time of a whole

measure, or a certain number of measures, reckoning from the

instant of its adoption to that

when

it is

dropped, taking up

the measure of the rythm at the same foot where

ped, or

if

it

was drop-

these passages require more or less time than the

complement

of the

measure requires, allowance

is

made

for it

in rejoining the melody.

great

number

of pieces are in

elevated strain, peculiar to the

derived from
*

it.

These are not

Writing down grace

conversation,

is

dignified

first,

is

an

and impertinence of

rendered more and more insipid and

absurd as the times, manners, and occasions which produced

distant, General History,

of

strictly confined to poetical feet,

like recording the nonsense

which, bad at

prose,

Sanscrit and the languages

it

become more

vol. ii,p. 151, note u.

50

OP TIME.

and admit

of

much

In compositions of this nature,

variety.

two or more notes are frequently allotted to one

syllable,

and

they resemble more the style of the modern musical measure

than the generality of poetical compositions.

and indeed

These

pieces,

those songs called Dhoorpuds and Kheals,

all

some other

as well as those of

species, are

commonly

in the

language spoken at Vruj and in the district of Khyrabad.

The Vruj Bhasha

is

peculiar to the Hindoos, and

although

an extremely elegant and sonorous lauguage, bearing the

greatest resemblance

of any to the Sanscrit,

not so generally understood

nevertheless

is

the Oordoo.

as

It

appears,

however, to be far superior for poetical compositions, and

there certainly are

more numerous works in

possessing

it

genuine poetical beauties than in the other.

I

have not seen any account of the origin of the present

musical measure of Europe, and

must have had

rise

its

am

led to believe that

from the following cause.

The

it

pri-

mitive fathers of the Christian churches being desirous of

admitting music in their divine service, in imitation of the

Apostles, the Hebrews, and

pagans as profane.
ed

to,

all

other nations, were however

the melodies then in use amongst the

unwilling to admit

The rythmical measure

as being too

light

and

lively,

poetical feet being laid aside, all notes

same

length.

When music

also

was

object-

and the distinction of

were rendered

of the

began afterwai'ds to be cultivat-

ed for the stage and the cabinet, the insipidity of music

composed of notes of equal length was soon

felt,

and the

ancient metrical measure being out of favor, while the adoption of

to

some

sort of

measure was found necessary, appears

be the most plausible reason for the invention of the

measure now in use throughout Europe.

51

OF TIME.

Dr. Burney, in his General History of Music, has the follow-

ing paragraph, page 82: " Tartini has deduced

from the proportions

time,

as

or measure,' says he,

1:2;

2:3.'

These,' adds he,

'

we can hope
Indeed,

'

to find

'

from

the

but the greatest confusion, and

this

Music has been composed of

is

as

sastisfy ourselves

have produced nothing

case.

the

equal notes in a bar, but

five

of Tartini and Dr.

beautiful melody in

is

for melody.'

must always be

no musician has yet been found that

we may

common

other kinds of

to introduce
effects,

authorities

measure

'

are the utmost limits within which

many have attempted

able, yet

all

which

fifth,

any practicable proportions

measure, which, instead of good

The

fifth

its

from the octave, which

arises

time arises

triple

and

of the octave

is

able

to

execute

it.

Burney are very respect-

every day that there

is

Hindoostan, comprising seven and other

unequal number of notes in a measure, and that they have

musicians in abundance that are able to execute

it.

table prefixed to the end of this article will prove the

many

ence of

by them.

very unequal measures successfully employed

The above deduction

to be proved, before

From
rally

all

The
exist-

we

give

it

remains yet

itself of Tartini

our unqualified assent.

that has been discussed above, a question natu-

arises,

namely, which has the advantage

rythmical or the modern musical measure

to be a point difficult to decide,
settled until the musicians of

and

will

Europe

the ancient

This appears

perhaps not be

shall

finally

have learned to

play the music of Hindoostan in unequal number of notes.

In the meantime, perhaps,

each

its merit,

we

if

we steer a middle course, and allow

shall not be far

from the truth.

The

mical measure seems to have been quite adapted

rythto the

language of the Greeks, which admitted of such variety in the

G2

52

OF TIME.

metrical

feet,

and as the Sanscrit

ing resemblance to

it

is

known

in this respect, the use of

to bear a strik
it

may

be

al-

lowed to be equally advantageous in melodies of that language, and those derived from

it,

many

of the poetical feet of

which could not be adapted to the modern melody of Europe.

The time

is

table in

Europe was

formed in the eleventh

first

Magister Franco, believed to be a native of Cologn,

century.

by some allowed the honor of

others suppose

him only

He

of his predecessors.

to have

as only the long, breve,

breve were known about that time.

characters for time are
tables, yet

invention, although

however, acknowledged to have

is,

invented the term minim

this

improved on the principles

generally described in

no more than four were known

ries after the

and semi-

Although six different

modern time

several centu-

till

time of Franco.

There are four sorts of characters

musicians of Hindoostan

the

for

time used by the

Undroot, the Droot, the Lu-

ghoo, and the Gooroo, with marks, which serve as our point

lengthen the preceding note half

to

its value.

They reckon

a fifth, Ploot, but that I conceive is not a distinct character.

It is certainly

in Hindoostan

very creditable to the knowledge of music

that

characters

have subsisted amongst them.

to have

of

such

different

values

The ancient Greeks seem

had only two, the long and the

short,

which serv-

ed to mark the measure both of poetry and music, and in

the canto farmo notes of equal value only are found.

Time, in the acceptation

The

origin of this

word

is

it

has in music,

Tal.*

said to bo from Tand, the dance of

Eadew, and Las, that of his wife, Parvuttee,

form the word Tal <TRT-

is called

the

first

letters

of

Mu-

which

OF TIME.

They reckon an immense variety

now

practised

describe in the

are

limited

annexed

table.

value* fixed in the third

sure,

there

to

53

of these, but

ninety-two.

such as are

These

shall

The aggregate quantity

or

column forms one complete mea-

but in beating, the commencement of every note given

is

number

struck.

The

syllables corresponding with a certain

of the strokes

of the Tal, from its

commencement,

Oochchar, are called Purun, the last of which in the mea-

sure

and

is
is

Sum

termed Sum, which

is

always on an accented syllable,

the principal note in the measure.

is

In this respect,

equivalent to the most emphatic parts of our music

denominated accented parts.

* I use

the word " Value," not in the double sense ascribed to

D'Alembert, but simply

mean

its

quantity of duration.

it

by

OF

HARMONY AND MELODY.

" Thoughts that voluntary move

Harmonious numbers."
Milton.
'

The prophet David, having singular knowledge, not

them both

in music also, judging

house of God,

left

both vocal and instrumental,

for the

The origin of harmony in Europe.

up

of men's hearts,

and the

men on

the subject

Claims of melody.

in the present acceptation of the word, is a plant

soil is

Europe, whence

some other countries

but

has not been able to make

else

it

is

all

it

other part of the world as in

Wherever

the

Hooker.

Opinions of several learned

of harmony, with that of the author.

to

but

melody in public prayer, melody

raising

sweetening of their affections towards God."

Harmony,

for

behind him a number of divinely indited poems, and was

farther the author of adding unto poetry

whose native

in poetry alone,

most necessary

to be things

found,

it

has been transplanted

the native culture of music

grow spontaneously in any

its

indigenous

it is exotic.

soil

which Hindoostanee music generally admits

requires, if it can be called

harmony,

key note, in which respect

it

is

and climate.

The only harmony

of,

and indeed

a continuation of

resembles very

much

its

the

Scotch pastorals, or the instrument accompanies the voice in

unison, as was the practice in Europe, until towards the end
of St. Lewis's reign in the thirteenth century.

OP HARMONY AND MELODY.

Many

discussions have taken place amongst the learned on

the merits of harmony.

thors

seem

M. Rousseau and some other au-

to be of opinion that

by the use

of

music

not really improved

is

The former

harmony.

arguments to prove that

it is

produces

various

a barbarous and Gothic inven-

All our reasoning, however, cannot lead us to subscribe

tion.

to

55

the truth

of this great

author's assertion

when we hear

the harmony of a piece judiciously selected, and in which the

melody
melody

not overpowered

is

Dr. Burney, in a note, p. 459, says

find,

harmony by which

short,

in

adorned, not overloaded.

is

" There

not only in melody, but harmony

a fashion,

we

modern ears

are

is

best pleased with Ptolomy's arrangement, though

Doni

tells

us that in the last century, the diapason of Didymus was

most

in vogue.

" Tartini has asserted, that

mony

melody

as being deduced from

it.

is

the

offspring of har-

cannot presume to

dis-

pute so great an authority, but I would only beg to question,

whether melody or harmony was

world.

Every unprejudiced person

will,

first

practised in the

believe,

coincide

with me, that although melody can certainly be deduced from

harmony, yet the former

sand year.
language

is

the elder sister by

Harmony and melody are not

there

is

many

like

a thou-

music and

not the same relation between them.

"Notwithstanding the dependence of melody upon har-

mony, and the

sensible influence which the latter

may

exert

upon the former, we must not however from thence conclude,

with some celebrated musicians, that the effects of harmony
are preferable to those

of melody.

Experience proves the

contrary."*
* Encyclopaedia Britannica, Art. Music, p. 531.

56

OF

my

It is not in

HARMONY AND MELODY.

power

on which the

decide a point

to

learned are divided in their opinion.

only offer a

shall

must naturally

few obvious

remarks, which

person who

bestows any degree of attention on the sub-

strike

every

ject.

Many
ters,
if

pieces of music, in parts, even by the greatest mas-

which are universally admired, would souud quite insipid

divested of that

harmony which animates them.

This at

may

likewise

once decides the merit of harmony, although

it

add some weight to the opinion which some entertain, that

the modern melody has not the merit of the ancient, and
that

harmony

is

used with the view of compensating for

its

poorness, and diverting the attention of the audience from

perceiving the barrenness of genius.

It will be

easily

allowed that the beauties of a piece of

melody are not so perceptible when sung with accompani-

ment

in parts,

as

when

it

is

performed as a

solo.

Dr.

Burney has some very appropriate sentences, which I beg

leave to transcribe.

"

Upon

the whole, therefore,

harmony
however

like
I

their music

of pleasing,
times,
their

if

airs

it

seems demonstrable that

ours was never practised by the ancients

have endeavoured to shew, that the stripping

from

of counterpoint does not take

or of producing great

a Farinelli,

a Gizziello,

effects

or

it

the power

and in modern

Cafarelli,

had sung

wholly without accompaniment, they would, per-

haps, have been listened to

but with

Indeed, the closes of great singers,

still

more

pleasure.

made wholly without

accompaniment, are more attended to than

all

the contriv-

ance of complicated parts, in the course of the airs which

they terminate.

OP HARMONY AND MELODY.

An

"

fine

is

graceful melody, exquisitely sung by a

and

elegant

voice,

57

sure to engage attention, and to create delight

without instrumental,, assistance, and in a

and performed by a great master, the

Hence

heard the better.

is

accumulated

of

vocal

it

composed

solo,

the accompaniment

less

should seem asjf the harmony

tumult of instru-

the

or

parts,

was no more than a succedaneum to a mellifluous

mental,

voice, or single instrument

of the

first

class,

which

but

is

However, to diversify and vary our musical

seldom found.

amusements, and to

assist in

dramatic painting, a

and a well-written chorus have

among songs and

full

piece

their peculiar merit, even

however elegant the composition or

solos,

perfect the peiformance."f

*

"AH

instruments

these

(pianoforte,

organ,

were

&c.)

far

power of obeying^ every

of sentiment, every degree, as well as every

call

kind of emotion, with which the heart was agitated.

though

harmony,

momentary
and shade
The

violin

variations

were

of sentiment,

and a small number

sentiment

of

thrill

the very soul."

Art.

Pianoforte.

We may here
exception are
a single voice

as fleeting

clouds

fully express

music

its

all

not able to sing in parts,

"It may indeed

it

those

to
ii,

a good voice, and

may be deduced

that music

by nature.

happen,

the multiplicity of sounds

name

it

vol.

musical instruments without

from

the

number

of performers,

complication of the harmony, that meaning and sentiment

the

momentary

Britannica,

inferior to that unrivalled gift of nature,

is

as the light

across the sky.

pathos, and enable

Supplement to Encyclopedia,

likewise observe, that as

fall

wind instruments were

of the simple

that give

in parts was never intended

t

which are

only ones which could

The pleasures of

and could not express the

monotonous,

of a prospect, while the dappled

found to be the
gradations

great,

inferior

and in the

to the voice, the spontaneous gift of nature, in promptitude,

but

this,

though

it

may

and the

be lost in

may be harmony,

loses

of music.

"The second department

nflections,

of this

and by sounds which

may

division

by

lively

be said to speak,

and

accentuate

expresses

all

the

OF HARMONY AND MELODY.

58

Melody seems

much

to be as

the child of nature as

rythmical measure already noticed.

all

Indeed, music

the

found

is

over the world, and that music, except in Europe, where

harmony has been introduced

than two centuries,

for the

space of

more

little

purely melody, be that of a refined or

is

gross nature, and generally in rythmical measure.*

passions,

paints

every

possible

the whole of nature

to

the heart and soul of

man

manner.

sensible

This,

genuine lyric and

continues

in applying to the drama,

It is in

we must

nature, that

which

(M.

on

most

in the

which

Rousseau,)

we

this is what, in our days,

the

is

exert ourselves

and what our singers execute on the

in harmonics, or the

stage.

resonance

of

expect to find accounts of those prodigious effects

M. Rousseau's permission, aU music, which

characterised

by these

no better name than that of

pathetic

cannot

but

and

is

not in some

imitative powers,

deserves

a musical jargon, and can only be

tuated by such a complication and

found,

he,

them

formerly produced.

it

''But, with

degree

and impresses even

music, was what gave double charms and

music alone, and not

this

every object, subjects

reflects

imitations,

sentiments proper to affect

theatrical

energy to ancient poetry

picture,

skilful

its

entertain,

intricacy of

the audience.

harmony

This

character,

ought to be added as essential to the definition of music

effec-

may

as

con-

therefore,

and

it

must

be attributed to our neglect of this alone, whilst our whole attention

is

bestowed on harmony and execution, that the best performances of our

artists

and composers are heard with

listless

indifference

nor ever can conciliate any admirers, but such as

try

and

affectation,

to

pretend

what they do not

feel.

curse of indifference and inattention pursue and harrow

every composer or performer

musical legerdemain;

them

still

who

oscitation,

by pedan-

Still

up the

may

the

souls of

pretends to regale our ears with this

the grin of scorn, or the hiss of infamy, teach

to correct this depravity of taste,

of nature."

and

indeed,

are,

and entertain us with the voice

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Art. Music.

* "Music

is

at present divided

more simply

into -melody

for since the introduction of Jiarmony, the proportion

and shortness

of sounds, or even that

cadences, are of

less

and harmony;

between the length

between the distance of returning

consequence amongst

us.

For

it

often happens in

OF HARMONY AND MELODY.

That melody

ia

the production of genius, and harmony

of art, will not, I believe, be disputed

more

59

nor that the former

generally comprehended and

by

relished

is

mankind

than complicated harmony.

Music had already been too much, circumscribed by

of art, mathematics was

made

or rather in a great measure to supplant

gether, even before the invention of

Having advanced
subject of

all

rules

to supply the place of the ear,

authority alto-

its

harmony.*

that I thought was necessary on the

harmony and melody

in general,

shall

now

introduce the reader to the melodies of Hindoostan.

modern languages, that the
and almost

sical air,

verses assume their measure from

entirely

lose

the

small

quantity which in themselves they possess."

*

share

the

proportion

of

muand

Ibid.

" Had the philosophers never meddled with

it

(music),

had they allowed

the practical musicians to construct and tune their instruments in their

own way,

so as to please their ear,

it is

scarcely possible that they should

not have hit on what they wanted, without

all

the embarrassment of the

chromatic and the enharmonic scales of the Greeks." Ibiet. Art.

ment.

Tempera-

OE ORIENTAL MELODY.
Not generally susceptible of harmony.

Limited to a certain number.

Its

character.

The melody
so

much accustomed

The Europeans, however,

Indeed, so wide

of

it

would otherwise have

the difference between

is

European and Oriental music, that

many

are at present

harmony, that to their ear this me-

to

lody will sound less attracting than

been.

admired, and I

of the East has always been

believe very justly.

the natures

conceive

a great

of the latter would baffle the attempts of the most ex-

pert contrapuntist to set a

harmony

to them, by the

existing

rules of that science.*

* "

We

do not say that this

innovation (harmony) in the principle

total

of musical pleasure is exceptionable

we

rather think

believing that the thrilling pleasure of music

melody

or

air.

We

depends

it

very defective,

more

heart and affections are not more affected (and with much
variety

of emotion)

by a

fine

harmonies judiciously chosen.

mony, always

filled

to the soul, than

sibility

and

up,

is

air

by

the

touching

We

do

not wonder, then, that the

their rules from this department of music,,

solicitous of the additional support

suffered

less

sung or played by a performer of sen-

nor at their being so satisfied with the pleasures

melody has

the

distinct

It appears to us that the effect of har-

powers of utterance.
all

more

melody, supported, but hot obscured, by

more uniformly the same, and

some simple

ingenuous Greeks deduced

were not

upon the

appeal even to instructed musicians whether

change

in

it

yielded,

of harmony.

every

country.

they

that

We
There

see that
is

no

OF ORIENTAL MELODY.

To expect an

61

endless variety in the melody of Hindoostan,

would be an injudicious hope,

melody

their authentic

as

is

limited to a certain number, said to have been composed by

professors universally acknowledged

have possessed not

to

only real merit, but also the original genius of composition,

beyond the precincts of whose authority

to trespass.

What

since done

that they have adapted

poses,

is,

Thus

them

to their
of

own

Whatever merit an

position might possess, should

it

implicitly

as spurious.

It is

to add to the

number

of these

entire

modern com-

have no resemblance to the

established melody of the country,

would be looked upon

it

believed, that it is impossible

one single melody of equal

So tenacious are the natives of Hindoostan of

merit.

ancient practices

may

pur-

two or more

they are licensed, but they dare not pro-

far

ceed a step further.

It

would be criminal

and formed others by the combination

of them.

or

it

the more reputed of the moderns have

their

here be remarked, that in the art of combining two

more Eaginees, the natives

are guided by their

own

rules

the propriety of which should of course not

of modulation,

be judged of by the rules laid down by M. Eousseau, or his

commentator D'Alembert

but by those determined by the

native masters, allowing the

natural judge of that which has

ear to be the best and most

its

existence merely with the

view of affording pleasure to the auditory organ.

The general term

Raginee, which
Scotchman,
skill

Irishman,

for

melody in Hindoostan

and

are past.

perament.

all

They

is

Rag

or

the subject I shall next be led to treat of

Polo,

or Russian,

composing heart-touching

in

nation

is

admire the

airs is

who does

are pleasant and. mournful

not lament that the

degenerated

productions of their
to

muse

in

his respective

of the days that

the soul" Ibid. Art.

Tem-

OP ORIENTAL MELODY.

62

but before I enter upon that head,

ations which are

common

to all

I shall offer

a few observ-

Hindoostanee melodies are short, lengthened by repe-

1.

tition

and

variations.

They

2.

all

partake of the nature of what

is

denominated

by us Eondo, the piece being invariably concluded with the

first

the
3.

strain,

first

and sometimes with the

first bar,

or at least with

note of that bar.

bar,

or measure, or a certain

number

of measures,

are frequently repeated, with slight variation almost

4.

There

is

as

much

ad

Kb.

liberty allowed with respect to pauses,

which may be lengthened at pleasure, provided the time be

not disturbed.

;;

OE RAGS AND RAGINEES.

<x<o
Tunes and

airs

minds to

some

have in themselves

merry tunes,

as

solemn

tunes,

doleful

pity, warlike tunes

with the

affinity

tunes

tunes,

affections

men's

inclining

so that tunes have a predisposition to the

motion of the spirits. Bacon.

The

general

offered,

acceptation

why

limited

Absurdity of limiting

Rags aud Raginees

tain musical

music, song, tune;

111*

a.

more than a

and Raginees

mixed

the

Raginees.

mean

construed to

are generally

m /'r'TJT) *

l_I <

How

s. f.,

mo(* e

L\ Rag-rung, n.

-^

m., a song composed of

fT\ Rag-mala, n.

Rag-mala.

the

far this

cer-

definition

here inquire into.

iC\,\ Bag- "

Eag-sagar, n.

Of

The Rag-mala copiously described.

modes* of Hindoostan.

is correct, I shall

S.

names of

the

Reasons

incorrect.

be

time.

Divisions of Rags

tunes to seasons.

Table of compounded Rags.

to

and

season

to

Rules for determining

into classes.

supposed

of the terms

they are

the

name

mu sic

(six in number),

m., music;

many Rags

or

j^U^jU

musical modes

of a treatise in music

(nothing

collection of pictures, exhibiting the traditional history of the

primary and subordinate modes and the subject appointed to each),

jS.

\$ L5 Raginee,

number).

Hunter's

n.

a.

f.,

a,

mode

in

Hindoostanee

Taylor's

music (wives of Rags, 30 in

Dictionary,

1808.

Shakes-

pear's Hindoostanee Dictionary, 1817, exactly as the preceding.

The celebrated

<I"j"?'|"

a tune (this

^TmTTT
Hindoo music.

of Serampoor,

Dr. Carey

Dictionary, gives the following

is

s * (?vom

however,

in

his 'Bengalee

meaning

the only signification applicable).

HJt^T A
'

tune), a female personification of tunes in

OF RAGS AND RAGINEES.

G4

The word " Mode'' may be taken

key
it is

and

;*

different

signifi-

in which

strictly speaking, this latter is the sense

usually understood in music.

Mode,

my

in

in two

the one employing manner of style, and the other a

cations,

in the language of the musicians

opinion, termed T'hat,

signification of

of this country,

and not Rag or Eaginee

is,

the

which terms should be limited to that given

As amongst us

by Dr. Carey.

there are two modes, the

major and the minor, so the natives have a certain number

of T'hats, to each of which two or

appropriated.

If these signified

a different arrangement,

Any

one

may

former on the

which

more Rags

is

not the case.

certainly

convince himself of this by procuring a per-

This instrument has moveable frets

Sitar.

that are shifted from their places, so that

ment is properly

or Raginees are

mode, each should require

when the

instru-

hand runniug

adjusted, the fingers of the left

over them produce those tones only which are proper for the

mode

to

which the

frets

have been transferred, and no other.

Let the Sitar-player be desired to play something in the

Eaginee Uluya, and after he has done that,

tell

some other Eagiuee without

and

seen that other Baginees

On

altering the frets,

may

Uluya,

let

Bhyrewee, or Cafee, &c, &c, and he

is

true that a Eaginee

Mode,

ments
is

in

music.

be

in the

same mode

him play

frets.

This

or T'hat.

It

not to be considered exactly in the

regular

relative to certain principal

formed, and which are

Brit.

is

all

to play
will

will be oblig-

ed to alter the That or mode by shifting the

proves that the former are

it

be performed on the same T'hat.

the other hand, after he has played

Lulit, or

him

disposition of the air

sounds upon

and accompani-

which a piece of music

called the essential sounds of the mode.

Encyc.

OP BAGS AND RAGINEES.

same

situation as

a tune

is

amongst

65
It is not strictly a

us.

tune according to the acceptation of the word, as

given hereafter will shew.

with us

is

That comes

its definition

nearest to what

implied by a mode, and consists in determining

the exact relative distances of

constitute au

the several

sounds which

octave with respect to each other

while the

Eaginee disposes of those sounds in a given succession, and

determines the principal sounds.

The same That may be

adapted to several Baginees, by a different order of succession

whereas no Eaginee can be played but in

per That.

It is likewise not

its

own

pro-

a song, for able performers can

adapt the words of a song to any Eaginee

nor does a change

of time destroy its inherent quality, although

it

may

so far

disguise the Eaginee before an inexperienced ear as to appear

a different one.
After the ancients had made pretty good observations on
the firmament of fixed stars, and had as nearly as they could
ascertained their respective situations, they thought of re-

ducing them into constellations, under the representations of

certain familiar objects, in order to assist the

tain

them the

better

and

memory

to re-

To connect a "variety

easier.

of

heterogeneous subjects that have no relation with each other

under one common head, in order to preserve a concatenation,

has been a practice

nations,

and

common amongst

subsists to this very day.

the

Oriental

The Arabian Nights'

Entertainments, the Tooteenamah, the Buhardanish, and a

variety of works in

known

all

the languages of the Bast, are proofs

to every person

who has trod the paths

of Oriental

literature.

It

seems probable, therefore, that the author of the Bags

and Eaginees, having composed a

certain

number

of times,

OP RAGS AKD RAGINEES.

66
resolved

form some sort of fable in which he might intro-

to

duce them

in a regular series.

all

To

this purpose, he pre-

tended that there were six Rags, or a species of divinity,

presided over as

many

peculiar tunes or melodies,

each of them had, agreeably to Huuooman,

says, six wives,

Thus having

who

also presided each

arbitrarily,

and according

five,

who

and that

or as Coolnath

one over her tune.

to his

tributed his compositions amongst them, he

own

fancy, dis-

gave the names

of those pretended divinities to the tunes.

It

is

also

probable that the Pootrus and Bharjyas are not

the composition of the same, but some subsequent genius,

who, apprehending that their number would be greatly

in-

creased by this additional acquisition, or dreading an innovation in the

number

well received, or that

rejection of the

This opinion

that forty-eight

That
allegory,

this

new

fiction,

and in

it

might cause a

supernumerary tunes as not genuine, con-

trived the story that the

children.

by long usage might not be

established

some time or other

is

Bags and Eaginees had begotten

strengthened by

its

being asserted

modes were added by Bhurut.

however, (as well as every other

fact, as it

fiction,

appears to me, the whole of the

mythology of the ancient heathens,) pleasingly beguiles

acknowledged by Sir William Jones,

" in this country, has been

branch of knowledge," says he,

embellished by poetical fables, and

the Greeks never suggested

us, is

430 : " Every

vol. I, p.

the inventive talents of

more charming

the lovely families of the six Rdgas, each of

allegory than

whom

is

a ge-

nius or demi-god, wedded to five Raginees or nymphs, and

father of eight little genii, called his Pootrus,

or sons.

The

fancy of Shakespear and the pencil of Albano might have

been

finely

employed in giving speech and form to

this.

OF RAGS AND RAGINEES.

67

assemblage of new aerial beings, who people the fairy-land of

Indian imagination
lost the

nor have the Hindu poets and painters

advantages with which so beautiful a subject pre-

sented them."

That the name of any one of the Rags or Raginees was

by the author to any one of his composi-

arbitrarily assigned
tions, is

as probable as the often whimsical

by our country-dance and

No

tions.

reel

person believes that the "Devil's Dream"

genuine communication from the dreamer.

probable from there being very

a Rag and his Raginees.

great, that

names given

composers to their produc-

little

The

This

is

is further

or no similarity between

disparity is sometimes so

Hindoo authors disagree with regard to the^ Rag

to which several of the Raginees, Pootrus, or Bharjyas belong.

'

a Rag

Nay, some of the tunes allowed by one author to be

is

emasculated by another to a Raginee, as Dr. Gil-

ehrist justly observes

and on the other hand, a Raginee

The same uncertainty

classed under the head of Rags,

vails

If

is

pre-

with respect to their Pootrus and Bharjyas.

we look

to the characters under which the

in the

ginees are delineated

they are

altogether

Rag-mala,

As

metaphorical.

signs of the Zodiac are descriptive

year, so these" divinities

are

Rags and Ra-

it will

the

be seen that

figures

of the

of the seasons of the

represented in attitudes and

characters most appropriate to the time and season in which

the tune was prescribed to the song, although the determining of the time

The

itself is

wholly arbitrary.

songsters of Hindoostan pretend, that any song sung

out of the time appropriated for

reason alleged by them
to each are those at

is,

it

sounds uncouth.

The

that the times and seasons allotted

which the

divinities

are

at

leisure

to

OF RAGS AND RAGINEES.

68

attend at the place where their favorite tune

inspire the performer with

Sir

W.

is

suug, and to

due warmth in hia execution.

Jones says on this subject, p. 429

" Whether

had occurred to the Hindoo musicians that the

it

velocity or

slowness of sound must depend, in a certain ratio, upon the

rarefaction

and condensation of the

air,

must be quicker in summer than

so that their motion

in

spring or autumn,

and much quicker than in winter, I cannot assure myself

but

am

persuaded that their primary modes, in the system

ascribed to Parana, were

number
Sir

first

according to the

arranged

of Indian seasons."

W,

Jones's observations are very acute

they appear quite philosophical

probability, he should

and plausible

but to satisfy us of their

have entered much deeper into the

subject,

and endeavoured to prove that the nature of the

several

Bags and Raginees are such as to be

by the

difference

varieties

really

improved

of temperature naturally incident to the

of season,

even without making allowance for

acci-

dental variations, which constantly take place every year.

Sir William asserts that the

modes ascribed

to one

system

were arranged according to the number of Indian seasons,

which are

six,

and

his calculations just preceding it are

founded on the four seasons of Europe.

It seems to

me

not improbable, that in limiting the season in which each

Bag

or Raginee should be sung,

preservation in view, for by this

necessarily have each one its turn,

the composers had their

means, they would

all

and for the want of any

such regulation, the prettiest ones only would be performed,

and the

rest neglected

will be considered the

and suffered

to be forgot. Perhaps this

more reasonable when we take

that the same cause which converts

all

notice

the several parts to

69

OP RAGS AND RAQINEES.

one whole conduces likewise to keep every individual part

alive, active,

It

may

and in

turn brought on the stage.

its

probably be with those who are accustomed to hear

certain Rags

and Raginees

at stated hours

and seasons, that

being reconciled to them from habit, they would not relish

tunes so well at what was reckoned improper seasons.

Per-

haps being a usage of the country, established from time

immemorial, and in some measure sanctioned by religious
authority, or a dread of being taxed with

want of

taste,

might constrain several to comply with the established custom.

But

it

must be quite

with these limitations.

indifferent to others unacquainted

would be reckoned

It

extremely

ridiculous to call for a particular tune at an improper season.

This

may

indeed shew the ignorance of the person

makes the request in

can be no imputation against his taste

but, in

my

for the

same tune may sound pleasant

opinion,

it

who

branch of Hindoostanee music

this

or otherwise according

humour a person may be in, but the time of the day

can make no difference. A man deeply in love, for instance,
will always relish love ditties, and a huntsman is ever for
to the

the chase.

Moreover,

words of a song than

seasons have
to

the tune

more regard
for

to

the

although the tune

should in some measure correspond with the subject, whether gay or grave, &c, yet there are more tunes than one
that will or
It

is

Rag

also

may be made
observable

or Raginee is

to suit the

same

set of words.

that the subject proper

not determined, and

it

for

each

often happens,

through the abuse of unqualified composers, that the words

are not seasonable with the tunes.

The Hindoos

define

Rags

to

combined in a determinate

have their origin from words

series, so as to be distinct

from

70

-Ot

RAGS AND RAGINEES.

Some Rags and Eaginees resemble each

each other.

other

the similarity and succession of their sounds or tones, but

in

differ in

the Srootis (see page 29)

which gives them a claim

to distinction.

Rags and Raginees are divided into three

Sunvpoornu, or those which comprise

classes (Jati)

any determinate succession whatever

their course, in

Khadoo, or such as are composed of six notes

Oodoo, whose extent ranges to but five notes
said,

that no Rag or Eaginee

extent

than

is less

There

three classes

first,

class

and MuTiasoodh
their Si-ootis

is
.-

Sarting and

composition,

and

and those which retain

latter.

viz.,

all

Soodh

their Srootis are

These

Second, Salung.

some

to

other,

which has the likeness of Gouree.

Third, Swikeernu ; and these are the

compounded

compound

two species

of two

formed of Tooree and Canhra

first,

Soodhs,
;

ones.

This

Sunkeernu,

e. g.,

Bhyron,

and second, Muhasun-

such as consist of two or more of any of the three

classes, except
is

two Soodhs

of course.

a diversity of opinion with regard to which of

the Rags and Raginees belong to which class.

the

comprises

Tooree is an example of the former, and

Ganhra of the

or such as are

also

this

subdivided into two species,

last class is also subdivided into

There

is

Soodh, or such as are simple and original.

as for example Sree Rag,

keernii, or

it

confined within limits whose

are likewise simple, but bear a resemblance

is

third,

Soodh are such as are deficient in some of

termed Muhasoodh.

which

and hence

likewise another distinction of these with regard

is

first

second,

and

five notes.

to their formation or

This

is

first

seven notes; in

the

all

In general,

Rags are believed to be Soodh, and the Raginees,

Sunkeernu.

Some suppose even the Rags

to

be of this

die,
last

OP RAGS AND RAGINEES.

mentioned

Canhra

they ascribe

the following

Nut

Megh ;

Goura

; tenth,

seventh, Soruth

Sree

Rag ;

fifth,

Descar;

Bilawal

eighth, Dhunasree ;

eleventh, Deepuk

twelfth,

first,

; fifth,

the second

first,

Rewa ;

second, Bibhas ; third, Lulit ; fourth,

sixth,

To

and seventh, Gouree.

sixth, Tooree ;

Salung,

class,

Others reckon these seven Soodh

class.

seeond, Sarung ; third, Goojree ; fourth,

Mular ;

71

ninth,

Cafee

and thirteenth, Kidara.

The
is,

rule for determining the

names

agreeably to some authorities, to

last,

and that which

Dhunasree

is

introduced in

more

others

mixed Rags

of the

name
it

the principal one

first

as Pooria

naturally say that that which is

part of the song or tune should be

introduced in the

first

mentioned

and the other or others subjoined to

first,

regular succession
to be

e. g.,

suppose

compounded with each other

mencement, and Ramculee

is

it

in

Shyam and Eamculee

if Shyam forms the com-

afterwards introduced into

it,

Shyam Ram but if, on the contrary, it

commence with Ramculee, and Shyam be afterwards intro-

it

should be called

duced, the whole should be denominated

COMPOUND

Ram Shyam.

RAGS.

These are Rags compounded from others

more

modern

composers.

in a general acceptation,

" a tune

;"

for

The

chiefly

word Rag

is

by the

here

used

and seems here to imply simply

most of these cannot with propriety be deno-

minated either Rags or Raginees, Pootrus or Bharjyas.

arranged them alphabetically for easy reference.

have

72

OF RAGS AND RAGINEES.

Names of Rags.

Compounded of

Dhunasree and Canhra.

Dhunasree, Soodh and Poorbee.

Bagesree

Bhempulasee
Bhoopalee .

Gound and Culian

;
or, according to others,
Bilawul and Culian.
Hindol, Soodh, Canbra and Pooria.
Buraree, Lulit, Soodh, Sarung, Punchum, and
Bilawul; or, agreeably to others, Soodh,

Bhyron
Bhyruvee

Shyam and Bhyron.

Bilawul, Goojree, and Agavuree
Sreeruvun, Chitee, Gouree, and Buraree.
Kidara, Maroo, and Suruswutee.

Bibhas

Bichittra

Bihagra
Biharee
Bijuya
Bilawul
Bub.ool.ce

Maroo and Suncurabhurun

and Pooria.
Bilawul and Goursarung, or Bilawul and Sarting
or, as others say, Culian and Kidara.
Ramculee, Goojree, Descar, Bungal, and Punchum ; some say Tunc instead of Bungal.
Descar, Bungal, Ramculee, and Goojree.
Dhunasree, Maroo, Gouree, and Lulit ; others
say Buraree, Gound, and Goojree.
Descar, Toree, and Turwun,
Marwa, Kouranee, Chitee, Doorga, and DhunaTooree, Cumbharee,

. .

. .

Buhoolgoojree

Bungal
Buraree

Burhuns

sree.

Busunt

Deuguree, Nut, Mular, Sarung, and Bilawul.

Cafee

Camodee

Camod
Camod Nut
Caodee
Capurgouree

Suncurabhurun and Gouree.

Soorishtuc and Gouree, or, agreeably to others,
Sooghraee and Soruthee.
Gound and Bilawul.
Camod and Nut.
Maroo, Bihagra, and Nut.
Jutee, Cumbhavutee, Jytsrce, Uheeree, Tunc,
and Buraree.
Sanwunt, Lulit, and Pooria.
Bihagra, Culian, and Canbra.
Bilawul, Poorbee, Kidara, Deuguree, and Ma-

Chi tec
Colahul

Coocub

dho.

Dhunasree and Soruthee.

Dhunasree, Dhuvul, Canhra, Uheeree, Kidara,
Soodh, and Mudmadh.

Coombh

Cudum Nut
Culaee,

or

Curaee,

01

Soogharee
Culayer
Culian Binod
or

Culian

Camod

Cuban Nut
Cumbharee
Cumbhavutee

>

Nutnarayun, Urana, and Bilawul

to others, Bilawul and Canhra.
Bilawul, Canhra, Nut, and Mular.

or,

according

Emun and Camod.

Culian and Nut.

Sourashtuh and Dhunasree.

Guuesh.
Malaree and Mular.

Composed

by

.. .
..

73

OF BAGS AND EAGINEES.

Names

Compounded of

of Rags.

Cuntha

Maroo, Kidara, Jytsree and Suncarabhurun.

Curaee, vide Culaee,

Curna Nut

Curum Punchum

Funchum, Lulit, Bibhas and Goojree.

Lulit, Busunt, Hindol and Descar.

D.

Deepavutee

Deepuk and Suruswutee,

Kidara, Curnud, Soodh, Nut and Bagesree.
Toree and Khutrag.

Deepuk
Desee
Descar

Deuguree

. .

Deusakh

. . .

Dhoulsree

Dhunasree .
Dhyanjee ....
Diwalee
Doorga
Dukshin Nut
.

Suruswutee, Puruj and Soruth.

Poorbee, Sarung and Soodh. . Sung by the
Deutas.
Suncurabhurun, Soodh, Mular and Canhra.
Bilawulee and Jytsree.
Toree, Usavuree, and Maroo.
Toree, Bibhas, and Suhana.
Cumbharee, Malsree and Suruswutee.
Malsree, Leelavatse, Gouree and Sarung,
Coocub, Bilawul, Poorbee and Kidara.

E.

Emun

Kidara, Bilawul and Soodh Culian.

P.

Poorbee,

Furodust

Shyam and Gouree.

G.

Goojree
.
Goonculee

Lulita

.
.

Gound
Goundculee
Gouva.
Gouree
Goursarung

and Ramculee,

Desee, Toree, Lulit, Usavuree, Descar & Goojree.

Dhunasree, Mular and Bilawul.
Goojree and Usavuree.
Gouree, Nut and Turwan.
Jujavuntee, Usavuree, Goojree and Soruth ; some
say, Soohoo and Canhra.
Goura; or, according to others, Gouree and

Gumbheer Nut
Gundhar

Canhra and Nut.

Hindol

Bilawulee, Lulit, Punchum, Pooria and Bhyron.

Kidara, Emun and Soodh Culian. Sung by

Humeer

Sindhola, Usavuree, Gouree, Deuguree and Bhyron ; or, according to some, Khutrag, Usavuree and Desee.

Goureenath.

Humeer Nut
Hurkk

Humeer and Nut.

Dewsakh, Bilawulee, Sarung, Soodh, Mular and
Gound.

J.

Jujavuntee

..

Jutee Gouree

Jy tculian
Jytsree

....

Soruth, Dhoulsree and Bilawul;

Gouree, Bihagra and Nut,
Lulit and Gouree.
Jytsree and Soodhculian.
Dhoul, Buraree and Descar.

others

say,

OF RAGS AND RAGINEE8.

74

Names of Rags,

Compounded of

Kheni

Canhra, Suruswutee and Culiau.

Kidara and Humeer; or, as others affirm,
Canhra, Suruswutee and Soodhculian.
Maroo, Dhoul, Jytsree and Kidara.
Euraree, Usavuree, Toree, Shyam, Buhoolee and
Gundhar. Some say Buhool-Goojree instead of
Buhoolee ; others, instead of Shyam.
Coocba, Poorbee and Bilawul.
Kidara and Nut.
Sarung, Sooha, Goojree and Gouree.

Kheraculian

Khutnug
Khutrag

Ki.Ja.rn

Kidar Nut

Kyrvee
L.

Leelavutee

Descar, Jytsree and Lulit.

Desee, Bibhas and Punchum. Some leave out the
last, and others make it comprise of Dewsakh,
Bungal, Dhoul and Bibhas.
Bilharee and Kidara, composed by Hunwunt.

Lulit

Luucdhun
M.

Madho
Malavatee
Malgoojree
Maligoura

Soodh, Mular, Bilawul and Nutnarayun.

amod, Soodhunt and Humeer.
Ramculee, shyam, Gundhar and Goojree.
Gouree and Soruth.
Sarung, Soruth, Bilawul and Mular.
Hindol, Busunt, Jujavuntee, Punchum Khutrag,
Maroo, Sarung and Sanwuntee.
Suncurabhurun, Kidara, Mudmadh and Surus-

Punchum,

Manj
Malcous

Malsree

Malwa
Maroo

Marwa
Megh
Mudmadh
Mudmithoon
Madhvee
Mular

(.

wutee.
Gouree, Puraj and Bibhas.
Gouree, Puruj and Soruth.
Coclut, Canhra and Sooha, composed by Nyrud.
Culian, Camod, Sanwunt and Busunt.
Mular, Soodhculian and Mulsree.
Nutnarayun, Mular, Soodh, Humeer and Mudmadh, sung by Canh.
Sarung, Soruth and Bilawul ; or, agreeably to
others, Nut, Sarung and Meghrag.
Mular and Nut.
and Culian.

Mular-Nut
Mungulashtuk

Jytsree, Canhra, Kidara

Some add

Fhyam.

Mungal-Goojree

Ramculee, Shyam, Gundhar and Mungulashtuc.

Some say, instead of the last, Buhoolee.
Marwa, Turwun and Gouree, or instead of Gouree

Munoliur

Biharee,

N.

Nagdhun
Nut-Narayun

Mular, Kidara and Soohoo.

Suncurabhurun, Mudmadh, Luncdhun and Bilawul.

Paravutee
Poorbee

. .

Dewculee, Gound, Gouree and Poorbee.

Malwa and Gouree or, agreeably to others,
Gouree, Gound and Deuguree.
;

OF BAGS AND RAGINBBS.

Names

of Rags.

75

76

OF

AND RAGINEES.

RA.G8

Names of Rags.

Compounded of

Suctbulibh

Goonculee, Ramculee,Gundhar, Goojree, Sbyam

and Gour.
Kidara and Eilawul.
.Bbyvon, Sooba and Soodh.
Nutnarayun, Suncurabburun and Soodb.
Lulit, Puncbum, Tiluk, 3arung and Sooboo.

Suncurabburun
Surd
Suruswutee
Susirekba
T.

Thoomree

Suncurabburun and Maroo.

Kbutrag and Camod.
Usavuree and Khutrag. Some add Dbunasree.
Otbers make it consist of Lulit, Dbunasre
and Dboulsree.
Bijuya, Burbuns and Desee.
Nutnarayun, Jytsree and Sunuru.
Sree-Rag, Canhra and Bbyron.
Descar, Gouree, Poorbee. Some, in tbe room of

Tiluk-Camod
Toree

".

Treekshun
Trivenee

Tunc

Turwun

tbe

last,

say Lulit

otbers Bibbas.

U.
Ubbeeree

*|

or

Culian, Descar, Goojree

Uheeree

and Sbyam.

Ubeeree and Nut.

Dbunaaree and Tooree.
Dboulsree and Gound.
Mular and Ganbra.

Ubeer Nut
Uheer-Roop
Unsee
Urana

OF THE RAGMALA.*
The

melodies in Ragmala,

of

personification

let of melodies, is

what

I shall

next describe.

or chap-

Custom, which

has subsisted from time immemorial, has rendered this an

essential

branch of

far these symbolical

made

knowledge and polite learning.

to correspond with

it.

it

when he

shall

sees one,

and

with the description which I shall here give of

remark that the Ragmalas generally

I shall, however,

offered for sale are

of

what they should represent,

of the reader,

leave to the decision

compares

How

representations are by native painters

sometimes so

the representations
IfLo

is

i_f)\

incorrect, that

strictly
See Note

in
I,

scarcely one

conformity with the

p. 49.

OF RAGS AND RAGIN1SES.

description given in books.

As

painting

77
not now exer-

is

cised in the greatest perfection in Hindoostan, it

that

probable

is

drawiugs intended in the original to represent one ob-

ject were

in the

mistaken for another, and accordingly adopted

Subsequent copies were made in a similar

copy.

manner, former errors were perpetuated, and new ones added,

till

very

resemblance remained between the pictures

little

Eagmala and that which should have been representThe generality of amateurs are more solicitous of

of the
ed.

possessing

copy of the drawings denominated Eagmala

than of ascertaining

competent or
even possess

accuracy,

its

will go to the trouble.

skill, as

for

which indeed few are

The

painter,

if

he should

long as he can find purchasers for his

work, sees no reason for his being at the pains of reforming

the pictures to their original state of purity.

quote the opinion of Sir

"

drawings.

Wm,

Whenever the Indian drawing

memorial verse in the Retnamala,

ity

beg leave to

Jones on the subject of Indian

differs

from the

have preferred the author-

of the writer to that of the painter, who has drawn some

terrestrial

things with so

implicitly rely

On

p. 343.

little similitude,

that

we must not

on his representation of objects."

Vol.

I,

the Antiquity of the Indian Zodiac.

I. BHYRON.
This rag

is

personified in the exact representation of

Muha-

dev or Shiv, one of the three principal deities of the Hindoos.

He

is

drawn

as a sunyasee or

Hindoo mendicant of a

comely aspect, having his whole body besmeared with ashes,

his hair

is

clotted into knots, and from

the impetuous Qunga.

his forehead

is

He

amongst them flows

wears bracelets on his wrists, and

adorned with a crescent.

The monster appears

OF RAGS AND RAGINEES.

78

eye situated between his

in the third

serpent

neck

his

huge elephant

of the

is

negligently thrown over his

shoulder, and one of his hands supports a triple

equipped, he

he

is

mounted on an enormous

is

one of the

least she

Bhyruvee.

but also his best beloved

eldest,

seems to be the

cate complexion, with

to

beautiful

beaming eyes

her waist.

is

at

and most respected.

first

Her form bespeaks a young aud

down

the bull

wives allotted to Bhyron, and

five

perhaps not only the

fully

Sometimes

him.
I.

is

Thus

dart.

bull.

represented seated on the elephant's, skin, and

tied beside

This

hideous

pendent a string of skulls instead of flowers.

is

The skin

brows.

entwined about his shoulders and bosom, and from

is

virgin of a

deli-

her hair hangs grace-

white saree or sheet

thrown

is

over her slender form, and exposes her feet which are tinged
red.*

garland of

seated on the

her

side,

summit

chumpa

flowers graces her neck

of a rock

and she holds a pair

she

is

the cumul (lotus ) blooms by

of munjeeras or

little

cymbals

in her hands, with which she keeps time to the song or

hymn

which she appears to be singing.

* Mr. Wilson,
verse 212

of the

in his translation

Megha Duta,

in a note

on

O'er every floor the painted footstep treads.

Staining the soles of the feet with a red color derived from mehndee,

the Lac,

(fee,

is

a favorite practice of the Hindu

toilet.

It is thus ele-

gantly alluded to in the ode to one of the female personifications of music,

the Raginee Asauvsree

" The

rose hath

humbly bowed

" With glowing

"And lent them

lips

to meet,

her hallowed

all its

feet,

bloom."

Hindu odes by John David Paterson,

Gladwin's Oriental Misecellany, Calcutta.

Esq.,

pubished in the new

series

of

OF RAGS AND RAGINEES.

2.

This young

Buraree.
of whose

the beauty

girl,

79

countenance

heightened by the contrast of her jetty ringlets,

in dalliance with her lover.

The

Her

Cungun

wrists are adorned with

is

is

engaged

color of her dress is white.

(bracelets),

and her ears

with the flowers of the Culpu-turoo.

I

cannot account for the apparent incongruity in this and

some other Raginees. She

and is here represented as
towards him.

is

one of the wives of Bhyron,

deficient

in

her

conjugal faith

Ovid's advice " to retaliate in kind" cannot

be properly applicable here, as the Hindoos are permitted

by law a
liberty

goddesses
eternity

of wives, but

plurality

to marry

been privileged

The complexion

not the

matters

of

are

not at

gods and

love from

all

Mudhmadh.

of this Raginee

she appears to prefer that

of the

women

3.

is

in

the

have

But,

twice.

same

and her body

tinge,

die of the saffron.

She

is

is

of a golden

to every other tint.

color,

Her

and
dress

stained with the fragrant

is

engaged in the same manner as

the preceding.
It is to be observed for

the satisfaction of the European

readers that a golden complexion

is

as

much admired by

the natives of Hindoostan as a moon-faced beauty, both of

which sound uncouth in the idioms of Europe ; but it is to

be understood that the latter of the two expressions has

reference only to the pleasure which the beams of the moon
diffuse,

and not to

its

rotundity

while in the former case

respect is only had to the natural beauty of pure

not

to its

actual hue.

gold,

and

OF BAGS AND RAGINEES.

80

Sindhvee.

4.

The sanguinary

clothed

is

in

red

displayed in

is

garments, holds a

dart in her hand, and a dopuhuria flower hangs from

triple

her

disposition of this female

She

her features.

ear.

She

is

enraged at the delay of her lover, and waits,

impatient for his arrival.

Bwngal.

5.

A joginee

or female

sprinkled over with ashes

of ground sandal

Her

clotted hair

her bosom

her body

is

face

and her forehead streaked with

is

in a knot

tied

is

stained with marks

musk.

a yellow saree conceals

she holds a lotus in her right hand, and a triple

dart in her
foreign

Her

mendicant or devotee.

left.

This Eaginee, although the native of a

and distant land, appears in the costume properest

for a wife of Bhyron.

II. MALCOUS.

An

athletic

young man

in his hand.

neck.

He

of rosy complexion,

His vestments are

with wiue.

string

blue,

of large

pearls

surrounded by women,

is

gallant familiarity.

The

and intoxicated

and he holds a

whom

staff

hung round

is

his

he addresses with

pearls are sometimes exchanged for

the heads of such as he has conquered in battle.

It is

remarkable that, although wine

is

religion of several nations, yet votaries to

where to be found.

prohibited by the

Bacchus are every-

Amongst Hindoos, some

are not only

permitted the use of this intoxicating beverage, but

even offered in libations by them to the gods

abstain from

it

altogether.

By the precept

Mohummud, its very touch is polluting. The

it

is

while others

of the faith of

poets, particularly

the Moosulmans, however, are very eloquent and lavish of its

OP RAGS AND RAG1NEES.

81

Scarce a work of fancy either in prose or verse

praises.

is

to

be found in which some lines are not dedicated to the altar of

the rosy god.

Turn up the works

of the

admirable Hafiz,

almost at any page, and you will be convinced of

commentators on that work

meaning

to that word,

it.

The

ascribe, it is true, a very different

but any unprejudiced person must

Bud the construction rendered by the commentators on several

passages very

much

Wine used by the

strained.

Hfndoostan, both actually and

fictitiously, is

natives of

always taken

to-

deep intoxication.

excess, so as to cause

l.Toree.

This delicate minstrel

and

clothed in a white saree.

Hep

tinged and perfumed with touches of camphor

fair skin is

saffron.

the veen.

is

She stands in a wild romantic spot playing on

The

skill

with which she strikes that instrument

has so fascinated the deer in the neighbouring groves, that

they have forgot their pasture, and stand listening to the

This

notes * which she produces.

one of the

is

effects

of-

music attributed to the ancient musicians, and confirmed even

by modern asseveration

vide p.
2.

6.

Gouree.

This very young brunette has adopted the blossom of the

mangoe

for her ornament.

She

is

endeavouring

to sing her

favourite melody, but is so infatuated and intoxicated as to

be hardly able to proceed with

3.

The

grief

which

tears which flow

is

fast

it.

Gooncuree.

depicted in the

from her

eyes,

air

of this

female, the

the scattered wildness

of her hair which wantons with the breeze,

the sighs which

she breathes, and the dejected posture in which she

is

sitting

82

OP BAGS AND RAGINEES.

under the cudum

tree,

with her head leaning forwards, prove

the anguish of her heart for the absence of her beloved.

Cumbhavutee.

4.

This wanton beauty, neglectful

enjoyment she
:

ing

is

own

studies her

of care,

constantly immersed in music and

danc-

mirth and pleasure are her constant attendants.*

Cooculh.

5.

The

revels

of the

preceding

have rendered her

night

countenance pale, her eyes, though naturally sparkling, are

drowsy from want of sleep

her dress

discomposed

is

light of the

chumpa

the garlands of

with which she had decorated herself

lies

flowers

ecattered about,

and

but yet she seems to loathe the

dawn, and would fain convince her lover that the

morn has not

yet blushed.

III. HINDOL.
He is seated in a goldon swing, while a number of nymphs,
by whom he is surrounded, amuse him with music and keep
time with the rocking of the swing on

taneously offered to his shrine.

which seems
* It is to

His countenance

to indicate that, although

the commentators that I

am

To

dress,

and

Hindoostan.

and propriety

We

Wilson's

wan,
his

the fact

is,

the tongue, and

female,

roll

the eye,

according

to

the

customs

of

cannot help, however, being pleased with the simplicity

of taste,

so prominent a

troll

is

an immortal,

sing, to dance,

educated

constitutes a very well

sits, in-

indebted for the sole occupa-

tion of the goddesses, being pleasure and dress

To

which he

enjoying the sweets spon-

dolently gazing on their charms,

part

Megha Duta,

which gives
in

the

to the graceful

decoration

of

ornaments of nature

feminine

beauty. H.

p. 76.

K2

H.

83

OP HAGS AND RAGINBES.

constitution

impaired by the early and unceasing career

is

of pleasures and irregularities which he has pursued.

Ramcuree.

1.

The complexion
she

is

of this

nymph

is pale,

her dress

decked with jewels, and her forehead

infusion

She has been disappointed in an

of musk.

view she expected with her lover the preceding night

blue,

inter-

while

having had more important business in hand, perhaps a

he,

new amour, has

vouring to
is

is

striped with

is

just arrived

effect

after

daylight,

and

not certain how soon he will obtain his object,

we

forgive those

easily

very serious nature.

but

is

is

endea-

a reconciliation for his late neglect.

we

She

is

love, yet

for,

the present

It

although

affair is of

not only actuated by jealousy,

apprehensive lest her rival wean the affections of

also

her beloved from her.

2.

Desakh.

In treatises on the Rags, this Eaginee

is

described as an

enraged Amazonian, wielding a naked sword in her hand,

with which she has overcome a number of foes and defended

her lover

who stands by her side but the

Ragmala is quite ambiguous
;

sentation in the

drawn

in the figure of several

athletic

general repre-

there she is

young men engaged

in various gymnastic exercises, such as wrestling, casting of

huge masses of stone, &c.

It is quite

uncertain what gave

rise to this preposterous representation.

3
It is

creature,

not

who

Zulit.

satisfactorily explained
is

of her lover, should decorate

dress, jewelry

why

this beautifully fair

so overwhelmed with grief for the absence

and

herself with

all

her finery of

flowers.

K2

84

OF RAGS AND RAGINEE8.

4

The

Bilawulee.

Ragiuee consists in the beautiful symand her solicitude to please her beloved is

pride of this

metry

of her limbs,

expressed by the pains she takes to adorn herself against

his arrival,

whom

beating heart.

she awaits with anxious expectation and

She

is

dressed in rose-coloured vestments.

5

O
is

JPutmunjuree.

the pangs of separation

known only

to those

the poignancy of whose sting

who have

felt its

readers, and particularly those of the fair

ence

its fatal

The

object

anguish.

and

power

now

solitary relief, the only

The

May my

never experi-

before us

She sheds incessant

will admit.

wound

sex,

is

oppressed with the deepest

which give her a sad

tears,

consolation her tender heart

hung round her neck no longer

flowers

laugh in the bloom of freshness, the fever iu her mind and

body have withered them

more

their

to sapless leaves,

which exhale no

wonted perfume.

IV, DEEPUK.
The flame which- the ancient musicians
kindled by the performance of
fiery
is

this

Rag

countenance and red vestments.

thrown rouud his neck, and he

is

are said to have

depicted in his

A string of large pearls

is

mounted on

elephant accompanied by several women.

He

is

a furious

also

repre-

sented in a different form.

1,

The

Desee.

excess of passion to which this blooming

Raginee

is

subject induces her to pay a visit to her lover at his abode.

She accordingly adds the assistance

charms

of her person,

of art to

the natural

and puts her resolution into practice.

OF BAGS AND RAGINEES.

Camod.

2.

What

troubles and dangers will not love instigate one to

undergo

When

under

dare to accomplish

its

what

influence

Here we see a nymph

will

not youth

forget

the natu-

her sex, and venture alone in the desert in the

ral delicacy of

She quits her

hideousness of night.

soft

bed and friendly

neighbourhood, and traverses unaccompanied the wilderness

The chance

infested with ravenous beasts.

object of her love

with the

risking of her

mock her

and

life

fortitude

assignation

alone,

not yet there

itself.

She

an interview

finds

thousand fears

herself

now

at the place of

on whose account she has staked

The

at the

starts

character.

when she

for he,

this, is

of

she considers well worth the

all

timidity of her sex then displays

fall

of a leaf) and melts into tears.

She has on a short white boddice, and passes unnoticed under

cover of a red saree.

This young maiden prefers the career of glory to that of

pleasure.
self in

She

men's

is

adorned with jewels, and has clothed her-

and being mounted upon a furious

attire,

steed,

Minerva-like, engages in battle with those of the opposite

sex.

Her countenance is

flushed with the ardours aud fatigues

of such an undertaking.

4. Kidara.
The

subject of

The young man

right hand,

this

Eaginee

is

a masculine character.

in white garments wields a sword in his

and in his

which he has rooted

out.

the praises of his valor.

left

A.

grasps the tusk of an elephant

bard standing beside him recites

OF RAGS AND BAGINEES.

8C

V. SREE.

A
A

handsome man dressed

string

He

white,

iu

or

holds a lotus flower in his hand, and

carved throne

some say

and ruby beads hung round

of crystal

is

in red.

his neck.

seated upon a

musicians performing in his presence.

l.Malsree.

Although love holds an exalted

Hindoostan, as

it

rank in the music of

does in that of

other

countries,

and

instances are not wanting of its existence in a refined state,

yet,

the beauties of nature are allowed to arrest their share

The

of attention.

She

example.

is

under a mangoe

creature

fascinating

clad in

tree,

is

an

and

sits

us

before

yellow robe,

a flowing

in the society of her female companion,

enjoying the verdure and luxuriance of the extensive scene

before her.

2. Marwa.

Her

dress is of gold brocade, and she has a garland of

She

flowers round her neck.

sits in

anxious

expectation of

the arrival of her lover.

3.

We
ful

Dhunasree.

cannot but sympathise with solitary grief in a beauti-

female.

There

is

something

naturally feel inclined to

cumstance which gave

curiosity,

so

irresistible,

that

become acquainted with the

rise to

we
cir-

her misfortune, not by a vain

but with the view of affording her any consolation

which may be in our power, and of sympathising with her

in her griefs.

The misfortunes

of the

subject

now under

consideration proceed from the absence of her lover, and

87

OP RAGS AND RAGINEES.

that she has long languished is evident from her emaciated

Her

frame.

dress

friends, she

sits

is

and avoiding the

red,

alone under a

Moulsree

society

tree,

of

her

venting her

griefs to the woods.

Busunt.

4.

Busunt

and

the spring of Hindoostan, the

is

The hero

festivity.

tuous god Crishnu,

and occupation.

who

time of mirth

of .this piece therefore is the volup-

represented in his usual costume

is

His vestment

is

tinged

red.

His head

adorned with his favourite plumage, extracted from the

the peacock

in his right

blossoms, and in the

left

ber of

women

as jolly as himself,

and

5.

all

join in the

In

num-

in a garden surrounded with a

and sing and play a thousand jovial

The hideousness

is

of

hand he holds a bunch of mangoe

a prepared leaf of the betel tree.

manner he stands

this

tail

dance,

tricks.

Usavuree.
picture

of this

delicacy of the principal figure.

is

mitigated only by the

Her dark-brown complexion,

the monstrous snake which entwines her arms and legs

her

the

wild

waters where she

sits,

hair tied in a knot on the

crown of her head

solitude of the rock environed with

are

all

beautifully

relieved

and contrasted with the

lines of her features, the white sheet

her,

(which

is

sometimes changed

gracefully

fine out-

thrown over

for a covering of leaves,)

and the streaks of dissolved camphor with which she has

stain-

ed her forehead.

VI. MEQH.
This

He

is

is

the only Rag

that

bears a masculine character.

represented of a dark complexion, his hair

is

tied

in a

OP RAdS AND RAGINEES.

88

knot on the crown of his head, and in his hand he balances

a sharp-edged sword.

1. Tune.
Various expedients

have

been resorted to by love-sick

maids to allay in some measure the fever raging in their

veins.

The

of our

object

inquiry, labouring under

present

its influence,

has applied to the crown of her head the

of the lotus,

which

2.

The frequent

Mular.

representation

of scenes of separation, and

the consequent grief attendant upon

it,

recalls to

the sad history of ancient Hiniloostan

Eagmala, which

As

peruse as pictures of real

leaves

said to possess refreshing qualities.

is

one's

mind

I review the

life,

am

affected

with sadness at the deplorable state in which, in former times,

Various sources of

the female sex particularly subsisted.

abject injustice

and oppression

rendered sacred by

their laws,

still

exist

but as they are

and they have been habituat-

ed to them by custom which has prevailed from time im-

women

memorial, the poor

Some

murmur.

British territories,

under them without

have been removed in the

which must be a source of great comfort

The convenience

to them.

acquiesce

causes, however,

of travelling in these days, even

with women, children, and property, must be reckoned as

one of the foremost.

who

celebrated

amongst them

bridges, tanks, wells,

tion,

Such ancient princes of Hindoo3tan

afforded convenience to travellers are

are

some of the most

and the construction

and choukees,

of high roads,

for public use

and protec-

amongst the most meritorious acts of their

The pious and chaste Ram Chundru

for his great care in these matters.

of

Ujodhya

is

religion.

celebrated

This tUginee
is

is

89

HAGS AND RAGINEES.

03?

she

delineated of a complexion

wan and

decorated with the white jessamine, and

sits

pale

sad and

endeavouring to soothe and dissipate her melancholy,

solitary,

with the tones of the Veen, in happier days her delight

" In vain the lute

harmony

for

is

And round the robe-neglected shoulder hung

And faltering accents strive to catch in vain
Her

race's old

The

falling tear that

commemorative

but

strung,

strain

from reflection springs,

Corrodes incessantly the silvery strings

Recurring woe

The

skilful

still

hand

pressing on the heart,

forgets its grateful art

And idly wandering

strikes

no measured tone.

But wakes a sad wild warbling

of its

own.

At times such solace animates her mind,

As widowed wives in
3.

The tenor

cheerless absence find."

Qoojree.

of this picture

young female minstrel, of a

is

not

evident.

delicate voice

It presents

and engaging mien,

dressed in yellow short stays and red saree, and adorned with
jewels.

Bhoopalee.

4.

This
lover.

is

some happy nymph engaged

A white

stained with

saree

the

adorns her bosom.

is

fragrant saffron.

The

in dalliance with her

thrown over her body, which

favoured youth

garland
sits

is

of flowers

by her

side,

round whose neck her arms are enfolded.

5.

There

is

no material

preceding delineation.
guish them
flowers,

are,

Descar.

difference

The

the string

between this

characters by which

and

we

the

distin-

of pearls substituted for the

and the marks with which she has stained herself

are of ground sandal.

OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
oKKoo
be seen in the hands of Apollo's

Several musical instruments are to

muses, which might give great light to the dispute between the

and modern music.

ancient

Addison.

much improvement.

Their present state susceptible of

Their classification.

Detailed description of the several instruments 'now in vac.

How

observed, that they are

provements.
are of

may

proud soever the people of Hindoostan

their musical instruments, I

two

The

sorts

of opinion, as I

be of

have already

susceptible of very important im-

defects

the

am

first

which have come under

my

notice

regards the materials of which they

are made, and the second their construction.

With
of

respect to the

first

of these defects

which their musical instruments are made,

very

little

attention is paid to

it,

substance was employed for

choice is influenced

want

of ingenuity.

as if

appears that

were immaterial what

the purpose.

by pecuniary
It

it

the materials
it

This

want of

considerations, as well as

cannot be supposed that such care-

lessness prevailed during the flourishing period of the Indian

empire

but that from the commencement of

check had been opposed to

perhaps

all

will

allow.

its

At present,

preceding part of the work,

its decline

further refinement

it will

is

what

for reasons offered in a

appear reasonable, that, far

from expecting a progressive improvement, we Should rather

be prepared to anticipate this noble science on the wane in

91

OP MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
the same portion as the decline

consequent decrease
people of this once

celebrated

venerable tree being sapped,

and depravity of the

The

country.

its

and the

of its empire,

knowledge

of

root of the

blossoms are no longer sup-

plied with nourishment by the branches which they were

and

stability proffered

Government
conduced

The

and must soon decay.

designed to decorate,

from

political

security

motives by the British

to the native chieftains has, perhaps, materially

to render

greater degree

them

luxurious and

than the

generally attributed

effeminate in a

still

climate to which those vices are

and these have been the bane of the

music of Hindoostan.*

In Europe professional

always employed in the construction of

all

men

are

instruments and

engines, or at least their advice is solicited, and suggestions

acted upon

struments

is

here, the

making and

fitting

entrusted entirely to persons

up

of musical

who

in-

are ignorant

not only of the merest elements of music, but who, besides

manufacturing musical instruments, are general carpenters

and other

artificers,

who

if

they even possessed the

could not afford to waste their time in

abilities

experiments for the

improvement of musical instruments, the number

rather

than the quality of which would ensure the greater gain.

on

It is

this account that the better musicians prefer to patch

mend

their old instruments rather than construct

new

and

ones,

of which to find the just proportions, they lack the abilities.

Khooshhal Khan and Oomraw Khan, Veenkars, mentioned

before,

have in their possession the instrument on which their

grandfather Jeewun Shah used to ravish his audience.

no doubt are not aware that a

any

difference

in the tone
* See

page

Some

difference of material produces

of an instrument.

31,

and

following.

There

is

an

92

OT MUSICA.L INSTRUMENTS.

who

anecdote of a Rajah,

in token

of his

approbation pre-

sented a favourite player with a silver Sarungee, on which he

was

perform before him.*

to

It is problematical

whether a violin

men-

of the sort just

tioned could produce sounds sufficiently sweet to arrest any

attention

but

cannot certainly be denied that a good per-

it

former on any instrument, whether musical or other, can do

more execution on one

duced from one of a

of inferior quality

far superior quality

than can be pro-

put into the hands

who is only an inferior artist.

Drums and tabors of all sorts are covered with

of a person

and in an unprepared state

fresh,

the

goat's skin,

body and neck of

Sarungees are made of wood, one entire piece, excavated, the

top covered with skin instead of thin light board
are pieces of the
rally

bamboo

cane,

the flutes

formed by nature, and gene-

bored without regard to just proportion..

It

is

not,

however, the musicians that are entirely to blame for making

use of such imperfect instruments.
of the first

class

requires so

construction, besides scientific

musical instrument

much time and

skill in

nicety in

the maker,

its

that the

musicians of Hindoostan cannot now-a-days afford to pay for

one

indeed, on this account

one

is

not procurable.

extravagant sums were paid by the

flutes

The more

There

i3

Greeks even

respectable performers in this

player,
Sforzia.

country,

a European anecdote similar to the one quoted above.

da Vinci, the celebrated painter, passed at his time

for

What

for their
if

Leonardi

an excellent violin

and was even professionally engaged by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico

In the sketch of his

singular statement

" Vinci

life,

had a

prefixed to his treatise on painting, is this

violin of silver

made

for

him, which was

shaped in the form of a horse's head, and he surpassed on this instrument

all

other violin players."

93

OP MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

they would be well paid, should rather keep up a large

retinue than really superior instrument.

As
is

for the

defects

which regard their construction, there

one, which exclusive of other

them

all.

will not

mean

minor ones,

found to

They have

admit of a change of keys.

method of tuning

is

affect

that material radical imperfection which

their instruments

are guided in this respect merely

likewise

no

to a certain pitch, but

by the

ear.

why

If an opinion might be hazarded,

no

person

has

endeavoured to render instruments playable in every key, I

should suppose the reason to be this

sound of which

is

A drum

or tabor,

whether

ant and inseparable companion to Indian songs,

any other instrument be present or

as the key-note,
sent,

and the

and

all

not.

Its

sound

other instruments that

voice, are regulated

by

no necessity

for

is

taken

may

be pre-

From this
drum or tabor

it.

appear that as long as the use of the

aside, there will be

the

necessarily monotonous, is an ever-attend-

it

should

is

not laid

change of keys, and the

rythmical nature of Indian music renders a liberal use of the

drum more

essential, in order to

mark the time

distinctly,

than any other accompaniment.

Musical instruments are divided into four classes
1.

Tut.

Such as are strung with wires or gut are thus

denominated

The Rubab, the Tumboora, the

Sitar,

Sarungee, the Veen, and the Qanoon, &c, belong to this

2.

Bitut.

To

are referred

this division

are covered with

skins,

as

all

the
class.

those which

the Mridung, the Dholkee, the

Tublas, the Daera, the Duph, the Nuqqara, &c.

3.

Ghun.

two at a time.

These are instruments of percussion, and used

The Munjeera,

the Jhanjh, the Curtar,

(Cymbals, Castanets,) are of this description.

&c,

OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

94

Wind instruments

Sooghur.

4.

The

name.
ples of

are

classed

under this

Surnaee, the Banslee, the Torey, &c., are exam-

it.

The grand

music

instrumental

Hindoostan

of

ia

the

Noubut, and the instruments used in the cabinet are the

Mridung, the Dholkee, the Tublas, the Daera, the Duph, the
Munjeera, the Curtar, the Sarungee, the Tumboora, the Sitar,
the Rubab, the Veen, the Qanoou, and the Banslee.
the last are occasionally played solo

accompaniment either

The Noubut
a

full

It

is

is

the

Noubut.

the grandest instrumental music of Hin-

a concert, and the instruments which comprise

band of the Noubut Khanuh are two pairs of Nuqqaras,

one pair of large Noubuts, one Quna, one

Jkanjhs,

The
formers

Toruy, one pair of

two Surna, two Nuy, two Alghoza, one Roshun

Chouhee Surna, and one pair Qulum

is

flutes,

produced by the joint

effect

considerably imposing,

to be properly appreciated.

some

Five of

the rest are used as

to these, or to the voice.

Of

doostan.

and

efforts

flageolets.

of expert per-

and should be witnessed

It is heard to advantage

from

distance.

THE MRIDUNG, THE DHOLKEE AND THE TUBLAS.

These are drums, and

is

the most ancient, and

is

from each other in form,

differ

construction, and likewise in the

manner

of playing.

accompanied the voice in the more chaste ages

is

generally preferred

The

first

one of those instruments which

;

the Dholkee

by amateur .performers, and

is

the

domestic and homely companion to the music of the uninitiated female

and the

last,

less

solemn than the Mridung,

95

OP MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

and more adapted

to

accompauy

light

and

tions, is selected as the fittest counterpart

the silver tones of the modern

to

dancing

It

girl.

modern

is

composi-

trivial

with the Sarungee

Hindoo

meretricious

from hence evident, that the two

inventions,

licentious

unknown

the

to

are

last

ages

when

music breathed sacred and solemn numbers.

The Mridung

is

a hollow cylinder of wood, resembling a

cask, open at both the

ends, which are covered with crude

goat's skin of different thicknesses, so as

ent sounds

made

of rosin,

oil,

&c, applied to the

with leather braces like our drums.

and

inside,

and

is

The Dholkee

tightened

is

similar

a lighter and more delicate instrument.

is

braces are strings.

and the Tubla

gether,

differ-

only the diameter bears a greater proportion to the

to this,

length,

produce

to

one end has likewise a coating of a composition

is,

The

The

between both the above

difference

that the latter are always used two to-

the one being the treble and the

other the bass,

which however may be considered as one instrument, divided

from the middle

The method
They
and

for the sake of convenience.

of playing

on these instruments

is

curious.

are struck with the fingersjand palms of both hands,

it is

surprising what variety of measures, and changes of

the same measure, expert players can produce on them.

is

allowed to be more

difficult

to

describe the

using the blow-pipe than of acquiring

playing on these instruments
is

is

its

use

the

manner
method

It

of
of

absolutely indescribable, and

only to be learnt from a master, chiefly by imitation and

long practice.

THE DUPH AND THE DAERA.

The
feet in

first

of these is an octagon frame of wood, about three

diameter and six inches deep, covered on one side with

OP MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS;

9G
skin, the stress of

which

is

counterbalanced on the other with

The skin

a net-work of thiu slips of the same.

struck

is

upon, in playing, with the fingers of the right hand, while a

tender flexible switch, held perpendicularly over the instru-

ment with the

fore-finger of the left, is

made

to strike on

it

with the middle finger at stated intervals of the measure.

The Daera,

as its

name

implies, is a circle

of wood,

metal,

or other material, covered on one side, as the preceding.

diameter

is

fingers are applied in the

same manner

and the thumb of the

left

or support for

that hand a

rise in the

tone

as in using the

circle, so as to

little

Its

hand

Duph,

form a

rest

above the centre, against

which the knuckle of the middle finger

when a

right

thrust into a string passed

is

through a hole on one side of the

side

The

generally about 11 or 12 inches.

is

pressed on the

in-

is desired.

Both these instruments are now almost entirely used by

amateurs, although the former
professional

may

men

is

sometimes played upon by

of the lower order.

These instruments

be compared to the Tambour de basque, Tabret or

Timbrel of the ancients.

THE MUNJEERA AND THE CURTAR.

These are Cymbals and Castanets, and are of no other use
than to mai'k the time

distinctly, which, as I

several times noticed, is the very

life

have already

of rythmical music.

THE SARUNGEE.
The Sarungee

is

the fiddle of Hindoostan.

It is strung

with four gut strings, and played with a bow, the hairs of

which are

loose,

playing.

The

and tightened with the hand

at

the

two lowest strings are tuned to Khurvj,

time of

and the

OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
others to a perfect fourth.

The instrument

tion contrary to that in whioh the violin

the manner of the bass violin

hand do not press upon the

is

97
is

held in a posi-

used

that

is,

and the fingers of the

strings,

in
left

but are held close beside

them, while the right hand draws the bow.

Besides the gut-strings, the instrument has a number of

metal wires, generally thirteen, of unequal lengths, which go

These wires are tuned to the mode

under the gut-strings.

The bow can

proper to the Eaginee intended to be played.

never touch or approach them, so tlrey are of use only to

reverberate with the sound of the gut-strings.

This proves

that the musicians of Hindoostan are aware of the fact that

sound propagated on one string

will

to another that is in unison with

whose tone

is

communicate vibration
it,

or the difference of

exactly an octave.

THE TUMBOORA.
The Tumboora

or Tanpoora is another very ancient in-

strument, and the simplest of all those of the guitar kind.

It

somewhat resembles that instrument, but has a very long

neck without

frets.

The body

is

generally

made

of about

the two-thirds of the dry shell of a gourd, the top covered

It is strung with three or four wire

with a thin board.

strings,

one brass and the rest

steel.

The lowest

is

tuned

to the key note, and the others to its quint and octave

above.

These are struck alternately, the instrument

reclin-

calculated, as the

name

ing on the shoulder.

indicates, to

fill

up

all

Its use is

pauses and vacuities in the song, and

likewise to keep the songster from straying from the tone

which he originally adopted.

&8

OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

THE
This

is

by Umeer Khosro of
instrument, but

is

SITAR.

modem

likewise a

Delhi.

instrument, and was invented

It resembles the last

made a good

deal

mentioned

and has mov-

smaller,

able frets of silver, brass, or other material, which are fastened

with catgut or

The

required.

Seventeen frets are generally used,

silk.

and as they are

they

movable,

shifting

of

these

answer
to

every

purpose

proper places

their

requires a delicate ear.

This instrument derives

Persian

monly

three,

used.

and tar

its

jlj

name from
a

si

**

string, as that

signifying in

number

is

com-

More modern performers have made

several

and the others

brass.

additions.

Of the

one

three wires,

tuned in unison, and

These

last are

their

sound, and the other

fingers of the

steel,

is

left

hand

is

are called

a perfect fourth to

manner

and the wires are struck with the

right, to

which

is

called a Hizrab,*

fitted

made

it.

The

over the frets on the finger-

slide

board, and stop the notes in the same

guitar,

Khuruj from

as on the

fore-fiDger of the

a kind of plectrum or instrument

of a piece of wire curiously twisted,

to facilitate the various motions of the finger.

The
sional

Sitar is very

men and

much

admired,

amateurs, and

is

used both by profes-

a very pleasing toned

is really

instrument in the hands of an expert performer.

THE EUBAB.
This instrument

is

strung with gut-strings, and in shape

and tone resembles a Spanish

guitar.

It

is

played with

a plectrum of horn held between the fore-finger and

*

From the

Arabic verb

i_j

ye

to strike.

thumb

OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
of the

right hand,

while the fingers

strings on the fingerboard.

this,

who

99

of the

stop the

left

have heard some performers on

are said to excel, and their performance certaiuly

deserved praise, for the delight with which they inspired

their hearers.

The Puthans are remarkably fond

is very common at Rampoor.

this

of

instrument, which

THE VEEN.
The Veen

is

one of the most ancient of the musical instru-

ments of Hindoostan.

Mooni Narad,

to

It

whom

was played upon by the minstrel

the credit of

its

invention

It is the instrument of the greatest capacity

really

is

perhaps

superior

is

allowed.

and power

and

Veen in the hands of an expert performer

little inferior

to a fine-toned piano, and indeed,

for

Hindoostanee music, the best devised, and calculated to be

adapted jto

all

practical modifications.

Although the Veen has a fingerboard and

frets,

it

is

not

strictly confined in its intonation, as a guitar, a pianoforte, or

an organ

is

for it

slightest difference

is

in

so delicate an instrument, that the

the pressure of the finger, or of its

distance from the frets, will cause a sensible variation

tone, of

which a good performer

avails

himself.

in

results that beautiful nicety of just intonation in every

which charms the musical ear.

To convey a

the

Hence

mode

correct idea of

we need only observe that the superiority of the

over most other instruments is to be derived from this

this beauty,
violin

source.

The Veen
four brass

the melody

is

strung with seven metal wires, three steel and

but as
is

is

the case with the Sitar and the Rubab,

generally played on one of the steel wires,

the rest are chiefly for accompaniment

several

and

fingers of

100

OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

the right haud striking simultaneously on several of the

wires

each of the fingers to be thus employed

is

armed with

a plectrum usually made with the large scales of

fastened on with springs, or tied

down with

fishes,

and

thread.

THE BANSULEE, OE BUNSEE.

The

flute

said to

was formerly a very favourite instrument, and

have produced wonderful

god Crishnu.

effects in the

is

hands of the

There are few professional performers on this

instrument now.

Or THE VARIOUS SPECIES

OF

VOCAL COMPOSITIONS OF HINDOOSTAN.

Twenty

The most

different species described.

ancient sorts of composition are, 1st, the Oeet;

2nd, the Took ; 3rd, the Chhund ; 4th, the Prubund ; 5th, the

Dharoo ;

the Dhooa; and 7th, the

6th,

chiefly in the Sanscrit,

and execution.
these

is

The

first

and

various species of the

This

may

well

properly

The

much

but

as trifling

be

subject

some of the memorable

heroes, or other didactic theme.

as

of

more modern compositions are

heroic song of Hindoostan.

ly the recital of

ters,

both of comprehension

have heard

The Bhoorpud.

as the

difficult

four

These are

not known in these days.

the following
1.

The

Mwn.

considered
is

frequent-

actions of their

It also engrosses love

and frivolous

subjects.

The

mat-

style is

very masculine, and almost entirely devoid of studied orna-

mental
pervade

Manly negligence

flourishes.

the whole,

are always

short

and ease seems to

and the few turns that are allowed

and

peculiar.

This

sort

of

composi-

102

VOCAL COMPOSITIONS

tion has its origin

who

is

Dhoorpud has

last,

Man

four Tooks or strains, the 1st

Bhog.

of Gualiar,

the father of Dhoorpud singers.

Bedha; the 2nd, TJnlura; the

Sthaee, or

the

from the time of Rajah

considered as

is called

The
Sthul,

3rd,

Ubhog ; and

Others term the two last Ubhag.

Dhoorpuds,

which the names of flowers are introduced, in such manner that the meaning will admit of two different construcin

tions, are called

Phoolpund ; and two Dhoorpuds which corre-

spond with each other

in time, syllable,

and accent, are deno-

minated Joogool.
2.

Eheal.

In the Kheal the subject generally

tale,

and the person supposed

style

is

utter

to

and embellishments.

It is

chiefly

Khyrabad,

a love

The

in the language spoken

and consists of two Tooks.

Sooltan Hoosyn Shurqee of Jounpoor

class of song.

A species of

called Chootcula

TooJcs,

is

a female.

extremely graceful, and replete with studied elegance

in the district of

is

it,

and

is

is

the inventor of this

this, consisting of

only one

Too]c,

another, termed Burwee, comprises two

in the Poorbee tongue.

Although the pathetic

is

found in almost

all

species

of

Hindoostanee musical as well as poetical compositions, yet

the Kheal
of the

is

perhaps

Dhoorpud

is

of female expression,

its

more immediate

and the Tuppa

the character of a maid,

Ravi,

The

sphere.

style

too masculine to suit the tender delicacy

who

is

more conformable

inhabits the

(and has its connexion with a particular

with the beauties of Hindoostan

while

to

shores of the
tale,)

than

the Ohuzuls and

Rekhtus are quite exotic, transplanted and reared on the

Indian

soil

since the

Mahomedan

who understands the language

hear a few good Kheals, to be

conquest.

sufficiently,

it

To a person
is

enough to

convinced of the beauties of

103

OF HINDOOSTAN.

Hindoostanee songs, both with regard to the pathos of the

poetry and delicacy of the melody.

Tuppa.

3.

Hindoostan.
perfection

Songs of this species are the admiration of

has been brought to

It

by the famous Shoree, who

be considered

its

present degree of

some measure may

Tuppas were formerly sung

founder.

its

in

in

very rude style by the camel-drivers of the Punjab, and

was he who modelled

it

Tuppas have two

TooTcs,

it

into the elegance

now

it is

and are generally sung

sung.

the lan-

in

guage spoken at Punjab, or mixed jargon of that and Hin-

They

dee.

nowned

recite the loves of

their attachment

for

some circumstance
bhasha.

in the history of their lives.

is

an impure dialect of

The measure

is

lively

not mistaken by one

It is useless
all

re-

and misfortunes, and allude to

This

Thoomree.

4.

Heer and Eanjha, equally

and so

who has heard

to waste

the Vrnj-

peculiar, that it is

a few songs of this class.

words in description, which must

after

prove inadequate, of a subject which will impress the

mind more

when

sensibly

attention

is

bestowed on a few

songs.
5.

Rag-Sagur, or the ocean of Sags.

It is

a species of

Kondo, which commences with a particular Rag.

cessive strain is sung in a different Rag,

each, the first strain

6.

is

Each

suc-

and at the end of

repeated.

Holee or Horee, consists of four TooJcs or strains like

Dhoorpud, and the style

If the songs of

is

peculiar to

itself.

Hindoostan were classed by subjects, per-

haps that which recites the amours of Chrishnu would be the

most voluminous.

The age

of that voluptuary forms a very

important era in the history of India, and

wondered at that

it

it

is

not to be

should so materially influence their song.

104

VOCAL COMPOSITIONS

Every nation has celebrated the valorous deeds of

in

and so have the

song,

Numerous compositions

natives

of

and virtues of their ancient princes and heroes.

tories

ously sung
rivalled

and so has Crishnu, who

Damon,

Paris,

his

own

He

is

turn,

is

in

and beloved by

represented as the un-

him.

all

The

more numer-

and Adonis of Hindoostan

cellencies of these are united

all

the ex-

Equally amorous in

the fair without exception.

emphatically styled " Mohun," or the enchanter.

person was so graceful, that every

him, became instantly enamoured of

it

done.

are in existence, which recite the vic-

joys of love, however, have everywhere been

such

heroes

its

Hindoostan

irresistible attractive

woman who

His

once beheld

His pipe possessed

it.

charms, that none

who

ever heard

could attend to any thing else, however serious, incumIt diffused a sort of

bent, or necessary.
its tone,

phrenzy along with

the influence of which could not be withstood by

any woman of Vruj.

Neither the usual cares of the house-

hold, the desire of arraying so natural to the female sex, nor

the threats of the enraged husband

due

tion

to

detain her from following the

sound of Crishnu's
I

are

Hindoostan there
esteemed

being

that songs which have love for

is

one

other

motive

all

for

In

nationa.
their

being

the acts of the god Crishnu, they are con-

The

old sing

young derive pleasure from

the pious they are held sacred

many

moment

impulse occasioned by the

more numerous amongst

sidered as pious hymns.

votion, the

no, not even the atten-

flute,

have observed above,

their theme,

a hungry and crying infant could for a

them

as acts of de-

their contents

while the profane find in

by

them

things which they glory either to have themselves

performed, or should have been glad to have had

it

in their

OF HINDOOSTAN.

105

The wise man has

power to achieve.

folly

enough to be

beguiled by them, and the fool possesses sufficient taste to

relish

their

All, in short, agree in

beauties.

of this class,

how

admiring songs

different soever their motives

might be for

this predilection in its favor.

The scenes

of Crishnu's frolics were the villages of Gocool

Muthoora, on the opposite banks of the Jumna or

and

Yamoona, and the wilds

No milkmaid

of Vrindabun.

could

here pass without being attacked by the amorous Crishnu.

Hindoo women went a watering to the Jumna with

All

pitchers on their heads or under their arms, and never re-

turned without at least an amorous embrace or a

These are recited in the

scribes a

One song

holees.

maiden reproaching Crishnu with

in taking liberties with her

kiss.

of this class dehis audaciousness

another admires his comeliness

and extraordinary address.

One with beating heart warns

her female friends to be cautious how they venture to the

river-side

alone

doleful tale,

another with tears in her eyes states her

how she has been roughly

fully abused by the god.

her

fate,

treated and shame-

In this a forsaken

and imprecates her

rivals

girl

bemoans

in that other she declares

the excess of her passion, and fondly confines the god in

One

her arms.

declares her resolution

with his insults and oppressions

friend's arrival at a

The

village

forcible seizure

one song

with both.

Rag.

Jut.

another congratulates her

Gocool, where love revels.

of milk or a kiss forms the

while in another you hear

Some

them

theme of

bribe his stay

adore him as a god, others esteem him

as a lover, and a few treat

7.

like

of bearing no longer

him

as an

impudent

fellow.

few hemistichs, each in a different dialect and

VOOAi COMPOSITIONS

106

No

Tirvut and Tuvana.

8.

words are adapted to these,

It

being considered necessary, however, to utter something for

the easier and more perfect vocalization of this species of

music, the following set of

purpose,

this

words has been adopted

for

without regard to the order of succession

here set down.

There

a tale connected with these

is

words, which

in

is

almost every one's mouth, and therefore not necessary to

be

inserted here.

Surgum

9.

Is

sung with the notes contained in the Hin-

dee scale [Surgum], as the

we

call Solfa-ing

implies.

Bishnoopud.

It is literally

what

now

in-

This species of Hindoo hymns.

It

not

it is

same view.

variably used with the

10.

name

or Solmization, although

was founded by Shoordas, a blind poet and musician, and

is

of

a moral tendency.
Chutoorung

11.
3,

Surgum

and

Is

4,

four strains:

Tirvut.

It

Ghuzul and Rekhtu.

12.

is

of

1,

Kheal;

2,

Turana

modern invention.

These are in the Ordoo and

Persain languages, and differ from each other, according to

some, merely in the subject they treat

for its
object,
ringlets,

The former has

minutely enumerated, such as the green beard, moles,

size,

indifference,

Rekhtu he

shape, &o, &c,

as

well as his cruelties and

and the pain endured by the lover

eulogizes the

terms, and evinces

love,

of.

theme a description of the beauties of the beloved

his

and bearing with

all

own

intention of persevering in his

the difficulties to which he might

be exposed in the accomplishment of his desires.

sist

mostly of from

five

whilst in the

beauty of the beloved in general

They con-

to ten or a dozen couplets.

One

107*

OP HINDOOSTASf.
species of these

in

The

and Bughelkund.

various lengths, and gene-

subject

is

woman

almost universally mean-~

for

the acquisition of the

trifling favors.

War

Ourca.

14.

rally in

songs in praise of valour.

the tongue spoken by

profession of

species

Bugud.

of

this,

gene-

the

called Sadra.

very lengthened couplets,

Those in the Charnee

is

It is

denominated Dharees.

and Gualiar are

of Vruj

in

This

the Rajpoots.

songsters

of

class

Those in the language

One

Are of

the dialect spoken in the districts of Bundelkhund

the petition of the fond

most

only four

and" contains

indicates.

Badra and Nucta

13.
rally

termed Charbyt,

is

name

couplets, as its

tongue

are

is

termed

denominated

Bur.
15.

priate.

Childhood and blessings

iSakla is

Moulood.

18.

Stooti.

19.

Qoul,

subject

is

appro-

for longevity, &c.

sung on marriages.

16.
17.

Almighty, or of

The

Cradle songs or hymns.

Palna.

One

or two

Mahommud.

hemistichs in praise of the

It is chiefly in the Arabic.

In praise of superiors.

Qulbana and Kool are

in

Arabic.

These are

suDg by Quvvals.
20.

Zicree.

The subject of these

in the dialect of Goojrat.

It

Hiudoostan by Qazee Muhmood.

was

is

morality, and

is

sung

originally introduced in

OF THE PECULIARITIES
OF

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN HINDOOSTAN,

TO WHICH

ALLUSIONS ARE MADE IN THEIR SONG.

When she spoke,

Sweet words,

like

dropping honey, she did shed

And 'twist the pearls and rubies

softly brake,

A silver sound, that heavenly music seem'd to make..Fairy

The winds were hushed, no

At all was

seen to

Queen,

leaf so small

stir,

Whilst turning to the water's

The small birds sung to

I

her.

fall

.Drayton's Cynthia.

saw a pleasant grove,

With chaunt of tuneful birds resounding love. Milton.

Earth smiles with

And bids to

flow'rs renewing, laughs the sky,

lays of love their tuneful notes apply. Dryden,

Its characteristic natvre.

Reasons assigned for several of them, which now no

longer exist,

and examples produced.

It will perhaps be desirable to expatiate a

parts of the

prevailing

Hindoostan as influence

little

manners and customs

The songs
their music.

as well as its poetry, go a great

of

on such
ancient

of a nation,

way towards developing

its

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS

domestic practices,
of
is

Those of Hindoostan are very

life.

perhaps, as

we can

music
soul,

is

also its habits

when

and

characteristic,

justly observed, owing to this

is

of melody and poetry,

that

and ceremonies, as

rites,

109

IN HINDOOSTAN.

it

happy union

judiciously adapted to each other,

ourselves to the extraordinary power

reconcile

have anciently possessed over the human

said to

not only in Hindoostan, but likewise over the occidental

nations,

and probably over the whole world.

The allowed

insignificancy of the female sex in

the idea of

a Hindoo, the contempt with which they are generally beheld,

have very considerable

on

effects

observation should likewise

as their music

Persians,

transient

the Arabians

and

generally understood and cultivat-

is

The Hindee Ghuzuls

ed in this country.

their poetry.

be made on

are in imitation and

on the model of the PersiaD.

In Arabic poetry the

woman who

man

is

invariably in love with the

the object beloved.

is

In Persia he

is

repre-

sented, contrary to the dictates of nature, as in love with his

own

This

sex.

is

evident in

all lyric

poems

of that country.

Their pieces abound with the praises of the youthful cupbearer,

the beauty of his green beard, and the comeliness of

In Hindoostan

his mien.

and the man

*

"We must

yields

here

after

make an

the

fair sex* are

much

courting.

the

first to

allowance for Indian prejudices, which always

assigns the active part of amorous intercourse to the female,

mistress seek the lover, not the lover his mistress."

Translation of

woo,

In compositions

Note

and make the

on verse

255,

Megha Duta.

I have endeavoured to assign a reason in the next paragraph after the

following,

being

which seems

made

for the

to

me

to obviate the necessity of

any allowance

passage on which Mr. Wilson has given this note, or of

calling it a prejudice.

The

original text of Calidas appears to

natural, consistently with the customs of his country.

me

quite

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN HINDOOSTAKT.

110

of this country, therefore, love

and

and

in short every demonstration

felt

first

in the

desire,

of the

hope and despair,

tender passion,

is

female bosom, and evinced by her pathetic

exclamations.

we should

If

ry of

trace the origin of this disparity in the poet-

these nations,

it will

wounded by Cupid's

darts,

lukewarm beauties of Cabool.

The

and are similar

to the

peculiar custom

of Persia

pieces

evidently the reason that their

is

abound with themes of the cast just

poor neglected

women

add the assistance of

in vain expose

their

noticed.

The

in

vain

charms

art to the comeliness of their persons

in vain has nature bestowed such charms,

in her gifts to beings

women

perhaps appear that the

in Arabia are less subject to be

whom

it

does not

and been so

much

lavish

Alas

benefit.

lovely creature, adorn not thy head with those precious gems,

nor thy person with rich brocades

jetty ringlets,

viving perfume, which thou

any influence on the

cares

his warmth

beauties in the

which,

if it

thy

for neither these nor

hanging gracefully down thy back, nor the re-

is

carriest

about thee, shall have

icy heart of the beloved object of thy

reserved for another, he fancys superior

yet unsprung beard

claim any

attention,

'

it

of his beloved Saqee,

is

purely that

it

ap-

proaches to and resembles thy softness.

In Hindoostan

men

can see no other motive but that the

being permitted, by law and the custom of the country,

a plurality of wives, the

women

Having from the

want of education no meaDs

tal

total

should grow fond by neglect.

of

men-

amusement, they consider the society of their husbands

as their supremest felicity

and as he has

of his time on every individual wife, it

sumed that no one

of

to

bestow a portion

may

be

fairly

them can be cloyed with him,

pre-

From

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS

this permission of

polygamy she

IN HINDOOSTAN.

is

Ill

the more solicitous to

engage and secure his affections by ardent demonstrations

of fondness.

precept of Hindoo law should likewise be

remembered, which prohibits the women to engage in the

bonds of
far this

Hymen more

than once during their

precept of flagrant injustice

is

lives.

relished

How

by the

females, I shall leave the fair sex to determine.

To comprehend the songs of this

we must not figure

their beauties,
in the state in

which

it

is

ourselves back to those

made by them

at

but must transport

present,

earlier

to those times,

country, and to relish

to ourselves Hindoostan

ages to which allusions are

when

these regions enjoyed

not the tranquillity at present subsisting in

its

parts,

but

when they were possessed by petty chieftains, arbitrary in

their respective dominions when no highroads existed, but
communication between one

village

and another was main-

tained by narrow footpaths, and rude mountains and junguls

formed the natural barrier of the

different

by almost impossible woods and wild beasts

tion by river was as impracticable as

when a journey even

to a

chiefs,

guarded

when

naviga-

travelling

by land

few leagues was rendered hazard-

ous by robbers and marauders,

who

infested the

despicable

roads of themselves formidable, and rendered more so by

frequent interruptions from rivulets and morrasses, and from

ravines aud nallas, which during the
their

rapidity

and

rains presented by

intricacies very powerful obstacles

when

topography was almost unknown, and the advice of a stranger adventitiously met was to be cautiously embraced, as
robbers lurked about the roads in various disguises to seize

on their prey by force or stratagem

when

to the time, in short,

parting even for a journey to an

adjoining village,

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN HINDOOSTAN.

112

was accompanied by mutual

and prayers

tears,

for

safe

return.

distant tour such as in these days is looked

indifference,

a year or two before undertaken

for

upon with

was formerly contemplated and consulted on

and when a man who

home

had accomplished

his purpose returned

encountering

the hardships incident to

all

recital of his adventures,

the

skill

in safety,
it,

after

the wonderful

with which he conducted

himself in the presence of princes, his valour and intrepidity

in times of danger, his cunning

and foresight in preventing

avoiding the toils of the evil-minded, and

or

all

these exag-

gerated by the vanity of the traveller, formed the theme of

admiration to the

It is observed

Life

village,

and the subject

of pride to hisv

soon likely to be forgot.

relatives, not

by the author

and Writings

of

of "

Homer," page

An

Inquiry into the

26, " that it

has not been

given by the gods to one and the same country to produce

rich crops and

warlike men, neither indeed does

it

seem to

be given to one and the same kingdom, to be thoroughly

civilized,

and

afford

proper subjects for poetry."

which renders Hindoostanee songs

unless

we transport

heroic ages.

manner

It is this

unpalatable,

ourselves back to their barbarous and

Their abhorrence of innovation induces them to

retain their ancient ways of thinking, or

their

and

flat

at

least

to imitate

of thinking in times of yore, notwithstanding

the changes introduced by time.

Indeed, from what has

been observed in this and the preceding paragraph, although

I heartily rejoice at the effects of the British government
in India, I should really be sorry that their poetry should be
tinctured with the rules and regulations in force at present,

and

their poetical

and

fictitious lovers

reach their homes in

the security which the government allows.

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN HINDOOSTAN.

Hindoo women are married

at so tender

113

an age, that

it ia

indeed very seldom that they feel any influence of love

some years

after marriage

very few pieces to be found wherein a maiden

mean an unmarried woman)

It is

till

there are therefore consequently

is

(by which I

concerned.

customary in Hindoostan for the parents and their

sons, with

daughters-in-law, and

their

live together,

maiden daughter, to

and in the event of the young men going

abroad in quest of employment, to leave their wives behind.

What

induced them to do this in former times was the

culties

and dangers attendant on the roads, which rendered

it

diffi-

impossible to perform a journey of any extent in company

with females, who would not only be

liable

to

the greatest

abuse even immediately in the neighbourhood, but also to

be torn from the arms of their husbands to grace the beds

who might chance

of any chieftain

to take a fancy to them,

or might be induced to do it through mere wantonness

and

caprice.

Let us figure to ourselves an amiable and fond

woman

in

the bloom of her age, wasting her years in sighs for her
absent and beloved husband, in

hopes of

life

let

whom

us behold her at public

are centered all her

festivals,

where themes

to which her heart is familiar are sung in the

most pathetic

language enforced by the charms of melody

let us accom-

pany her to the

riverside,

which she daily

visits to

procure

water for the use of the household, and where she witnesses
a thousand tender interviews let us turn our eyes to her
domestic scenes, we see her happier sisters-in-law adorning

and ornamenting themselves, and sporting in

natural

to

their age, and

appear cheerful.

all

the gaiety

she striving to stifle her grief, nnd

Perhaps she hears news of her husba" ''*

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN HINDOOSTAN.

114

intention shortly to return

she revives as the drooping

be in

If this

flower refreshed

by sudden and timely

the winter, she

laments his absence during the long cold

him

nights of that season, and calls

thought of home

Winter

earlier.

rain.

not having

cruel for

past, she trembles at the

him

idea of the scorching rays of the sun, which will assail

on

But when

his journey.

the rains set

in,

those months

which are the most delightful*

of all in Hindoostan to those

whose hearts are not

by separation, then

afflicted

she feels her existence insupportable.

that

it is

Cheering hope, which

beguiled her during the former seasons, no longer affords

balmy

aid,

and she despairs

of his

this

arrival

year.

its

Every

every flash of lightning sends forth a dart to her

cloud,

tender bosom, and every drop of rain adds fresh poignancy

the

to

wound

domestic

toils

If she endeavours

in her agonizing heart.

to

wean her thoughts

moment from

for a

by

her

absent lover, the Coel, and particularly the Pupeeha, reminds

her of him by her constant and reiterated interrogations of

Pee-cuhan
*

Pee-cuhan

"The commencement

ful in

of

the rainy season, being peculiarly delight-

Hindoostan, from the contrast

it

affords

to

the

sultry

weather

immediately preceding, and also rendering the roads pleasant and practicable,
is

usually selected for travelling.

Hence frequent

allusions occur in the

poets to the expected return of such persons as are at this time absent from
their family

and home." Note on

line

20

of the Translation of the

Megha

Duta, by H. H. Wilson, Esq.

" Sprang from such gathering shades to happier sight."

The meaning

of Calidas

ir^raH w^fcf
And a hundred
it is

no season

seems to be somewhat

different.

g%^ts<2R)sjig;ffriicr:

Hindoostanee songs will prove that aftor the rains arc set

for travelling.

n,

115

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN HINDOOSTAN.

These, however, are not the only birds which are addressed

by the females

of Hindoostan,

by the

title

of Byree or

the peacock,* the chatak, and several others are

add to their

affliction,

enemy

and remind them of their absent

Superstition lends her aid to

said to
lovers.

or comfort them, by attach-

afflict

ing importance to the throbbing of the eyes or pulsations of

the limbs.t

The husband remaining from home

gether,

his

wife,

several years to-

for

she had been married very young, when

if

she attains the years of maturity, begins to

of love,

and

readily finds

having perhaps

affections,!

In

things, the lover can seldom be admitted at

such a state

She sees herself therefore reduced

of

home on account
number

the house, and the

of the smallness of

the power

she fixes her

more knowledge of her

little

absent husband than from hearsay.

tives.

feel

whom

a youth on

of

rela-

to the necessity

of

* " Or can the peacock's animated hail,

The bird with

lucid eyes, to lure thee

"The wild peacock

doostan,

and

is

fail

V
many

exceedingly abundant in

is

especially found in

marshy places

parts

of Hin-

the habits of this

bird are in a great measure aquatic, and the setting in of the rains

the season in which they pair; the peacock

is

is

therefore always intro-

duced in the description of cloudy or rainy weather, together with the

cranes
t

and cliatakas." Cloud Messenger, pp.

" O'er her

left

" Palpitation

in the left limbs,

and a throbbing

here described as auspicious omens

the male, the right side

is

ideas of the Greeks, described

%

An

objection

when

in the left eye, are

occurring in the

by

Potter, q.

To such

is,

in

v." Ibid.

that they

are

generally

too licentious

Hin-

and

would recommend the perusal of the note by

Mr. Wilson on line 46S of his translation of the Megha Duta,

to quote.

females

the auspicious side, corresponding with the

very frequently started by Europeans against

doo poetry and songs

voluptuous.

29, 1, 148.

limbs Bhall glad pulsations play."

It is too long

116

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN HINDOOSTAN.

visiting*

him

at his, to effect which,

of circumspection

generally

more

and evasive

fond,

are

immoral

It is undeniable that

but such

such practices

the fact, and nature, unrestrained

is

by education, (and the women of Hindoostan are

ignorant of

all

sex being

a fertile source of dread from

affords

the influence of rivals.

requires a great deal

it

The female

art.

perfectly

knowledge, but the art of pleasing,) will posi-

tively have its headlong

consideration, the poor

course.

women

Taking

matters into

all

should be an

of this country

object of our compassion rather than of our contempt.

The

stimulus given to India by British example, and capital em-

ployed for the education of native females,

when

their worth

ters of India

shall

ness,
fair

will

come

and then, should this work chance to be

own good

smile at their

kindly on him

not amongst

be duly appreciated by the daugh-

perused by them, they will sigh at the

tors,

is

The time

the least of her beneficial operations.

fortune,

who has endeavoured

and bring them nearer on a

level

follies

of their ances-

and perhaps think

to palliate their weak-

with the more blessed

sex of other regions.

The tenor
ally, is

of Hindoostanee

love-ditties, therefore, gener-

one or more of the following themes

1.

Beseeching the lover to be propitious.

absence of the object beloved.

2.

Lamentations

3.

Imprecating of

4.

Complaints of inability to meet the lover from the

for the
rivals.

* "

The pearls that bursting zones have taught to-roam,

Speak of fond maids, and wanderer* from home."

" T

have already mentioned that the Hindoos always send the lady to seek

her lover, and they usually add a very reasonable degree of ardour and
impatience."

Note on line 466, Wilson's Megha Duta.

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS

watchfulness of the mother and sisters-in-law,

ing of little*

bells

117

IN HINDOOSTAN.

anil

the tinkl

worn as ornaments round the waist and

ancles, called payel, bichhooa, &c.

Fretting,

5.

mother and

and making use of invectives against the

being obstacles in the way of

as

sisters-in-law,

her love.

Exclamation to female friends termed Sukhees, and

6.

supplicating their assistance

Sukhees reminding

7.

and

their friends

appointment

of the

made, and exhorting them to persevere in their love.

* "

"A

My fair awakens from her tinkling

girdle of small bells

The use

's

(^T*5^'t*l nl )

also silver circles at the ancles

wearer moves."

zone."

and

wrists,

a favourite Hindoo ornament

which emit a ringing noise

Wilson's Megha Dutta, pp.

of this ornament was probably first imposed

to check clandestino visits, should

as the

85, 1, 514.

by

jealous husbands

the wives be so inclined; the sound

emitted by them rendering them more liable to detection

until

women

using them being regarded more chaste, others were obliged to comply with
the fashion to avoid aspersion of character.

vour to

means

barrier.

fetter their wives,

neglecting

and secure

their

moral

Thus did the Hindoos endea-

their affections

instruction,

by such inadequate

which

is

the only safe

BBIEF ACCOUNT
THE MOST CELEBRATED MUSICIANS OP HINDOOSTAN.

"
*'

Invention

advantages
Appollo,

The

A happy genius is the gift of

is

common

is raised

nature." Drydm.

a kind of muse, which, being

to her sisters,

higher than the rest."

invention of

all arta

and

possessed" of the other

and being warmed by the

fire

of

Ibid,

sciences, as I

mentioned in

the early part of this treatise, has always been attributed by

heathen nations to beings of superior order,

orgin, to demi-gods.

of

celestial

These, however, were undoubtedly not

the inventors of those arts and sciences which are attributed

to them,

but merely the compilers and collectors of the

fruits of the industry and invention of ingenious

preceded them
in his
ing,

he

for centuries

own person

the aggregate

of course possessed a

men, who

but as the compiler centered

sum

of knowledge then exist-

greater fund than any other

individual of that particular profession which he chose to

investigate,

and was of course, from bis aggregate knowledge

of What others possessed only in parts,

comparisons of the several

details,

enabled to

and form

rules

make

for

the

119

MUSICIANS OF HINDOOSTAN.
whole, consistent, precisely defined, and universal.
likewise be

It

should

remembered that

By improving what was done

Invention .labours

less,

These compilers of

before,

but judgment more.

sciences,

Roscommon.

they were powerful and

if

wise priuces, persons reputed for religious sanctity, austerity

of manners, of extraordinary benevolence, virtue, wisdom, or
genius, could not but be looked upon,
polytheistical a

nation

by

so superstitious

as the Hindoos,

as

and

an emanation

Uvutar ; and their excessive

from the Supreme Being; an

fondness for fable and mythology would soon prompt them

to adopt allegories, for

which the genius of

this people

seems

to have been nothing inferior to that of the Egyptians.

The Hindoos, although an

idolatrous, were

never

so luxu-

rious and vicious a nation as their conquerors, the Maho-

medans

most

of the vices existing in this country having

been introduced after the conquest.

The songs

of the abori-

gines of Hindoostan will bear comparison with those of any

other country for purity and chasteness of diction, and elevation and tenderness of sentiment.

By a

rule of the

or unbelievers,

them

to

Mahomedan
which

Hulal, or lawful, without marriage

debauchery reached their acme.

am

two

latter

Cafirs

and since the acqui-

manner

The

vice

of excesses

and

of drunkenness

class.

The opium, Bhung, and Dhatoora,

of which were chiefly used by the Hindoos,)

are rather stupefying

no

all

persuaded, unknown, at least of the stimulating

and inflammatory
(the

of

the Hindoos belong, are to

sition of the country to the latter, all

was, I

womeu

law, the

class

and sedative than

irritative.

There

term, I believe, in Sungscrit, or tongues derived from"

for a slave or eunuch.

The

is
it,

fear of the loss of caste, in the

MUSICIANS OF HINDOOSTAN.

120

waut

of

sound

and refined morality, acted as a very

religion

wholesome check against promiscuous and unguarded indulgence of passion, except amongst the very lowest classes of

and outcastes.

sociely

A great many of

the songs of this country abound with

the praises of drunkenness.

Hindoo

origin, for the

These are certainly not of

Hindoos never drank wine or

and although the Mahomedan

religion

wine, the very touch of which

is

spirits

prohibits the use of

reckoned polluting, very

few of their monarchs and nobles have refrained from indulging themselves freely with this beverage.

dium

it

was, and

now

drank by such as make use of

is,

They never

to excess.

dilute their liquor with water,

in times of their prosperity,

pure and strong that

roast

They know no me-

it

it

was contrived

could not be drank

meat was a constant companion

be made so

to
;

in which case,

strengthening and nutritive by the addition of

of flesh of quadrupeds and birds into the

distillation.

The

liquor is used even

wealthy Mahomedans, and

The conquest

of

is

called

which

to liquor, in

they dipped the bits of roast, as we do in sauce.

made

still

It
all

was

sorts

previous to

now by

Ma ool

it

and

the

more

luhum.

Hindoostan by the Mahomedan princes

forms a most important epoch in the history of

From this time we may date the

purely Hindoo, for the

its

music.

decline of all arts and sciences

Mahomedans were no

great patrons

to learning, and the more bigotted of them were not only

great iconoclasts,

country.

The

but discouragers of the learning of the

progress

arrested, its decline

of

was speedy

the
;

theory

of

music

once

although the practice, which

contributed to the entertainment of the princes and nobles,

continued until the time of

Mohummud

Shah, after whose

121

MUSICIANS OP HINDOOSTAN.

history is pregnant with facts replete with dismal

reign

But the

scenes.

of

practice

so fleeting

and perishable a

science as that of a succession of sounds, without a

ledge of the theory to keep

it

or

it alive,

any mode

know-

to record

on paper, dies with the professor.

Amongst the most

ancient musicians of this country,

and masters of the

are reckoned inventors, compilers,

we

who

science,

most prominent to be Sumeshwur, Bhurut, Hu-

find the

nooman, the goddesses Parvutee, Suruswutee, and Doorga,

Vayoo, Shesh, Narud (the Mooni or devotee), Coolnath, Ou-

shyup (another Mooni), Haha, Hoohoo, Ravun, Disha, and

Urjoon.

The

first

three and Coolnath have left treatises.

The most renowned

Nayuks have been Gopal, a

of the

who

native of the Dukhun,

flourished during the reign of

Sooltan Ula ood deen, and his contemporary Umeer Khosrow*

of Dehli, Sooltan

Hoosyn Shurque

of Jbunpoor,

Rajah Man,

Qilladar of Gualiar, founder of the Dhoorpud, Byjoo, Bhoon-

noo, Pandvee, Buksoo, and Lohung.

at the time of Bajah

Man

The four following

Gualiar,

of

Jurjoo,

lived

Bhugwan,

Dhondhee, and Daloo.

The Gundharbs and Gooncars, that

singers,

* It is related that

that

is,

such as were eminent

but were not acquainted with the theory of music, are

species

when Gopal

of composition

visifed the court of Delhi,

called

Geet,

the

he sung

beauty of which

style,

enunciated by the powerful and harmonious' voice of so able a performer,

could not meet with competition.

Khosrow
sician

to remain hid

unknown

to him.

At

this the

monarch caused Umeer

under his throne, whence he could hear the mu-

The

latter

endeavoured to remember the

and on a subsequent day, sung Qoul and Turuna in imitation of

surprised Gopal,

honor.

and fraudulently deprived him of portion

it,

style,

which

of his

due

122

MUSICIANS OF HINDOOSTAN.

very numerous

and the following are

the honor of performing ia the

Molmmmud

Ucbur, King of Delhi.

with Rajah Ram, and was sent

request of the king
poor,

Tansen was
court

to

Soojan Khan, Soorgyan

Chand Khan and Sooruj Khan

Khan, the son

his

of

chiefly those

who had

presence of Julul ood deen

Khan

(brothers),

Tansen Muclun Eay

originally

at the

special

of Futeh-

Tanturung

Baba Ramdas, and

son Soordas, a blind moral poet and musician, the foun-

der of the Vishnoopud,

who sung

As the wakeful bird

Sings darkling, and in shadiest covert hid,

Tunes her nocturnal note,

Baj Bahadoor, Chundoo, Daood, Is-haq,

Bechoo,

Husun Khan, Soorut

Sen,

Shekh Khizur, Shekh

and his

brother Lala

Debee, Neelam Prucash and Meerza Aquil, and the Veen

players Feeroz

Khan and Noubat Khan.

In more modern times, Sudarung and Udharung, Noor

Khan, Lad Khan and Pyar Khan, Janee and Gholam Rusool,
Shucker and Mukhun, Teetoo and Meethoo,

Mohummud Khan

and Chhujjoo Khan, and Shoree, the founder of the Tuppa,

stand in high repute
sexes are even

and several practical musicians of both

now

to be

met

with, who, although ignorant

of the theory of music, may, for extent, sweetness, pliability,

and perfect command of the

minstrels of Europe.

amongst others

whom

superior vocal powers

Khan, Veen

voice, rival

some

Mohummud Khan
;

of the first-rate

and Serho Baee,

have heard, are living examples of

and Khoosh-hal Khan and Oomrao

players, of instrumental

execution.

formers on other instruments are more numerous.

Good

per-

ON THE MUSICAL MODES OF THE HINDOOS.

BY

SIR

WILLIAM JONES.

ON

THE MUSICAL MODES

OF

THE HINDOOS

Written in 1784, and since much enlarged.

By the President.

Music

belongs,

as

an

interesting

part

of

by mathematical deductions from

explains the causes and properties of

constant phenomena,

number

sound, limits the

to

science,

natural philosophy, which,

of mixed, or

harmonic, sounds

which perpetually recurs, and

fixes the

to a

certain

ratio,

which they bear to each other or to one leading term

but,

series,

considered

as

'

an

art,

combines the sounds, which

it

philosophy distinguishes, in such a manner as to gratify

our ears,

our

or effect

imaginations

objects, to captivate the fancy, while

speaking, as

it

were, the

raise correspondent

hearer
fine

art,

allied

ferior in its
it is

by uniting both

pleases the sense

and

and

motions in the mind of the

becomes what we

call

very nearly to verse, painting, and rhetoric

but subordinate in

Thus

ideas

or,

language of beautiful nature, to

then, and then only,

it

it

its

functions to pathetic poetry,

and

in-

power to genuine eloquence.

the province of the philosopher to discover the

true direction and divergence

of

sound propagated by the

successive compressions and expansions of

ing body advances and recedes

to

air,

as

the vibrat-

show why sounds them-

;;

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

126

may

selves

excite a tremulous

motion

in

particular

bodies,

as in the known, experiment of instruments tuned in unison,

to demonstrate

when

it

and retarded

celerated

in agitated

them

by which

the law,

the particles of air

all

undulates with great quickness, are

with

air

to

of

that

compute the

to

continually ac-

compare the number of pulses

the

velocities

vibrations which cause

and

those

intervals of

atmospheres of different density and

pulses in

elasticity

to account, as well as he can, for the affections,

which music

produces

causes of the

and,

generally,

to investigate the

many

wonderful

artist,

without considering, and even with out knowing, any

appearances, which

of the sublime theorems in the

by a happy

attain his end

it

exhibits

but the

philosophy of sound,

sele ction of melodies

may

and accents

adapted to passionate verse, and of times conformable to

regular metre

and, above

all,

by modulation, or the

and variation of those modes, as they are

as they are

my

design,

notion with

contrived and arranged by the Hindoos,

and
all

shall be

my

it

is

endeavour, to give you a general

the perspicuity that the subject will admit.

Although we must assign the

and beyond

choice

called, of which,

all

first

rank, transcendently

comparison to that powerful music which

may be denominated

the sister of poetry and eloquence, yet

the lower art of pleasing the sense by a succession of agreeable sounds not only has merit
I persuade myself, be applied

and even charms, but may,

on a variety of occasions to

salutary purposes.

Whether, indeed, the sensation of hear-

ing be caused, as

many

suspect,

by the vibrations

elastic ether flowing over the auditory nerves

of

an

and propelled

along their solid capillaments, or whether the fibres of our

nerves which seem indefinitely divisible, have, like the strings

OF THE HINDOOS.

127

of a lute, peculiar vibrations proportioned

and degree of
decide
is

tension,

we have not

to their length

evidence to

sufficient

but we are very sure, that the whole nervous system

affected in a singular

and that melody alone

manner by combinations
will often relieve the

oppressed by intense application to

who

old musician,

rather figuratively,

but

harmony, provoked the

we may suppose, than

itself to

be

sprightly remai'k

of

Cicero, that he drew his philosophy from the

professed ; but

art,

which he

without departing from his own

if,

it is

The

business or study.

with philosophical seriousness, declared the soul

nothing

of sound,

mind, when

art,

he

had merely described the human frame as the noblest and

sweetest of musical instruments, endued with a natural dis-

and

position to resonance and sympathy, alternately affecting

affected

by the

soul,

which pervades

it,

his description might,

perhaps, have been physically just; and certainly ought not

to have been hastily ridiculed.

That any medical purpose

may be fully answered by music, I dare not assert but after

food, when the operations of digestion and absorption give so
much employment to the vessels, that a temporary state of
;

mental repose must be found, especially in hot climates,

essential to health,

it

seems reasonable

to believe, that a

agreeable airs, either heard or played without effort,

have
tages

all
;

the good effects of sleep and none of

putting the soul in tune, as

quent exertion
cessfully

may

made by

its

disadvan-

says, for

any subse-

an experiment which has often been suc-

myself,

easily repeat.

equal evidence

Milton

few

must

and which any one who pleases

Of what

am

going to add, I cannot give

but hardly know how to disbelieve the

timony of men, who had no system

and eould have no

of their

own

interest in deceiving me.

tes-

to support,

First, I

have

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

128

been assured by a credible eye-witness, that two wild antelopes used often to

come from

their

woods to the place where

a more savage beast, Siea Juddatjlah, entertained himself

with concerts, and that they listened to the strains with an

appearance of pleasure,

till

the monster, in whose soul there

was no music, shot one of them

to display his archery

secondly,

a learned native of this country told me, that he had frequently

seen the most venomous and malignant snakes leave their holes,

upon hearing tunes on a

them

peculiar delight

who repeated

flute,

which, as he supposed, gave

and, thirdly, an intelligent Persian,

his story again

and

and permitted

again,

me

to

declared, he

had more than

once been present, when a celebrated lutauist,

Mjrza Moham-

write

it

down from

his lips,

med, surnamed Bulbdl, was playing to a large company

in

a grove near Shiraz, where he distinctly saw the nightingales

trying to vie with the musician, sometimes
trees,

sometimes

wished

fluttering

if

they

whence the melody

approach the instrument,

to

warbling on the

from branch to branch, as

proceeded, and at length dropping on the ground in a kind of

ecstasy,

from which they were soon

by a change

of the

The astonishing

raised,

he assured me,

mode.
effects ascribed to

music by the old Greeks,

and in our days, by the Chinese, Persians, and Indians, have

probably been exaggerated and
effects

had been

think, to the

modified:

it

may,

therefore,

accounts are wholly

by the Hindoos, that

;

nor,

if

such

could they be imputed, I

mere influence of sounds, however combined

fictitious,

performed by music in

and action

embellished

really produced,

is,

but) that such wonders were

its largest sense,

by the union

for such is the

or

be suspected (not that the

as

it is

now

of voices,

described

instruments,

complex idea conveyed by the word

OP THE HINDOOS.
Sangita, the simple meaning of which

is

129
no more than Sym-

phony ; but most of the Indian books on

this art consist

accordingly of three parts, g&na, v&dya, nrtiya, or song,

and demising

permission,

the

measures of poetry, the

music of

all sorts,

of which comprises the

first

second extends to instrumental

and the third includes the whole compass

Now

of theatrical representation.

it

may

easily be conceived

that such an alliance, with the pdteht Auxiliaries of distinct

and well adapted scenery, must

articulation, graceful gesture,

have a strong general

excite .copious

or

and may, from particular

chill

change the colour and countenance,

tears,

the blood,

make the

even compel the hearer

heart palpitate with violence,

to start from his seat with

the look, speech, and actions of a

effect

must be yet

stronger, if

man

in

a phrehsy

the subject

mean both

plays

regular

in

many

acts

the

be religious,

as that of the old Indian dramas, both great

(I

asso-

operate so forcibly on very sensible minds, as to

ciations,

heat or

effect,

and small

and shorter

dramatic pieces on divine love) seems in general to have

been.

In this way only can we attempt to account for the indubitable

effects

in the

modern

of the great airs and impassioned recitative

Italian dfaiflas, where three beautiful arts,

like the Graces' united in

a state of excellence,

a dance, are together exhibited in

which the ancient world could not have

surpassed, and probably could not have etjiiafied

opera of Metastasio,

set

his incomparable school,

through

ah heroic
artist of

and represented at Naples, displays

at once the perfection of

affections,

by Per&olesi, or by some

human

genius,

awakens

all

the

and captivates the imagination at the same instant

all

the senses.

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

130

When

such aids as a perfect theatre would afford are not

accessible,

the power of music must in proportion be less

but

ever be very considerable,

it

will

song be

fine in themselves,

and

the words of the

if

not- only well translated into

the language of melody, with a complete union of musical

and

rhetorical accents, but clearly pronounced

who

plished singer,

by a

who has

hearer,

feels

what he

sings,

passions to be

and

moved

by an accom-

fully understood

especially if the

composer has availed himself in his translation

his composition very justly be called) of

(for

such

may

those advantages

all

with which nature, ever sedulous to promote our innocent

abundantly supplies

gratifications,

natural advantages

is

him.

The

first of

those

modes, or manners, in

the variety of

which the seven harmonic sounds are perceived to move in

them takes the

succession, as each' of

new

bears a

menon
cal

relation

lead,

to the six others.

and consequently
Next to the pheno-

of seven sounds perpetually circulating in a geometri-

progression, according to the length of the strings or the

number

of their vibrations, every ear

must be

two of the seven intervals in the complete

whether we consider
right

with the

line

than the

five

it

sensible, that

series,

or octave,

as placed in a circular form, or in a

first

sound repeated, are much shorter

other intervals

and on these two phenomena

the modes of the Hindoos (who seem ignorant of our complicated harmony) are principally constructed.
tervals

we

shall call

with custom
ratios

and

tones,

semitones,

it is

and the shorter

without

The longer
(in

mentioning

in-

compliance
their exact

evident that, as the places of the semitones

admit seven variations relative to one fundamental. sound,

many modes, which may be called primary ; but

we must not confound them with our modern modes, which
there are as

OF THE HINDOOS.

131

from the system of accords now established in Europe

result

may

they

rather be compared

with those of the

Roman

Church, where some valuable remnants of old Grecian music

are preserved in the sweet, majestic,
strains

may

of the

be divided,

Now,

Plain Song.

we

simple, and affecting

since each of the tones

whole

find twelve semitones in the

series

and, since each semitone may, in its turn, become the leader
of a series formed after the model of every primary mode,

we have
which

seven times twelve, or eighty-four

seventy-seven,

may be named
system

in

have

all,

and we

and the Hindoos

see accordingly that the Persian

in their most popular

modes

secondary

exactly

of

shall

(at

least

eight-four

modes, though distinguished by different appellations, and

arranged in different classes

but, since

many

of

them are

unpleasing to the ear, others difficult in execution, and few

sufficiently

sion,

marked by a character

and expres-

of sentiment

which the higher music always requires, the genius of

the Indians has enabled them to retain the number of modes

which nature seems

them a

to

character of its

trivance.

have indicated, and to give each of

own by

a happy and beautiful con-

Why any one series of

sounds, the ratios of which

are ascertained by observation and expressible by figures,

should have a peculiar

effect

on the organ of hearing and

by the auditory nerves, on the mind,

by mortals, when they
colours in the rainbow,

shall

will

then only be known

know why each

of the seven

where a proportion, analogous to

that of musical sounds, most wonderfully prevails, has

certain specific effect on our eyes

and

blue, for instance, are soft

why

and soothing, while those

red and yellow distress and dazzle the sight

striving to account for the

&

the shades of green

phenomena,

let

but,

of

without

us be satisfied
Q

ON THE MUSICAL MQDES

132

with knowing, that some of the modes have distinct percep-

and may be applied to the expression of

tible properties,

various mental emotions

a fact which ought well to be

considered by those performers,

and

to a dull uniformity,
art to an injudicious

The

who would reduce them

temperament.

among whom

ancient Greeks,

this delightful art

long in the hands of poets, and of mathematicians

much

less to

do with

all

sacrifice the true beauties of their

it,

ascribe almost

diversity of their Modes,

but have

all

left

its

us

was

who had

magic to the

more than

little

the names of them, without such discriminations as might

have enabled us to compare them

them

to

Greeks,

practice

who

their

with,

our own, an,d apply

writers addressed themselves to

could not but

know

their Rational music

most of those writers were professed men

oi;

and

science,

who

thought more of calculating ratios than of inventing melody

so,

that,

whenever we speak of the

soft Eolian,

mode, of the

tender Lydian, the voluptuous Ionic, the manly Dorian, or

;

the animating Phrygian, we

For

without clear ideas.

music of Greece, let

to read the dry

mere phrases, I

refer those

believe,

known concerning the

that is

who have no

inclination

works of the Greeks themselves, to a

tract of the learned

dix to

me

all

use,

the Harmonics of

Ptolemy

to the

Dictionary of

Music by Rousseau, whose pen, formed to elucidate

arts,

had the property of spreading

darkest subjects,

as

if

the sides of a cavern

it

all

the

on the

and, lastly, to the dissertation of

slightly over all that is obscure,

explains with perspicuity whatever

it

light before

he had written with phosphorus on

Dr. Buenet, who, passing

dignity to the

little

Wallis, which he printed as an Appen-

character of a

is

explicable,

and gives

modern musician by uniting

with that of a scholar and philosopher.

133

OF THE HINDOOS.

The unexampled
of a mild

blessings

felicity

our nation, who diffuse the

of

government over the

finest part of India,

would enable us to attain a perfect knowledge of the Oriental

music, which is known and praotised in these British domi-

by mercenary performers

nions, not

mans and Hindoos

but even by Mussal-

only,

A native

of eminent rank and learning.

acquaintance with the Persian theory and practice

We

concerts.
treatises

Siridoost&n would

in

best artists

may

be,

pare,

a.

approved

Asiatic

examine the best instruments of Asia,

masters of them,

them with ours

if

we

may com-

please, or at least

the concurrent, labours, or

amusements, of several in our own body, may

rather

facilitate the,

attainment of correct idea^ on a subject so delightfully

esting
th,eir

and

and a

free

respective discoveries would conduct

more agreeably, to

them more surely

their desired end.

Such would be the advantages of union,

term from the

On
it

art before

and above

Persian.

all

us,,

or,

to borrow a

of harmonious accord,, in

all

our

in that of knowledge.

Music, which

would he improper

inter-*

communication from time to time of

speedily, as well as

pursuits,

with.

to procure at Isfahwn the explan-

small tract on that subject, which he carried to

We may here

Europe.

and the

on musical composition, and need not lament

Chabdin, that he neglected

ation of

attend our

cheerfully

have an easy access to

of

had a complete

CasAan, lately resident at Murshed&had,

not the subject; of this paper,

is

to enlarge

the whole system of

it

is

explained in a celebrated collection of tracts on pure and

mixed mathematics, entitled Dur,ratu'ltaj, and composed by a

:

very learned man, so generally called All&mi Shimzi, or the

great philosopher of Shiraz, that his proper

name

modern Persians had

access,

forgotten

but, as the

is

almost

I believe,

134

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

to Ptolemy's harmonics, their mathematical writers on music

treat it rather as a science

Greeks, to be

than as an

more intent on

art,

and seem,

splitting tones into

the

like

quarters and

eighth parts, of which they compute the ratios to show their

arithmetic, than on displaying the principles of modulation,
as

it

may

the passions.

affect

to a short,

apply the same observation

masterly tract of the

suspect that

it

famed

Abusina,

and

applicable to an elegant essay in Persian,

is

called Shamsu'ldswdt, of

which I have not had courage to

read more than the preface.

It will be sufficient to subjoin

on this head that the Persians distribute their eighty-four

,

modes, according to an idea of

twenty-four

recesses,

the beautiful

tale,

as

twelve rooms,

and fburty-eight angles or corners

known by the

title

of

the

Four

in Persia with great purity

originally written

we

locality, into

in

Dervises,

and elegance,

find the description of a concert, where four singers, with

many

instruments, are presented " modulating

different

" in twelve

maiams

or perdahs, twenty-four shdbahs,

and

" forty-eight gushas, and beginning a mirthful song of Hqfiz,

" vernal delight in

the

named

perdah

All the twelve perdahs, with their

who mentions an opinion

seven primary

direct."

by Amin, a writer and musician of Hindoos-

are enumerated
tan,

or

r&st

appropriated shSbahs,

modes were

of

the learned, that

only

in use before the reign of PARvfz,

whose musical entertainments are magnificently described

by the incomparable Nizami

the modes are chiefly deno-

minated, like those of the Greeks and Hindoos, from different

regions or towns
Irak,

Isfahan

as

and,

among the perdahs, we

among

modes, Zabul, Nishapur, and the

which

shall soon

be

the

shdbahs,

like.

particularly

see

Hijdz,

secondary

or

In a Sanscrit book,

mentioned,

find the

OF THE HINDOOS.

mode, named Hijeja, specified in the following

scale of a

verse

135

Mans agraha
1

The name

of this

in believing

sa nydsb' c'hild hijejastu sayahni.

mode

is

not Indian

a corruption of Hijaz,

it

written otherwise in the N&gari letters,

that

it

am

and, if I

right

which could hardly be

we must

conclude'

was imported from Persia ; we have discovered then

a Persian or Arabian

mode with

this diaposon

D,E,FftGftA,B,C&D;
where the

and the second between the seventh and

notes,
in the

and

first

semitone appears between the fourth and fifth

natural scale Fa, sol, la, si, ut, re, mi, fa

GJC, or

may

be formed in a manner

not very different (though certainly there

from our major mode of D.

end with the

tonic itself

it

is

diversity)

This melody must necessarily

from the

fifth note

and

tonic,

and begin with the

would be a gross violation of musical

decorum in India, to sing

;

ga and ni of the Indian author, are variously

changed, and probably the series

day

eighth ; as

but the C#,

it

at

any time except at the

close of

these rules are comprised in the verse above cited

the species of octave

is

but

arranged according to Me. Fowkk's

remarks on the Vina, compared with the fixed Swaragr&ma,

or gamut, of

all

the Hindoo musicians.

Let us proceed to the Indian system, which

explained in a great

who

number

is

of Sanscrit books

leave arithmetic and geometry

to

minutely

by authors,

their astronomers,

and properly discourse on music as an art confined to the

pleasures

of imagination.

The Pandits

of this province

unanimously prefer the Ddm6dara to any of the popular

Sangitas ; but I have not been able to procure a good copy

136
of

it,

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

am

and

perfectly satisfied with the

Narayan, which I

received from Benares, and in which the

quently quoted.

The Persian book,

Damodar

India, was composed, under the patronage of

by the very

diligent

a minute account of

branches

fre-

Aazem Shaw,

and ingenious Mikza Khan, and contains

Hindoo

literature in

he possesses to

is

A present from

entitled

have

most of

or

all

extracted

its

elaborate

his

chapter on music with the assistance of Pandits from the

Ragdrnava, or Sea of Passions, the Ragadarpana, or Mirror

of

Modes, the SdbhavMda, or Delight Of Assemblies, and

some other approved

pana, which he

also

treatises in

translated into Persian

my

but

pronouncing that the Moghols

translation,

Sanscrit.

names among

The Sangitadar-

his authorities, has been

and give that name to a mixture of

text with a flimsy

me

experience justifies

in

have no idea of accurate

paraphrase

them

of

both

gloss

and

they are

wholly unable, yet always pretend, to write Sanscrit words in

Arabic letters

that a man,

who knows the Hindoos

from Persian books, does not know the Hindoos

only

and that

an European, who follows the muddy rivulets of Mussulman,

writers on India, instead of drinking from the pure fountain
of

Hindoo

learning, will be in perpetual danger of misleading

himself and others.

I

From

the just severity of this censure

except neither Abblfazl,

nor his brother Faiz v i, nor

Mohsani FiNf, nor Mikza Khan

himself

and

all four after an attentive perusal of their works.'

speak of
tract

on

music in the idiom of Meathwra, with several essays in pufe

Hindoostanee, lately passed through
a

dissertation

my

on the same art in the

hands

and I possess

soft dialect of

or Panchanada, where the national melody has,

a peculiar and striking

character

but I

am

Panjab,

am

told,

very

little

;:

137

OF THE HINDOOS.
acquainted with those

and persuade myself that

dialects,

nothing has been written in them, which

more copiously and

may

not be found

beautifully expressed in the language,

as the Hindoos perpetually call

it,

of the gods, that

is,

of their

ancient bards, philosophers and legislators.

The most valuable work that

have seen, and perhaps

the most valuable that exists, on the subject of Indian Music,

is

named Bag&vib6dha,

and

or the Doctrine of Musical

Modes

ought here to be mentioned very particularly, because

it

none of the pandits, in our provinces, nor any of those from

Casi or Cashmir, to

known

that

whom

was extant

it

have shown

and

it

may

appear to have

it,

be considered as a

treasure in the history of the art, which the zeal of Colonel

Poliee has brought into

from

destruction.

ities,

music

light,

and perhaps has preserved

He had purchased, among other

curios-

a volume containing a number of separate essays on

in prose

and

and In a great variety

verse,

besides tracts in Arabic,

Hindi and Persian,

of idioms

it

included a

short essay in Latin by Alstedius, with an interlineary

translation,

Persian

which the passages quoted from

in

Looeetius and Virgil made a singular appearance

brightest

gem

in the string

Colonel permitted
transcript

was

my Nagri

is less

It

is

by

my

seems a very ancient composition,

old unquestionably than the

Deva, which

but the

writer to transcribe, and the

diligently collated with the original

pandit and myself.

but

was the Ragavibodha, whioh the

Eatnacara by Sarnga

more than once mentioned

in

it,

and a copy

Mb, Burrow procured in his journey to Heridwar

the name pf the author was Soma, and he appears to have
of which

been a practical musician as well as a great scholar and an

elegant poet

for

the whole book, without

excepting the

138

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

'strains noted in

of

which

letters,

fill

the

fifth

and

called

Arya; the

chapter

the variations of scales

totally different

presently be mentioned

minute description of

tains a

playing on them.
I master of

my

and succession,

by temperament, and the enumera-

modes on a system

tion of

metre

and fourth chapters explain the

first, third,

doctrine of musical sounds, their division

will

last

consists of masterly couplets in the melodious

it,

from those which

and the second chapter con-

Vinas with rules for

different

This book alone would enable me, were

time, to compose a treatise on the music of

India, with assistance in the practical part from an European

leisure only to present

am

Vind;

and a native player on the

professor

conscious,

out, I trust,

you with an

must be very

superficial

not often, erroneous

it

and

may
I

but I have

and even

essay,

that, I

be sometimes,

have spared no

pains to secure myself from error.

In the literature of the Sindoos

and personified

every fine art

revealed from heaven

is

and

all

is

nature

all

declared

to

is

animated

have been

knowledge, divine and human,

VSdas ;

traced to its source in the

among which the

Samave'da was intended to be sung, whence the reader, or

singer of

copy of

it,

it,

is called

Udg&tri or

Sdmaga

in Colonel Polibr's

the strains are noted in figures, which

be impossible to decipher.

On

it

may

not

account of this distinction,

say the Brahmens, the Supreme preserving power, in the form

of Crishna,
beings,

having enumerated in the Qita various orders of

to the

chief of

nounces, that "

among

which he compares himself,

the

V6das he was

the

Saman."

pro-

From

VHa, was accordingly derived the Upavida of the

Oandharbas, or musicians in Indra's heaven so that the

that

divine art

was communicated to our species by Brahma

OF THE HINDOOS.
himself

by

or

of Speech,

and

his

active

139
goddess

power Sebaswati, the

son Ndred, who was in

their mythological

truth an ancient lawgiver and astronomer, invented the Vina,

Tesiudo ; a very remarkable

or

called also Cach'hapi,

which may be added

to

fact,

the other proofs of a resemblance

between that Indian god, and the Mercury of the Latians.

Among

inspired mortals, the first musician is believed to

have been the sage Bherat, who was the inventor, they
of Natacs or dramas

say,

represented with songs and dances,

and author of a musical system, which bears his name.

we can

rely on

or systems

Osiris

Mibzakhan, there

the

of

first

the second to

which

Bherat

If

are four principal Matas,

ascribed to Iswara, or

is
;

the third to

Hanumat,

or

Pa van, the Pan of India, supposed to be the son of Pavana,

the regent of air

and the fourth to Calli Nath, a Rishi, or

Indian philosopher, eminently

and

practical

all

skilled in

four are mentioned by

music, theoretical

Soma

and

it is

the

third of them, which must be very ancient, and seems to have

been extremely popular, that

introductory remarks

who
the

I propose to explain after a

but I

may

exhibits a system of his own,

Narayan,

who mentions

few

here observe with Soma,

and with the author of

a great

many

others, that

almost every kingdom and province had a peculiar style of

melody, and very different names for the modes, as well as

a different arrangement and enumeration of them.

The two phenomena, which have

the foundation of

musical modes,

already been stated as

could

not

long

have

escaped the attention of the Hindoos, and their flexible language readily supplied them with names for the seven Swaras
or sounds, which they dispose in the following order,

sh&dja,

pronounced sharja, rishabha, gandhdra, madhyama, panchama,

140

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

dhaivata,

nishdda

named swara,
it

but the

first

them

of

emphatically

is

or the sound, from the important office which

bears in the scale

and hence, by taking the seven

initial

or syllables of those words, they contrived a notation

letters

for their

airs,

and

the same time exhibited a gamut, at

at

least as convenient as that

grama

or septaca,

8a,
three of which

ri,

Guido

of

and express

it

they

in this form

call

Swara-

it

ga, ma, pa, dha, ni,

syllables

are,

by a singular

exactly the same, though not all in the

same

concurrence,

places, with three

by David Mostake, as a substitute

of those invented

the troublesome gamut used in his time, and which

arranges thus

to

he

Bo,

As

for

ce, di, get,, lo,

ma,

ni.

the notation of melody, since every Indian conso-

nant include by

its

nature the short vowel a,

five

of the

sounds are denoted by single consonants, and the two others

have different short vowels taken from their

substituting long vowels,

and other marks are used

the

for a

is

doubled,

farther elongation of

octaves above and below the

and acceleration of notes

names ; by

full

the time of each note

mean

scale,

them

the connection

the graces of execution or man-

ners of fingering the instrument, are expressed very clearly

by small

circles

and

ellipses,

straight lines horizontal

all in

by a

various positions
lotus-flower

by the prosody

chains,

by curves, by

is

by

crescents,

distinguished

but the time and measure are determined

and by the comparative length

with which every note or assemblage of

notes respectively corresponds.

musicians, they

little

the close of a strain

of the verse,

of each syllable,

by

or perpendicular, and

If I understand

the native

have not only the chromatic, but even the

OF THE HINDOOS.
second or new, enharmonic, genus
reckon twenty-two
in their octave
tervals

and

ing order

to

and

they do not pretend that those minute in-

ni,

Sa,

them

allot

two

between the

4s'

fifth

to coincide

and

fifth,

s'ruti

to the class of Santa

little

scale,

made

to

dha,

by raising Servaretna

artists,

sisters

it

and

but that

scales are

from pa, and adding

and her

minor in our

is

and the two

language of Indian,

consider as a

2s'

in our diatonic

fourth

which

sixth,

by taking a

in the

3s'

4s'

and second, are major tones

and

names

sa.

ni,

are placed as

appears to be major in theirs

or,

dha,

pa,

the intervals between the

first

follow-

to W, and dha, three

therefore, stands thus,

scale,

ma,

ga,

is'
3s'
2/
The semitones accordingly

between the

as equal

giving very smooth and significant

Their original

ri,

them

to the several notes in the

ma, and pa, four

sa,

to each s'ruti.

scale

they unanimously

; for

or quarters and thirds of a tone,

are mathematically equal, but consider

in practice,

to ga,

s'rutis,

141

for

every

s'ruti

they

nymph, and the nymphs of Panchama,

or the fifth note, are Malini, Chapald, Lola, and Servaretna,

while Santa and her two sisters regularly belong to Dhaivata

such at least
bards,

who has

Soma seems

the system of Cohala, one of the ancient

is

left

a treatise on music.

to admit that

a quarter or third of a tone

cannot be separately and distinctly heard from the Vind

but he takes
in their
is

for granted that

effect

its

arrangement of modes

and

almost universally diminished by one

mentions two modes, in which

tered.

all

tried in vain to discover

is

very perceptible

their sixth, I imagine,

s'ruti ; for

he only

the seven notes are unal-

any difference in practice

between the Indian scale aud that of our own

but,

know-

142

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

my

ing

ear to be very insufficiently exercised, I

German
Hindoo
loves

were the same

that,

note

Ceishna and Radha

when

requested

accompany with

to

who sung by

lutanist,

of

of music

professor

some popular

he assured

me

his violin a

on the

airs

that the scales

and Mr. Shore afterwards informed me,

the voice of a native singer was in tune with his

found the Hindoo series of seven notes to

harpsicord, he

ascend, like ours, by a sharp third.

For the construction and character

refer

you

the very

to

Mr. Fowke in the

now

of the

and

of

Vina.,

must

paper

valuable

volume of your Transactions

first

exhibit a scale

accurate

and

of
I

fingerboard, which I received

its

from him with the drawing of the instrument, and on the

correctness of which

you may confidently depend

Indian gamut answers,

lar

major mode

the regu-

pretty nearly to our

believe,

TJt,

and,

when the same

re,

mi, fa,

sol, la, si,

ut

syllables are applied to the

notes,

which

compose our minor mode, they are distinguished by epithets

expressing the change which they suffer.
sary to add, before

we come

It

may

be

neces-

to the Rdgas, or modes, of the

Hindoos, that the twenty-one murc'h'hanas, which Mr. Shore's

native musician confounded with the two and twenty s'rutis,

appear to be no more than seven species of diapason multiplied

by

three,

according to the difference of pitch in the

compass of three octaves.

Rdga, which

I translate a

or affection of the
to

Bherat's

mind

definition

mode, properly

signifies

a passion

each mode being intended, according"

of

simple or mixed affections

it,

to

move one

or another of our

and we learn accordingly from

the Ndrdyan, that, in the days of

Crishna,

there were

OP THE HINDOOS.

C*i

143

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

144
thousand

sixteen

modes, each of the

Gopis at Mathura

choosing to sing in one of them, in order to captivate the

heart of their pastoral god.

The very learned Soma, who

mixes no mythology with his accurate system of Ragas,

enumerates nine hundred and sixty possible variations by

the means of temperament, but selects from
cable to

only

practice

which he deduces many others

iufiuite

appli-

from

contrivances, the

the waves of the sea, be multiplied to an

like

We have

number.

as

though he allows that by

a diversity of ornament and by various

Ragas might,

them

primary modes,

twenty-three

already observed that eighty-four

modes or manners might naturally be formed by giving the

lead to each of our twelve sounds, and
ferent

varying in seven

ways the position of the somitones

of those

modes would be

would have no character

but, since

insufferable in practice,
sufficiently

dif-

many

and some

marked, the Indians

appear to have retained with predilection the number indicated by

nature, and

to have enforced their system

powerful aids, the association of ideas,

by two

and the mutilation

of the regular scales.

Whether

it

had occurred

velocity or slowness
ratio,

upon the

to the

rarefaction

and condensation of the

that their motion

must be quicker

or autumn, and

much

sure myself

but

am

number

The year

is

in

summer than

air,

so

in spring

quicker than in winter, I cannot as-

persuaded that their primary modes,

in the system ascribed to

ing to the

Hindoo musicians, that the

sounds must depend, in a certain

of

Pavana, were

first

arranged accord-

of Indian seasons.

distributed

seasons, each consisting of

by the Hindoos into

two months

and the

six ritus, or
first

season,

according to the Amarcdsha, began with Margaslrsha, near

OP THE HINDOOS.

145

the time of the winter solstice, to which

month

we

but the old lunar

see Oriskna

compared

the

in

Oita

accordingly

year began, I believe, with A'svrina, or near the autumnal

when the moon was

equinox,

at the full in the first

mansion

hence the musical season, which takes the lead, includes the

months

and

of A'swin

C&rlic,

are

Hemanta and

frost

and dew

Sisira, derived

then come

name

and bears the

corresponding with part of our autumn

of Sarad,

the next in order

from words which signify

Vasanta, or spring, called also

Surabhi or fragrant, and Pushpasamaya, or the flower time

Grtshma, or heat

and Vershd, or the season of

appropriating a different
sons, the artists

certain ideas,

merriment

mode

to each

of the

of India connected

certain

strains

memory

of

and were able to

recal the

at the close of the harvest,

By

rain.

different sea-

with

autumnal

or of separation

and

melancholy (very different from our ideas at Calcutta), during

the cold months

of reviving hilarity on the appearance

blossoms, and complete vernal delight in the

or honey

spring.

first rains,

Yet further

of

of

Madhu

the dry heats, and of refresh-

of languor during

ment by the

month

which cause in this climate a second

since the lunar

year,

by which

festi-

vals and superstitious duties are constantly regulated, pro-

ceeds concurrently with the solar year, to which the seasons

are necessarily referred, devotion

music, and

all

comes also to the aid

of

the powers of nature, which are allegorically

worshipped as gods and goddesses on their several holidays,

contribute to the influence of song on minds naturally sus*
ceptible of religious emotions.

Hence

it

was, I imagine,

that

Pavan, or the inventor of his musical system, reduced the

number

of original

modes from

not enough for his purpose

seven to six

but even this was

and he had recourse to the

s

five

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

146

the morning,

principal divisions of the day, which are

and

evening, called trisandhya, with the

them, or the forenoon and afternoon

sionsf or intervals of the
of

number

retains that

restriction,

respect of time

divi-

S6ma reckons

eight

and the system of Pa van

the second order of derivative

also in

Every branch of knowledge

modes.

by adding two

and by leaving one species

night,

melody without any such

variations in

noon,

two intervals between

been embellished by poetical fables

lents of the Greeks never suggested a

has

country

this

in

and the inventive

more charming

ta-

allegory

than the lovely families of the six Ragas, named, in the

order of seasons above exhibited,
ra'ga, Hindola, or

whom

a Genius, or Demi-god, wedded to

is

Nymphs, and
or Sons

Bhairava, Ma'lava, Sri-

Vasanta, Di'paca, and Me'gha

father of eight

little

Genii,

finely

to this assemblage of

called his Putras,

Albano

employed in giving speech and form

new

aerial beings,

land of Indian imagination

who people the

A whole

tains descriptions of the

fairy-

nor have the Hindoo poets and

painters lost the advantages, with which so

ject presented them.

each of

Raginis, or

the fancy of Shakspeare and the pencil of

might have been

chiefly

five

beautiful a sub-

chapter of the

Rdgas and

NdrAyan

con-

their consorts, extracted

from the Ddmddar, the Caldncura, the Retnamala,

the Chandrica, and a metrical tract on music ascribed to the

God Nared

himself, from which, as

among

so

many

beauties

a particular selection would be very perplexing, I present

you with the

will think

first

that occurs, and have no doubt that you

the Sanscrit language equal to Italian in softness

and elegance

OP THE HINDOOS.

147

Lild vihdrena vanantarati,

Chinvan prasundm

sah&yah,

vadhli,

Vilasi vesddita divya murtih,

Srir&ga Ssha prat'Mtah prit'hivyam,.

" The demi-god SeIraga, famed over

this earth, sweetly

all

" sports with his nymphs, gathering fresh blossoms in the

" bosom of yon grove

and his divine lineaments are

dis-

" tinguished through his graceful vesture.''

These and similar images, but wonderfully

diversified,

are

expressed in a variety of measures, and represented by delicate penoilB in the Rdgamdlcts, which

and among which the most

Mr. E. Johnson and Mr. Hat.

composed by any musician and
and disregarded expence,

if

all of

us have examined,

beautiful are in the possession of

noble work might be

scholar,

who enjoyed

of Indian music from Sanscrit authorities, with the

lodies of

leisure

he would exhibit a perfect system

old

me-

So'ma applied to the songs of Jatade'va, embellished

with descriptions of

all

the modes accurately translated, and

with Mr. Hat's RagamAld,, delineated and engraved by the

scholars of Cipriani and Bartolozzi.

Let us proceed to the second

cians, in giving their

modes a

artifice

agreeable diversity of expression.

Plutarch's

treatise

on Music

of the

Hindoo musi-

distinct character

is

and a very

curious passage from

translated and explained by

Dr. Burnet, and stands as the text of the most interesting

chapter in his dissertation
original,

since

exhibit a paraphrase

correctness of which I can rely

cannot

on the

but I have avoided, as

as possible, the technical words of the

might be necessary to explain

procure the

of his translation,

at

some

much

Greeks,

which

length.

"

We

it

are

" informed,"'says Plutarch, " by Aristoxenus, that musicians

S 2

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

148
" ascribe to
" melody,

Olypmus

" onically on his

" of four

of

Mysia the invention

and conjecture
flute,

enharmonic

of

when he was

that,

playing diat-

and frequently passed from the highest

sounds to the lowest but one, or conversely, skipping

" over the second in descent, or the third in ascent,

" series, he perceived a singular beauty

of that

of expression,

which

" induced him to dispose the whole series of seven or eight

" sounds by similar skips, and to frame by the same
" his

analogy

Dorian mode, omitting every sound peculiar to the

" diatonic and

chromatic melodies then in use, but without

" adding any that have since been made essential to the new
" enharmonic

in this

genus, they say, he composed the

" Nome, or strain, called Spondean, because

" temples at the time of religious libations.
" were the first enharmonic melodies
" by some
" any
"

who

was used in

and are

for

it

was

after the age of

and

it

was

therefore,

he,

" who, by introducing an exquisite melody before

"in Greece, became the author and parent

tiful

and

of the

unknown

most beau-

affecting music."

This method then of adding to the character and

a

seems,

retained

that the quarter of a tone was admitted into

" the Lydian and Phrygian modes

"

it

still

play on the flute in the antique style without

division of a semi-tone

Olympus

>

it

Those,

mode by diminishing the number

effect

of

of its primitive sounds

was introduced by a Greek of the lower Asia, who

flourished,

according to the learned and accurate writer of the travels of

Anacharsis, about the middle of the thirteenth

before Cheist

Hindoos,

if

but

it

must have been older

the system, to which I

invented in the age

of.

Rama,

now

still

return,

century

among

the

was actually

OF THE HINDOOS.
Since

it

149

appears from the Nardyan, that thirty-six modes

are in general use^

and the

rest very rarely applied to practice,

I shall exhibit only the scales

of the

Rdgas and thirty

six

Rdginis, according to So'ma, the authors quoted

in the

Nardyan, and the book explained by Pandits

Mirza.

Kha'n
which
I

on whose credit I must rely

first

what I now

that of Oacubhd,

on music

Sanscrit treatises

me

into a very serious mistake

that the graha

erroneous,

find

note of every mode, with which every song that

posed in

must invariably begin and

it,

tinguished sounds in each

and the writer of the

ans'a,

two following couplets

Graha swarah sa

mode are
Nardyan

ityuct6

named nydsa,

serv?

is

"

like a sovereign, though a

By

the word

com-

is

dis-

nydsa,
in

the

nugd minah,

placed at the beginning, and

at the end, of a

" are subordinate, that which

is

them

he
the

yd gitadau samarpiiah,

song

" displays the peculiar melody, and to which

"

is

bdhulyam vddy ans6 pi nripdtamah.

" The note called graha

" that

called graha,

defines

for

Three

end.

pr6ct6 yd gitddi samapticah

Yd vyactivyanjacd gdnd, yasya

servatra

had

Nydsa swarastu sa
Tasya

information of greater consequence,

for

he would have led

asserts,

my

cannot find in

depended on him

for

to

is

that note, which

all

the others

always of the greatest use,

mere ans'a or portion."

vddi," says the commentator, " he

means the

" note, which announces and ascertains the Rdga, and which

"

may be

considered as the parent and origin of the graha

" and nydsa

"

be the tonic
generally

its

this clearly shows, I think, that the ans'a

and we
third

shall fiad that the

and

fifth,

must

two other notes are

or the mediant and the domi-

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

150

In the poein entitled

nant.

which may

illustrate

Magha

there

aud confirm our idea

Analpatwat pradhanatwad

is

a musical simile,

ans'asy&ve'

taraswarah,

Vijigishdrnripaiayah prayanti pericharatam.

"

From

the greatness, from the transcendent qualities, of

" that Hero, eager for conquest, other kings march in subor" dination to him, as other notes are subordinate to the

" ans'a."
If the ans'a be the tonic, or

we may

modal note, of the Hindoos,

confidently exhibit the scales of the Indian modes,

according to So'ma, denoting by an asterisk the omission of

a note.

Bhairava

OF THE HINDOOS.

Hindola

151

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

152

best authorities adduced in the N6.ra.yan, the thirty-six

are, in

some provinces, arranged

Bhairava

in these forms

modes

OF THE HINDOOS.

Me'gha

153

154
Sbi'ka'ga

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

:

OF THE HINDOOS.
escape notice, that the Chinese

"scale C,

155
D, E,

responds very nearly with ga, ma, pa,

Maravl

of So'ma

*, ni,

we have long known

G, A,

*,

*,

or the

*,

sa,

cor-

in Bengal, from the

information of a Scotch gentleman skilled in music, that the

wild but charming melodies of the ancient highlanders were

formed by a similar mutilation of the natural

scale.

By such

mutilations, and by various alterations of the notes, in tuning

the Vina, the

nitely

number

of

modes might be augmented

and Callinat'ha admits ninety

into

his

indefi-

system,

allowing six nymphs, instead of Jive, to each of his musical

deities

for Dipaca,

which

is

generally considered as a lost

mode (though MfazAKHAN exhibits

stitutes Punchama
for Hinddla, he
;

the notes of

Spring) and for M&lava, Natanarayan

Dancer

all

The system

it),

he sub-

gives us Vasanta, or the

or Chrishna, the

with scales rather different from those of Pavan.

of

Iswara, which

may have had some

affinity

with the old Egyptian music invented or improved by Osiris,

nearly resembles that of Hastumat

are

little

modes

varied

in

all

are significant, and

of the fairies in the

but the names and scales

the systems, the names of the

some

Midsummer

of

them

as fanciful as those

Night's Dream.

Forty-eight

new modes were added by Bherat, who marrys a nymph,

thence called Bhary, to each Putra, or Son, of a Raga

thus

admitting, in his musical school, a hundred and thirty-two

manners

of arranging the series of notes.

Had the
last

Indian empire continued in

two thousand years,

given

permanence to systems
__

Hindoos
poetry

ment

religion

believe,

by

their

gods,

full

energy for the

would,

no doubt, have

of music invented,

and adapted

to

as

the

mystical

but such have been the revolutions of their govern-

since the time of

Alexander, that although the San-

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

156
scrit

books have preserved the theory of their musical compo-

sition,

the practice of

seems almost wholly

it

lost (as all the

Pandits and Rajas confess) in Gaur and Magarha, or the

When

provinces of Bengal and Behar.

of Jayade'va,
of the

who has

mode

which

in

it

referred

me

mean those

no ancient

provinces,

that the

has

me

of JVSpdl

and Cashmir

remnants of

of the

while they

declared that

they had

that the notes

to the

anywhere, in one of the southern

where the Poet was born

art,

had hopes of

Br&hmens

to those of the north

exist, if

but the Pandits of the south

music, but imagined,

from

all this I collect,

which flourished in India many centuries

want of due

faded for

We

ago,

though some scanty

culture,

may, perhaps, be preserved in the pastoral

it

roundelays of

Apollo.

of the west, and the

to those

Qitag6vinda must

them the name

of

was anciently sung,

procuring the original music

west would have sent

I first read the songs

prefixed to each

Mafhura on
must

the loves and sports of the Indian

not, therefore,

Vina have

performers on the

be surprised,

if

modern

or no modulation, or

little

change of mode, to which passionate music owes nearly

its

enchantment

but that the old

musicians of

all

India,

having fixed on a leading mode to express the general character of the song,'

which they were translating into

the musical

language, varied that mode, by certain rules, according to

the variation of sentiment or passion in the poetical phrases,

and always returned

reasons induce

me

to

to

it

the close of the

at

believe

though

air,

many

cannot but admit,

that their modulation must have been greatly confined by

the

restriction

of

certain

modes

to

certain seasons

and

hours, unless those restrictions belonged merely to the principal

mode.

The

scale of the Vind,

we

find,

comprised both

OP THE HINDOOS.
our European modes, and,

some

if

157

of the notes can be raised

a semi -tone by a stronger pressure on the

frets,

a delicate and

experienced singer might produce the effect of minute en-

harmonic

intervals

the construction

seems to favor

therefore,

my

of the instrument,

conjecture

and an excellent

judge of the subject informs us, that, " the open wires are
"

from time to time struck in a manner that prepares the

" ear for a change of modulation, to which the

" full

and

may

add, that the

fine tones of those notes greatly

which

metre,

Hindoo poets never

mode, according

is their

or sentiment in the same piece

stances of poetical modulation
at least equal to the

greatest composers

most

now

(if

to

fail

We

to change the

the change of subject

and

could produce in-

such a phrase

affecting

uncommonly

contribute."

may

be used)

modulations

of our

the musician must naturally have

emulated the poet, as every translator endeavours to

semble his original

and, since each of the Itidian

appropriated to a certain affection of the mind,

possible, that,

where the passion

is

for

seem to be contained

it is

reis

hardly

varied, a skilful musician

could avoid a variation of the mode.

tion

modes

The

modula-

rules for

in the chapters

on mixed modes,

an intermixture of Melldri with T6di and Saindhavi

means, I suppose, a transition, however short, from one to

another

we can

but the question must remain undecided, unless

find in the Sangilas a clearer account of modulation

than I

am

of the

OUagSvinda with the music;

able to produce, or unless

we can procure

the time of Calidas, in some notation,

deciphered.

It

is

a copy

to which it was set, before

that

may

be easily

obvious, that I have not been speaking of

a modulation regulated by harmony, with which the Hindoos;

I believe,

were unacquainted

though, like the Greeks, they

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

158

distinguish the consonant and dissonant sounds

mean only

we

such a transition from one series of notes to another, as

by the Greek musicians, who were ignorant of

see described

harmony

solely

modern sense

in the

they had known

to the

of the word, and, perhaps, if

ever so perfectly,

it

would have applied

it

support of melody, which alone speaks the

language of passion and sentiment.

It

would give

me

pleasure to close this essay with several

specimens of old Indian airs from the

chapter of So'ma

fifth

but I have leisure only to present you with one of them in

our own characters accompanied with the original notes.

mode

selected the

Jayadeva himself

because

of Vasanti,

most beautiful

to the

was adapted by

it

of his

odes,

and

because the number of notes in Soma, compared with that

of the syllables in the Sanscrit stanza,

may

lead us to

guess,

that the strain itself was applied by the musician to the very

The words

words of the poet.

are

Lalita lavanga lata perisilana c6mala malaya samire,

Madhucara nicara carambita

c6cila cHjita cunja entire"

Viharati heririha sarasa vasanti.

Nrttyati yuvati janina soman sac' hi virahi Janasya durante.

" While the

" beautiful

soft gale of

clove-plant,

Malaya wafts perfume from the

and the recess of each flowery arbour

" sweetly resounds with the strains of the

"

with the murmurs of the honey-making

" dances,

lovely friend, with a

" vernal season

company

Cdcila,

mingled

swarms,

Heri

of damsels in this

a season full of delights, but painful to

" separated lovers.''

I

have noted S6ma's

which, from

its

air in

the major

gaiety and brilliancy,

general hilarity of the song

mode

of A, or sa,

well expresses the

but the sentiment, often under

iI

^s
lot

55

o
I

F3
Id

O
55

55

<>

CO

m,

55
i

at

OP THE HINDOOS.
pain, even in a season of delights,

159

from the remembrance

of pleasures no longer attainable, would require in our music

a change to the minor mode ; and the air might be disposed

in the form of a rondeau ending with the second line, or

even with the third, where the sense

is

equally

full, if it

should be thought proper to express by another modulation

that imitative melody, which the poet has manifestly attempt-

ed

the measure

is

very rapid, and the air should be gay,

or even quick, in exact proportion to

it.

AN OLD INDIAN AIR.

*/

li 4-n 1 ,,
li
ta la

lo
la

:#=

im

Tan ga

*r
mi

ji ta

vi

ra

*~*

cun ja cu

hi

ja

_._

--

ra ni

ri

ga

ua

ti

na sya du

ca ra ca

re

\i

ran

te

-&sa

.......

si la

ma

pa

dha

ni

sa

ha

ma la ya

co mala

eSs
mad mica

re

...

ta pe ri

la

s r

cu

imt-

i-

ram

ra

S^

bi ta

ti

he

co

ri

oi

ri

la

ha

ON THE MUSICAL MODES

160

The preceding

is

a strain in the

ning and ending with the

ri,

or the secoad

for it

in

the

and sixth

fifth

sa,

of Hindola, begin-

but wanting pa, and

I could easily

have found words

GUag6vinda, but the united charms of poetry

and music would lead me too

reluctance

mode

note

far

and I must now with

bid farewell to a subject, which I despair of

having leisure to resume.

ANECDOTES OF INDIAN MUSIC.

Sir

From " The

W. OUSELEY.

Oriental Collections" Vol. I.

ANECDOTES OE INDIAN MUSIC.

BY

W. OUSELEY.

Sir

When
fine

apply myself to the study of the

I first resolved to

arts,

as

cultivated

among

the Persians, I solicited from

various correspondents settled in the East the communication of such books and original information on those sub-

might enable them to procure, whilst

jects as their situation

I availed myself of every opportunity that

country to increase

With two

my collection of

fine copies of Sadi's

offered in this

Oriental manuscripts.

GuUsfan and Boston, which

once belonged to the celebrated Chardin*, I have lately been

so fortunate as to pruchase a short, but very curious, essay

on Persian Music, which from many circumstances

willing to persuade myself

am

was brought to Europe by that

ingenious Orientalist, and

is

the same manuscript of which

he laments that he had not procured the explanation while

at Isfahan.^
*

From his

But as

my

notes, written in a

design in the present essay relates

most minute hand, and in the French and

Latin languages, on several pages of the Gulistan, the Second

this

work

shall

t Chardin,

Number

of

be enriched with extracts.

(Quarto Edition, 1735) Vol. Ill, P. 155.

Sir William Jones, in his Dissertation

on the Musical Modes of the Hindus,

mentions a Persian treatise entitled " Durratu

Itaj,

composed by a very

learned man, so generally called Allami Shirazi, or the great pkilosopkei- of

Slriraz,

that his proper

Vol.

An

III.

name

is

almost forgotten."

ingenious friend has communicated the

Music comprised in that

collection.

Asiatic Researches,
title of

the Essay on

164

ANECDOTES OP INDIAN MUSIC.

only to the music of Hindustan, I shall proceed to mention,

that

among

several books sent to

though written

in

me from

the Persian

that country, some,

profess to be

language,

translated from the Sanscrit, and treat of the musical modes,

From

the Raugs and Rauginees of the Hindus.

ever, so little has

remarks, that

my

how-

any thing curious or entertaining should be

if

found in them, the thanks of the reader

due to

these,

been borrowed in the course of the following

brother Mr. Gore Ouseley,

will

whom

be principally

a residence of

several years in india has rendered perfectly acquainted with

the theory and practice of Hindu Music.

By him were communicated

of musical instrument

from his

letters

the Indian

airs,

and drawings

I can only boast of having compiled

of having deciphered (not without difficulty)

the notation of the Eamgully, and translated a few passages

from a Persian manuscript treatise on music, which I shall

mention hereafter, and for the perusal of which I

am indebted

to the politeness of Sir George Staunton.

On

the

\J\j

subject

of

ancient

those

which the Hindus

melodies,

and

,J>^lj

ous and romantic,

miraculous.

and

extraordinary

Raugs,

and Rauginees,

the popular traditions

are as numer-

as

the

call

powers ascribed to them are

Of the six Raugs, the

five first

owe

their origin

to the God Mahadeo, who produced them from his five heads.
Parbuttee, his wife, constructed the sixth; and the thirty

U3tj>-& &C&*

^t

d"K

which, from certain circumstances, ho once believed to be the composition

of Sadi.

We

find

poet, Jami.

an Essay on Music among the Works of another celebrated

ea

ff-J-Tf
jfc

Jf~W

l Egl

Plaintive.

jr-fi^nttBSSw

si ^s

S
*S

feffij

^-rrrf
3E J^
-

'

55

ii

V4-

ANECDOTES OF INDIAN MUSIC.

Rauginees

were composed by Brimha.

165

Thus,

of celestial

invention, these melodies are of a peculiar genus

the three ancient genera

enharmonic;

the more modern compositions

species termed Diatonic.

the Eindovee
plate

air,

are of

specimen of these

Qui buddun thoo

and of

Greeks resemble most the

of the

hum

see,

is

in the

that

given in

annexed

of which the words (too trifling to deserve translation)

are thus written in the original language

In the same plate I have given the notes of a Hindu

Jungle Tuppa and of a Bengalee tune
ing are the words

of which the follow-

Nock

erbesor Jeelee Mille

Poteer gulla doorea Koonja

Choola dauntee hassia Naaloo

Rangonee gjoalia naalo

A considerable

difficulty is

found in setting to music the

Eaugs and Eauginees, as our system does not supply notes

or signs sufficiently

expressive

of the

almost imperceptible

elevations and depressions of the voice in these melodies

of

which the time

is

frequent and very wild.

when Orpheus swept

breathing

flute,

two of the

six

broken and irregular, the modulations

Whatever magic was in the touch

his lyre, or

Timotheus

filled his softly

the effects said to have been produced by

Raugs, are even more

extraordinary than

any of those ascribed to the modes of the

ancients.

Mia

Tonsine, a wonderful musician in the time of King Akber,

sung one of the Night Raugs, at mid-day

the powers of his

ANECDOTES OP INDIAN MUSIC.

166

music were such that

it

darkness extended in a

sound of
There
the

became night, and the

instantly
circle

round the palace

as far as the

his voice could be heard.

a tradition, that

is

Maug Dheepuck

is

whoever

shall

to be destroyed

by

attempt to sing

The Emperor

fire.

Akber ordered Naih Gopaul, a celebrated musician, to sing

Raug

that

he endeavoured to excuse himself, but in vain

the Emperor insisted on obedience

he therefore requested

permission to go home, and bid farewell to his family and

It

friends.

was winter when he returned,

in the

after

an absence

Before he began to sing he placed himself

months.

of six

waters of the

Jumna

As

they reached his neck.

till

soon as he had performed a strain or two, the river gradually

became hot

at length began to boil

and the agonies

unhappy musician were nearly insupportable.

for

moment

the melody thus cruelly extorted, he sued for

mercy from the Monarch, but sued

to prove

in vain.

more strongly the powers

Qopaul renewed the

from

of the

Suspending

fatal

song

of

Akber wished

Eaug

this

though immersed in the waters

his body, which,

Jumna, was consumed

to ashes

Naih

flames burst with violence

of the

These, and other anecdotes of the same nature, are related

by many

The

of the Hindus,

effect

and implicitly believed by some.

produced by the Maig Mullaar Raug was imme-

And

diate rain.

it

is

told,

that a singing girl

once,

exerting the powers of her voice in this Eaug, drew

by

down

from the clouds timely and refreshing showers on the parched

rice-crops

of

Bengal, aud thereby

averted

famine from the Paradise of Regions.*

*

An

Arabic

title

the horrors of

An

European, in

given to the province of Bengal by Aurungzeeb.

Jones' Ferf. Gram. p. 82.

See

ANECDOTES OF INDIAN MUSIC.

that country, inquiring after those

ance might produce similar

art is

now

almost lost

167

whose musical perform-

effects, is

gravely told, " that the

but that there are

musicians

still

possessed of those wonderful powers in the west of India."

But

one inquires in the West, they say, " that

if

if

any such

performers remain they are to be found only in Bengal."

Of the present music and the sensations

speak with greater accuracy.

Many

"

the word's of an excellent

dies" (to use

one can

it excites

of the

Hindu melo-

musician)

" possess

the plaintive simplicity of the Scotch and Irish, and others

a wild originality pleasing beyond description."
Counterpoint seems not to have entered, at any time, into the

system of Indian Music.

treatises

which

It is not alluded to in the

that any of our ingenious

known

manuscript

have hitherto persued, nor have I discovered

in Hindustan.

The

Orientalists

speak of

books, however,

it

as being

which treat of

the music of that country are numerous and curious.

William Jones mentions the works of Amin, a musician

Damodara, the Narayan, the Ragarnava,

(or sea of passions)

the Sabhavinoda, (or delight of assemblies)

of musical

(or doctrine

modes)

Raugaderpun,

Sing,

called Muncuttuhub,

To

these

learned

is also

am

Baronet

is

many

besides the

enabled

whom

into

Book on the Science

compiled by order of

Man

(or mirror

a Persian translation from the Sanscrit.

of another Hindovee
of Bausdheo,

There

The Sungeet Durpon

Rajah of Gualier.

of melody)

the Ragavibodha,

mirror of Raugs) translated into Persian

(or

by Fakur Ullah from an Hindovee

of Music,

the Ratnacara, and

other Sanscrit and Hindustani treatises.

Sir

the

to

add, by the kindness of the

have before mentioned, the

title

work translated by Deenanaut, the son

the

Persian

language on the

first

of

ANECDOTES OF INDIAN' MUSIC.

168
the

month Ramjan,

in

the year of the Hegira 1137, of our

sera 1724.

j*

i\ji

"

An

*S"

utfU jb ^iji

Essay on the Science

^j ^yc

of Music,

aJLy

translated from the

the object of which

book Paurjauthuck:

p\fi

is

to teach

the

understanding of the Raugs and Rauginees, and the playing

upon musical instruments."

From

this work, while

I refer the reader to the learned

observations of Sir William Jones, and other ingenious

mem-

bers of the Asiatic Society, on the musical modes, and the

instruments of the Hindus, I shall here briefly state that

they have a gamut, consisting of seven notes, like our own,

which being repeated in three several Ast, hans,* or octaves,

form in

all

a scale of twenty-one natural notes.

notes which form the gamut are expressed,

pa, da, na, or Sa,

ri,

ga, ma, pa,

dha, ni

The seven

So,, ra,

ga, ma,

And, when

written at length, stand thus

f Kau,

redge

Rekhub

wjk^Sj
1

jUa^S Gundhaur

A>x Mud, dhum

Punchum

*sr^.

ci>yki

Dhawoth

al^So

Neekhaudh

(signifying tight) and ara (the

From the Sanscrit words asMa or ostium,
a very learned Orientalist is of
it,)
resembling
spoke of a vkeel, or any thing
and the Persian Sitarah, (formerly
opinion that the Hebrew Ashtaroth,
Persian
are most probably derived. The
Astarah) (a star with eight rays)
See Mr. Wilford's
<*>&*>
evidently the same as the Sanscrit.

numeral

is

Res. Vol.
Essay on Egypt and the Nile-Asiatic

III.

169

ANECDOTES OF INDIAN MUSIC.

Of these seven words,

(the first excepted) the initial letters

are used in writing music

of the initial of the first or

word -m

(sur) is used,

being,

as

named "

it

lowest,

which

(Kauredge)

that of the

emphatically the note,

signifies

of

the foundation

were,

Instead

represent the notes.

to

"and

the others,

(says Sir William Jones*) " Sviara, or the sound,

the important

which

office

bears in

it

the

scale."

from

The

use of Sur or Swara instead of Kauredge prevents a possibility of

mistaking the initial of the latter for that of Qun-

dhaur ; a circumstance which might otherwise happen, the

But

characters being alike in form.

only of each note that

letter

Rekhub

is

thus

often

we

find

described

it

not the

is

initial

used in writing music

Dhawoth

i_sj

is

and

Neehhaudh ^i ;^when the gamut may be expressed according to the form given

dha

ni.

And in a

always

by

Sir William Jones

me

manuscript before

sa ri ga

the

ma pa,

note

first

is

fully described , (sur).

In each of the three octaves, wherein these seven notes

are repeated, there are twenty-two Srutis or soorts, (Dieses)

by which the Major and Minor tones

distinguished
Major tone

are

most curiously

Minor tone

Semi

Major

Major

Semi

Minor

tone

,j

sa

i.

ra

ga

ma

Essay on the Musical Modes of

Vol. III.

the

,_,

pa

,>

da

^ na

Hindus, Asiatic Researches,

170

ANECDOTES OF INDIAN MUSIC.

The

following words are found

written at length,

either

preceding, under or over the notes according to the necessary

variations.

tion

have given their pronunciation

and

significa-

iluo Istaud, slow.

))

Ro, quick.

oAf

Ousht, quaver.

ii)ULj.

Jumbawi, shake.

&*&

Kasheed, lengthen, or continue the sound.

ji> Thurrah, double, but not so quick as to be confound-

ed into one.
^-S&k Teep

Either of these words marks the

(JbS" Kopaulee

note to be raised an octave.

J

Sometimes one note

as

is

Thurrah and Kasheed

Dhowoth

by two of those words

affected
placed,

in the Ramgully, of

which

over or under the

I

note

have given the notation

and in the manuscript before me those words are written in

red ink, while the characters which represent the notes are
in black.
I shall

endeavour to explain the notation of the tune,

given in the annexed plate, in the following manner, using

capital letters to express the notes,

which are applied

to

and

them, and

are written in red ink, but in the plate

oblique and smaller

(Before the tune

The

italics for

which

in the

the words

manuscript

are expressed in

we read Canoon

newaktun Ramgully,

rule for playing the air Ramgully.)

SA
Istaud

an

character.

SA

GA

SA

Ro

Ro

Ro

DHA
Ro

KPY
Istaud

Or.-CoU:1797.

M~h

Jm.

dW

-e>)

(L.

Y;
My

"/

:0

\j

11
i

/?

*Z

-v^

r*

'AA

c//

>>

i>

J^

^^77

>

F^&*s^-^^sy

KPY

ANECDOTES OF INDIAN MUSIC.

172

Of the Taomeree,
in the

Deokan than

(fig. 5.,)

in

an instrument more

Bengal

it

is

common

formed a Gourd or

Cuddos nut, and two small perforated bamboos,' with reeds

iu

each, like those of the bag-pipe.

In a future Number of this Publication the subject of

Indian Music shall be continued
set horn,

the notes given of a tune

the voice of the singing girls of Cashmere, and

some passages from an

original

the Music of that province.

manuscript in Persian, on

ON THE GRA'MAS OR MUSICAL SCALES

OF THE HINDUS.
BY

J.

(From

D.

PATERSON,

Esq.

Asiatic Researches, Vol.

9.)

OS

THE GRA'MAS OR MUSICAL SCALES

OF THE HINDUS.
BY

When
that

it

music was

was confined

and studies
the

fitted

first efforts of

deities

PATERSON,

D.

J.

reduced to a science,

first

to the

them

Esq.

few

scientific

probable,

it is

men, whose education

to understand its principles

the science were displayed in

and that

hymns

to the

each being addressed in a peculiar mode, rhythmus,

and expression.
According to Plato,* the Egyptians were restricted by
their laws to certain fixed melodies, which they

permitted to alter

appear to have laid

it

not

were

he says, that the lawgivers of Egypt

down

" young

as a principle, that

men

in cities should be accustomed to beautiful figures and beautiful melodies,

exhibit in
lities

and that

their

was one

it

temples

of their institutions

to

what these were, and what the qua-

which they possessed

and besides these

it

was not

lawful either for painters or other artificers to introduce any

that were new, or even to think of any other than those

belonging to their country.''

He

adds, " nor

is it

lawful at

present to do this either in these particulars or in the whole

of music.

If

you observe, therefore, you

ings and sculptures

there,

On

will find, that paint-

which were executed ten thousand

Legislation.

Dialogue 2nd.

qra'mas ok musical scales of the Hindus.

176

years ago, as

if

they were not of such great antiquity, are

neither more beautiful nor more deformed than the paintings

or carvings of the present day, but are fashioned by just

same

When

Clinias observes, that he spoke of a wonderful

cumstance, he

replies,

and

taining to law
will

the

art."

politics

is,

cir-

however, a circumstance per-

in a transcendent degree,

you

other things there of a trifling nature, but

likewise find

this respecting

"It

music

is

true

and

deserves

attention,

because

the legislator could firmly give laws about things of this kind

and with confidence introduce such melodies as possessed a

natural rectitude

some divine person

dies,

but this must

;

be the

work of a God, or of

just as they say there, that their

melo-

which have been preserved for such a length of time, are

the Poems of

Plato

Isis.''

and necessary

as proper

considers this restriction

to prevent the introduction of sensual licentiousness and

effiminacy.

There appears to have been some such idea of

restriction,

amongst the ancient Hindus, by the confinement

of their music to thirty-six melodies

thirty Raginis

viz.,

the six Ragas and

the forty-eight Putrus are melodies, which

seem to have been introduced

cipline, alluded to

in after

times,

by Plato, had begun

But the Indian Ragas and Raginis

when the

dis-

to be relaxed.

are fixed

respectively

to particular seasons of the year and times of the night or day.

This
is

is

a circumstance particularly

deserving remark, as

it

probably peculiar to the Hindu music.

It is likely, that these melodies

were in former times ap-

propriated to the service of different deities.

In such case

the Ragas or Raginis would derive their appropriation to

particular times

and seasons, from the times and seasons

gra'mas or musical SCALES OF THE HINDUS.

allotted

by the Hindu

ritual

177

the performance

for

of the

which they were respectively appropriated.

services to

appears probable

This

but whatever might have been the

nal cause of this apparent singularity,

origi-

has become so com-

it

amongst the natives

pletely engrafted on the ideas of music

of India, that they cannot at this day divest their minds of

The Muslemans have universally adopted

the prejudice.

and a performer,

who should

sing a

Raga

out of

its

it

appro-

priated season, or an hour sooner or later than the time appointed, would be considered as an ignorant .pretender to

which Europeans would

think insupportable,

considers as absolutely necessary to give

melody.

The

No Hindu,
account for
it

origin of this

with

originated,

as

first

custom seems

to the

antiquity.

it

probable, that

have observed before, in the religious

as the abridged

ma, pa, dha,

Veda ; and in
are as follow

in

have conversed, has been able to

reduced to .fixed principles

Hindus ;

sa, ri, ga,

lost

may, therefore, suppose

Music must have been cultivated

the

the Ijidian

a. true relish

which music appears to have been subjected,

restraints to

when

whom

We

it.

the

This restraint upon their music,

character of a musician.

ni,

are

their present

names
said
order.

as, a science.

in

to

Shadja pronounced Sarja or Kharja.

Oand'hara.

Madhyama.
Panchama.
JDhaivata.

Nishada pronounced

Itiikhad.

occur in the

viz.,

Soma

Their names at length

Rishabha pronounced Rikhabh.

very early ages by

of the seven notes,

gra'mas or musical SCALES OP THE HINDUS.

178

Hence we

find, that

of these notes,

the above-mentioned abbreviated names

which are used

in

what we

Solmization, are the first syllables

ri,

The complete

ga, ma, pa, dha, ni.

grdrna or assemblage of tones

it

place the

Solfaing or

likewise

is

Sa,

viz.,

scale is called Sioara-

or heptachord, as containing, or consisting

The Hindus

call

of their names,

called

Septao

seven notes.

of,

seven notes under the protection

of seven AcFMshfhdtri Divatds, or superintending

divinities,

as follow

Shadja, under the protection of Agni.

RKshabha, of Beahma.

Gdndhdra, of Sarasvati.

Madkyama,

of

Panchama,

of Sri or

MahIdeva.

LacshmL

fihaivata, of Gan'e's'a.

Nishdda, of Sueta.

Of these
which

Rajah on
is

notes, there are four descriptions

the

is

Ansa

whom

all

or key note

the rest depend

and

is

1st the

Badi,

described as the

the 2nd is Sanbadi which

considered as the Mantri or principal minister of the

Kajah; the 3rd are Anubadi, described as subjects attached

to their Lord

The Hindus
which are

4th Bibddi, mentioned as inimical to him.*

divide the octave into

called

the interval which

S'ruti,

we

by

call a

major tone, three to describe a

minor tone, and two the semi-tone

cally just,

twenty-two intervals,

allotting four S'ruti to represent

not as being mathemati-

but as means of representing to the eye,

anil to

the

understanding, the supposed relations which these intervals

*

The three

last distinctions

seem

to correspond to

Paraphonia, and Antiphonia, of the Greeks.

Introduction, explains Paraphonia, a

sonance

where the sound,

the

Somopkonia,-

Gaudentius in his Harmonic

mean between consonance and

to the ear, appears consonant.

H.

T.

dis-

gea'mas or musical SCALES OP THE HINDUS.

bear to each other

merely to shew, that a semi-tone

a major tone, and that the minor tone

is

179
half

is

medium between

the major and semi-tone, being less than the former and
greater than the

latter.

Mathematical calculation

is

out of

the question.

Perhaps they were induced to make this division of the

by considering the minor tone

octave,

without a fraction

by two

as not divisible

and therefore made the whole number

three, to represent it

for, if

we

divide the octave into twelve

semi-tones, this will give twenty -four quarter tones or S'ruti

but by allowing three to represent each of the two minor

instead of four, there will remain only twenty-two,

tones,

the number

The

of S'ruti admitted.

S'rutis are personified as so

many nymphs

and, in the

Sangita Rutndeara, are thus named and arranged.*

To Shadja or
Sa
4 Tihra
.

To Panchama or

Pa

Cumiidvati

Munda

'

Chandovya

Cirti

Ractd
y Dipari
' Al&pini
)

To Rishabha or
Ri .... 31 Dayavati
-

<

Renjani

Retted

To Gdndhdra or
Ga .... 2 Rudri

Cr6d

To Dhaivata or
Bha ... 3

ha,

To Madkyama or
Ma .... 4 ( Bdjricd
)

Prasarani

[ Madanti
<R6hini

Ramya

To Nishada or
... 2

Upta

Cdbiri

\
'

S Priti
(
*

Mdrjani

The names, exhibited

in the Sangita

D&modara, are quite

different

seldom occur except in the writings of authors treating on music.

They

H. T. C.

180

GKa'mAS OR MUSICAL SCALES OF THE HINDUS.

The Hindils have three Gramas

Madhydmd-Gr&ma,

Grama,

foregoing arrangement of the

Grama, which

or scales

is

viz.,

Shadja-

The

that of the Shadja-

S'ruti is

consists of two disjunct, but perfectly similar,

Tetrachords, separated by a major tone.

Grama

and Gandhdra-Gr&ma.

The Madhyama-

formed from this by a transposition of the major

tdne between

Pa and Dha, and

of the

minor tone between

Dha and Ni; thus the technical language of Hindu music,

Dha

takes one S'ruti from Pa, and becomes thus possessed of

four, leaving three to

Pa.

The two Gramas may be thus

represented.
Tetrachord.

TeirachorA.

Sa
Shadja

Grdma

Ri

Ga

Ma

Pa

Dha

Ni Sa

gra'mas or musical scales OF THE HINDUS.

When

181

the change of key requires a different modulation,

the changes in the disposition of the S'ruti are called Vierit

they reckon twelve such.

When

a note

is

to be rendered graver or deeper,

they say

that such a note takes one or more S'ruti from the note im-

mediately below

as in the example of the change from the

it,

Shadja Gr&ma to the

one S'ruti

Madhyama Grama, where Dha

than in the former

flatter

If a note is to be raised,

is

made

scale.

the expression

is,

that such

note gives one or more S'ruti to the note immediately below

it

which operation renders the note proportionally sharper,

as its distance from the note immediately below

quently increased
distance

is in

and

conse-

it is

that immediately above

to

the

it,

the same proportion diminished.

The Oandhara Grama is formed from the Madhyama

Grama ; and in the construction of it, the Sangita Darpana
points out three changes in the scale.

Gand'hara takes one S'ruti from Rishabha, an d be-

Is*.

by rendering the third note Ga

comes of three

i. e.,

interval between

Ri and Ga

that between

am

Ga and Ma becomes

Panchama

2nd.

at a loss to

the

a minor tone.

loses one S'ruti to

know how

flat,

reduced to a semi-tone, and

is

this can

Gandhara.
take place

rather

suspect an error in the text, and would propose to substitute

Dha the
of

sixth note instead of Gandhara.

Panchama make

losing one,
this

it is

The three

S'ruti

the interval between the 5th and 6th

reduced to a semi-tone

one to Gandhara, which

is

but

it

the third note.

by

cannot lose

There are

but two methods of reducing this interval to a semi-tone

one by raising the

sixth

flat.

fifth

But here the

note

interval

the other by rendering the

between the 4th and 5th

gra'mas ok musical SCALES OF THE HINDUS.

182

remains unaltered.

Dha

the 6th note

by giving one

or,

Panchama's

Nishada

is

language of Hindu music,

S'rutis to Dhaivata.

rendered one S'ruti

of a note

but

S'ruti

it

may

give one S'ruti to

still

Madhyama Grama

refer), it will

may,

although

one from

gains

it

It

for,

we compare

admitted, and

it

with

which these changes evidently

Ga Ma

Ei
3.

4.

Madhyam a
Grama

of S'rutis.

Dhaivata ;

Nishada, yet

(to

stand thus

Sa

not the

retains four complete S'rutis.

If these conjectures are

the

is

to be a term applied

compliment

therefore, be applied, in this case, to

Panchama, and

me

Here

Nishada.

to

Suddhaswara

flat.

explained to

is

to a note possessing its full

be done by making

in this case

in the

Suddhaswara gives one

3rd.

name

of

must

It

flat

Dha

Pa
4.

2.

Ni Sa
4.

3.

2.

Sa

Ma

Ga

Ei
2.

Gdndhdra

Grama
EG

3.

Pa
4.

2.

Dha

Ni
4.

Sa

gra'mas or musical SCALES OF THE HINDUS.

183

have done, in order to compare those intervals with the S'ruti

of the Hindus, and to

Malcolm's

series of

Major

Mode

Malcolm's

series of the octave.

Minor Mode
or

Madhyama Grdma.

Gandhdra Grdma.

CD

i
CD

o
CD

o*
CD

?
B

the octave.

difference.

or

3
cr

at
CD

show the

gra'mas or musical scales op the Hindus.

184
If

we

revert to the Shadja Chroma,

we

shall find it

composed

two disjunct, but perfectly similar Tetrachords, separated

of

by a major tone

name numbers
first

both Tetrachords are expressed by the

4. 3.

and,

if

we

reject the fractions of the

Tetrachord in the foregoing table,

number

and,

we have the same

as they considered the 2nd Tetrachord as per-

fectly similar to the

first,

they probably made use of the

same numbers to express that

similitude.

There are three kinds of characteristic melody

structure of Ragas, either by the use of

all,

for the

or the exclusion

Those Ragas, in which the

of one, or two, particular notes.

whole seven notes are employed, are called Humir huran.

Those, which exclude one particular note, and only use the

remaining

six,

Those, which exclude two

are called CaoVhir.

particular notes,

and only reserve

five,

There

are called Orav.

a passage in Dr. Burners history of music, and one, in the

is

(speaking of the Ouglia Rotta* or the

British Encyclopaedia

broken pillar lying in the

appears, that there

it

is

Campus Martius

on

at Rome,)

by which

this pillar or obelisk the

figure

a musical instrument with two strings and with a neck

by the means

of its neck, this

two

strings,

if

that,

instrument was capable, with

only two strings, of producing a great

these

of

number

of notes

that

tuned fourths to each other, would fur-

nish that series of sounds called by the ancients Heptachord,

which consists

if

of a conjunct Tetrachord as B. C. D.

tuned in

fifths,

E. G.

they would produce an octave, or two

disjunct Tetrachords.

This
of the
*

may

possibly explain the principle of the construction

Shadja Grama of the Hindus ; and there

A fragment

is

of an Egyptian obelisk of the highest antiquity,

been brought to Romt under Augustus.

Ifc

is

a similar
which had

covered with Hieroglyphics.

GRA'MAS OR MUSICAL SCALES OF THE HINDUS.

instrument

in use, called Dwitantri,

still

seen and heard

ed with parchment

tuned in

it is

has a neck and two strings, and

it

hare often

wooden body, hollowed out and cover-

It consists of a

fifths.

which

and, as far as I remember,

185

is

struck with a plectrum.

The Madhyama Grama

if I

am

right, that of

The extent

of the

Hindu

thus fancifully described

Mundra-sthdna,

is

evidently our major modes

is

Gandhara

the lowest or

from the chest

to the throat

first

or produced

derived

extending upwards to the chest

;

and,

which are

scale is three Septacas ;

:

our minor mode.

is

Septaca, called

from the navel,

the second Madhya-sihana,

the third Tara-sthana, from the

throat to the brain.

The
there

scale is
is

in

denominated Gr&ma,

it

because

(literally village,)

the assemblage of

all

the notes, S'rutis and

Murchkands, arranged in their proper

places,

mankind

as

assemble in towns and villages, and there assume their

differ-

ent degrees and stations.

In considering the names given

appears to me, that the Shadja
the lowest note in that
first

formed from the

necessarily be
interval

first

by

Mi does

Grama may be
8
9

to

fifths

Dha
Sa.

Gramas,

its

it

name from

Tetrachord being apparently

:

between the 5th and 6th

that

takes

in

which case the 6th must

more acute than in the Diatonic

four S'rutis to signify, that

to Pa,

the three

being the foundation of the

scale, as

Tetrachord; the second

to

Grama

is

scale

and the

therefore represented

by

bears the same proportion

The

represented as follow

intervals of the Shadja

:

gra'mas or musical SCALES OF THE HINDUS.

186

The modulation
its rise

Madhyama Grdma

of the

probably took

from making Madhyama the 5th note in the

scale

in which case you will have

&i

sa

ga

ri

ma

pa

dha.

fa

sol

la.

OR
Si

This

ut

me

re

is precisely the diatonic scale of

the Greeks

and here

became necessary to render Dha a comma lower in the

it

which the Hindus express by making Dha receive one

scale,

ed

The

from Pa.

S'ruti

and with

Grama, giving

name

the

it

alteration, thus suggested,

they adopt-

formed their 2nd scale from the Shadja

it

Madhyama, probably

of

to denote

its origin.

The Gandhdra Grdma appears

by making Gandhdra the

Dha

sa

ni

to have a

similar

origin

This will produce

5th.

ma

ga

ri

pa.

OR

La
Which

is

ut

si

the natural minor

their first note, the

it

was probably

or

sol.

it

as

changes before mentioned,

the

Gandhdra

called

fa

mode La : but keeping Sa

Vicrits,

to give

became necessary,

mi

ri

same

modulation

Grdma

and

to denote its

origin.

Of the notes and

S'rutis I

have spoken above, I shall now

endeavour to explain what these M&rchhanas are

what

I conceive

tain seven

in

them

to be,

Murchhanas

Each Grdma

hence

they

is

reckon

or rather

said to con-

twenty-one

all.

Sir

W. Jones

says they appear to be no

pieces of diapason multiplied by three,

more than seven

according to the

GRA'MAS OR MUSICAL SCALES OP THE HINDUS.

difference of pitch in the

ed in

to be the seven notes, each arrang-

proper station in the

its

But the

compass of three octaves.*

M&rckhanas are described

which renders them

scalei,

to be applied in the composition of the Ragas, &o.

pears to

me

therefore, that they

Ordma, which

would arrange as

The Shadja Ordma

fectly similar

is

Grama

fit

It ap-

the intervals of each

are

follows.

composed

two disjunct but per-

of

by a major

Tetraohords, separated

both Tetraohords have a major third

this

187

tone,

and

the Mitrchhanas of

1 suppose to be
1st.

from Sa to Hi

2nd.

Sa

3rd.

Sa to

4th. from
5th.
6th.
7th.

Ga

"\

1st.

2nd.

>

1st. 3rd.

Ma J
Pa to Dha -v
L
Pa to Ni
Pa to Sa
J
Pa to Sa

1st. 4th.

to

2nd. 2nd.
2nd. 3rd.
2nd. 4th.

8 octave.

The Murchhanas of Madhyama Ordma

2nd. from Sa to Ei.

3rd.

Sa

to

Ga

greater third.

Sa to Ma.

4th.
5th.

Sa to Pa.

6th.

Sa to Dha, greater

7th.

Sa to Ni.

8th.

Sa

to Sa.

* In citing a passage from the Epic

which

is entitled

interval."

it,

of that passage, Sir

(which

is

explained

Poem on

the death of Siscpala,

Mdgha, Sir W. Jones translated

(See As. Res. Vol. 1st p. 265.)

interpretation of

siitfe.

He

Mi'trchhana,

"musical

afterwards gave a different

(Vol. 3rd. p. 71,) as stated in the text.

W. Jones mistook the meaning

In his version

of the term S'ntii,

there translated ear, instead of quarter tone,) but he has rightly

it

in his treatise

on the musical modes

of the Hindus.

H.

I. C.

188

GRA'MAS OB MUSICAL SCALES OF THE HINDUS.

Miirchhand of Gandhdra

Sa to

Sa

to Ga,

Sa

to

Sa

to Pa.

minor

third.

sixth.

to Ni.

Sa to

Sa.

The M&rchhan&s
names,*

Ma.

Sa to Dha, minor
Sa

Grama

Bi.

viz.

Those of the

are all personified,

and distinguished by.

gra'mas or musical SCALES OF THE HINDUS.

Those of Gandhara Ordma, are

:-

189

ON

THE YINA OR INDIAN LYRE.

BY

FRANCIS FOWKE,

Esq.

(From "Asiatic Researches"

Vol.

I.)

mm x ^
"

AN EXTRACT OE A LETTER
ON THE

VINA.

From FRANCIS FOWKE,

Esq.,

To the PRESIDENT ASIATIC SOCIETY of BENGAL.

The

drawings of Jeewan Shah and the Been will be des-

patched in a small boat to-morrow, you wished to have had

the two attendant musioiaus in the same drawing with Jeewan

Shah ; but the draftsman was not equal

of this

he would have run

all

the perspective

to

the figures one into the other

and as he has succeeded telerably well with the principal

figures, I

thought

it

was better

to be sure

of that, especially

as the other figures can easily be added by a European artist.

I have a double pleasure in sending you the enclosed account

of the Been.

In obliging'you,

ment

shall

I look

forward to the instructive amuse-

share with the public at large in the result of

your researches into this subject of Indian music

exceedingly

happy, by furnishing

you with

and

facts,

am

highly

necessary indeed, but the mere work of care and observation,

to give

you greater

You may

leisure for the contemplation of the

absolutely depend

upon the accuracy

of

have said respecting the construction and scale of

ment

it

has been done by measurement

to the intervals, I would not depend

upon

and

my

ear,

all

whole
that

this instru-

with regard
but had the

194

THE VINA OR INDIAN LTEB.

Been tuned to the harpsichord, and compared the instruments

carefully, note by note, more than once.
What I myself am
aware
there

certainly not

of, will

may

be a

escape your penetration, that

of the bias of hypothesis, or an

little

pretty strongly established,

opinion

in what I have said of the con-

fined modulation of the Indian music.

But
and

my

easy to separate

it is

my

experiments and conjectures

prejudices cannot mislead you

though they

may

possibly suggest a useful hint, as half errors often do.

The Been

is

a fretted instrument of the guitar kind.

finger-board is 21| ths inches long.

little

The

beyond each end

of the finger-board are two large gourds, and beyond these

are the pegs and tail-piece which hold the wires.

The whole length

The

inches.

and the second

large,

is

of the

gourd

first

instrument

is fixed at

about two feet 11 \.

is

three feet seven

ten inches from the top,

The gourds

are very

about fourteen inches diameter, and have a round

piece cut out of the bottom, about five inches diameter.

The wires

finger-board is about two inches wide.

The

are seven

in nnmber, and consist of two steel ones, very close together,

four brass ones

in the right side;

and one brass one on the

They

are tuned in the following

is

!
3
e

S3

Tf<
03 tffl

#1
O O

~E3~

ffi

rt

gal

4^f-t

on

the

finger-board;

left side.

manner

*
s
-S3

\
3,

a.

THE VINA OR INDIAN LYRE.

The

195

great singularity of this instrument is the height of

the frets

that nearest the nut

one inch

is

and that at

--,

the other extremity about ths of an inch, and the decrease is pretty gradual.

By

touches the finger-board

itself.

wax by the performer

himself,

means the

The

finger never

on with

frets are fixed

which he does

entirely

by

This was asserted by Pear Cavm, the brother of Jeewan

ear.

Shah,
very

this

who was

little, if

ill

at

at

all,

the time, but Pear

Pear Cawn's instrument were

difference is easily corrected

Cawn

is

a performer

The

Jeewan Shah.

inferior to

by the pressure

of pressing the string very hard, and letting

immediately to

something

like

its

The

is

at all

it

return

natural tension, which produces a sound

the close shake on the violin

so agreeable an effect

sound half a

of

little

of the finger.

Indeed, the performers are fond, on any note that

long,

frets

Any

tolerably exact.

for it appears

but not with

sometimes to

alter the

tone.

frets are nineteen

in number.

The' notes that they

give will appear on the following scale.

I have added below

the names which the performer himself gives to the notes

in his

own

language.

change their

It is very observable, that the semitones

names on the same semitone

scale.
<->

as in the

European

196

ftrfl

THE VINA OR INDIAN LYRE.

THE VINA OR INDIAN LYRE.

The

style of

of great
air or

music on this instrument

execution.

of detached passages,

descent

in general that

could hardly ever discover any regular

The music seems

subject.

is

197

consist

to

some very regular

and those that are played

of a

number

in their assent

softly, are

and

most of them

both uncommon and pleasing.

The open wires

that,

to

are struck,

which the uncommonly

greatly contribute

appointed

cipal key, I

and

am

from time

to time, in

manner

prepares the ear for a change of modulation,

I think,

if

full

and

but the ear

there

is

tones of these notes

fine
is,

think,

always

dis-

ever any transition from the prin-

inclined to think

it is

very short.

Were

there

any other circumstances, respecting the Indian music, which

lead to suppose that
rior

it

has, at

some

period, been

to the present practice, the style, scale

much

supe-

and antiquity of

this instrument, would, I think, greatly confirm the supposition.

SUNGEET.

FBANCIS GLADWIN,

(From

the

" Ay em Akbery,"

Esq.

Vol. III.)

SUNGEET
BY

FRANCIS GLADWIN,
'Sunoeet

is

Esq.

the art of Vocal and instrumental

HattSic

together with that of dancing.

The

rules thereof are comprised in seven bodks,

Soot, the nature of sound,

Which

two kinds

of

is

bin.,
;

Firsi;,

Art/nahut,

a sound without any earthly cause, and which they consider

to

have existed from

When

man

all

eternity after 'the following manner.

closes the orifices

of his ears with his fingers,

he perceives an inward

noise, to

They say

from Brahma, and that

this proceeds

Which ihey give this name.

heard without 'stopping the ears/till'a

man

it

is

Muckut, when -it becomes 'part of lis "nature.

Abut, a sound

which proceeds from a cause whidh,

like speech,

to be an accident of air, occasioned

by

'that

Providence has given every

cannot be

in the state of

they consider

They say

percu&aib'n.

man

twen'ty-two nerves,

extending from the belly to the crown eff'the head, through

eighteen of which the air paffs from the navel upwards

and

according as these nerves are employed forcibly or weakly,

in such degree, is the sound "uttered.

The

air does pass

through the

'fifth,

sound uttered through the

'others,

kinds, in the following order

peacock, and Which

is

1-,

eighteenth and

sixth,

nineteenth nerves, consequently they are

rriute

but the

they divide into seven

Sitirj, is

like

the voice of the

produced by the fourth nerVe.

Riffhbeh, is like the voice of the Peepeeheh, a bird

2,

resembling

202

SUNGEET.

the Sar, which sings in the rainy

It

season.

from the seventh to the tenth nerve.

3,

in

is

Qandhar,

compas3

bleating of a goat, and reaches from the ninth to the

teenth nerve.

Muihem,

4,

is

thir-

the voice of the crane, and

is like

reaches from the thirteenth to the sixteenth nerve.

chem,

the

is like

Pun-

5,

the voice of the bird called the Koyil, and

like

reaches to the seventh nerve.

Dehwat,

6,

the voice

is like

of

the lizard and reaches from the eighth to the twenty-second.

Nikhad,

7,

the noise of the elephant, and reaches from

is like

the twenty-second to the third.

An

which contains

air

Sumpoorun.

no

If

these seven

all

Khadow.

six,

But the Tan

has fewer.

air

has

it

(or

Soors,

they

Owduh

If five,

call

aud

symphony) may be com-

posed of two.

Second Adhya, Ragabibaha, the modes and their

varia-

tions.

They

that singing was invented by Mahadeo and

say

That the

Purbutty.

2,

Bussunl

To

; 3,

first

mode

issued a musical

had

five

mouths, from each of which

in the following order

Beharowg ;

4,

Puncham ;

Sree

1,

Raga ;

Megh.

5,

they add Natnarain, which they attribute to

this

These

Purbutty.

several variations

six
;

modes they

call

Raga, and each has

but the six following are what are most

common.
Vabiations of Sree Raga
Z,6owree;

4,

Vaeiations
3,

Byratty ;

4,

Kadaree ;
of
Towree

5,

3,

Poonargeya.

4,

1,

Bdssunt 1,
;

5,

Malavee

2,

Tirowenee

Deysee

Deo-gurree

2,

Lellita ; 6, Eindowlee.

Variations of Boyrowung
Bihrowee

Maddeemadwee ; 6,Beharee.

Bung alee ;

5,

1,

Boyrowo
Biratka

2,
6,

Muddehmad;
Bindavee;

7,

203

SUNGBET.

Vaeiations of

Kanra ;

Puncham 1,

Beybhass

Badhunsha ; 5, Malsree ;
Variations of Megh 1, Mullar

varee;

4,

4,

Kowsekee

Variations of
3,

Aheeree

; 4,

Some make

5,

Gandhar ;

Sowrutty ;

2,

6,

Boopalee

; 2,

3,

Pathamunjeree.

6,

3,

Assa-

Harasingaree.

Namarain 1, Eammodee;

Soodhanuat ; 5 Saluk ;

6,

Eulleyan;

2,

Nutkwmfmer.

only four variations of each Eaga.

Others in

the place of Bussunt, PuncJiem, and Megh, use Malkoosa,

Sindowl, and fieepuc, and make

five

Others instead of Bussunt, Behunga,

variations

of

each.

Punchama and Megh,

use Soodh Behungara, Hindowla, Dasher, and Soodhanut.

There are two kinds of songs

by the Dewlabs and the

Marug being

Rekehsir, which are

those invented

the

same every-

where, and are universally held in the highest veneration.

In the Dekhan there are many who sing them in

ways, amongst which are the following
2,

Penjtalisser ;

Bagkuddem

6,

3,

Sirbetoobehder ;

Shoomra

The other kind

and

7,

4,

1,

Chanderperkass ;

5,

Surtunnee.

of songs are called Deysee

place having its peculiar ones, as

different

Soorejperkass

(or local),

each

Dhoorpud in Agra, Gwaliar,

In the reign of Rajah Man

Bary, and that neighbourhood.

Singh at Gwaliar, three of his musicians named Naik Bukhshoo, Mujhoo,

and Bhanuoo, formed a

suited to the taste of every

class

collection

of people.

of songs

When Man

Singh died, Bukhshoo and Mujhoo went into the service of

Sultan Bahader Gujeratty, and being highly esteemed by
that prince, introduced into his court this kind of songs.

The Dhoorpud
cal lines

of

consists of stanzas of three or four rhymi-

any length.

who have been famous

They

are chiefly in praise of

for their valour or their

virtue.

men
Th

Deysee songs in the Telingee and Carnatic dialects, are called

'

SUNGEET;

2GT4

Dkerowi the subjeoJ;-iS;genemUy

gal,

Those

of,

posed by

Dehly, Eowl, and

Samut and Tetarj they

of-

These

in.

Ben-

Clioolkutta.

were com-

last

Dehly, with the assistance of

mixture of the

are a- delightful

Persian and; Bindove. style.

Those. of-Mehtra, are called:

Bishenpxdj consisting of "stanzas;

and

of four, or six lines,

Those of

are in praise of K,%shm.

Jownpoor>

of

TemnehX

Ameer Khosru

Those' sung

love.

Those

are called Bimgeela.

and are on love and friendship.

are called Kamee,.

Si(jd,

Those, in the Terhut lan-

guage, called Leheharee, w.ere composed by Bedyaput, and are

on the violence of the passion, of

called Chund.

heroic songs are

Those of Lahore are

love.

Those.; of Qujerat

The

Juckee.

warlike and

and Sadereh; they

called. Kirhtfi

different measures,

and in various

already, mentioned,

there are

dialects.

many

others,

are Pcorbee t Dehnasireej Rumkully) Retry ie,

are.

of

Besides those

amongst which

Seohav, Deyskar,

and Deysneek*

The Third Adhya,

of two kinds.

1,

PurJce&renka, txe&bs- of : Atop $ which

Ragalap, the

contains the. subject of the

is,

Tan^ or symphony* which

air.

Mdopalap,< the

2^

air.

with

the. words.,.

The Fourth Adhya,

Oeet.(oi song),
(praise)

3,

Amen

syllables.

Taul, or measure.
is

6, JVeehrat,

signifies the variations

three ta twenty

called

three,

six

Meydenee;

Bhawanee;

of fewer.

if

the

is

things:

Pud,ih& person praised

Tuntivma, or

Paut

Pirbendh,

and consists of

art' of

composiug

Soot-,

4,.Tinna, or

% Beredi

Amen

5,

Time,
of the word, Tvmtiwm, from

This therefore

is

If the

Taul contains

if five,

Anundenee ;

two,

],

Terawely

an excess of time.
six Tuntinnas,

if four,

Debnee,;

it
if.

audit never consists

205

SUNGEET.

Thefour Adhyas above described}

are only divisions of Seor,

or- melody.

The Fifth Adhta,

Taul, treats of the nature and quanti-

ty of the measure.

The Sixth Adhya, Wadya,

which are of four kinds

made

of musical instruments, and

Tut, stringed

1,

instruments.

2,

of skins, such as drums.

3,

Qheen, any two;

things that produce. sound by, percussion.

4,

Sookhir, wind

Tit,

those

instruments.

Stringed Instruments

The Junter has a neck

of hollow

at each end of which

is

wood an

length,

in

ell

On

fastened half of a gourd.

the

neck are placed sixteen wooden frets, over which are strung

The tone

six iron wires, fastened into both ends of the neck.

is varied,

by means

of the frets.

The Bheen resembles

the Junter; but has only three

strings.

The Kinner has a

longer neck than the Bheen, and has the

gourds with two strings.

The Sirbheenis
any

like

the Bheen excepting that

it

has not

frets.

The Ambirtee, the neck of

Sirbheen,

and

it

this is smaller

than that

has only one. gourd, which

is

middle of the neck underneath, and one iron wire.

changes of the modes are played upon

The Rebab, in general, has

have twelve, and

six

of gut.

some

of

the

The

it.

strings

of.

gut

but some

others,, eighteen.

The Sirmendel resembles the Canoon.

strings,

of'

placed in the

which are .of

iron,

some

It

has twenty-one

of. brass,

and some

206

SUNGEET.

The Saringee,

called

also Soorbotan,

is

of the shape

a bow, with two hollow cups inverted at each end.

one string of gut, resembling a bow-string.

of

It has

They hold under

the string a small gourd, and play with a plectrum.

The A dhowtee

a gourd with two wires.

is

The Kingerah resembles the Bheen, but has only two

The Second Kind of Instruments oe Drums

The Puhuwej
citron,

ment

but

and

is

both ends, which are covered with parch-

flat at

held under one arm.

it is

braced with strings of

The

Dehl,

is

is

is

The Third Kind

The

Tal,

or stone

drum

well known.

little

drum

well

known.

Duff hung round with small

of Instruments, those of Percussion

Tal, resemble small fish,

The Shehna,
The Mushk,
rule,

language

and are made of wood

the same as the Persian Sirna, or trumpet.

is
is

composed of two

reeds, perforated

and joined together in a leather bag.

it is

called

The Moorlee,
The

a set consists of four.

The Fourth Kind, or Wind Instruments

to

bells.

a pair of brass cups, with broad mouths.

is

The Kut-h

together.

half the size of the Awej.

Duff, is another kind of

The Khenjir,

drums fastened

silk.

smaller than the Dehl.

is

The Irdahwej,
The

falconers

another kind of

The Dheddeh,

a hollow piece of wood in the shape of a

is

The Awej resembles two

It

strings

and the gourds are smaller.

of gut,

is

according

In the Persian

Nie Amhan, or the bagpipe.

a kind of flute.

OvipunJc, is a hollow tube,

an

ell

long,

the centre, in which is placed a small reed.

with a hole in

207

SUNGEET.

The Seventh Adhya,

The

Tirtya, or the Art of Dancing.

different kinds of singers.

Those who sing the ancient songs, which are the same
everywhere, are called Byhar

The Kerawunt

Sehkar.

The Dharhee

-and those

are those

chiefly sing the

who

who

them

teach

Dhoorpud.

sing the Penjaby songs,

these sing in the field of battle the

praises of heroes,

The Kewall

excite the troops to valiant actions.

which

Many

they accompany with the Dehdeh, and Kingerah.

are

of
to

of this

number, but sing chiefly the Dehly airs and Persian songs
in the

same

style.

The Poorkeya, the men accompany

their

women with the Tal ; formerly

they sung the Kirleh, but now the Dhoorpud, and such like.
There are many beautiful women of this class. The Dusmn
are chiefly Penjaby women who play on the Duff and Dehl,
voices with the Awej, and the

and sing Dhoorpud and the Sohlah, or nuptial and birth-day

Formerly, they appeared only before

songs.

they will exhibit in public.

The

class

have large Duffs, and one of the

upon

thirteen pair of

Tal,

women

Sezdehtaly, the

placing

women

but

men

now

of this

plays at once

them upon her

wrists,

backs of the hands, elbows, shoulders, back of the neck, and

on the

breast.

These are mostly natives of Gujerat and Mulwah.

Nuthwah

The

dance with graceful motions, and sing and play

upon the Pukawej, Rebab, and

The Keertunnya

Tal.

Brahmins whose instruments are such

as were in use amongst the ancient, viz., the Pukawej, Rebab,

They

and Tal.

are boys dressed like

praise of Kishen.

as the last

mimics.

are

women, who sing the

The Bhugteyeh, whose songs

are the

but they change their dresses, and

They

exhibit at night.

are

The Bhumveyeh

same
great

greatly

208

SUNGEET.

resemble the

last,

They

but exhibit both in 'day and night.

dance in a surprizing manner in the compass of a brass

dish, called in the

The

Hindovee language

Bhena play on the Dhel and

present different animals

nostrils

grain,

They

also sing

They

re-

iron spit

swallow

down

their throat into the

mixture of different kinds of

and then bring them up again separately, with other

The Kunjeree, the men play on the Pukawej,

hand.

flights of

Rebab, and Tal, and the

calls

They

and sing

They draw up water through the

They run an

stomach

Talee,

Tal,

them Kunchenee.

women

sing and dance

His Majesty

The Nut play on the Dhel and

Tal,

dance upon the rope, and throw themselves into strange pos-

The

tures.

Beltroopee exhibit in the day,

selves in such a manner, that old

and

disguise

men seem

them-

to be youths,

and youths old men, beyond detection.

The Jugglers
a

man

in pieces,

are so dexterous, that they will

seem to cut

and join him together again.

The Akaheeh, or private Singing and Dancing.

This
their

is

an entertainment given at night by great people to

own

family.

The performers

are

generally

women

of

the house, who are instructed by proper people.

A set consists of
who

four dancers, four singers, and four others

Tal, with

play the

two

Rehab, one Junter; and two

They

are, for

P-tikaWej,

two Owpunks, one

who stand by with

Bometimes teach slaves of their own, and then

His Majesty
knowledge of

torches.

the most part, instructed by the Nutwah,

is

sell

who

them.

excessively fond of music, and las a perfect

its principles.

of people use as the

means

This
of

amuse him and keep him awake.

art,

which the generality

obtaining sleep, serves to

THE NAQQARAHKHANAH
AND

THE IMPERIAL MUSICIANS.

Translated from the original Persian.

BY

H.

BLOCHMANN,

From

the

Esq., m.a.

" Ain-i-Akbari,"

Vol. I. )

.A.I2T 19.

NAQQARAHKHANAH.
BY

H.

Of musical
may mention,

BLOOHMANN,

instruments used in the Naqqarahhhanah, I

The Kuwargah, commonly

1,

them more

there are eighteen pairs of

a deep sound.
3,

The

made

2,

Duliul, of

blow fewer than

The Naqqdrah, twenty

four.

the Persian, European and Indian kinds

each kind.

a cow's horn
bal, of

The Sing

7,
;

is

less.
is

and they never

of the Persian

The

6,

and

Nafir, of

they blow some of

made

of brass, and

they blow two together.

more or

The Karana*

and other metals

The Surna

5,

DamamaJi

and they give

pairs,

4,

they blow nine together.

called

or less

which four are used.

of gold, silver, brass,

Indian kinds

Esq., m. a.

8,

in the form of

The

Sanj, or

cym-

which three pairs are used.

Formerly the band played four gharis before the commence-

ment

of the night, and likewise four gharis before daybreak

now they
his ascent,
sun-rise,

play

at midnight,

first

and the second time at dawn.

commence

the musicians

wake up those that are asleep

they play a short prelude,

when the sun commences

to

One

and one ghari

when they

ghari before

blow the Surnd, and

after sun-rise,

beat the

Kuwargah a

whereupon they blow the Karana, the Nafir, and the

other instruments, without, however, making use of the Naqlittle,

qarah;

after

little

pause the
*

Sum as are

Or Karranu.

blown again, the

NAQQAEAHKHANAH.

212

One hour

time of the music being indicated by the Naurs.

later

"the auspicious

musicians raise

all

After this they go through the

strain."*

following seven performances

name

when

the Naqqarahs commence,

1,

The

Mursali, which

is

the

played by the Mursil; and afterwards the

of a tune

Bard&sht, which consists likewise of certain tunes, played by

the whole baud.

This

followed by a pianissimo, and a

is

crescendo passing over into a diminuendo

The playing

2,

of the four tunes, called Ikhlati, Ihtiddi, Skirazi, Qalanddri

nigar quatrah,f or
3,

The playing

Nukh&d

of the old

Qatrah, which occupies an hour.

Of these his

Khwdrizmite tunes.

Majesty has composed more than two hundred, which are the
delight of

young and

Mahamir karkat

(1),

of the cymbals.

5,

bid,

the tunes Jaldlsh&M,

especially

and the Naurdzi.

The playing

of

4,

The

swelling play

Ba miy&n

daur.

The

6,

passing into the tunes Azfar, also called Rdhi bdld, after which

comes a pianissimo.

7,

The Khwdrizmite

played by

tunes,

the Mursil, after which he passes into the Mursali

pauses, and

commences the

Then

reading of beautiful sentences and poems.

an hour.

ther hour,

he then

blessings on his Majesty,

the whole band strikes up a pianissimo.

for

when

follows

the

This also

lasts

Afterwards the (Swao-players perform for ano-

when the whole comes

to a

proper conclusion.

His Majesty has such a knowledge of the science of Music

as trained musicians do not possess
excellent

hand

remain

and he

so.

is

likewise an

on the Naqq&rah.

Probably blessings on his Majesty.

Several of these

bability,

in performing, especially

names

of melodies are unclear,

Perhaps the words

Shiraz," belong to each other.

Ndgar

and

will in all pro-

shirdzi qalandari,

qatraJi

"a hermit

means, behold the

tear.

of

213

JT1<T 30.

THE IMPERIAL MUSICIANS*

I

cannot

of the

creatures

beautiful

power of

sufficiently describe the wonderful

talisman of knowledge (music).

this

It sometimes causes the

harem

of the heart to shine forth

on the tongue, and sometimes appears in solemu strains by

of the hand and the chord.

means

The melodies then enter

through the window of the ear and return to their former

the heart, bringing with them thousands of presents.

seat,

The

moved

hearers, according to their insight, are

Music

or to joy.

is

the world and to such as

cling to

still

it.

His Majesty pays much attention

patron of

who

all

Hindus,

at Court,

men and women. The

Kashmiris, both

and

to music,

the

is

There are

practise this enchanting art.

musicians

numerous

sorrow

to

who have renounced

thus of use to those

Irani,

Turanis,

court musicians are

arranged in seven divisions, one for each day in the week.

When

his

harmony

Majesty gives the order, they

the wine of

let

in some,

and thus increase intoxication

flow,

and

sobriety in others.

We

*
ters,

goyandah,

have to distinguish

The

and sdzandahs, players.

from khwanandalis, chan-

singers,'

and musicians come from

principal singers

Gwaliar, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Kashmir.

few come from Transoxania.

The

Kashmir had been founded by Irani and Turani musicians, patronized

by Zain-ul-Abidin, king of Kashmir. The same of Gwaliar for its schools of

schools

in

mnsic dates from the time

of

Rijah

Man Tunwar. During

famous Nait Bakhshu, whose melodies are only second

to those

shu also lived at the court of Rajah Bikramajifc, Man's son

throne, he went to Rajah Kirat of

lost

his

he

accepted

Bahadur
His

two

call

(1526 to
great

subsequently

to

1536,
singers

Gujrat,

A. D.)
were

Akbar's service.

Muktrad Deo of Orissa.

where
Islem

Ham

Kalinjar.

he remained

Shah

Doss

Mahapater

but

when

Uakh-

his patron

Not long afterwards,

at the

Mabapater.

of Sultan

court

was a patron

also

and

his reign lived the

of Tansen.

of

Both

music.
entered

was once sent as ambassador

to

214

THE IMPERIAL MUSICIANS.

detailed

too difficult

description of this

but

I shall

Miyan Tansen,*

1.

of people

class

would be

mention the principal musicians.

of Qwaliar.

singer like

him has

not been in India for the last thousand years.

2.

Baba

3.

Subhan Khan, of Qwaliar, a

4.

Srigyan Khan, of Gwaliar, a singer.

5.

Miyan Chand, of Qwaliar,

6.

Biohitr

7.

Muhammad Khan

8.

Bir

9.

Baz Bahadur, ruler of Malwafi, a singer without

R<irndas,+ of Gwaliar,

Khan, brother

of

'a

singer.

singer.

a singer.

Subhan Khan, a

Maudal Khan,

of Gwaliar, plays on the

11.

Daiid Dhari, sings.

12.

Sarod Khan, of Gwaliar, sings.

13.

Miyan

rival.

Lai, of Gwaliar,[| sings.

Regarding Tansen, or Tansain or Tansin,

once given

him one

Tantarang Khan

(11,42) says,

Ram

to have been with Bairam

is

said to have

Ibrahim Sur in vain

Abulfazl mentions below his son

and the Padishahnamah

mentions another son of the name of

Badaoni

Ram Chand

kror of tankahs as a present.

persuaded Tansen to come to Agrah.

Sarmandal.

Shihab Khan, of Gwaliar, performs on the Bin.

10.

singer.

Dhari, sings. %

(11,

5 an interesting

passage)

He

appears

Bilas.

Dass came from Lakhnaw,

Khan during his

rebellion,

and he received once

from him one lakh of tankahs, empty as Bairam's treasure chest was.

He was

first

at the court of Islem Shah,

only to Tansen.

His son Sur Das

t

||

is

Dhari means a

Jahangir says in

'

and he

is

looked upon as second

mentioned below.
singer,' a musician.

the Tuzuk that LSI Kalawant

(or

Kalanwat,

i. e.,

the singer) died in the 3rd year of his reign, " sixty or rather seventy years
old.

He had

been from his youth in

my

father's service.

concubines, on his death, poisoned herself with opium.

such an attachment among

Muhammadan women."

One

of his

have rarely seen

215

THE IMPERIAL MUSICIANS.

14.

15.

Tantarang Khan, son of Miyan Tansen,

sings.

Mulla Is-haq Dhari, sings.

16.

Usta Dost,

17.

Nanak

of

Mashhad, plays on the

Jarjti, of

flute (nai).

Gwaliar, a singer.

18.

Purbin Khan, his son, plays on the Bin.

19.

Sur Das, son of B&bu Earn Das, a singer.

20.

Chaud Khan, of Qwaliar,

21.

Rangsen, of Agrah, sings.

22.

Shaikh

23.

Rahmatullah,

Dawan

sings.

Dhari, performs on the Karand.

brother

Mulla Is-bdq,

of

(No.

15),

a singer.
24.

Mir Sayyid

25.

Usta

26.

Qasim, surnamed

All, of

Mashhad, plays on the Ohichak.

Yiisuf, of Harat, plays

on the Tamb&rah.

Koh bar.*

He

has invented an

instrument, intermediate between the

Qzibuz

and

the Rab&b.
27.

Tash Beg, of Qipchaq, plays on the

28.

Sultan Hafiz Hussaia, of Mashhad, chants.

29.

Bahram

30.

Sultan Hashirn, of Mashhad, plays on the TamTrtbrah.

31.

Usta Shah Muhammad, plays on the Surnd.

32.

Usta

33.

Hafiz Khwajah' Ali, of Mashhad, chants.

34.

Mir* Abdullah, brother of

Qubiiz.

QciM, of Harat, plays on the QAichak.

Muhammad Amin,

plays on the

Tamb&rak r

Mir Abdul Hai, plays the

Qanun.

Koh-bar, as

name

we know from

the PSdishahnamah

(1

6,

p. 335) is

of a Chaghtai tribe.

The Nafais-ul-Madsir mentions a poet

the name of Muhammad Qasim Kohbar, whose nom-de-plume was Cabri.
the

Vide Sprenger's catalogue, p. 50 (where

pan).

we have

to read

Kohbar,

for Guh-

216

THE IMPERIAL MUblCIANS.

nephew

Pirzadah,*

35.

Mir Dawam,

of

Khurasan,

of

sings and chants.

Muhammad

Usta

36.

* Pizzadah,

Hussain, plays the Tamb&rah.f

according to Badaoni (111, 318) was from Sabzwar.

He was

wrote poems under the iahhalluc of Liwai.

He

killed in 995 at Lahor,

by a wall falling on him.

The Maasir

of the

Rahimi mentions the following musicians

Khan KhananAglic Muhammad

Maulana Acwati, of Tabriz

Ustb Mirza, Ali Fathagi

Nishapur, a brother of the poet Naziri

Hafizak, a Tamburah-player

The Tuzuk and the Iqbalnamah mention the following

singer.

Chatr

Khan

During Shahjahan's

Hamzan.

Parwizdad

reign

we

received from Shahjahan the title of Kabrdi ; Dirang

who

got the

title

of

Gunasamudra (ocean

son-in-law to Bilas, son of Tansen.

weighed in

silver,

Mauling Sharaf of

Muhammad Mumin,

579),

(p.

alias

and Hafiz Nazr, from transoxania, a good

of Jahngir's reign Jabangfrdad

Mak'hu

in the service

Nai, son of Hji Ismail, of Tabriz

and received each

singers

Khurramdad

Jangat'h,

find

Khan and
;

of excellence).

La"l

Lai

who

Khan

Khan was

Jagnath and Dirang Khan were both

4,500 Rupees.

Aurangzib abolished the singers and musicians, just as he abolished

the court historians.

Music

is

(11,213) tells a curious incident

The court-musicians brought

given.

(the

to the

and wailed so loud

window, and asked

is

dead,

emperor, "

from

<*

window where the emperors used

people,)

lody

against the

it."

and we

Muhammadan law. Khan Khan

which took place

after the order

to

shew themselves

daily to the

as to attract Aurangzib's attention.

whom they had

on the

bier.

are going to the graveyard."

make the grave deep,

had been

bier in front of the JharokTiah

They

He came

said,

" Me-

" Very well," said the

so that neither voice nor echo

A short time after, the Jharok'hah also was abolished.

may

issue

ORIENTAL MUSIC.
THE MUSIC OF HINDUSTAN OR INDIA.

WILLIAM

0.

STAFFORD.

OEIENTAL MUSIC.
THE MUSIC OP HINDUSTAN OR INDIA.
BY

WILLIAM

C.

STAFFORD.

Sir William Jones divides Asia into

five

great nations

the Indiaus, Arabians, Persians, Chinese, and Tartars

whom, except

last,

all

of

have their characteristic and national

In Tartary he found few indications of musical know-

music.
ledge

the

though some of the branches of that vast mother of

nations undoubtedly possessed great skill in the science.

India

one of those countries which lays claim to a very

is

high antiquity, and to a very

and

M.

sciences.

early proficiency

Bailly supposes the

Astronomy 3101 years

commonly

that the country which

we now

the earliest

received opinion of

and we merely allude

the age of the world

settlements

call

of the

the arts
cultivated

The computation, how-

before Christ.

ever, is inreconcilable with the

in

Indians

to it as a proof

Hindustan, was amongst

sons

of Noah,

and that a

people renowed for learning and intelligence, dwelt there.

''

India," says Mr.

liest antiquity,

Orme, " has been inhabited, from the

by a people who have no resemblance,

in their figure or manners, with

to

them

;"

ear-

either

any of the nations contiguous

and, as Sir William Jones observes, however de-

generate the Hindus

" that in some

may now

early

day,

appear,

they

we cannot but suppose,

were splendid in arts and

arms, happy in gOTernment, wise in legislation, and eminent

ORIENTAL MUSIC.

220
in knowledge.*
into

their

We

shall

not,

however, pursue the inquiry

nor into their proficiency, in arts and

antiquity,

sciences, except to give a sketch, as succinct as circumstances

will allow, of their musical pretensions.

The Hindus

believe, that

music was invented by Brahma

himself or by his active power,

speech

Sareswati,

the goddess of

and that their mythological son, Narad, invented

the vina, the oldest musical instrument in use in Hindustan,

which was

Cach'hapi or

also called

spired mortals, the

sage Bharat,

musician

first

who was

is

Testudo.

Among

in-

believed to have been the

the inventor, they say, of Natacs, or

dramas, represented with songs and dances, and the author

There appear to

of a musical system that bears his name.

have been in the ancient Hindu music, four principal matas,

or systems, and almost every kingdom aud province had a
peculiar style of melody,

and very

different

names

for

the

modes, as well as a different arrangement and enumeration

of them.

In the sacred books of the Hindus, their ancient system of

music

is

said

still

to be preserved.

never been translated

These, however, have

and probably never

will

be

nor do

we think they would repay the time and trouble which such
a task would require. To the learned natives, hoTsever, the
theory of the art appears to be known, though the practice is
entirely lost.

The Hindus have

thirty-six ancient melodies, of a very

peculiar nature, called raugs,

ragiues.]

origin

[or

ragas]

and raugines,

[or

There are various popular traditions as to their

aud many miraculous powers are assigned

to

them.

" Of the six raugs," says Sir William Ouseley,* " the
* Oriental Collec ion*.

first

ORIENTAL MUSIC.
five

owe

their origin to the god Mahadeo,

from

his five

sixth

who -produced them

Parbuttee, his wife, constructed the

heads.

and the thirty raugines were composed by Brahma.

Thus, of

genus

821

melodies are of a peculiar

celestial invention, these

and

of the

three ancient genera of the Greeks most

resemble the enharmonic.

considerable difficulty

in setting to music the raugs and raugines,

is

found

our system

as

does not supply notes, or signs, sufficiently expressive of the

almost imperceptible elevations and depressions of the voice

in these melodies

of

which the time

is

broken and irregular,

Whatever magic

the modulations frequent, and very wild.

was in the touch, when Orpheus swept

filled his softly-breathing flute,

produced by two

Lyre or Timotheus

his

been

the effects said to have

of the six raugs, are even

more extraordi-

nary than any of those ascribed to the modes of the ancients.

Mia Tousine, a wonderful musician

in the time of the

geror Akber, sung one of the night raugs at midday

powers of his music were such, that

night;

it

and the darkness extended in a

palace, as far as

circle

Emthe

became

round the

the sound of his voice could be heard,"

Another of these raugs

the rang

Dheepuck

singular property of occasioning the

Whoever attempted to sing

manded one

instantly

of his musicians,

it.

possessed

destruction by

Akber

is

plunged himself up to the neck.

of

said to have com-

named Naik Gopal,

he, obliged to obey, repaired to the river

the

fire

to sing

Jumna

As he warbled

in

it,

and

which he

the wild and

magical notes, flames burst from his body and consumed him
to ashes

the effect of the third

to produce immediate
girl once,

rain,

the Maig Mullar rang was

and

by exerting the powers

tradition

says, " a singing

of her voice, in this raug,

drew down from the clouds timely and refreshing showers

ORIENTAL MUSIC.

222

on the parched rice-crops of Bengal, and thereby averted the

horrors of famine from the paradise of region."*

no

traveller

now meets with

wonderful properties
of India, he

the inquirer

The
the

if

he inquire

them

for

these

in the

they are to be found in Bengal

west

in Bengal

sent back to the west of India on the search.

is

ancient musical instruments of India were of the lyre,

and the drum

flute,

violin

is told

but

Of course

possessed of

singers

was

and

kind,

it

some parts as

in use in

would appear that the

far

back as the early part

of the seventeenth century.

" In a collection of Voyages and Travels, collected for the

Lord Orford, there

library of

one entitled,

is

'

A true and

almost incredible report of an Englishman, that, being cast-

away

in the

good ship called the Ascension, in Cambaya, the

East Indies, travelled by land through

part' of the

farthest

many unknown

kingdoms,' &c, &c, by Captain Corvette,

1607-8, which contains

whom

amongst

many

curious particulars of the people

he was thrown

and what

is

to our purpose

here contains a passage, clearly describing the existence of the

He

ancient violin.

arrives at

in a gallant fresh river,'

lochies,

'

mere-eators'

Buckar

'

standing on an island,

where dwelt a people

called the Bul-

and worshippers of the sun.

joining country of the Puttans was

The

better, for they

little

the travellers with fiddles in their hands, as

if

to

ad-

met

welcome

them, yet robbed and nearly murdered them."f

Fowke

Francis

Esq., in a letter to

Hindu instrument

cribes an

mentioned) which
Guitar.

"

The

* Sir

similar in

is

style

W,

Sir

William Jones, des-

called the Been (or vina before

construction to the Spanish

of music," he says, "

on

Ouseley's Oriental Collections, Vol.

t Quarterly

Musical Review.

i.,

this instrument
p. 74.

223

OEIENTAL MDSIC.
is

in general that of great execution

could hardly ever disco-

ver any rational air or subject. The music seems to consist of a

number

of detached passages,

and descent

mon and pleasing. The open

in a

some very regular

and those that are played

manner that

uncommonly

these notes greatly contribute

appointed."

He

full

it

change in the

and

but the ear

fine tones of

is

always dis-

" were there any other circumstances

adds,

respecting the Indian music which led to

that

both uncom-

wires are struck from time to time

I think prepares the ear for a

modulation, to which the

in their ascent

softly are

has at some period been

much

the supposition,

superior to the present

the style, scale, and antiquity of this instrument,

practice,

would, I think, greatly confirm the supposition."

There

is

an excavation at Mahabalipatam, described ; by Mr. Golding-

ham,

the Asiatie Researches,* which he imagines was ori-

in

intended as

ginally

scene

it is

now used

" as a shelter for travellers.

the entrance, said to represent

of sculpture fronts

Crishna attending the herds of Ananda.

represents a

man

diverting

and holding the instrument

there

is

One

of the group

an infant by playing on
as

we

do."

a_flute,

In the same papers

an account of the pagoda at Permuttum^ on which

there are several groups of sculptured figures

one of which

represents two camels, " with a person on each, beating the

naqua, or great drum."t

What we have

hitherto said,

ancient

ring chiefly to the

modern Hindu music and the

must be considered

as refer-

music of Hindustan.
sensations

it

excites,

Of the
as Sir

William Ouseley remarks, we can speak with greater accuracy.

It is

of the

diatonic

genera

* Asiatic Researches, Vol. V.

t Ibid. p. 313.

and " many of the

ORIENTAL MUSIC.

224
Hindu

melodies possess the plaintive

Scotch and

Irish,

and others a wild

beyond description.

alluded to in the M. S. treatises

sued; nor have I

it

as being

Sir William Jones says, "

known

It is not

have hitherto per-

in

our

ingenious

Hindustan."*

The Hindu system

of music has,

been formed on truer principles than our own;

I believe,
all

Indian music.

which

that any of

discovered

Orientalists speak of

and

pleasing

Counterpoint seems not to have entered,

any time, into the system of

at

the

simplicity of

originality,

the

skill

composers

of the native

directed to the

is

great object of their art, the natural expression of strong

passions, to

which melody, indeed,

often sacrificed, though

is

some of their tunes are pleasing even

If

we do not admit

we must

many

certainly allow, that

great merit.

Dr. Crotch has

to an

European

ear."t

eulogy in the fullest sense,

Sir William's

of the

Hindu

airs possess

them

inserted several of

in his

" Specimens of Various Styles of Music;" some of which are

original in their formation,
liar

and others are marked by a pecu-

and pleasing tenderness.

generally cultivated in India

It
;

would appear, that music

ing to Sir John Malcolm, most of the

to

them men and women

of the

appear to be a kind of wandering

them rude musicians and

is

and in central India, accordvillages

have attached

Nutt or Bamallee
gipsies,

minstrels,

who

whose music and songs

form the chief entertainment of the peasantry.

cians are divided into two classes,

tribes,

and have attached to

These musi-

Charims and Bhats; they

boast of a celestial origin, and exercise an influence of a very

powerful description over the people.

Oriental Collections.
t Sir

William Jones's Second Anniversary Discourse

of Calcutta. Works, Vol. Ill, p. 17.

before the Asiatic Society

225

ORIENTAL MUSIC.
In an account of Penang, given by Wilkinson
" Sketches of China,"

his

in

appears that the inhabitants

it

culti-

vate a species of extempore song, rudely imitative of the art

of improvisatrizing, so well

known

in Italy.

" Upon entering one of their boats, you immediately be-

come a subject

for their panegyric

part of your dress

by the

sable

is

songsters,

and eulogium

severally described
in

their savage

and every

and sung in chorus

polacca, which,

al-

though possessing more discord than harmony, has a kind of

melancholic dissonancy, not altogether unpleasing

to

the

ear."*

The Hindus have a Gamut " consisting

like

'

of seven notes

our own, which, being repeated in their several asfhaus,

The

or octaves, form a scale of twenty-one natural notes.

seven notes which form the

ma, pa, da,

-na,

ov sa,

ri,

Gamut

ma, pa, dha, ni ; and, when

ga,

written at leDgth, stand thus

hauredge

muddhum ; punchwm ; dhawoth

words,

(the first

are expressed sa, ra, ga,

excepted) the

initial

writing music, to express the notes.

of the

which

rehkub

gundhaur ;

Of

letters

these seven
are used, in

Instead of the

or lowest hauredge, that of the word sur

first,

signifies, emphatically,

the note being, as

named swam,

foundation of the others, and

from the important

office

which

Sir William Jones says, "

As

it

to

Indian consonant includes, by

five of

neehhaudh.

used,

were, the

it

or the sound,

bears in the scale."+

the notation, since every

its

the sounds are denoted

initial
is

nature, the short vowel a,

by

single consonants,

and

the two others have different short vowels, taken from their
* Letter on

'

Oriental Music," in the Quarterly Musical Review

and Maga-

zine, Vol. Tiii., p- 20.

t Sir

William Ouseley's Oriental

Collections, Vol.

i.,

p.

76.

C-l

ORIENTAL MUSIC.

22G
full

names

note

by substituting long vowels, the time of each

doubled, and other marks are used

is

elongation of them.
scale,

The

meau

the connexion and acceleration of notes, the graces of

execution, or

manner of finger

ed very clearly by small

by

for a further

octaves above and below the

by straight

curves,

in the instrument, are express-

and

circles

by

crescents, all in various positions.

is

distinguished by a lotus flower

are determined

by

ellipses,

chains,

little

lines, horizontal or perpendicular,

by the prosody

The

and

of a strain

close

but the time and measure

of the verse,

and by the com-

parative length of each syllable, with which every note, or

assemblage of notes, respectively corresponds.

If I

under-

stand the native musicians, they have not only the chromatic,

but even the second, or new enharmonic genus."*

The

regular

same

Gamut

mode

to our major

of the

ut, ri,

Hindus applies very nearly

mi, fa

sol,

syllables are applied to notes,

la

ut.

si,

When

the

which compose our minor

mode> they are distinguished by epithets expressing the

change.

The Hindus reckon twenty-two

S'rati's,

of a tone, in their octave,

thirds

or quarters and

Their modes are very

numerous in the days of Crishna, they say they amounted

;

One

sixteen thousand.

of

to

Soma,

their musical authors,

enumerates nine hundred and sixty possible variations of

the musical scale, but he selects from them, as applicable to

only twenty-three primary modes.

practice,

observed, that the

mode, properly
each
of

signifies

mode being
to

it,

Hindu word

move

raga, which

It should be
is

rendered

a passion, or afiection of the

mind

one or other

of

our simple or mixed

affections.
*

On

ike

intended, according to Bhekat's definition

Musical Modes of the Hindui,

Works

Vol. iv., p. 157.

227

ORIENTAL MUSIC.
Mr. Paterson, in his notice of the "

Garnets, or

Musical Scales

of the Hindus," expresses an opinion, that the ancient Hindus

were confined, in their music, to thirty-six

"the

six

ragas,

and

thirty ragines,'

melodies,

which were
and

respectively to particular seasons of the year,

of the day

and night, and probably were,

applied to the service of different deities.

vie.,

fixed

times

in

early times,

Now

the Hindus

would consider a performer who sung a raga out of

its

appropriate season, as an ignorant pretender to the character

...

of a musician.

The

modern Hindustan, are

principal instruments in use in

the tamboura which has a body formed of a gourd, with a

long neck, or finger-board, and three strings, two of which
are turned in unison, and one an octave below.

These strings

are struck with a plectrum, shaped like a heart.

The sauringas,

or syringas, resemble an European violin.

of gut

ber

The

they are sometimes four, and sometimes

strings are
five in

num-

and they are tuned in fourths, played with a bow, and

stopped on the finger-board in the manner of a violin

Cashmerian sauringas are

larger,

the

and are held and played in

the manner of that instrument.

The Hindu
with a bow.

cithara

is

furnished with wires, and

The common

small kettle-drum.

Two

is

played

pulsatile instrument in use is a

of these instruments are fastened to

the sash which goes round the waist, and are beaten with the

both hands being used.

In those parts of India which are under British dominion,

fingers,

the same style of music

the mother country
visited

is

cultivated

and Calcutta, in

by some distinguished

mental.

artists,

which

is

particular,

current in

has been

both vocal and instru-

OMENTAL

228

The

MUSIC.

orchestra of the theatre in that city,

ed, besides the violins, of a double bass,

in 1824, consist-

two violon

cellos,

two

bassoous, two flutes, two clarionets, two horns, two trumpets,

and kettle-drums.

mer

It

was under the direction of Mr. Del-

and the most distinguished amongst the

singers were

Dr. Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. Bianchi Lacy with Mesdames

Cooke, Kelly and Miss Williams.

Concerts were given, some-

times by foreigners, but generally by Englishmen, the price

of admission being sixteen Rupees.
class of

Rupees.

professors for lessons

The charge

of the higher

was from eight to sixteen

MUSIC OF THE HINDUS.

BY

J.

NATHAN.

(From " Musurgia

Vocalis."

MUSIC OF THE HINDUS.

BY
J.

The Hindus

NATHAN,

considered music iuvented for the purpose of

mind by devotion

raising the

to

the felicity of the divine

nature, and have airs faithfully handed

tors in Sastras,

Ragas,

fied in six

each of which

same

strain,

to each.

But

down by

ances-

their

where the whole science of harmony is personior, as

is

we may

call

them, major modes

attached' six Ragnis, or minor

representing so

many

pressively to the eye than to the ear,

of each undivided melody

is

to

of the

princes with six wives

much more

as the Indian allegories speak

priate paintings to the several modes,

modes

we

ex-

learn from appro-

that the performance

exclusively restricted to

some

season of the year, or point of time in the twenty-four hours,

at which only

it is

opportune or admissible.*

I here omit a full discussion of

Hindu music, because the

pages of the Asiatic Researches have been already devoted

* According to

Hindu

language, the supreme

the absurd account given in the

belief in

God having

created the world

Sanscrit

by the word

of his

mouth, formed a female deity named Bawaney, who, in an enthusiasm

joy and praise brought forth three eggs.

male

From

named Brimah, Vishnou, Sheevah.

deities,

of

these were produced three

Brimah was endowed

with the power of creating the things of this world, Vishnou with that of
cherishing them, and Sheevah with that of restraining and correcting them.

Seraswaty, the wife of Brimah, presides over music,

quence

she

is also said to

by which the
dess

is

divine will

be the inventress of the

was

first

hannony and

elo-

letters called

Demnagry,

promulgated among mankind.

This god-

supposed to have a number of inferior

deities, called

Rags or Ragae,

MDSIC OF THE HINDUS.

232

Lieutenant-Colonel Tod, however, imagines

to the inquiry.

the Hiudus to have derived the notion of the seven notea

from the seven planets, whence they obtained an octave

with

its

semitones.

It is also

possible

(he avers) that as

they converted the ascending and descending

Grahas or planetary

bodies, they

notes into

may have added them

to

the harmonious numbers, and thus produced the No-Ragini

or

nine modes of music, so called from the nine passions

excited

He

by the powers of Harmony.

had not only the

though the

latter

of Alexander,

it

believes,

that they

but the chromatic scale

diatonic,

for, al-

has been referred to Timotheus in the time

is

more probable, that

it

was brought from

the banks of the Indus.

acting in subordination to her

they preside over each mode. The Ragas

are accompanied each with five Eaginies or Ragnis, female deities or nymphs
of

harmony

they have each eight sons or genii, and a distinct season

appointed for the music of each Rag, during which only

played, and this at distinct

and stated hours

it

is

can be sung or

of the day or night.

There once existed, say the Hindus, a musical mode belonging to Deipec
or Cupid, the infiamer; but it is
to restore it

was consumed with

now lost, and

fire

To Nared, the son of Brimah,

instrument named Bene.

a musician

who attempted

from heaven.

is

ascribed the invention of a fretted

SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

From

the "

Journal of the Asiatic Society,"

Vol.

XXV., 1834)

..

WILLAED'S TREATISE
MUSIC OF HINDUSTAN.

With

the exception of Sir William Jones' valuable and

learned essay in the third volume of the Asiatie Researches,

we have had

little

information on the music of the Hindus,

beyond a notice of the adaptation of the rags

Seasons and hours in
occasional cursory

Gilchrist's

(generally

to the different

Hindustani Grammar, and

disparaging) mention of the

existing practice of the art at naches, in noisy processions, or/

on the Gh&ts, by travellers

ill

of the East.

known

sounds among the nations,

The instruments themselves

Solwyn's

of appreciating the

capable

peculiarities of the science of sweet

magnificent

work

drawings of most of them, which

are pretty well

contains

accurate

have been copied

into,

other more popular works.

The present volume,

therefore,

a child of long promise,

was received with

and consequently of high expectation,

as the author

avidity,

was known

to

be a

skilful

per-

former himself on several instruments, and to have enjoyed local advantages

ment

at

has his

of

little

volume

Nawab

disappointed

and pleasing account of his

reader,

observation

the native court of the

us,

from his appointof

Banda

neither

being a familiar

subject, intended for the general

and rendered more inviting by frequent allusion

to

236

ORIENTAL MUSIC.

the music of the West both ancient and modern.

An

author

in the present day labours under evident disadvantages, in

attempting to describe what the music of the Hindus was in

the flourishing period of their literature and religion, when
poets and priests were also musicians, modulating and singing
their

own

Sanskrit,

would

and

professors

have

required

sufficient familiarity

and

heroic,

its

To have persued

compositions.

antiquary,

the subject as an

extensive knowledge of

with the varied metre of

poetry, to do without aid from native

erotic

for the present cultivators of the science

are

for

the chief part of the most ignorant and abandoned classes

so that the very art

more respectable
is

is

held to be disreputable

ranks, just as

among the

among us the noble drama

forsworn by many, from the abuses which have crept into

our theatres.

Still

in these

exceptions, and the sacred

degenerate days

Vin

may

there

are

occasionally be heard

pouring forth a strain of rhapsody that carries the imagination back to the fabulous age of Rishes and Oandharbas.

Our author

treats successively of the

oriental melody, rags

compound

rags) instruments, vocal compositions,

peculiarities of

manners and customs exemplified

Hindustan.

of

Gamut,

Then

follows

and

of the

in the songs

a brief account of the most

celebrated musicians, a copious

and copper-plate

of time, of

and raginees (giving a long catalogue of

glossary of musical terms,

tables of the varieties of time or metre with

their native characters and values.

"

The musicians

of Hindustan never appear to have

had

any determined pitch by which their instruments were

gulated, each person tuning

his

own

to

adapted by guess, to the power of the instrument

quality of the strings,

re-

a certain height,

and

the capacity of the voice intended

237

ORIENTAL MUSIC.

be accompanied, and other adventitious circumstances.

to

From

this it

note

is

may

be observed that

it

is

makes the Kharaj, or key-note, on the

with A, but the author thinks
tune

it

immaterial which

Sir William Jones

designated by which letter."

Vin, to correspond

would be more systematic to

to ut or 0, the key-note of the natural scale of Europe.

it

This depends upon whether

it

was the intention to speak of

the diatonic intervals, or of the absolute pitch of the instru"

ment.

The notes

sub-divisions

us

assigned as follow

C Kharaj

Ri

Ga

F Maddham

Ma

G Panchum

Pa
Dha
Ni

Ilhyvat

B Mkhad
The
fifth,

Srulis comprised.

intervals between the first

and

fifth

a distinct

Butra, Cumodutee, Mundrica, Chhundavuttee.

Duyavatee, Heictica, Runjunee.
Sivee, Crodhee.
Bugra, Prusarunee, Preetee, Marjunee.
Kshuttee, Recta, Sidpunee, Ulapunee.
Mundutee, Rubin ee, Rummya.
Oogra, Joobhanka.

Sa.,

Rikhab
Gandhar

them has

Abbreviated for Solfaing,

Soor.

22 minor

into

of twelve semitones, as is done with

these are called Sruti, and each of

name

D
E

of an octave are divided

instead

and second, fourth and

and sixth notes are divided into four parts

those between the second and third, and sixth and seventh,

each into

three

parts

and those

between

and fourth, and seventh and eighth, which

reckoned semitones, each into two parts."
asserts

under

the

division

authority of Tartini

can

'

time,'

third

Captain Willard

notwithstanding

and Dr. Burney,

that no

execute measures of five notes in a bar

beautiful melody in

the

with us are

the

musician

" There

is

Hindustan comprising seven and other

unequal number of notes in a measure, and that they have

musicians in abundance that are able to execute
should much doubt

this fact.

it.

We

238

ORIENTAL MUSIC.

Harmony

Indian

is

mostly confined to a monotonous re-

petion of the key-note during the flights of their vocal or

instrumental melody

for it is

melody which has ever

tuted the soul of the national music in India as

Greeks and Egyptains.

consti-

amoDg the

Our author has the following general

observations on this subject.

Hindustani melodies are short, lengthened by repeti-

1.

tion and variations.

They

2.

partake of the nature of what

all

denominated

is

by us Rondo, the piece being invariably concluded with the

first strain,

the

first

3.
is

and sometimes with the

or at least with

first bar,

note of that bar.

bar, or measure, or

certain

number

of measures,

frequently repeated with slight variation, almost

There

4.

pauses, which

is

much

as

may

The author

Rag by

Jones' rendering of

The

'

tune' or

'

distinct

'

personification of rags

and rdginees, and the

quire any

of the

rag

word that

ragmalahs, are too well

it

mode,' or key,

air.'

of pictures called

remark

lib.

Sir William

corrects

the expression,

which the Hindus have the

signifies rather

ad

allowed with respect to

be lengthened at pleasure, provided the

time be not disturbed.

for

liberty

known

would have increased the

series

to

re-

interest

work to European readers had the descriptions of

accompanied

these

been

series

of drawings,

by

engravings

of

but we are aware that

done in India.

selected

this could

not

The sixteen melodies

set

have been

easily

to music

(always excepting the impossible

7-quaver

airs)

form, however, an interesting part of the author's labour

the effect of metre

is

strikingly

marked

in

some of these

239

ORIENTAL MUSIC.

We

cannot resist pointing out the [close resemblance of

the 9th (a Persian ghazal) to the hexameter verse

posing the

first

and second section iu each

line

by

trans-

and adding

one long foot the metre becomes perfect

Ashvagari dil burda za man (to) jalva numai,
Kajkulahi zar rin kamari (ham) tanga qubai,
Man bavasalash ky rasam in (ast) baa ki barahash,
Khaka shavam rozi (ta) bo&am (man) kan pai.

which may be anglicized in the metre of the

original

(Dilburda za man-ashvagarijalva nxxxni, &c.)

Oh thief

of

my heart,

eye

me

not so

shining so brightly

With head dress awry girdle of gold boddice bound tightly

When, when shall we meet Ah not in life not till my ashes
Lie strew'd in thy pathkissing thy feettreading so lightly.
!

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

COL.

From

P.

T.

FEENCH.

the Proceedings of the

Academy,

Vol. IX.,

Royal Irish

Part

I.

E-l

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN MUSICAL

INSTRUMENTS,
Presented B

Colonel P. T.

FRENCH.

Captain Meadows Taylor read the following :

Having been
tion

called

of Musical

upon

to describe

the valuable Collec-

Instruments of India, presented by Colonel

now proceed

P. T. French to the Academy, I will

to

in the order in which they have been numbered.

regret that I have not beeu able to
this

tune any of them

been possible, their uses and

effects

much more

readily understood than they

description

so,

had

would have been

can be by mere

but the greater number of these instruments

require steel wire strings of a quality

them by wire-drawers
this city.

do

I have to

in

India,

made

which

I have therefore to depend

is

upon

especially for

not obtainable in

descriptive

detail

with notices of the uses to which they are put by native

alone,

musicians of India, according to

Nos.

1,

2, 3, in

my own

experience.

Native Name j^ (Jhang).

Catalogue.

Metal Cymbals of vaeioos Kinds.

These are used as accompaniments to
in

all

native music

but

the north more frequently in connexion with that of a

religious character

they are universal.

of bell

metal,

than in the south, where in

The

larger

when clashed

all

shapes

kinds, whether of silver or

together, have an effect similar

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN.

244

to those in use iu our

own

military bands, and

unison with the hoarse bray

and

flageolets, the

of trumpets,

form

fitting

the shrill pipes

drums, and large choruses of male voices,

by which the temple music, chaunts hymns, and the

is

Cymbals

generally executed.

some have the

more

effect of large

in form

differ

gongs

others of a softer and

In

tinkling character, are used with softer music.

however, the effect for the most part

the time, which

is

done very

like,

and, sound:

is to assist in

skilfully

all,

marking

and evenly by the

performers.

In the south of India another kind of cymbal

which

is

in the form of

two cups, of

there is no specimen here.

bell metal,

Of these one

is

held in the

palm, secured by a cord passed round the hand, and

by the

other,

which

is

used,

is

and of which

held loosely in the right.

is

left

struck

Players on

these cymbals are extremely dexterous, and produce a not

unpleasing accompaniment to the voice, or to instrumental

music, by striking the cups together in such a manner,
outside, inside,

and upon their edges, as to form notes in

accordance with the voice, or the other instruments by which

it

may

be accompanied.

This cymbal accompaniment

played with more execution than

may

ia

be conceived possible

from the nature of the instrument. I have heard professors

even play solos upon it, which, if not very intelligible as to
tune, were at least curious in execution and diversity of time,

as suited to the various styles of

music.

Cymbals are used

both by Hindu and Mahcmedan musicians.

4.

srr^T

(Thalia). Gong.

This needs no particular description.

ple music, or as calls

to

sacrifice

It is beaten in

tem-

or ceremony at different

245

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.
hours of the day, and
religious

who
The

are

by many of the professional

used

is

mendicants of the country, more especially those

accompanied by bulls or goats which perform

accompaniment

thalla or gong, is not used as an

tricks.

vocal

to

music, nor to any but the loud, crashing and generally dissoIt is not

nant music of temple ceremonies.

medans except when struck

used by Maho-

as a clock, noting the hours

of.

the day as shown by the water-clock or hour-glass, and in

this respect iudeed

it is

common

both to Hindus and Maho-

medans.
5.

As

Bell.

a musical instrument, the bell

same manner
ly.

*f (Gunte).

as the

No ceremony

is

used somewhat in the

cymbals before mentioned, but more rare-

of sacrifice or oblation, however,

performed without preliminary tinkling of the

bell,

repeated at certain intervals according to the ritual.

To

of sacrificial utensils is complete without one.

is

ever

which

No

is

set

describe

the use of the hand bell at particular periods of ceremonial

observance, would lead

me

reference to the subject in

into digressions which have no

hand

but there can be no doubt

Hinduism

that the practice of using

it is

and the

rituals,

and works on ceremonial obser-

vances,

define

liturgies,

the use to be

as ancient as

made

of

it.

the use of the bell in any form that I

known.
6.

$ '^5

(Goongooroo).

These striugs of small

or -female,

Hindu

or

By Mahomedans,
am aware of is un-

Ankle

bells are

Mahomedan.

used by

They

itself,

are

Bells.
all

dancers, male

tied

round the

leg, above the ankle, and produce a faint clashing sound as

the feet

move

in steps, which mingles, not; unmusically, with

246

CATALOGUE OP INDIAN.

the dauce music, or songs which accompany the dance

and

they not only serve to mark the time, but to keep the dancer

time and accord

or singer in perfect

These

are the symbols

bells

with the musicians.

with

of their profession

dancers and singers, and to some extent are held sacred.

dancer ties them on his or

all

No

ankles before performance,

lier

without touching his or her forehead and eyes with them, and
saying a short prayer or invocation to a patron saint or

Hindu

nity,

or

Mahometan. Nor

is it possible, after

singer or dancer has once been invested with

them-

divi-

a female

cere-

mony which is very solemnly performed, and attended with

much cost to abandon the professional life so adopted.

He

or she " has tied

on the

bells,"

is

even a proverb, to

signify that the person alluded to has devoted himself or her-

a purpose from

self to

which

it

is

impossible to recede.

Strings of these small bells are also used for horses, and tied

round the fetlocks of prancing chargers with gay

bons or pieces of

some of a

large size

bullock.

The

tinsel

rib-

round the necks of lap-dogs, and

cloth, also

round those of a favourite plough or cart

latter are identical

with sleigh

bells.

No

post

runner in India travels without a string of them tied on the

end

of his

and on a

pole on which

still

at a great

is

slung the leather bag he carries

night their clashing sound, besides being heard

distance serves to

scare

away wild beasts and

to

cheer the runner on his lonely path.

7.

Used

frs*l (Seeng).

universally through India for signals,

processions,

and the

though the performers,

caste.

Horn.

like,

watch setting,

both by Mahomedans and Hindus,

for the

most

part, are

Hindus of low

In every village of Central or Southern India,

it is

f*~'

247

the business of one or more of the watchmen to blow

the

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

horn at sunset, and again at certain hours during the night,

or

when

the

watchmen go

their stated rounds.

Iu large

cities

every niahdla or ward has a horn-blower attached to

night watchmen or

police

and there

is

detachment of native irregular troops without one.

other festive occasions, this horn

is

indispeusable

ing blasts for the dead are played upon

of the lower classes

Hindu

cremations of

No

In

all

temple services, and especially at marriages and

processions,

Hindus

its

seldom a guard or

and

castes, or equally

so at the

traverses the country without one,

in his train

and as towns or

approached, the great man's advent

of the instrument, blown

the head of

wail-

at the funerals of

princes.

native authority

frequently several,

it

and

is

villages are

heralded by flourishes

by the performer, who

struts at

These blasts are answered by

the cavalcade.

others from the town or village gate, whence the local authorities

come out

welcome.

to

On

meet the

and present their

visitor

offerings of

these occasions, the horn-blowers on both sides

vie with each other in producing their grandest effects,

the discordance

is

and

generally indescribable.

Itinerant mendicants of

many

both Hindu and Mahomedan

classes use this instrument,

and by the men

carrying grain

droves of

cattle

Brinjarees,

Comptees, and others,

in

charge of

or merchandize, such as
it is

sounded at intervals

along the road to cheer up their bullocks and keep them from
straggling, as well as

at their

departure from or arrival at

one of their stages.

In tone a good Seeng, or horn,

bugle, but has

phiyer

much more

much more

is

not unlike a

common

power, and in the hands of a good

compass.

In playing the high notes in

CATALOGUE OP INDIAN.

248

many

the

of

calls,

quivering cadences are produced,

shrill

which have a startling and peculiarly wild

from the walls of some ancient

towers and gates as night

falls,

fortress,

effect

as heard

or from village

and more especially in the

otherwise unbroken stillness of night.

I have never heard tunes played

horn-blowers,

or attempted by native

though the modulations of

the tones of the

instruments are frequently sweet and pleasing

nor are they

used iu concert with other music, but always independently,

as I

have already explained.

There can be no doubt, I think,

that this kind of horn is of very ancient origin and use

I observe in the

Museum

or Celtic instrument,

if

of the

and

one ancient Irish

not indeed others, identical with the

Indian Seeng, and which, like

it,

were most probably used in

In shape,

already detailed.

or for the purposes

battle,

Academy

in

the peculiar adaptation of their joints, and in the form of

the mouth-piece, they are identical.
8.

Used

Jjtjfi:

chiefly

Tootoore
religious

in

).

Small Trumpet.

music

at temples,

and in other

religious ceremonies. It always accompanies the next in order,

and
bass.

may
No

be called the tenor trumpet, the other being the

calls

or modulations are blown

upon

it,

but

it is

intervals,

several being employed, with a wild

shrill effect, in concert

with the pipes on which the tunes are

sounded at

played.
9.

3iif

Kuma).

Like the preceding, this

cessions, or in festivals in

is

Large Trumpet.
used chiefly in religious pro-

honour of

local

divinities.

It has

a few hoarse bass notes, which contrast with the shrill tenor
of the Tootoore,

and appear incapable of other modulation.

249

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

These instruments are almost invariably played by Brahmins

or priests attached to Hindu temples, and by persons at-

tached to the retinues of the Gooroos, Swamies, or spiritual

princes

the

of

who

country,

possess large

ecclesiastical

and are provided with them, as a mark of high

jurisdiction,

rank, which

not allowable to others.

is

Occasionally, also,

they are met with in the Nobuts, or musical

ments attached by royal permission

Mahomedan
five

as well as

stated periods

they do not exist in

Hindu

of the
all

and they

establish-

to nobles of high rank,

are

sounded at the

regular daily performance

cases, for there

are

but

distinctions in

the classes of instruments, according to the rank of persons

privileged to play the Nobut, which involve the presence or

otherwise of the hurna, those of the highest rank only being

able to use

The Nobut,

it.

as a peculiar institution of native

music, will be explained hereafter.

esteemed by

The hurna,

or large

Brahmins to be the most ancient

instrument of music in existence, and the sound of it to be
trumpet,

is

all

especially pleasing to the gods, in various particular ceremo.

nies,

and

at

solemn parts of

sacrifice.

I need not, however

occupy the time of the Academy with such legends.

It

is

perhaps worthy of remark, however, that in the pro-

cession on the

Arch of Titus

at

pets, precisely similar in shape

is

Rome, one of these trum-

to

that of this collection,

being carried with the sacred candle-stick

with seven

branches, and other trophies from the Temple at Jerusalem

and thus

it

may be

inferred that

it

was used

in the ancient

Jewish ceremonies.
10. "ffan:

^T

<

^Ti

( Holar cha SoonaiJ.

Tenor or Second.
These instruments, which
of universal use

in

all

all

11, 12,

Do.

Eeed Pipes.

belong to the same class, are

parts of India.

What

bagpipes are

F-l

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN

250

to Scotland or Ireland, these pipes are to

flageolets in appearance,

that of the bagpipes, only perhaps

more powerful, and

hands of good players more melodious.

and eight

holes, respectively,

no great compass

of fingering

in the

They have seven

and thus would appear to have

but in execution, whether from the effect

of the lips and tongue

manner

Although

India.

their sound is precisely similar to

upon the reed mouth-piece, or the

upon the

holes, combinations are

formed

which include semitones and quarter notes, and thus

expression of chromatic passages

prayers are very fond,

From

effective.

unpleasant
the open

much

if

air,

is

their great

ad,

given, which, in reality,

specially

softness.

but at a distance in

among mountains, the

subdued, and often attains

universal.

are very

power of sound, these pipes are

the performers be near

and

the

libitum, of which native

much

effect

is

wild beauty and

As I have already stated, their use is almost

They are, in fact, the only regular out-door

instruments of Indian music, and are

employed

on

all

oeeasions, whether in domestic or public religious ceremonials,

processions in festivals, temple music, and the like

and the

music played upon them varies with the occasion on which

they are used.

Marches, and military music exceedingly like

pieces

pibrochs in character
for funerals,

for

marriages) for rejoicings,

welcomings, departures

familiar

and the stated music of the Nobut, have

and

effects.

all

ballad

separate

In the Mahratta country, in which I know them

best, the simple melodies of the people, joyous

or plaintive,

are performed with a style of execution which

prising

airs,

modes

and combinations of musical

effect

is

often sur-

are introduced

which are equally curious and interesting.

In the Nobut or honorary band

noblemen, temples, or

shrines of

of musicians attached to
saints,

Mahomedan

or

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

251

Hindu, the best performers obtainable are generally employed

and

and the performance

and

bass,

is

accompanied by drums, tenor

which are tuned with the

large kettle-drums,

pipes,

and form useful aids to the general

played

is

played from

new

The music

effect.

generally traditional, as no written music is ever

;

but

skilful

players not unfrequeutly invent

which are founded upon the

airs,

several

modes of

recognised divisions of music, and these are taught to pupils,

thus perpetuating continual changes, whether for different

hours of the day or night, or for extraordinary occasions.

Not

unfrequently, very sweet-sounding flageolets are used

by Mahratta musicians
have the
find

in

company with these

effect of mollifying their

any specimens of them in this

shrillness

pipes,

which

but I do not

collection.

In the Mahratta country the players of these pipes are

and the

called gursee,

office

of piper is hereditary in every

village or town, accompanied by portions of land, and cer-

tain proportions of the crops of the

other

of the hereditary twelve villages councilmen.

The

of "gursee"

office

lighting the lamps,

on

all

and

at harvest,

common with

other hereditary dues and

members

village

privileges, in

involves sweeping the village temples,

and

officiating at certain

ceremonies

and

occasions of marriages, festivals, funerals, and the like,

the gursee

which are

entitled to certain perquisites, the rights to

is

strictly preserved

14. 'fteTT

^1

^JT- 15-

and universally admitted.

(Solar cha SoorJ.

Tenor

and Bass Drones.

The

pipes are invariable accompanied by drones, tenor and

which Nos. 14 and 15 are

bass, or first

and second

specimens.

The instruments have but one note

bass, of

each, which

252
is

CATALOGUE OF INDUS*

played without intermission by different persons.

have the exact

effect of the

They

drones of bagpipes, and can hi

tuned to any key which the leading instruments require, by

altering the position of the mouth-piece or reed, and the pipes

are tuned to different keys iu the

16.

(Poovgi).

tff*t

These instruments have

Simple, plaintive

upon them

airs,

same manner.

Snake-Chaemer's Pipe.
six notes,

and three semitones.

generally in minor keys, can be played

but they are not used

with other

musical

instruments, and belong exclusively to the snake-charmers

-and various tribes of jugglers,

acrobats,

and the

By

like.

the snake-charmers, a few notes only are played, which seem

to have the effect of rousing the snakes to

usually cobra de capellos, to action

themselves on their

themselves to and

tails,

fro,

So

is

accelerated by the rapidity

also in feats of jugglery, or sleight

of

hand, the poongi, accompanied by a small hand drum, seems

balls

into the air, catching

them up

when throwing knives

have an
is

them

effect

is

no doubt that the tones of

upon

denied by many.

all

this

Ellichpoor,

instrument

snakes, especially cobras, though this

As an instance

of this, I may. mention

that one very large cobra, which, frequented

my

garden at

and of which every one was in dread, was caught

by some professional snake-charmers

by means

or

in succession, and throwing

again.

I think there

'

reptiles raise

the players become more excited,

to assist the performer, especially

be exhibited,

and as the

expand their hoods, and wave

while the motion of the snakes

of their execution.

of -the poongi.

It -was

in

played at

my own
first

presence

very softly

before the aloe bush, underneath which the snake lived

h>a

253

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
hole

gradually the performer increased the tone and time

of his playing, aud as the snake showed its head, he retreated

gently

till it

manner.

was

At

fairly outside,

and erected

itself in

moment another man stepped

that

a defiant

dexterously

behind, and, while the snake's attention was absorbed by the

player before, threw a heavy blanket upon

by a forked

stick,

seizing

it

by

and the fangs and teeth extracted by

The snake was then turned

strong pincers.

it,

The head was then pinned down

the head under the jaws.

loose, apparently

completely cowed and exhausted, and finally transferred to a

There was no mistake

basket for education as a performer.

as to the identity of the reptile

had been shot

men
all

off in

an attempt

to

for

a portion of

destroy

it.

afterwards drew snakes from the thatch of

its tail

The same

my house,

of which seemed to obey the fascination of the pipe.

17.

19.

^mTU

(Soor Sotta).

Do. 20. Do.

18.

?rfaTT

(Tumboora).

Four Stringed Lutes, larse and small.

The four instruments, 17

are called soor sotta,

to 20,

tumboora, and are only variations of the tumboora.

consist of a large grourd as a body,
frets,

or

They

and a stringboard without

with pegs at the end, along which the wires, one brass

and three

are stretched over a bridge, below which each

steel,

string is fitted with a glass bead,

assists in tunning.

made on

No

these instruments.

in whatever key

is

which improves the tone and

performance of varied character

required

They

are

generally of C and

passed rapidly across the strings

is

tuned to one chord,

or the

the finger

notes are played

separately, but quickly, so as to form the chord in vibration.

Almost
truments

all

Hindu and Mahomedan

in preference lo

any other.

singers use these ins-

They

are, in fact,

only

CATALOGUE OP INDIAN

254

helps to the voice, and afford a simple accompaniment which

marks the time, while

it

does not interfere with the singer's

much ornament

So

execution.

is

employed by professional

native singers, that they prefer to rely upon their vocal

powers alone for success

and

it is

esteemed a mark of

in-

any other adventitious aid than the simple

teriority to use

chord of the tumboora.

himself, though

In most instance the singer plays

have occasionally seen two or three instru-

ments, of different sizes and tones, employed where the singer

was sure

of correctness of time,

therefore,

and accord.

The tumboora,

confined to the use of singers, male or female,

is

pr to accompaniments in recitations, the chanting of sacred

works and hymns, and of scales and exercises in singing.

It is never used in

company

with, pipes

deed with any other iustruments

it,

the effect

instrument

simple,

is

or

flageolets,

or in-

but, as I have described

and often very charming when a good

used which has a mellow tone.

is

21. fsnnt ( Sitar ).

Guitar, or Lute, for

Performance.

The

sitar is another instrument expressly intended for

though

performance of species of music,

the

have heard

it

used occasionally by Rajpoot minstrels as an accompaniment

It

to the voice.

and two brass

nineteen
for

aud

execution

it

is

has

five wire strings, three

for bass,

and eighteen

will be seen

dowu, and a

by a glance, and

considerable,

always produce a jangling

sitar can be

altered to

skilful

steel

frets, or,

effect,

which

musician knows
it is

treble,

its

capability

though the metallic strings

is

unpleasant.

any key by moving the

The execution with which

for

with the nut,

how

to do

frets

this

frequently played

is

The
up or

exactly.

wonder-

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
ful r

255

and the performer can execute chromatic passages

at Will,

extending to fourths of original notes.

^t ^p^fT

22.

(Soorsringa).

Numbers 22 and 23

are instruments of the

aa 21, for performance only.

respect to

sr^^T (Kuchwa.)

23.

same character

23 differs from 21, not Only in

and power, but in having two strings only

its size

to play upon, tuned in

thirds,

from strings in the centre,

which are tuned to the chord of the key or primary note

and two smaller

octave,

strings at the side,

and can be struck as necessary.

chord in the centre

In playing, the

not always struck, but only occasion-

This instrument, which

ally for effect.

tion, is

is

which represent a high

not often met with.

is

difficult

22 has only sixteen

of execufrets,

but

eight strings, six from the top and two at the sides, which
lie

under those played upon, and are used in combination

with them for peculiar resonant

No. 21

is,

effects.

This variation of

however, uncommon, and confined perhaps to the

Guzerat country.
24, 24a, 25.

This

is

seventeen

?rr3l% (Taoosee).

another variation of the

frets,

sitar,

No. 21.

with six playing strings

No. 24 has

but below them

are eleven strings of very fine steel wire, which are tuned
to eleven separate notes in the direct scale, and are not played

Hpon.

Their use Is

to. effect

modulations by vibration of

sound, which imparts softness to the melodies executed by

the hand.

No. 25

is

an instrument of the same character,

but with twelve lower strings, which are tuned as in the

preceding, arid with the same object.

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN

256

The

Vina.

The best instrument,

powerful and melodious

which

is

wanting to this

much from

differ

however, and the most

character,

of this

the preceding, but

it

and sweetness, though the peculiar

upon brass and

steel

has

effect of

does not

notes sounded

The

finger

%\ octaves, and the

themselves represent the following notes in English

music

D, Dft E, F, F# G, Oft A, Bft C,

Gjf, A,

D.

To

Hinflu music,

and

is

the vina,
it

much more power

strings is never absent.

"board of the vina with nineteen frets

frets

is

In form

collection.

hear, so
it

Cfl,

D, Dft C, F, F#,

as to understand, any really classical

should be played upon this instrument

have occasionally met with some very learned and

accomplished performers, principally from Mysore and the

South of India.

Hindu

airs

One

men,

of these

after playing

many

and variations upon them, changed the key of

the instrument, and began a piece which was familiar to me,

though from him unaccountable

portion of Beethoven's Sonata in

it
;

was, in fact, a great

and he explained that,

having once taught an English lady a good deal of his own

music, which she played upon the piano, she had in turn
taught him this Sonata, which he preferred, he said, above
all

other " English Music,'' and his version of

it,

considering

the defects of his instrument, was really very beautiful.

The fact of nineteen frets expressing the notes I have enu-

merated and their extension according to the Hindu system

of the capabilties
of fingering, affords satisfactory proof

the vina, which

is

of

honourably mentioned by Sir William

Jones in his Essay on Hindu Music, as the standard instru-

ment

of India.

257

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

OTTfil (Sarungi.)

26.

28.

^ct^T (Sarrooda).

27.

f^fim

(Ghikara).

These are the ordinary violins or

some

respects,

three,

No. 26

may

is

and are

fiddles of India,

same manner, though

played in the

differing

from them in

instruments in use with ua.

as the

the most

commonly employed.

Of the

87, Sarrooda,

and accompanies

be called the tenor or second fiddle,

26 in chords, played by the bow, or by hand as a guitar.

28

is

an inferior

hands of

fiddle,

it

it is

mostly to be seen in the

is

or mendicants, reciters of short

and ballad

plays or poems,
strings of cat-gut

tion upon

which

players,

strolling

The Sarungi has four

singers.

played with a bow

by accomplished performers

and the execu-

is

frequently strik-

ing and pleasing, while the tones are nearer perhaps in quali-

human

ty to the

with which I

voice than .those of any other instrument

am

Considering

acquainted.

rude shape, the tone

is

its

small size and

much more sweet and

powerful than

would be conceived from

its

accounted for in two ways.

First,

is

of

appearance, and this

may

be

that the sounding board

parchment, stretched over the wooden frame

and,

secondly, that below the gut-strings which are played upon,

others of

there are eleven

with the

scale,

and thus the

fine

wire, tuned exactly

steel

effect

the notes played

of

is

perhaps increased by vibration upon the wire notes beneath.

The Sarungi
by Hindu

and

is

used by Mahomedau musicians more than

imagine

it

may

have been introduced into

India by the Mahomedans, possibly from Persia.

an excelleut accompaniment to the voice

of mine, an excellent

Captain Giberne,

It

forms

and an old friend

musician and violin player, the late

Bombay Army,

used

to prefer

one of these

G-i

258

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN

instruments to his

own

The

its character,

addition to our

From

its

difficult of

as

it is

and in such case

own

size,

but

it

it

execution

and

might

is

alter-

more powerful, but more

combines the

it

effect of

<.4<^l

(Sar Mundal.)

styled the

Indian dulcimer.

'

<i

means common, and

therefore

It

good execution upon

nor indeed at any time

is it

met

owing

to the continual jangle of the wire strings.

30.

spfa

Wire-strung guitar, which

a guitar,
violin.

is

by no

it is

not

very pleasing,

often

with,

to

prove a useful

sometimes played in accompaniment, and the

may be

is,

would be quite

orchestral effects.

the Sairooda

29.

This

violin

improve the native instrument without

possible to

ing

own

extent, equal to our

capability of the Sarungi

passages and harmonies

for the execution of chromatic

some

pieces in which

violin for concerted

the violin took a sophrano part.

(Been).
is

chiefly

used by mendicants

and religious devotees in recitations, hymns, and other sacred

the vina but has not
singing. In some degree it resembles
power or sweetness, nor indeed capability of execution.
are five
This instrument has twenty-three frets, and there
its

strings to be played upon,

with two others

at

the side for

occasional effects.

31.

An
ter.

ft'^'f*

instrument with one wire striDg, and of a rude characIt is invariably

used by mendicants and common

lad singers iu the Dekan,

the finger, or a

The

(Toontoonee).

quill,

and the wire

as an

string can be tuned to

any

is

struck rapidly by

accompaniment
key- required.

bal-

to the voice.

259

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

32. vgts% (Buffde).

These

(Bayra).

<STHTT

five

instruments belong to one

partly by

36.

(Buff.)
class,

the

common

by

sticks,

The performer holds two long thin

the hand.

wood or twig in his

while with

(Hullcya).

played, partly

is

hand, which he rests upon

left

the frame of the instrument, which

der,

35.

tambourine drum of India, which

pieces of

y^fii

33. (Buffde). 34.

is

the right he beats

strung over his shoulit

with a short thick

The measure and tone can be changed and varied

by the manner in which the notes are played by the sticks
drumstick.

in the left hand,

ments

to the horn,

bastions,

fort

all

sorts

employed

drums

of a

No.

walls,

armies the duff

In

and in

is

drummers

this respect the

These instruments form the

expert.

7.

Every

and the

village,

like,

are very

ordinary accompanior watch on town

has one

and in native

beaten furiously on occasions of attack.

of processions,

festivals,

and the

like,

they are

but they do not aspire to the refinement of other

more

scientific character,

which

will

be described

in turn.

fft (BUI). 38. 39. ^fcR (Bholkee).

Ordinary Drum and Little Drum.

37.

Both played by hand as accompaniment to the

struck with a stick

truments.

when

voice,

or

in concert with pipes or loud ins-

Both these instruments are

of universal use,

but

are seldom employed by professional musicians.

ireKTar (Puhhwaj).

40

Which
and in

is

all

Tenor and Bass Drum.

used exclusively as accompaniment to the voice,

concerted

music.

Some

musicians prefer the

260

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN

tubla,

which

jmhhwaj

is

On

sionals.

be described hereafter

will

and perhaps the

employed more than the other by Hindu profesthis instrument-players are exceedingly expert

and by the manner

which both

in

sides, tenor

and

bass, are

played by the hand, the points of the fingers, and occasionally

the palms, the notes which are produced assist the voice

while the time, however complicated,

This drum

est exactness.

is

tuned by the side cords, and by

is

a composition laid on the centre, which assists the sound

and a

piece of

dough

is

usually put

tempers the skin, and keeps

it

to

all

others,

upon the bass

in tune.

performers this drum, or the tubla

instrument, and

kept with the great-

is

Among

side,

which

instrumental

considered the standard

whatever they

may

be, are tuned

it.

41.

'g^R (Eoodooh).

42.

stu (Dak).

These drums are used by ballad singers, mendicants and

the

and need no particular description.

like,

them

in concert with begging petitions in the

divinity,

which are often sung

to

wild

The

name

latter use

of

some

melancholy

or

cadences.

3Tf3TT (Bahya).

43.

fsrgr (Jilla). Common

44.

Copper Kettle Drums.

Which need no
with

sticks.

both are played

They are often found with small parties of

village musicians,

45.

particular explanation

wfa

and

in concert

(Sumball).

Of the same character

melodious in tone, nor so

with pipes.

Tenor

as No. 40,

much

used.

and Bass Drum.

Pukhtoaj

but not so

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

K^TT

46.

261

{Tulla.)

These drums, tenor and bass, rank with the Pukhwaj, and

many

are preferred by

players.

They

are

in a cloth

tied

round the waist, when played, and the hands are exclusively
used, with extraordinary execution.
delicate, and,

harmonized with the

accompaniment to the
of copper, and,

The tone

violins,

The

voice.

tubla

is of

Drum-playing on these instruments

complicated nature, and

quite an art

many

differs in

florid

are

made

wood.

is

is

among

of a very

respects from ours,

On

to suit the varied modes of the music.

and from the very

drums

They mark the time, which

Indian performers.

mellow and

have perhaps more

while equally sweet,

resonance than the pukhwaj, which

is

forms an excellent

this

account,

passages required, years of study

and practice arerequired by the perfomers.

47.

*ra

{Nul).

Kettle-Drums.

Generally used on horseback,

beaten by

sticks.

much

like

our own, and

In native cavalry, and in our own

irre-

gular cavalry regiments, they are carried in front on the

march,

and by their sonorous notes the

line of progress is

indicated to prevent straggling.

48.

Used

sg*T^*U (Doogdooga).

chiefly

Small Hand Drum,

by mendicants and ballad

49.

This instrument, which

%sm
is

singers.

{Nobut.)

the largest kettle-drum used in

India, gives the

name

fore alluded to.

It has a deep,

to the "Nobut,"

or honorary music be-

mellow sound, and

is

played

262

CATALOGUE OP INDIAN

and used much

associated the

like our

smaller

own

With

bass drum.

it

kettle-drums, 43 and 44

are usually

and a per-

formance upon the drums alone forms part of every period

of playing throughout the day, though they

pipes and trumpets in

all

snf (Shunk).

50.

Conch Shell.

Is not xised as a musical instrument,

ing religious
ship,

upon
the

it

and

its clear,

but

is

sounded dur-

Hindu wor-

processions of

in

No

idols.

but the tone

lips,

early

ceremonials,

and before

accompany the

other music executed.

tune,

so to speak,

can he played

much modulation by
humming notes, heard at

capable of

is

mellow,

morning and eventime from Hindu temples and the

groves about them, have a peculiar though melancholy

effect,

not without charm.

The above concludes the catalogue

and

as

the foregoing details

without some notice of

ing remarks
serve

in

upon

it,

may

Hindu music

brief as they

some respects

to

put them forward as original

of these instruments,

be esteemed incomplete
as a science,

must

the follow-

necessarily be,

may

supply the deficiency. I do not

;

for it

would be impossible

for

me, without a greater acquaintance with Hindu music than

I possess, to write anything

Jone's essay, which

more complete than Sir William

gives details to a greater extent than

those with which I can presume

now

to

occupy the time of

the Academy.
First, then, as to notation

in

essentials

their scale,

similar

we find the Hindu gamut to be

to our own.

There are eight notes in

which form the foundation of the primary modes,

or "Swaras," and which are

named

as follows

263

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Sharja.

Puuohama.

Rishaba.

Dhaivata.

Qandhara.

Nishada.

Madhyama.
of which the initial letters form the

gamut

Sa, Ri,

Ma, Pa, Bha, Ni, Sa, corresponding with our

Fa,

La,

Sol,

Si,

and the Hindu scale

Ut,

Ut,

may

ABODBFG

written.

Ri,

Ma,

Ga,

Dha,

Pa,

But the Hindus have adopted no

ours, to express

sound or time

and

ing to the ancient system, the

attached to each

may

be admitted,

fall
is

Ni,

Sa.

especial symbols,

like

in writing music, accord-

air

and time of the melody

by lengthening or shortening

expressed

as they

Mi,

be thus

Sa,

are

Ga,

Ri,

the vowels

consonant, and repeating the notes

initial

together in the air.*

rude and unsatisfactory

This in
;

itself,

it will

but by certian signs,

such as dots, curves, and other marks, the written notation

becomes

intelligible to

performers

and as taught

at present,

the scales, and vocal and instrumental exercises of

some of which

are extremely complicated

sist of repetitions of

and

learners,

difficult,

con-

the primary notes of the gamut, in the

time and tune intended.

Each note
are denned
*

is

divided into halves, thirds, and fourths, which

by signs and marks attached to the notes of the

In like manner our own music might be written and read from the

notes themselves.

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN

264

gamut, and can be expressed by the voice

taking the

or,

viua as the standard instrument, on and between the

by a manner

of fingering

and the Sarungi or

known

to performers

can be used with similar

violin,

Again, taking each fundamental

doctrine

classical definition or

frets,

and teachers

effect.

sound separately, the

sounds admits and defines

of

seven variations to each, which become the leaders of a series

of

other modes.

Thus we

7X12 = 84 modes

fiud

seven

primary, and seventy-seven secondary, which are known under

The requirements

their separate appellations.

system

are, that each

of the classical

melody formed upon any of the above

primaries or other adjuncts should be complete in itself

no deviation from

modes

this rule is recognised

and

The

or permitted.

are distributed over the hours of the day and night

and no professor of Hindu music, or educated performer,

would be held excusable by a
gressed propriety so
songs,

or

much

instrumental

critical audience, if

as to introduce at a

he trans-

wrong period

which belonged to

performances,

another.

In illustration
"

A melody,

of this rule, Sir

or phrase,

William Jones observes

commencing with

D. E. $. Gjf. A. B. C#. D.

where the
fifth notes,

first

semitone appears between the fourth and

and the second between the seventh and eighth,

as in the natural scale

and the

G#

of the Indian authors, form our major

melody must end with the

fifth

and CJ, or ga and

mode

of

note from the tonic, and

would be a gross violation of musical decorum to sing

any time except the
Another mode

ni,

such a
it

it at

close of day."

of division,

is the division of the six

which

is

perhaps more modern,

primary notes into

fifty-four

modes,

265

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

by an

Bhairava, Malava, Sriraga, Hindola, Dipaoa,

allegory.

and Megha, are

nymphs, each

six

Eagini, and each has

nymphs,

as

primary notes

forty-eight

children,

fifty-four in

all.

third

system

divides

of these

re,

mi,

making

into

is

six

and

six

known by

Sa, or A, is its

diminished by one " sruti,"

Thus, we find that

the ordinary scale, ut,

As an example, the

our major scale

principal notes, with Pa, or E,

or part of a note.

husbands

modes

or

Each
it.

married to a

or divisions

of rags

or ends

it

is

Thus we have

modes

primary, and thirty secondary.

Sriraga corresponds with

whom

six semitones, as

as minor

the note which begins

of

children.

eight

this

mode

represents

with a minor

sol, fa, la, si, ut,

tone, or three srutis, between the fifth and sixth notes.

I

my

have mentioned in

descriptions of the instruments,

that chromatic and enharmonic passages of great intricacy

can be

upon

executed

several of

them

the

vina, the

This will be accounted for by the fact of the

sarungi, &c.

jsystem of music prescribing twenty-two srutis or divisions

of notes, to each whole octave

or furnishing each note, or

those which according to the requirements of the particular

mode may need

it

or

the particular melody in the mode,

with semitones, thirds, and quarters of notes, as

It

necessary.

two

srutis"

to which

would seem, however, as

if

an octave were inadmissible

to

any number

of

may be

more than " twenty;

and the notes

srutis is admissible is

determined

by the key note, or primary.

" Semitones,'' says Sir William Jones, " are placed as in

our own diatonic

fifth,

fifth

and
and

first

scales,

the intervals between the fourth and

and second are major tones

sixth,

which

is

minor

but that between

in our scale, is major in theirs.

CATALOGUE OP INDIAN

266

The two

scales are

Pa, or E,
raising

Every

made

and adding

it

by taking a

to coincide

to Dha, or

or, in

'

sruti'

Savaretna to the class of " Santa," and her

sruti is a little

nymph

sisters.

and these nymphs, or

from

Indian terms, by

srutis,

or E, are called malim,

or quarter-tones of the fifth note, Pa,

Chapala, Sola, and Savaretna.''

In

like

tached to

manner, every note has

it ;

separate portions of each are

order,

fairy attendants at-

its

and these being furnished with names, the

known

aud without confusion, to

once,

at

scientific

in their proper

Hindu musicians.

There are many Sanscrit, as well as Teloogoo, Cauarese,

and Tamul works on music,

still

existence.

in

Indeed, in

south of India music appears to have been maintained

<the

and cultivated

as a science, long after

in the north.

Mahomedan

that

it

had ceased

historians of

as

such

the period relate,

when the Dekhan was invaded by Alla-oo-deen Togluk,

in A. D. 1294, and the conquest of the South of India completed by the

Mogul

general,

Mullik Kafoor, several years

afterwards, the profession of

music was found

condition so far advanced

the north, that singers, male

of

to

be in a

and female, musicians, and their Brahmin iustructors, were

taken with the royal armies

and settled in the north.

The

works that remain on the subject have been examined by

competent oriental scholars, who have discovered that music
as

science

held a high place

became the subject

doctrines

of

of learned,

sound,

variations of

but nowhere does

it

Indian music

is

treatises

on

scales accord of musical

appear that the laws of harmony

had ever been discovered or invented

all

ancient Hindus, and

modes, singing, and instrumenta-

instruments, divisions of
tion

amoug

though pedantic,

aud, as a consequence,

wanting in this most essential particular.

267

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
This, and the pedantic divisions

into

and

from that improvement and extension which

its science

have been attained

like

all

modes, so jealously

prevented Hindu music

guarded from infringement, have

In this

elsewhere.

music

respect

is,

other sciences of the Hindus, and their philosophy,

In performance upon the vina or

unprogressive and effete.

the performer's

sarungi,

and the capabilities of the

ear,

instrument, lead players into thirds,

and octaves, with

fifths,

the laws of which they are unacquainted

but

all

singing

and playing are in unison, and whether trebles, tenors, or

basses,

which are often joined, and in

the execution

same

of the

is

all

instrumental music,
It is needless to

character.

produces monotony,

say that this inevitably

Indian music to be generally uninteresting,

if

and causes
not repellant,

to European ears.

am bound

good or

to state,

European

What

ears.

commonest

ballads

and Hindustani

however, that very

music of the Hindus

classical

little of
is

ordinarily played to

is

sung by

them

is

the

with modern Persian

and love songs,

ditties,

the really

ever heard by

ill-instructed

screaming

dancing women, at crowded native durbars, marriages, and

other ceremonials.
of Hydrabad,

The

for instance,

used to cause from ten to twenty

and singers to stand up together, each set

sets of dancers

consisting of several

instrumental

Nawab Shumsh-ool Oomrah,

late

women

performers.

as singers,

All

sang

and a proportion of

and played

together

whatever they pleased, and the clamour of different tunes,

with

all

bable.

their

It is

stopped their
minable.

varied accompaniments, was quite indescri-

no wonder, therefore, that the English guests

Need

ears,

and declared native music to be abo-

I say, that,

were

all

the best

singers and

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN

2G8

bands of Dublin to play the most beautiful music at their

command
more

at the

same moment, the

painfully hideous

But music of much

might even be

effect

nevertheless, exists

intrinsic beauty,

and the ancient rags or modes, with their simple melodies,

and the marvellously

and often charming

difficult,

scales,

droopuds and laonees, and other exercises of vocal and instru-

mental performance, and the plaintive and beautiful ballads

and Mahrattas, would,

of the Eajpoots
collection

by one competent to make

ful gift to the

would be a

It

grate-

musical world at large, were the Government

of India to undertake
of the best

amply repay

I think,

it.

a complete collection and

Hindu and Mahomedan music,

as

exposition

it exists

in the

north of India, in Rajpootana, and Guzerat, in the Southern

and midway in Maharashtra and Bundelkund.

Provinces,

The music

as national music

that

is

much

of all these provinces differs as

in

Europe, and there

How many

very interesting.

are illustrated by love

songs

is

in character

a great deal of

of the old rags or

it

modes

and how many of the chival-

rous events of ancient and mediaeval times are subjects of

ballads

most

much

original

country,

like

our own, descriptive, picturesque, and

both in subject and music

I can state of

my own

love songs are innumerable,

period, the

In the Mahratta

whether of the old Mahomedan

Mahratta risings against them, and the more

recent English

and Mahratta wars,

adventure and spirited description

of love

experience that ballads and

songs,

under their

several

there are scores, nay, hundreds,

and are
while in
local

full
all

of local

the grades

denominations,

in every province of India,

worthy of being rescued from their present obscurity, and of

being preserved

among

the musical records of the world.

MUSICAL INSTBUMENTS,
In his Essay, and
very simple

Hindu

Sir

by Colonel Tod, in

airs contributed

his

most ancient

of the

on music, and composers.

writers,

of notation of

William Jones has quoted a

who was one

Soma's,

air of

the manner

to illustrate

the ancient Hindu system,

269

This, with a few

work on the Eajpoots,

Hindu music now on record

and these,
with some common tuo.es picked up from ordinary singing

form nearly

the

all

men and women at nautches, are the only specimens of

now available for reference or comparison.
There is much to be regretted, I think, in this, not only be-

Indian music

cause

national music

always valuable in an ethnological

is

point of view, but because

which

it

so

much

contribution,
class, to

would afford most interesting

it

with the ancient national music of Europe,

comparisons

which

I venture to offer

resembles.

Hindu

plaintive

air of the

a very simple

most

ancient

have adapted English words in partial para-

phrase of the original Hindee, and to which one of

daughters has added enough
its

accompaniment

being sung by a soprano voice to the pianoforte.

I cannot close this paper without adverting

and importance of
which

I consider

this

to

be unique.

to the value

of musical instruments,

collection
I

have never seen so large

a one in the possession of any native connoisseur, and

impression

is

that there

European museum.
wanting to make

On these grounds,
Academy is under peculiar
valuable donation,

is

few,

it perfect,

plied.

his

my

admit of

to

nothing

my

complete in -any

and very few, instruments are

and these might be
therefore,

alike

to Colonel

from

and as an

will

French

for

its original cost

illustration

musical tastes and acquirements of India

doubt that suitable acknowledgment

easily sup-

I'consider that this

obligations

valuable

and expense of transport,

so

of the

and I have no

be made

to

him.

270

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN

UsTDI-AJST
.Kwna

Words by

na pdee

AIR
bat.

M. T., from Hindu Ballad, Accompaniment

by A. M. T.

Andanti.

Ox

^S^g

z^j
at^^pjq

3~

^ *=*=*:
^M>p

-i-n

br

= 1
i
-=<-fc-

-=1-H-=1-

fl ==&
iEffiEE^ffit

P^P^
I

could not speak with him,

-r-i

S^

i r

those

fondest

words

h>5

fc=gzrr-f^-
f=^
i=3t

which

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

271

tt^SK^
^s
-*~- j:

bad treasured up

i-*"!

3^

to

tell

My

stream

- -

ing

eyes

fippPflpi
3=*

ljcz

a^
dim, with,

weary

tears, which, then, a-las

i"*"}

m
were

z
i*^-

33
un

headed

^H

3=^=

Hff*
a^p

i^

^^zzzz^zzi^S
3T

-1 J

-=H=-

1-

,Rs

=P=F^

I?^
fell

Eude blows

tlie

bitter

IPTI
3tr-

-=H=-

3=zb5

P
wind,

Ig
Cold

**

-=H=-

CATALOGUE OF INDIAN

272

'

L**

L*^

is

the

^=^
^

dri

nr

Ting

Nor

place

*=

^3=J-^1
i

Ah.

dwell.

to

find

^=*-

\r

p*^-

rain

=t== = 3=^

r-

=i

S^

r *-

them un

me, from

f^HFl
*^=
^-^~
::

H-i **n

-i^-

*=W= izs:
kind

no

word,

pitying

^Vt]tj
no

shelter

ing

^
-i

love

**!-

find.

ir^FWwif
^^=fe

*'

i j i

i-

=rf
n

273

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

St^f-I =H=-

Ah

Dear

now

I vainly cry-

lord, dear heart so fondly loved,

Thou would'st not

So desolate, nor
Rest

*~r

rest, oh,

Peace cometh

see

fail

me

lie

that love so truly proved.

breaking heart

now to

thee, that

nought had ever mov'd,

Ah why delay thy dart

Kind death take me to him, that never more we part.
!

Original Hindee Words.

Kurna na paee bat

Ab myn.
Oodowjee

Mobe

Peea soo jeea ke bat

!

tabreean,

le'cbulo

myn

oonben ke

bulaeen leongi bo

pas.

1-1

MUSIC.
BY

LIEUT.-COL.

From Annals and

JAMES TOD.

Antiquities of Edjast'han.J

MUSIC.
BY

JAMES TOD.

LIEUT.-COL.

(From. Annals and Antiquities of Rajas? han, Vol.

page 538

As

to

I,

540J

Muralidhara, or the "flute-holder," Kaniya is the god of

music

and in giving him the shepherd's reed instead of

the vina or

lyre,

we may conjecture the simple bamboo

(bhans) which formed the

first

flute

(bhansli) was in use

before the Chatara,* the Greecian Cithara,f the

Thus from the

lyre of Apollo.

Hindus we have the Greek

first

invented

six-wired instrument of the

Cithara, the English Cithern,

and

the Spanish guitar of modern days. The Greeks, following

the Egyptians, had but six notes, with their lettered sym*

From

cha,

t Strabo says,

Asia, of

six

'

and

tar,

'

a string or wire.'

the Greeks consider music as originating from Thrace and

which countries were Orpheus, Musseus, &c.

" who regard

all Asia,

and that others

as far as India, as a country sacred to Bionysius

(Bacchus,) attribute to that " country the invention, of nearly

of music.
Asiatic,

names

We

perceive

them sometimes

and sometimes applying to

the small tabor of India.

(^)

and the T

(o)

and others

This nabla of Strabo

If Strabo took his

or Arabic, a single point

the science

flutes the epithet of Phrygian.

of certain instruments, such as the nabla,

taken from barbarous tongues."

all

describing the cithara of the

is

The

likewise, are

possibly the tabla,

orthography from the Persian

would constitute the

difference

between the

278

music.

bols

and

it

was reserved

for the Italians to

add a seventh.

Guido Aretine, a monk in the thirteenth century, has the

credit of this.
their's

I,

however, believe the Hindus numbered

the Sun,

Moon, Mercury,

hence they

had the regular

from the heavenly bodies

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,

with

octave,

its

semitones

and

as,

in the pruriency of their

fancy, they converted the ascending

or planetary bodies,

into grahas,

them

may

[have added

to the harmonious numbers, and produced the no-ragini,

their nine

modes

composed and

Could we affirm that the hymns

of music.*

set to

years ago, and

Vrij,

and descending notes

so they

music by Jydeva, nearly three thousand

chauuted in honor of the Apollo of

still

had been handed down with the sentiments of these

mystic compositions

we should

say,

W. Jones

and Sir

sanctions the idea,)

from their simplicity, that the musicians of

that age had only the diatonic scale

but we have every

reason to believe, from the very elaborate character of their

written music, which

from

is

chromatic

scale,

said

to have been invented

by Timotheus

who might have

it

in the time of Alexander,

*

An account

early ages,

literature.

it

and that of Europe,

From what we already know

appears to have attained a theoretical precision yet

and
The

that,

at a period

carried

when even

Greece was

inspirations of the bards of the first ages

little

were

from

amongst the Hindus of

of the state of musical science

and a comparison between

deratum in Oriental
it

painful and discordant to the ear

minuteness of sub-division, that they had also the

its

yet a desi-

is

of the science,

unknown

to Europe,

removed from barbarism.

all set to

music

and the

children of the most powerful potentates sang the episodes of the great
epics of

Valmika and Vyasa.

Asiatic Society,

and we may hope that the

Sir G.

point.

There

is a

and perhaps the only

leisure

distinguished

one,

and

who

member of the Royal

could

fill

up

this hialut ;

inclination of the Bight Hon'ble

Ousely will tempt him to enlighten us on this most interesting

279

music.

the banks of the Indus*

In the mystic dance, the Ras-man-

dala, yet imitated on the annual festival sacred to the sun

god Heri, he

is

represented with a radiant crown in a dancing

attitude, playing

on the

flute to

the

each holding a musical instrument

nymphs

encircling him,

In song and dance about the

sacred hill

" Mystical dance, which yonder starry sphere

" Of planets, and of fixed, in all her wheels
" Resembles nearest, mazes intricate,
" Eccentrick, intervolved, yet regular

" Then most, when most irregular they seem

" And in their motions harmony divine
u So smooths her charming tones, the God's own
;

ear

"Listens delighed."
Milton, Booh V., 155.

These nymphs are

mode

also called the no-ragini,

of song over which each presides,

passions,' excited

by the powers of harmony.

in this trace the origin of Apollo

is

'

nine

May we

and the sacred nine

the manner described above, the ras-mandal

the zodiacal phenomena

from raga, a

and no-rasa, or

is

not

In

typical of

and in each sign a musical nymph

sculptured in alto-relievo, in the vaulted temple dedicated

to the god,* or in secular-edifices

in the triumphal

by way

of ornament,

as

column of Cheetore.

From Annals and

Atiquities of Rajasl'han, Vol I,

page 543

to 544.

This mystic dance, the ras-mandal, appears analogous to

the Pyhrric dance, or the_/?re-dance of the Egyptians.
*

The

have often been struck with a characteristic analogy in the sculp-

tures of the

most ancient Saxon Cathedrals in England and on the Conti-

Kanya and the Gopis. Both may be intended to represent divine

harmony. Did the Asi and Jits of Scandinavia, the ancestors of the
nent, to

Saxons, bring

them from Asia ?

280

mdsio.

movements

who personate the

of those

companions are

full of grace,

and

deity

and the dialogue

is

his fair

replete with

harmony.* The Chobisf of Mat'hura and Viudravana have

considerable reputation as vocalists

modulated and deep tones

the

effect of

blending with the

of the juvenile performers,

clear treble

marked by the cymbal

tabor,

and the

of the adult

while the time

is

soothing monotony of the

or the

accompanied occasionally by the m&rali or

flute,

is

very pleasing.

From Annals and

Antiquities of Rajast'han, Vol. I,

page 648

to 649.

Every chief has his band, vocal and instrumental

some years

Sindia,

plaintive

perhaps
*

simplicity

still

more

The anniversary

at Sindia's Court,

and

to the

it is

but

are all partial to music.

the favourite measure.

is

away the most celebrated

The Rajpoots

vocalists of Oodipoor.

The tuppa

carried

since,

Its chief character is

analogous to the Scotch, or

Norman.J

of the birth of

Kaniya

is

celebrated with splendour

where the author frequently witnessed

it,

during a ten

years' residence.
t

priests of Kaniya, probably so called from the chob or club with

The

which, on the annual

festival,

they assault the

Kansa, the tyrant

castle ofj

usurper of Crishna's birthnight, who, like Herod, ordered the slaughter of

all

the youths of Vrij, that Chrisna might not escape.

most

likely the Sobii of Alexander,

who occupied

These Chobis are

the chief towns of the

Punjaub, and who, according to Arrian, worshipped Hercules

chief of the race of Heri),

pf Kansa's castle

and were armed with

by some hundreds

The tuppa belongs

is

well worth seeing.

to the very extremity of India, being indigenous

as far as the Indus

and the countries watered by

peculiar measure

is

origin.

assault

of these robust church militants with

their long clubs covered with iron rings,

i

(Hei-i-ci'tl-es

The mimic

clubs.

common

its

arms

and though the

in Rajast'han, the prefix of Punjabi shews its

have listened at Caen to the viola or hurdy-gurdy,

have fancied myself in Miwar.

till

conld

281

music.

The Rana, who

is

a great patron of the art, has a small

band of musicians, whose only instrument

They played

hautboy.

and

feeling

and these

wafted from the lofty terrace

strains,

of the palace iu the silence of the

unmixed with

tion of delight not

the shehna, or

is

their national tuppas with great taste

night, produced a sensa-

which

pain,

its

peculiarly

melancholy character excites. The Rana has also a few flutes

who

or flageolet players,
deed,

we may enumerate

of the Rajpoots

among the

and although

to be a performer,

Who

discourse most eloquent music.

this

principal

In-

amusements

would be deemed indecorous

it

Bcience forms a part of education.*

the

that has marched in the stillness of night through

the mountainous regions of Central India, and heard the

wander sound the tsoraye from his turreted abode, perched

an eyrie on

like

the

mountain-top, can

graduated intensity of sound,

'all's well,'

ever forget

or the emphatic

hem

its

hem

which follows the lengthened blast of the cornet

reverberating in every recess.t

Chund remarks

*
art,"

of

Ms

hero, the Chohan, that he

mon may

be doubted

the sons of kings.

was "master of the

Whether profane music was ever com-

both vocal and instrumental.

but sacred music was a part of early education with

Rama and his

brothers were celebrated for the harmo-

nious execution of episodes from the grand epic, the Ramayuna. The sacred
canticles of

Jydeva were set to music, and apparently by himself, and are

yet sung by the Chobis.

ments chaunt
to the

The inhabitants

of the various monastic establish-

their addresses to the deity

and

have listened with delight

modulated cadences of the hermits, singing the praises of Patalis-

wara from their pinnacled abode of Aboo.

It

would be

injustice to touch

who

sings the warlike

many

of the trumpet kind

incidentally on the merits of the minstrel Dholi,

compositions of the sacred Bardai of Rajast'han.

+

The

which

is

tooraye is the sole instrument of the

not dissonant.

these countries

But

as it

is

precedence,

largest band, perhaps, in

stringed,

wind, and percussion.

which the sacred and

shrill conch-shell takes

instruments of all kinds

formed by
it

The Eotah prince has the

rule,

in

must be allowed that

it is

any thing but harmonious.

J-l

music.

282

species of bagpipe, so

Europe,

is

common

is

is

described

likewise the

Europe

pipe of the north.

it

Celtic
It is

races of

called the

through the moral agency

They have

by our own master-bard.

double flageolet

fection to that of

varieties

the

only the rudiment of that instrument whose

peculiar influence on the physical,

man,

all

not unknown to the Rajpoots.

misheh, but

of

to

As

but in the same ratio of per-

as the ni&shek to the

to their lutes,

of tintibulants

as Dr.

guitars,

heart-stirring

and

Johnson would

call

all

the

them),

would fatigue without interesting the reader to enumerate

them.

NOTES ON THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

ZLsTIEIP.A.IL.ESIK!.

A.

CAMPBELL,

(From "Journal of the

Vol.

Esq., m.d.,

Asiatic Society of

VI, Part II.)

Bengal"

NOTES ON THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

OF THE

NEPALESE.*
BY

CAMPBELL,

A.

It

Esq., m.d.

almost unnecessary to allude here to the two chief

is

classes of

Nepal

tion,

that

men

forming

the population of the valley

but to save repetition,

common

may

enumerated

Newars and the Parbuttiahs, both

tions being understood in the widest sense.

however,

Parbuttiahs none

among

professional musicians,

among

science

many

it professionally,

in the

from

(flageolet),

religious

of the higher

The

lowest

furnish
this

rule Nepal.

and middle castes practise

by the plaintive

(hamuli) as the sharper

and

figures refer to

Their labors

accompanied, and their weary return

strains

tones of the

at marriages, births, feasts,

processions, a preceding

Museum. En.

castes

who now

in it as amateurs.

at certain seasons enlivened,

Mohalli

in the

the

and there are no amateurs of

and indulge

of the rural flute

This difference,

contrary, are as a people, extremely fond

field are generally

it

but

the rude highlanders,

The Newars, on the

of music, and

are

designa-

the classes of each tribe using them

in

exists,

of

not be amiss to men-

underneath

instruments

the

to the

it

fairs,

band of music,

is

and
an

models presented by Dr. Campbell and deposited

NOTES ON THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

286

indispensable portion of the smallest ceremony

uncommon, on the

day

festival

(of

nor

is it

which the Newars have

nearly 100 annually) to see a joyous jolly fellow, with his

flageolet,

or cymbals,

as

the case

may

be, trudging along

towards the scene of rejoicing, piping a national

former, for his
or

own amusement and

drumming with the

that of

in unison

latter,

air

on the

passengers,

all

to his thoughtless

but cheering whistle.

As

a general rule, however,

professional musicians,

the Newars, as with the Parbuttiahs, are from

among

among the

lowest castes, Kullds and K&siilliahs, from the majority from

the former, Damais and Sarhis from the latter.

The instruments used by

the people

are as follows

exclude the imitations by the Goorkhas, of British ones, with

which their military bands are furnished, the chief of which

made and played on the

are the bagpipe,

The

Sarkist

either English, or imitation of the flageolet,

flute,

and a variety

of

horns, trumpets and bugles.

No.

made

1.

PMmga

(Newari),

in diameter at its large

diameter of ^th of an inch,

one

slender

its
;

it

pieces of stick, which,

rod

is

bore

is

pieces,

The length

the

and

of this

make, require some support,

consequently furnished with three

when

fitted into

one another, form a

of four feet in length to which the

A Nepalese

diminished to the

of very rude workmanship,

by a bit of ribbon, at its expanded end,

is

formed of three

two Nepalese Rupees.*

instrument, and

when being used

its

it is

the other

fitting into

costs only about

a trumpet-shaped instrument

extremity, and tapering gradually

the mouth-piece, where

to

is

about three-and-half feet long, two inches

of copper,

Rupee worth about

Ph&nga

is

attached,

the rod crossing the

12 or 12J annas of

Company's currency.

287

OF THE NEPALESE.

The player holding

instrument at right angles.

the opposite

end of the rod in his right hand elevates the instrument

at pleasure,

bringing

the perpendicular

to

it

a crowd, but carrying

it

when used in

horizontally under other circums-

The Phunga belongs exclusively to the Newars, is

by them, " the musical instrument of the Gods," and

tances.
called
is

played on at every religious ceremony and at every temple,

within the valley, when the setting sun gives the signal for
the performance of the evening

No. 2. The Mohalli

sacrifice.

Newari

),

or Nepalese flageolet.

Is

rudely executed, and from the most ordinary materials. Its

mouth-piece

and cut
is

made

nothing more than a bit of palm leaf folded,

is

into a convenient shape

bambn, and hollowed out

(8 in

of two pieces of sal wood,

the body of the instrument

bound together by

longitudinally,

number) being made

for the

trumpet or dilated extremity,

is

fingers to play

made

slips of

apertures or stops,

on

its

of copper, gradually

increasing in calibre, from the diameter of an inch to that

inches at

of four

its

open termination.

The complete

Mohalli belongs exclusively to the Newars, and

of this tribe use

it,

tones are sharper

Indian

and

flute,

pleasing,

to sound

who

are not

many

magically, for

it

ear.

to

it

Its

common

than those of the bansuli or

even to a British

persons

professional musicians.

and the national tunes adapted

ins-

The

trument costs about two-and-a-half Nepalese Rupees.

are lively

To the Newars

it

seems

has the power of inducing the

poorest and most fatigued laborers, to join in the dance, and

it is

the constant accompaniment to their songs of merriment

at feasts

No.

made

3.

and weddings.

The Singha or Narsingha, the Nepalese horn.

entirely of copper,

is,

when put

It is

together, in the shape of

288

NOTES ON THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

aud about four

a cow's horn,

calibre

its

The Singha
the

is

wider extremity, where

its

four inches in diameter,

is

where the bore

is

composed of four

feet long, is

and tapers gradually from

pieces,

to the

mouth-piece,

not more than a quarter of an inch across.

used exclusively by the lowest castes among

and

Parbuttiahs,

demand

considerable

in

is

the lower castes of the plains of India.

deep,

but not musical, and

mould

its

seem unable to

professors

its

tones into anything like harmony.

manufactured, and

costs

among

Its blast is loud,

It is

rudely

three-and-a-half Nepalese

about

Rupees.
No.

4.

The Nag-phhii

exclusively.

It

is

or

Turi,

a Parbuttiah instrument

only different from the last in being of a

smaller size and having three vertical turns in its shaft, like
a French-horn.

anything

Its noise,

music

for

harmonious.

but

It

is

it

scarce produces,

made

of sheet

is

copper,

tinned over, and costs one Rupee eight annas.

5. The Bansuli, " or rural flute" of Sir W. Jones. It
much more like the common English fife in its tones, and

No.
is

is

form

identical with it in

is

used by the Newars and

Parbuttiahs.

No.

6.

of that
violin,

The Saringi.
name used

in so far as

in India,

it is

is

the same as the instrument

and represents our European

stringed and scraped upon, with a

it is

horse-hair bow, but

Nepal

This

it is

at best a miserable instrument.

In

only played on by the lowest caste Parbuttiahs,

aud by begger boys, from among whom

heard of any Pagamnis.

The daucing

have not seen or

girls,

imported from

Benares annually for the amusement of the durbar, have their

accompanying

fiddlers

alluded to here.

but these being foreigners, are not

289

Or THE NEPALESB.
No.

The

or three-stringed guitar of India,

is

ased by a very few persona in Nepal, whose proficiency

is

7.

Sitar,

most wretched. Professors of this instrument from the plains

of India- find

some encouragement from the Goorkhas,

an occasional performer of tolerable

may

skill

at least

be heard at

their court.

No.

8.

Cymbals

of various

Newars and Parbuttiahs,

tan

from that of a tea-cup,

size,

dimensions of a wash-hand basin, are used by the

to the

the same extent as in Hindus-

to

ceremonies requiring music,

all religious

all jattr'as,

or

processions of the Gods, as well as of marrying, and feasting

mortals, are accompanied

chief of
zinc,

which

is

copper and

by the discordant noise

They

untuned instruments.

are

made

of

mixed metals, the

denominated Phulia, and

tin,

in various

of these

is

composed of

proportions, according to

the tone intended for the cymbal.

No.
is a

9.

M&ritlli of the Parbuttiahs,

Beaugh

of the Newars,

small clarionet, about nine inches long, with eight stops,

made

of a single piece

of

bambu, the mouth-piece being

formed by blocking up one end of the canal with a

except a small slip through which the air

tone of this instrument

pleasing and plaintive.

No.

10.

is

is

bit of

wood,

breathed.

The

sweet, and the airs played on

It costs

it

about eight annas.

Dhol (Drum). The same as the Hindustani

one,

except in the greater length of barrel, in one of the varieties.

No.

11.

Dholuch,

differs

from the Dhol in having one end

only covered with leather, and played on,

Parbuttiahs but not commonly

used by the Newars, and called by them

No. 12. Beh (Newari), commonly

the pastoral flute of that

is

used by the

drum

is

Erishna-bek,

is

a nearly similar
dishi.

called

God (Keishka)

so celebrated in

NOTES ON THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

290
history,

and so famous in

his loves,

is

a spoon-shaped shield at the mouth-stop

along

common

with

reed,

has seven stops

its shaft.

Specimens of these instruments were deposited in the Mu-

seum

of the Asiatic Society

do not

feel at

of

Bengal in January

it

present competent to give any correGt account

of the state of the science of music

general

last,

may

among the Nepalese.

In

be stated that the Newars are capable of

forming bands, containing performers on

all

above enumerated, whose music

from discordant

is

far

the instruments
al-

together of the simplest construction.

The

on a Hindu play enacted here

year was upwards of 50

strong,

last

orchestra attendant

and in some of the melo-dramatic portions of the per-

formance, the tunes were not only enlivening and harmonious,

but of a highly inspiriting

ten music,

The Nepalese have no

caste.

so far as I have been

able to ascertain.

writ-

Among

the numerous volumes of Sanscrit literature, collected by

Mr.

Hodsson

in Nepal,

he informs

one of the scenic and musical

acts,

me

there

is

which he

a very large
infers

must

have flourished very considerably in union with each other,

previous to the Goorkha conquest of the valley.

works the musical science

Nepalese music
plains,

the

fountain.

is

is

deemed

most probably

Hindu portion

In these

of sacred origin.

identical

of which is

The

with that of the

traced to the same

MUSIC OF CEYLON.
JOHN DAVY,

(From

"An

m.d., i.b.b.

Account of the Interior of Ceylon

and of its Inhabitants,")

MUSIC OF CEYLON.
JOHN DAVY,

Almost every

Singalese

d., f. r. s.

more or

is,

can compose what they

least,

m.

great inspiring theme, but interest

Love

a young

not indite a ditty to his mistress's eye-brows

chief is the favourite

petition in verse, whether

it

be to

All their poetry

indulgence.

is

the bearded

he sings his

ask a favour,

sung or recited

is

blance which

it

called

" the

Horse-trot

bears to the

sound

;"

or

beg an

they have

Their most

seven tunes by which they are modulated.

admired tune

not their

is

Kandyan does

whom

muse, to

of his

a poet} or, at

less,

call poetry.

from the resem-

of the trotting

of a

horse.

Of

their music,

fond,

and prefer

which
it

I believe, exceed the

Their most

No.

1.

extremely simple, they are very

The whole amount

not understand.

are given

is

greatly to ours, which, they say, tliey do

number

of their tunes does not,

already mentioned.

common instruments

are those of which figures

The Berrigodea, a kind of long

drum,

is

made

of

jack-wood, covered with deer's skin; and beat with the hands.

No.

2.

The Doula, made

end with a
No.

3.

stick,

The

extremities

of

like the former,

Tam-a-tom,

is

beat with

which are bent to form

state of tension.

beat at one

is

and at the other with the hand.

two

circles,

sticks,

the

and kept

in a

MUSIC OF CEYLON.

294
4.

No.

5.

No.

6.

The Udakea, beat with the fingers.

The Tallea, made of brass, beat with a stick.
The Horanawa
mouth-piece
of talipot-leaf,

No.

its

is

is

its

is

middle-piece of wood, and the other parts are of brass.

The fusiform

piece of

wood

attached,

to separate the

is

bits

of leaf forming the mouth-piece, and enlarge the orifice.

No.

7.

The

or Venavah,

Venab,

different kinds, one

made

has two strings

of a species of flax,

of

and the other

of horse-hair, which is the material also of the string of the

bow, Which with

The hollow part

bells attached to

of the instrument

it, is

is

used as a

half a

fiddle-stick.

oocoa-nut shell,

the dried skta of a lizard, and per-

polished, covered with

forated below.

All these instruments, with the exception of the

and Udakea, are very

noisy,

in temples and in processions.

extremely

of

some

and

shrill,

its

The "Venavah

bagpipe.

strolling

is

drum has

Katfdyan pipey

ia

Each kind

The Horanawa,

sound.

different

Venavah

and are seldom used^ excepting

the

of

notes are not unlike the Highland

rarely seen, excepting in the

hand

lame or blind son of Apollo, who wanders

about the country from house to house, amusing the villagers,

and supporting himself by his simple instrument.

Udakea

the favourite domestic instrument.

is

beat during the recital of a poem, and

paniment of the song.

At

night

it

is
is

The

It is usually

the general accomoften to be heard in

the houses of the Singalese, particularly of the better sort

1

many

of

whom

spend hours together listening to

by it;

in the habit

of being

(tbey say)

so tranquilising as sweet poetry,

Udakea."

is

lulled

to sleep'

for

it,

and aye

"nothing

and the

fe*tl

MUSIC AND DANCING.

CRAWFTJRD,

From

the " History of the

Vol. I.

Esq.

Indian Archipelago,'

MUSIC AND DANCING.

(J A VANESE.)
BY

CRAWFURD,

Esq.

MUSIC.
After

this account of the state of the

medical art among

the Indian islanders, I shall proceed to describe their music.

Each

tribe has its distinct national airs,

but

it is

among the

Javanese alone that music assumes the semblance of an

These people have, indeed, carried

to

it

ment, not only beyond their own progress in other

but

much

beyond,

I think,

This

a state of society.

is

that of

of their musical instruments

These instruments are either wind instruments,

stringed instruments, or instruments of percussion.

first are

remarkably rude, and

perfection
offer

arts,

other people in so rude

most remarkably displayed in the

construction and composition

and bands.

all

art.

a state of improve-

it is

music

of Javanese

is

The two

only in the last that the

to

the reader a short description of

be discovered.
all

I shall

these in succession,

and afterwards proceed to give a description of

their musical

system.

In doing

this, I

are supplied

known auther
Music."
airs,

am happy to

by the

skill

of the

" Specimens

I supplied this

taken down by

wj

say, that

my own

deficiencies

and learning of Dr. Crotch, the wellof the various Styles of

gentleman with a variety of Javanese

friend

Mr. Scott of Java, and he had

l l

298

MUSIC AND DANCING.

the advantage

of inspecting

the fine collection of musical

instruments belonging to Sir Stamford Raffles at the Duke of

On

Somerset's.

the subject of Javanese music he addressed

a letter to me, the words of which

quote without

I shall

alteration on every material point.

Of the wind instruments the rudest and

Anghlung.

This instrument

of Java, particularly those of the western

It consists of a

end

like

as to

number

earliest

the

is

confined to the mountaineers

is

end of the island.

bamboo

of tubes of

cane, cut at the

the barrels of an organ, and of graduated lengths

form a gamut or

placed in frames, so as to

the whole of

its

The tubes

series of notes.

move when the frame

ia

are

so

loosely

shaken

and

rude notes consists in nothing more than the

vibration produced

by

mountaineers will be

this motion.

troop of forty or

fifty

seen dancing in wild and grotesque

attitudes, each individual playing

upon an Angklung, himself

and his instrument decked with

feathers.

Among

the musi-

cal instruments of the neighbouring island of Bali is

wind instrument, in appearance

sound and the manner in which
clarionet.

them

it is

a German

a large

flute,

The

and

five

or six of

suling and serdum are

among the Malay

tribes,

played

and never in a band.

These, I think, are the only native wind instruments

to the Indian islander at

present.

acquired from the Hindus, as

out.

but in

blown more resembling a

It is about four feet in length,

usually play in a band.

sorts of flutes or fifes in use

alone,

like

Trumpets they

its

acquired

The

Sanskrit

from

name
the

known

or flute they

fife

bangsi points

Persians

and

Europeans, as we learn from their names, nasiri and salompret.

The

sruni is a kind of native

hautboys or trumpet,

which we read of in native romance, without ever seeing.

299

MUSIC AND DANCINU

Of stringed instruments they hafe

the trawangsa, and the rabab.
fifteen wire strings,

The fruwangsa

is

occasionally found

This

and

played in the manner of a harp.

is

an instrument resembling a guitar, which

among

is

the Sandas or mountaineers of Java.

the same sort of lute which we hear of

is

Malays under the name

of E&chapi.

ment borrowed from the

'The rabab,

among the
an instru-

Persians, is a small Violin of

strings played with a bow, and producing

This

6h&tempmg,

three, the

The ohcHempung has from ten

two

perfect intonation.

played by the leader of the band in a Javanese

is

Orchestra, but is wanting in the

have had

little

It is a

handsome

music of those tribes who

intercourse with the western nations of Asia.

instrument,

little

made

of ivory, with a

front of parchment.

The instruments
is a

of percussion are numerous.

native instrument, and recognised

The drum

by many

Barnes, according to the dialects of the people.

different

Besides the

native varieties, they are indebted to the Arabs and Euro-

peans for others.

The

native

drum

struck with the hand

is

rude instrument, au<i Dr. Crotch pronoueees, upon a very

good one in the collection of Sir Stamford

" the sound

feeble

is

Raffles,

that,

and unmusical."

drum may be mentioned the well-known

instruments called gongs: The word, which incorrectly written gung, is common to aM the dialects of the Archipelago^
Kndi its. source may be considered to be the vernacular languNext

to>

the

age* of

Java

the Chinese.
tin,

if,,

indeed,

The gong

it

was not

in proportions which have not

them are

af

enormous

four feet in diameter.

originally borrowed

is a composition of copper, zinc

size,

from

and

beea determined, some of

being occasionally from three to

They have

a nob in the centre, which

is

MUSIC AND DANCING.

SOO

struck with a mallet covered at top with

They

gum.

the tone which they produce

can be imagined.

"A pair

is

the deepest aud richest that

Dr. Crotch says of those he inspected,

of gongs

cloth or elaatie

suspended from a rich frame, and

are usually

was suspended from the centre of a most

superb wooden stand richly carved, painted and

The

gilt.

tone of these iustruments exceeded in depth and quality any

thing I had ever heard."

The next instrument

of percussion to be mentioned

described as a variety of small gongs, of which one

a wooden frame upon striugs to support

in

These, accord-

it.

names

ing to their varieties, are called by the

may be

is laid

Ketuk aud

of

Kampul.

A series of

similar vessels or gongs,

arranged in a double

row upon a wooden frame, go uuder the name

"

Bonang.

The tone

of

Crotch, " is at once powerful

clear

and

The

Kromo aud

and sweet, and

intonation

its

perfect."

last

Staccados,

class

in

of

instruments

Javanese

the

of

percussion

language

called

These are of greater variety than any of the

shall

of

this singular instrument," says Dr.

mention

is

rest.

the wooden Staccado, or

are

the

Gambang.

The

first

Gambang Kayu.

This consists of a certain number of bars of a hard sonorous

wood

of graduated lengths, placed over a

boat, and struck with a little

common throughout
ly

hammer.

wooden trought or

This instrument

among the Malay

tribes,

and

is

often played alone.

second kind of Staccado resembles this, differing from

in having the bars

is

every part of the Archipelago, particular-

made

They each assume

it

Ths
only

of metal instead of wood.

different

names

in the copious lan-

guage of Java, according to the number of bars, or notes,

MUSIC AND DANCING.

or other modifications

wooden

the

of

is

thin

known by the name

instead

plates,

supported

metal,

of.

of the lat-

This consists of

of Gander.

bars

of

tone

not powerful

A modification

that of the metallic one stronger.

ter

but

sweet,

is

The

construction.

their

of

Staccado

301

by

tightened cords, instead of resting on the sides of the wooden

boat or trought

below each bar, there

improve the sound.

On

bamboo tube

is

the fabrication of

all

to

those instru-

ments, Dr. Crotch observes, after viewing those at the Duke

Of Somerset's, that he " was astonished and delighted with

beauty and accurate

their ingenious fabrication, splendour,

intonation."

The instruments now

rangement,
insertion

of others,

are

according

described,

omission

the

of

some

to

their ar-

instruments,

or the

bands or Orchestras,

divided into

pitched on the same scale in perfect unison, and each appropriated to some particular description of music, or some
particular occasion.

The word Qamalcm, which we

so often

hear in the mouths of the Javanese, expresses these bauds

or sets.
called

Some

There are no

Manggang,

and

less
is

of the principal instruments

mentioned in the descrip-

given are omitted in

processions.

The name

it

frogs,"

sometimes bears, was probably given to

after

played at public

it

from

its

is

number

it

want of

perfect ones.

the Salendro, the most perfect of

whether for the number of instruments of which

or the

or the

a name which

the Javanese became acquainted with the

more improved and

The next band

it is

Gamalan Kodok Ngorek,

band resembling " the croaking of

harmony,

first is

the simplest and most ancient.

tion I have

of

The

than seven of them.

of notes in each of this.

The

it

all,

consists,

P'elag is like

MU8IO AND DANCINO.

302
the Salendro

and

but some of the instruments have fewer notes,

The MiHng,

and louder.

are larger

all

partakes of the nature

plies,

These three bands, are

accompaniments in the

more

name im-

aa its

of the Salendro

particularly

and Pdag.

employed

as

kinds of dramatic exhibi-

different

tions.

The Gamalan, Ghoro

of Bali,

Bali, or

from the Mahomedans

to the fashion

for which, I presume, are substituted

the native country of

in

band according

omits the rabab or violin, an instrument borrowed

it,

the flutes or clarionets which

In other respects

I have described.

and has the instruments

as large

it

resembles the Salendro,

and loud as those of the

Pelang.

The Sakaten

is

only distinguished from the Pelag by the

greater size and louder sound of the instruments.

still

This

played only before the monarch, and on very solemn occa-

is

sions,

such as the great religious

The Srunen
band, as

its

is

name

implies,

wind instruments similar

either kind

festivals.

the martial music of the country.

will cost

this

In.

trumpets are introduced, or some

to

them a complete

from two hundred to

five

band

of

hundred pounds

Sterling.

On

the style and

lowing are Dr.

character of Javanese music,, the

Crotch's

very

interesting

" The instruments," be observes, " are

of scale as that produced
forte

in

in the

same kind

by the black keys ol the piano-

which scale so many of the Scots and

the Chinese,

and some of the East

American

airs of the greatest antiquity

result of

my

all

all

fol-

observations

Indian

Irish, all

and North

were composed.

The

examination is a pretty strong convicti-an that

the real native music, of Java, notwithstanding

some

MUSIC AND DANCING.

which

difficulties

posed in a

it is

unnecessary to particularize,*

common enharmonic

have selected
the cadences

are

all

in

common

simple

antiquity.

of

same

the

passages
the

of

larity

Some

time.

the

seventh

flat

one

It

are

of the indica-

In

many

of

is

artful

and ingenious.

the airs the recurrence of

rhythm or measure, and the

in

instead

The

irregu-

reiteration

the same sound, are characteristic of oriental music.

melodies

of

remind us of Scots music for the bagpipe

the leading note or sharp seventh

tions

com-

is

The tunes which

scale.

others in the minor key, have

of

303

general wild, plaintive and

of

The

interesting."

almost unnecessary to add, that the Indian islanders are

is

unacquainted with the art of writing music

which there are a

great

variety,

are

the tunes, of

handed down from

memory.
In the plates accompanying this work
scales or

with

will

gamuts of the principal instruments

five

Javanese tunes, and one Malay

be found the
of

air,

percussion,
selected

Dr. Crotch, to which are added, by himself, the b

es

by

and

chords.

DANCING.
The

love of dancing, in a variety of shapes, is a favourite

passion of the Indian islanders.

It is

than an amusement, often mingling

serious business of

life.

neither the art, as

exists

it

somewhat more, indeed

itself

with the more

Dancing, as practised by them,

among

is

the savages of America

nor among the Hindus and Mahomedans of Western India.

The difficulties here alluded to are, in our present state of information
believed to be the consequence of some errors which had found their way

into the original manuscript furnished to Dr. Cr tch.

MUSIC AND DANCING.

304
Like the

they have professed dancing women, who

latter,

exhibit for hire

but like the former, they occasionally dance

themselves, and in public processions, and even

more

serious

occasions, dancing forms a portion of the solemnities.

Whatever be the occasion

it is

As

Which dancing

in

is

exhibited,

always grave, stately ami slow, never gay nor animated.

in

all

Asiatic dancing,
the

especially

arms,

it is

down

not the legs but the body, and

to

the very fingers, that are em-

Dexterity, agility or liveliness, are never attempted.

ployed.

To

the gravity and solemnity which belong to the inhabitants

of

warm

indecorous,

climate, any

display

of agility would appear as

as their stately and sluggish minuet

appears insupportably tiresome

to

dancing

our more volatile

and

lively tempers.

The dancing
of three kinds,

of the Indian islsuulers

their

serious

may be

considered as

dunces on public occasions,

the private dances of individuals at festivities, and the exhibitions of professed dancers.

Of the
lebes.

first

If a

kind are the war dances of the people of Ce-

warrior throws out a defiance to his enemy,

done in a dance in which he brandishes his spear and

pronouncing an emphatic challenge.

If a native of the

it

ia

kris,

same

country runs a muck, ten to one but he braves death in a

dancing posture.

When

they swear eternal hatred to their

enemies, or fidelity to their friends, the

panied by a dance.

There

is

solemnity

is

accom-

a good deal more vivacity on

these occasions than I ever saw exhibited on any other of

the same kind.

All orders executed in the presence of a Javanese monarch,

on public occasions, are accompanied by

message

is

to be conveyed

to

a dance.

When

the royal ear, the messenger

MUSIC AND DANCING.

305

advances with a solemn dance, and retreats in the same

way.

The ambassadors from one

native

prince in Java

same course when coming into and

to another follow the

whom

from the presence of the sovereign to

retiring

When

are deputed.

the persons whose business

it is

they
to let

the tiger loose from his cage into the hollow square of spear-

men, as above mentioned, have performed their duty, and

received the royal

nod

to retire, an occasion, one

when dancing might be

and solemn

strut,

would think,

spared, they do so in a slow dance

with some risk of being devoured by the

tiger in the midst of their performance.

^Previous to the introduction of the

it

appears to have been the custom of

for the

men

all

Mahomedan

of rank, at their public festivities,

with wine, to dance.

Upon such

and went through

At present the

mock

fight.

most common among the Javanese,

whom

dancing, far from being considered

among the people

Western India,

of

be a necessary accomplishment.*
*

The dancer drew

the evolutions of a

practice is

with every chief of

scandalous, as

all

when heated

occasions, the exhibition

appears to have been a kind of war dance.

his kris,

religion,

the oriental islanders,

Respectable

is

held to

women never

In Dampier's time, and I suppose to the present day, the people of

Mindanao followed the same

caused his dancing
that pastime.

practice.

women to

"

It

was not long before the general

enter the room, and divert the

company with

I had forgot to tell you, that they have none but vocal music

here by what I could learn, except only a row of a kind of bells without
clappers, sixteen in number, and their weight increasing gradually from

about three to ten pound weight.

These were set in a row, on a table in the

general's house, where, for seven or eight days together, before the circumcision day,

of the. day

dancing

they were struck, each with a

little stick, for

the biggest part

making a great noise, and they ceased that morning.

women sung

So these

themselves, and danced to their own music.

M-I

After

MUSIC AND DANCING.

306
join in

it,

and with that

whose profession
strangers,

it

sex,

dancing

In

is.

circle

of

a Javanese chief w^ll exhibit in the mazes of the

dance with an ordinary dancing

a common

confined to those

is

the most crowded

prostitute.

girl, or,

with

in other wordsj

have often seen the sultan of Madura,

The

a most amiable and respectable prince, in this situation.

dance at such time

is

nothing more than the slow and solemn

pacing exhibited on other occasions.

The
skill,

professed dancers differ

common

from the

who have been

less to interest

dancing

is

it is

them

is,

indeed,

Western

generally

incomparably

India, although the vocal part

equally harsh aud dissonant.

effort is

made

still

to which the

Now

at raising

and then a

may

voice of great tenderness and melody

tion

Those

The music

in the former.

performed

whenever an

Hindustan.

girls of

often disgusted with the latter, will find

better than that of

of

but in inferiority of

little

dancing

it for

single

be found, but

the accommoda-

of an audience, it becomes harsh and unmusical.

The

songs sung on such occasions are often nothing more than

unpremeditated
I

am now more

al ballads,

effusions,

but among the Javanese, to

particularly alluding, there are

whom

some nation-

that might bear a comparison with the boasted

odes of the Persian minstrels.

Two

women, and the

and his

-nieces,

danced.

of the sultan's nieces were about 18 or 19 years old the other

two were

this the general's

three or four years younger.

These young ladies were very richly dressed,

and small coronets on

with loose garments of

silk,

much

women

fairer

and their

than any

noses,

sultan's sons,

their heads.

I did ever see there,

though but small, yet higher than

very well proportioned" Dampier's Voyages, Vol,

They were

and very well featured

the. other

I, p. 342.

women, and

307

MUSIC AND DANCING.

The singular

structed to dance,

women among

tion of

Commodore

of Achin
fifteen or

of

is

door,

in

the Indian islanders.*

King

" Then

came

but very characteristic

peculiar,

twenty women, who ranged themselves by the wall

drums in

little

their hands,

their voices answer the drums.

two

little

girls,

made

and each

side,

sung their king's conquests,

After that there came in, at a

little

very oddly dressed, but very handsome, and whiter

than any I ever saw in so hot a country.

of hat,

concubines in-

their exhibiting their performance

Beaulieu's account of a dance exhibited before the

somewhat

them having

making

and

accords with what I have stated respecting the condi-

public,

among the Java-

fact of the sovereign having,

the most beautiful and admired of his

nese,

of spangles of gold,

which

Upon their head they had

a sort

glittered mightily, together

with a

plume about

a foot and a half high, made of the same spangles. This hat
hung down upon one ear. They had large ear-pendants of spangles of
gold, hanging down to their shoulders. Their neck was covered with necklaces of gold,

and upon their shoulders was a sort of jacket of gold, curiously

engraven, under which was a

silk,

shift,

made

Their girdle was tied above the haunches, from which there
gold,

with red

or waistcoat of cloth of gold,

covering their breast, and a very broad girdle,

of gold spangles.

hung a

cloth of

with straight breeches underneath, which were likewise made of cloth

of gold,

and did not pass the knees, where

several bells of gold

hung upon

them.
" Their arms and legs were naked, but, from the wrist to the elbow, were
adorned with bracelets of gold and jewels, as well as from the ancle to the
calf of their leg.

At

them had a sword, the

their girdle each of

scabbards of which were covered with jewels

fan of gold, with several little bells about

it.

carpet with a profound gravity, and, falling

king, saluted him,

by joining

their hands,

and

and

in their

hilts

and

hands a large

They advanced upon the

upon

their knees before the

lifting

them up

to their

head ; then they began to dance, with one knee upon the ground, making
several motions with their

with great deal of

body and arms

agility

to their swords, another time

as if they

an hour,

making

after that they

as if they shot a

had a shield and hanger in

after

danced upright,

and cadence, sometimes putting their hands

their hands.

bow, and sometimes

This lasted about half

which they kneeled before the king, and, in

my

opinion,

MUSIC AND DANCING.

308
were pretty well
gold upon her.

tired,

for each of

them had above

forty

pounds weight

However, they danced with a very good grace, and

if

of

our

French dancing-masters had seen them, they would have owned their
performance not to have been what
tion of Voyages, Vol. I, p. 732.

we account barbarous." Harris's

Collec-

hccher or Cyni-brd,

JTa'MAWJBSE MuTSIiCAJt. TfofSnnKUJMJEMTS.

Gambang Kayu

Scale of the

&a

309

Gambaug gangsa

or

wooden

Staccado.

=g

i
B

or metal Staccado.

i
'

W^-

--j-^-r-^

The Bonang

or Krorao

Moderate

=4=^
.#
1^

s==*
9"
Vy

gd^^Sgg^

y=

J.

J
J^-H-^

/r

'+*

^F

=^F

Jr-r-

^n^n-i"!-!

II

^|-'R

I
j

=^3^*=^
T"

1^-

J5-H

X-W-M

J3-t=*=fa

(no

l^SiiP
EfflE^Efe
l^^~m

D. C.

Lompong

Keli

j^tef

*f=i=is

^^^^fe^TO^B
S
1

VJ

S_J_

i_C

l_

--y-g

i+

Rather Slow

i==P=*
P ^=Fi ^r-R-rf

* ^a:
P*=^*

3^41 f*.

;^^^^&^S^^^
t=^=
ssJS^*S33ESSS^
5
33ES
,
:3=

s^m^iteig
<3S*

**

(en

;)

Sumadaug;

Js

p^gggg^ip^P^^a

gpg^g^gg

z*_i_-_jr

^=F=S

^^^i^^^TOi^
a^p=*=tH-^=p=i=E

/7S

Galati

__

^^dzjz^i^Efc^

Hungup

sp^^^sNiPiMl

*==**

y^

'SW

3=p
5t
sz^z^zlz^zai^D^M^
S5

^a )

Z>.

Raja Santul

l^ete^is^aga
bis

S^^

^^adj gppg
M
K ^m^m^^m^- ^^^
^
\whr-r

^j=rf
#=f*
^
u

"

rt

a=3=ai

r~ri*H

*=*=?

/T\

il^^

^ISH
/Ci

4^P=

*CT
HHi^s*CT
*y*^
i

312

Longki.

U
j-^rrrrn^rj^
gj

J'^Ti

^^ ^^^

!'

Slow.

3!=3t

^^^^fe^^^4

E@

PJ--

?r-*

^^

=3=

Jl

"?

Malay tune. $&

'

-%7Tt~!T"

m^^&mmm

i^s
w-

^^^^^^^

'

^fe^-rH-^

^^g^^^^^^^^P

dbzCt

fr^ci

r r

iii

End

L I
^-i

of Vol.

I.

1
1

jss

'

PART

II.

CONTENTS.
Page.

" Industrial Arts

Musical Instruments from the

George

On

CM. Birdwood,

c.s

i.,

of India."

M.D., Edin, 1880

By

..

..

315

the Hindu division of the Octave, with some Additions to tho

Theory of Systems of the higher orders.

Hindu Music from the " Hindoo Patriot."

Tagore

On the

..

..

Musical Scales of different

E. H.

By

Sourindro

The Hindu Theory

Eice, Pianist

The Indian Art

and
of

to

By

..

Carl Engel

of Music

from " "What

Professor,

New York

..

By

..

is

..

Music."

..

..

of India."

c.i.e., ll.d.,

401-401

407-412

By Isaac L.

Music from the " Imperial Gazetteer

...

339-397

A. C. Bur-

..

BytheHon'ble W. W. Hunter,
Statistics for the

..

Nations from an " Introduction

..

..

..

Mohun

..

The Saman Chants from " The Arsheyabrahmana."

nell,i?H. d.

M. Bosanquet 317-335

..

..

the Study of National Music."

By

415-417

Director-General of

Government of India ; President, Education

Committee of India

..

..

..

..

421-423

THE INDUSTRIAL AKTS OF INDIA.

Geokge

C.

M. BIRDWOOD,

c.s.i.,

m.d.,

EDIN,

1880.

N-l

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Indian Musical Instruments are remarkable for the beauty

and variety

of their forms,

paintings at
last

which the ancient sculptures and

Ajanta shew have remained unchanged for the

two thousand

The harp, chang,

years.

identical in

is

shape with the Assyrian harp represented on the Nineveh

and the Vina

sculptures,

is

claim to have invented

At Kalka,

["mouth-harp"],

made

is

by hundreds.

of the large towns

at certain

in the

Mur chang

District of the Panjab, the " Jew's harp"

Ambala
sold

The Hindus

of equal antiquity.

the fiddle bow.

seasons of festivity and

Musical Instruments are made in most

and

and those

cities,

of Srinagar

[Cash-

mere] and Delhi in the Panjab, of Murshedabad in Bengal,

and

of

made

Tamkur

in

Mysore, are specially prized. They are also

marked excellence

of

at

Parashram and Malwan, both

in the Eatnagiri Collectorate of the

Bareilly and

Delhi,

Channapatna

in

Bombay
Mysore

Presidency.
are noted for

The Conch

the manufacture of wire for musical instruments.

used in India as a wind instrument

shell

in silver and gold.

mounted

naturalists,
drill

and

all

that

a hole through

is

often beautifully

It is the Turbinella rapa of

required to

its base.

is

When

make

sonorous

it

blown

into,

is

to

the wind

passing through the different whorls, produces a loud, sharp,

and piercing sound, which is heard far aud wide, and hence
great esteen as a war trumpet. It is used in religious

its

services to call the attention

pers

Conch

and

shell

one, the

gods to their worship-

used for pouring water on the gods

Mazza rapa

third, the

of the

also at the conclusion of certain ceremonies.

Voluta

of naturalists.

Both these

gravis, are used in the

bracelets of Dacca.

is

The

a smaller

species,

and a

manufacture of the

ON

THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, WITH

SOME ADDITIONS TO THE THEORY OF
SYSTEMS OF THE HIGHER ORDERS.

R. H.

{Proceedings of

From March

1,

M. BOSANQUET.

the

Royal

1877

to

Society

December

of London.
20, 1877.)

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OP THE OCTAVE, &C.

"

On

tions

B. H.

Hindu

the

of the higher orders."*

the theory of systems

to

M.

with some addi-

Octave,

division of the

Henry

Prof.

J. S.

Smith,

ceived January 5tb, 1877.

Savilian

p. K. s.,

Professor of Geometry in the University of

drawn

to

some publications

appear to afford trustworthy information concerning

the musical intervals in use among the Hindus.^

it

S'rutis.

In parti-

appears that the foundation of their system

system in the light of the

I propose to discuss this

theory formerly communicated to the Royal Society

it is

is

Octave into 22 intervals, which are called

division of the

as

Re-

Oxford.

Read 8th February.!

attention has been recently

which

cular

By

Bosanquet, Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford.

Communicated by

My

319

and

one of what I have called the higher systems, and

the theory of such systems has not been sufficiently developed, I take the opportunity of adding

the classification,

what

is

necessary for

practical treatment of the

discussion and

principal systems of this character.

Some
by the

light

may be thrown on

following

After an exhaustive treatment of the various

referred to.

accessible scales, tunes,

he sums up

the object of the paper

quotation from the work of Fetis before

&c, from the

in the following

" Dailleurs,

pour

v6ritable de la

words

6tablir

artistic point

of view,

d'une maniere certaine l'6tat

musique indienne de nos

jours,

il

faudrait

* Sometime after the paper was read, the author's attention was called
to

M.

Fetis's

work, a reference to which

See Proc. Koy. Soc, Vol.

"Hindu

XXV,

is

embodied in the paper.

p. 540.

music, from various authors," Part

Bengal Music School, &o

T, S.

Fetis, Histoire.Generale

de

M. Tagore, President,
la

Musiqueval.

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, &C.

320

qu'elle eut et6 dtudiSe

sur les lieux par un musician pos-

une coDnaissanoe complete del'art et de

sidant

eu lieu Jusqu'an Jaurd' hui.

ce qui n'a pas

exigerait,

pour Stre bien

technique, mais
prficoncu.

uu

Dans

non

faite,

seulementle

seulement, on parviendraifc

ces conditions

W.

Inde

1'

modern e,

Ouseley, ni Willard, ni

ciation

savoir

esprit observateur degage" de tout systeme

& determiner avec exactitude la nature de

chants de

la science,

Cette 6tude

ce

que n'ont

mSme W.

la

des

tonalite"

fait ni

Fowke, ni

Jones; car leurs appre-

& ce sujet n'ont pas la rigoureuse precision qu6 est

indispensable dans les recherches de ce genre."

The point

of the present paper,

Hindu music,

is,

that uutil

so

far

as

it

relates

we have a general means

to
of

producing and controlling such systems as are likely to be

met with on instruments with

monium) and
facts

fixed

tones

(e. g.,

the har-

of thus comparing such systems with

actual

certainty as to the results, at least in

we can have no

the present state of musical education.

Fetis employs the principle

of the

comparison of inter-

vals with equal temperament semitones, which is the basis

but he uses it only for the purpose
of the writer's methods
-,

of speculating

on the connexion between the

Hindu system

of 22 and a division of the Octave into 24, or of each semi-

tone into two equal parts, a comparison by which nothing

appears to be gained* The use of method for instituting

comparisons with perfect consonances

And

yet

it

appears (Fetis, Vol.

has

escaped

him.

278) that the Vina (the

II, p.

historic instrument of Indian music)

is

tuned by concords,

forming a complete major chord on the open strings.

This

and " An Elementary Treatise

Proe. Boy. Soc, 1875, Vol. XXIII, p. 390
on Musical Intervals and Temperament" (Macraillan, 1876.)
;

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, &0.

is

enough of

itself to

321

suggest the necessity of an inquiry into

the relations between the system of 22 and perfect concords.

The Hindu

scale has several

by most of the
is

writers,

forms

commonly as follows,
make
an Octave :
them

represented

22 of

S'rutis.

that which

is

described

and seems accepted as fundamental,

Hindu names.

S'rutis being

such that

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, &C.

322
la

fact, if

we suppose

for

moment

that

thirds of this scale are perfect, which

we

see that the first form,

is

Shadjd Qr&ma,

tile

and

fifths

not exactly true,

the form

is

we

should give to the scale in just intonation, when we wish

to retain the

(e. g., in

so as to form a good fifth with the second

the key of

the good

fifth,

seeond of the key, and raise the

ordinary

sixth of the key,

C we

should raise a to a so as to get

The other form, Madhyama Grama,

d-a.)

corresponds to the diatonic scale as ordinarily given.

Are the

S'rutis all equal in value

nothing about

this,

suggest that they are not.

recently wrote, "

The native

but the European ones

a tone according to

tone or a third of

S'ruti is a quarter
its position in

This appears

the scale."

each interval of a tone in the scale

is

most part

For instance, an English reviewer

to be a misapprehension arising from the

But the language

writers say

for the

modern

is necessarily

in which the different forms

idea that

the same.

of the scale

described distinctly indicates that a note rises or

falls

may

infer

when

it

gains or loses a S'ruti

consequently we

that the S'rutis are intended to be equal in a general sort of

way, probably without any very great precision.

We shall now show that the fifths and

thirds,

produced by

a division of the Octave into 22 equal intervals, do not deviate

very widely from the exact intervals, which are the foundation of the diatonic scale.

For

this purpose

the perfect

fifth

we

shall only

need to

semitones of 12 to the Octave.

give us the values of

system.

recall

the values of

and third in terms of equal temperament

simple calculation will

the corresponding intervals of the

ON THE HINDU DIVISION Op THE OCTAVE, &0.

The

perfect fifth

The

perfect third is

is

323

7-01955 semitones,
or

7-Ji

nearly.

4-13686 semitones,
or 4

nearly.
t'o

To

find the interval in semitones

made by x

system of 22, we have

if

or TT

Hence we obtain the following values

System of 22.
Intervals.

units

of the

324

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OP THE OCTAVE, &C.

are probably quite as accurate as rough and poorly toned

instruments admit

of.

But although the consonance

small,

it

is

far

error of fifth

intervals of the scale

is

from the values to which Europeans

are accustomed.

System op
Interval.

and third

otherwise with the deviations of the other

22.

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OP THE OCTAVE,

no reliance can be placed on estimations of

325

&C.,

other

intervals,

than integral numbers of equal temperament semitones,

made by

ear only, even with skilled musicians.

of estimating fractions of intervals numerically

completely uncultivated amoDg us

if

The habit
by ear

is

and the value to be set

on the dicta of casual European observers

is

in consequence

or nothing.

little

I shall presently indicate the

mode

in which the principles

of the generalized key-board permit us to construct an ins-

trument that

deal practically with this system of 22,

will

and exhibit in a graphical manner the singular laws

harmony

to

which

its

of

notes are subject.

Theoby of the Higher Systems.

Let us

(The

recall

what

is

meant by the order of a system.

used as an abbreviation for " equal

letters E. T., are

temperament.")

The
..

E. T., fifth is 7 semitones

the Octave

is

12 semitones.

12 E. T., fifths=7 octaves=84 semitones.

The

perfect fifth, on the other hand,

(very nearly). 7^4-

is

so that 12 perfect fifths=84H.

And

in other

between 12

systems there

fifths

always a small difference

is

and 7 Octaves.

which this can be treated

is

the unit of the system.

to

When

Now

make

the simplest

this

this is

way

in

small difference

done the system

is

said to be of the first order.

But sometimes
if it

is

this small difference is

divided into two units,

the second order

if

more than one unit

we say that the system

into three, of the third,

and so on.

is

of

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, &C.

326

The forma

of arrangement into scales

the harmony of

and laws connecting

and thirds depend primarily upon the

fifths

orders of systems.

my

Referring back for the details of the investigation to

previous communication already cited, I recall only that the

systems of each order proceed by differences of

for the first three orders they are as follows

12,

and that

Order
1.

17

29

2.

22

34

3.

15

27

The accompanying
what

is

illustration

fifths,

39

(Diagram

The numbers

numbers of the system

i. e.,

cast out.

they

they proceed by

The departure

118

meant by saying that the system

second order.

of the

53

.41

are

I.) will

of 22 is

are

make

clear

a system

the characteristic

arranged

in

order

of

differences of 13, 22, being always

of the

sharp fifths from E. T.

is

represented by displacement in a vertical direction.

Then the

circle of

12 fifths has

its

terminal points 2 units

apart.

Similarly in systems of the rth order, the circle of 12-fifths

has

its

terminal points r units apart.

In the

illustration

we

see

how

the notes

may be

introduced

which form the intervals intermediate between the terminal

poiuts, thus the note 1 is introduced midway between

and

2.

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, &0.

Diagram

327

I.

Charatteristic numbers of system of 22 in order of fifths.

e'

c|

f|

g|

ell

l>b.

11

20

16
12
21

17
13

Formation of Thirds.
Thirds
fifths

may

be formed either by the notes of the circle of

with which we

start, or

by the notes

of another circle

any number Of unites above or more generally below the

In the system of 22 we have seen
Looking
units.

at'

the circle of

We may
;

i.

e.,

fifths of

the third

is

the

to

first.

third' is 7 units.

the third' by 4

form the third

ascending through 4

one unit

fifths,

that'

fifths-

up

is"

any note therefore by

the series and then descending

formed in the

circle of fifths,

one

unit below that which contains the fundamental.

This mode of formation has not been previously considered.

It leads to

the following observation, which

the practical employment of the system

is

important in

Modulation through a tbird r ia systems of this character,

cannot be generally treated as equivalent

through any number of

We proceed

to

modulation

fifths.

to a further

classification

tems; based on this" property.

of the higher sys-

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, &C.

328

By

definition, the

circle of fifths is

interval between the

Let r

r units.

two ends

circles of fifths

of the

be placed in

juxta-position, so that corresponding pairs of notes

are

all

one unit apart, and consider the third formed with the starting point of the uppermost series.

Then we
the third

in the xth series below the upper one.

In the system of

22, the third (7) to e (0)

below that in which

ties of the

system as being of class x, when

shall define a

lies

c is, so that

we may

system of 22 by saying that

it

lies

one series

define the proper-

of order 2 and

is

class 1.

The simplest systems

form their thirds
in the

same

class o,

series

and order r

sidered in

my

of higher orders are those which

either

by 4

may

those

fifths

up

or 8 fifths

down

be spoken of as of order r

Both have been con-

class r respectively.

paper already referred

to.

I proceed to indicate shortly the general expressions

means

The departure

of the third

formed by 4

In a system of class x, the third

departure

is

=-4

&?_^x

And

by

of which systems can be discussed.

this has to

'

is

units lower, and its

3x ~ r
n

be compared with the departure of the

= -^7

for

up

_ _ .\z%q

perfect third,

So that

is

fifths

nearly.

a determination of the class of any system n

of the rih order,

we have the approximate

Zx

~r=

condition.

w% nearly

DIAGRAM

II.

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OP THE OCTAVE, &0.

The formulae
discussion
to a

are

(it)

they present no

difficulty,

any required

for

sufficient

and

I confine

myself

statement of a few of the principal results.

The departure
1 is

and

(*)

329

of the third of all systems of order 2,

class

represented by

n
The system

of 34, of order 2, class

1,

interest for

presents both fifths

This system

and thirds of exceptional excellence.

may

be of

modern purposes.

Systems of the third order and

perament thirds

for

vanishes

(i)

have equal-tem-

first class

when

x=-

more gene-

or,

ts

rally, a

system has E.

class is

J that of the order.

System

thirds

T.,

of order r class

when the number

x which make 3x

r,

of the

negative need

not be considered, as their thirds are sharper than E. T. thirds

In the third order, class

2,

In the fourth order, class

there

2,

is

there

a good system of 87.

is

a good system of 56.

Neither of these are likely to be of practical interest.

Practical Applications.
In the

light of the foregoing investigation

generalized key-board,
application

it is

as

4-fifths or 8-fifths

of limited

down.

The systems included by these conditions

first

see that the

is

capable of controlling only systems which

form their thirds by either

the

we

hitherto constructed,

order, positive

order of class o or class

to be interesting with

r.

are

all

those of

and negative, and

all

systems of any

These embrace

all

that are likely

reference

to

European harmonious

music, with the possible exception of the system of 34 above

alluded to.

E-l

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, &C.

330
The

on which the key-board

of the position

principles

founded

however, applicable to

are,

I shall presently investigate

all

board of the second order thus obtained

of controlling, in a convenient manner,
class

in

will afford

a means

systems of the

first

that order, and dealing with facility with either the

Hindu system

of 22, or the system of 34 above mentioned.

But before proceeding

is desirable to
is

The key-

transformations.

its

is

higher systems ; and

discuss these arrangements, it

to

provide the extension

necessary for dealing with

classes other

than

and

of our

which

notation,

systems of the rth order and

o.

Genebalized Notation.

The notation which

have hitherto employed has always

assumed that the deviation, or departure, due to a circle of

with one unit of the system employed.

12-fifths is identical

Thus C

1C

represented both

and the smallest

In non-cyclical systems, and

this representation

of 12

in

systems of the

first

consistent and satisfactory

is

systems of higher orders

The departure

the departure of 12-fifths

interval, or unit, of the system.

these

fifths

two

conceptions

order,

but in
diverge.

and the unit of the system can

no longer be represented by the same symbol.

The

choice

we

make

will

is,

that the symbol of elevation

or depression shall represent primarily one

Thus

tem.

/c

will

unit of the sys-

always represent the unit, but will

only represent the departure of 12 fifths in systems of the

first order.

CI
the

jo will

be the departure of twelve-fifths in systems of

second order

and so

on.

/ jc

in systems

of the third order,

331

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OP THE OCTAVE, &C.

It follows that, in a continuous'series of fifths, at the point

where two consecutive

series of the notation join, the diffe-

rence of the macks, on the two notes which constitute the

joining

be

fifth, wiil

Thus the

).

following are fifths which join the

above

to that next

it

In the 1st order, b

and so

We

unmarked

series

2nd

3rd

jf%

8-///ft
&-////#

on.

now

require only to find the thirds.

Introducing the

conditions that the system be of class x,

as follows

Pass up four

steps

we

find the third

the series of

in

fifths,

and

then x units down.

Example. Order
Third to

4 Steps up give

Unit down

Third to

e,

1.

e,

which

is

the required third.

4 Steps up give

Whence,

Class

2,

Unit down

/djf,

/djf,

in order 2, class

ria technica word) form

which

1, b, e, a,

thirds

is

the third.

(letters of the

memo-

by one mark up, and

all re-

maining notes by one mark down.

Similarly, in a

thirds with

rx

system of order

marks up, and

all

clsss

x, b, e, a,

d form

the remaining notes with

x marks down.
Transformations of the generalized Key-board.
It

is

only necessary to require, in the construction of

the

generalized key-board, that

the bearings, to reader

it

all

the keys shall equally

possible to produce

fit all

any required

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OP THE OCTAVE, &C.

332
position

system with a sufficient number of the ordinary

This requirement has always been attended to in the

keys.

plans for the sake of simplification

which flow from

results

directed to the point,

the nature

does not secure the result

no

though the important

found that unless the attention of the maker

is

it

difficulty in

The

securing

But

were not originally foreseen.

it

it

in

when

of the finishing

question

there

processes

however,

is,

desired.

it is

distance of the end of the key on the plan

on a horizontal plane) from a

specially

is

(projection

drawn from

line of reference

right to left determines the form of the key completely.

There are 12 such

fundamental

positions

that

so

we

describe the pattern of any key completely as a func-

may

tion of a

series

12 the same

of

numbers running from

After

1 to 12.

patter ns recur, with reference to a

new standard

such that the old 12 has the same position as the new

line,

The ordinary arrangement of a

series of 12

may

fifths

o.

be

simply exhibited by writing under each note of the series

the

number

of

which

its

pattern

is

a function.

Direct Key-boabd.

jf% \c% \g%

1234567
Increase of the

as

i%
10

a%

so

//

1112

numbers denotes increased height

increased distance from the front

this,

as

\e
1

well

that according to

the original arrangement, rise on the key-board corres-

ponds to

rise in the series of fifths.

Inversion.
Before the key-board was originally constructed,

matter for investigation how far

to

make

rise in the series of fifths

key-board and vice versa.

it

it

became

would be advantageous

correspond to

fall

on the

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE,

It

is

some

question of manipulation

cases rather evenly balanced,

examine this arrangement

The

example

problem
It

and

the

advantages are in

it is

very desirable to

practically.

transformation

of

333

ilC.

bear

will

upon

this

convert a generalized key-board of the

possible to

is

" direct arrangement" above described into an " inverted one"

by re-arranging the keys.

Inverted Key-boakd.
c

12

II

10

To complete

j% l<%
6

ja%

lg% jd%
4

If

jc

12

transformation in an extremely practical

this

manner, we have only to determine the condition that white

and black notes

shall

remain the same.

Looking at the key-board of an

ordinary piano,

presents the same order of white and black,

far

as colour is concerned,

d and

it is

we

see

which

that,

as

symmetrical about two points,

Portions of a key-board, therefore, which termi-

6.

nate in these points,

or

sides from either, present

in points equi-di.stant on opposite

when

inverted from right to

left,

the same sequence of black and white as before.

The moat convenient arrangement

sists of a

compass of keys from

c to

e,

for this

purpose con-

any number of octaves

included.

When
is

inverted,

placed in

i.

e.,

when the note on the extreme right

the same row on the extreme

left

and so

on, such

an arrangement presents the same sequence of black and

white as before.

The

becomes a

an inverted

series.

and the sequence of patterns

is

that of

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, &C.

334

General transformation of the rth order.

Systems of the

were defined as those in which

rth order

the euds of the circle of 12 fifths include r units of the sysSimilarly the key-board of the rth order

tem.

as that
line

which has

) unit intervals

between the ends of a

It is easy

series
fifths,

The

of

to

each step

in

primary
course

r primary

steps,

made up

of 12 primary steps.*

and each

step

Consequently the

ends of the series of

of the

of the

12 steps by course of

and to r steps by course of units.

must be made up of 12

ends

of the

level

amount

must

whole difference of level

defined

circle of 12-fifths.

difference

of 12-fifths,

patterns

may be

notes) in the vertical

obtain the condition of arrangement in the

to

general case.

()

steps, or steps

of fifths

fifths

made by the

must be made up

in course of units

of

must be

In this manner, with a

suffi-

of notes of the 12 given patterns, a generalized

cient supply

key-board of any order can be at once arranged.

Although system of any order can always be

in this manner,

will

it

constructed

not generally be the case that they

can be played upon with facility simply because the large

space covered by related notes cannot
case,

be,

brought within reach of the hand.

in the general

By any system

can be demonstrated in this manner.

Key -board
The key-board
interest.

of the second order furnishes results of

It can be

going rules.

of the Second Order.

The

easily

peculiarity

mance on a complete system

class,

by means of

system of the

first

it,

is

order by

some

arranged according to the forein the

of the

nearly as

means

result

is,

that perfor-

second order and

first

easy as performance on

of the

key-board formerly

335

ON THE HINDU DIVISION OF THE OCTAVE, &C.

The problem

constructed.
is

of representation

thus solved both of the Hindu system of

and performance
22,

and for the

system of 34, the interest of which has been already indicated.

Diagram

II. (p.

382) represents a portion of the key-board

of the second order.

Cje

is

major

whence the major thirds are

triad,

better situated for the finger than on the

with positive systems

first

order key-board

but the presence of continuous rows

of keys in all twelve divisions is

somewhat

less

advantageous

than in that arrangement.

\e*g

is

the minor triad.

In the general transformation of the rth order, transfor-

mation with regard to colour (white or black)

practicable.

is

For the most general purpose

not generally
it

would

be

necessary to have a sufficient supply of keys of both colours

for

are
*

every pattern

more

for

any particular case the requirements

limited.

Any common

factor of r

and

may

12

be divided out, since

Vol.

XXVI.

is

it

necessary that the two classes of steps should be to each other as 12

r.

only

HINDU MUSIC.
BY

SOUEINDRO MOHUN TAGORE.

Reprinted from

the

"Hindoo Patriot,"

7th September 1874.

HINDU MUSIC.
The Hindoo

Patriot of the 15th September last contain-

ed a criticism on Mr. C. B, Clarke's report on Hindu Music,

embodied in a

letter,

to the Director

of

dated the 17th

May

1873, and addressed

After an interval

Public Instruction.

of

about eight months Mr. Clarke thought

fit

to answer

essay in the Calcutta Review, and

that criticism in an

it

gave rise to a learned and interesting controversy, in the

columns of the Indian Observer, between Mr. Aldis, Principal

of the Martinere,

an accomplished

The controversy

has

have

closed

had their say

also

critic,

only

on the subject.

on

with interest the current of criticism

essay,

and now that

and Mr. Clarke.

lately.

Other papers

We
Mr.

watched
Clarke's

parties have apparently exhausted

all

themselves on the subject, we may, we think, with propriety, say a

few words in reply

who has provoked

perceive that he

still

the real character of

errors

by

to the author of the report,

We

war of words.

this

persists in his original

Hindu Music

committing

fresh

are sorry to

misconception of

that he supports his

errors

and that the more

he proceeds, the more he involves himself in"a maze of

hopeless delusions.
for himself in his

We

Music.
will, in

His mathematicism has proved a snare

attempt to unweave the web of Hindu

believe

he

a kindly spirit,

We

will

a searcher after truth, and if he

accept the

humility, offer to him, he

treasure.

is

may

now proceed

Clarke's critical dissertation.

light

which we, in

all

yet find out that priceless

to an examination of Mr.

340

hiSdu music.

At

sight

first

object in

by enveloping
one

is

would seem as

it

writing

the

more indispensable
indispensable for

than himself

one to

for

him

Mr.

if

to

educated ear capable of

theories,

The

combinations.

necessarily

is

of

an art
different

and

comprehension
scienti-

does not

it

may say without

"We

fear

that those principles which go to form the

of Acoustics

enter

fully

into

that science in its improved form is

" The

imperfect.

its

embodied into

must know mathematics in order

follow that one

of contradiction

justly

an

some thing

based on mathematics, but

to understand those principles.

science

is

In

thiDgs,

all

susceptibility

Principles of music,

may be

it

statuary.

or

from mathematics being indispensable to

fic

no

is

detecting and feeling the sense

being examined by mathematical tests

or acquisition.

But no

be a musician than

be a painter

to

chief

that mathematics

learning music the student requires, above

of all tonal

Clarke's

mystify the subject

cloud of mathematicism.

in a

it

better aware

was

essay

of our

state

Hindu Music.

But

incomplete and

still

knowledge of Acoustics,"

observes Professor Graham, " one of the most subtle

difficult of

sciences, is still too incomplete to

of the formation of a

perfect

theory of

music.''

permit

There

is

nothing to make us regret that the principles of Acoustics,

as they exhibit themselves in our music, differ in

the European

we proceed

system.

We

that the science

the Hindus,

is

shall

of Acoustics, as

quite sufficient for

all

application of its principles to music.

will

form from

have occasion to shew as

it

exists

among

purposes as regards the

Mr. Clarke, we hope,

permit us to produce the testimony of eminent European

professors

of

music to prove that mathematics, instead of

contributing to the exposition and development of music,

HINDU

much

does
"I

must

to

the

341

MUSIC.

mystify and obscure

to

foregoing

says,

harmouial acoustics, and

division,

particular the mathematical doctrine

mentioned as a
musical

of

Weber

Dr.

it.

vindicate myself on the allegation, that, according

much

part,

of

intervals,

in

not

is

less as the basis, of the doctrine

composition.

most teachers of musical

For,

composition imagine that the theory of musical composition

must necessarily
on

and,

this

founded on

be

commence

account

harmonic
their

acoustics,

books of instruc-

tion with arithmetical and algebraic problems and formulas.

But

this

seems

to

me, calling

it

by

its

proper name, nothing

than a mass of empty vagaries and an unseasonable

else

erudition, pedantry.

of

tailing

For,

one

may

re-

be the
.

profoundest musical composer, the greatest contrapuntist

may

one

be a Mozart or a Haydn, a Bach or a Palestrina,

without knowing that a tone

it

is,

in

my

honest

is

to its fifth as

conviction,

2 to 3

and

a mistake of teachers of

musical composition, betraying a decided want of understanding of the subject, to mix, as they do, with the

musical

doctrine of

demonstrations by fractions,

such

composition,

powers, roots and equations, and other mathematical formu-

from

las,

which

musical composition.
for

to

proceed in teaching the theory of

To me

it

with the theory of light -and

lines

in

to

would be

it

instruction in

colors, of straight

painting,

and curved

musical instruction, with the study of harmony

instruction in language,
or,

appears just as

one to commence a course of

with the

demonstrate the principles of grammar to a

order to

teach

him

to

say

and

philosophy of speech

papa

and mamma."

child,

Dr.

Marx's observation of mathematics in relation to music are

more pointed.

He

says,

"our object, however,

is

not to

HINDU MUSIC.

342
calculate,

but freely to invent

and

this requires no

mathe-

matical calculations but a higher faculty which enables us

to detect and feel the

sense of the different tonal combina-

and, therefore, might be called artistic consciousness."

tions

The

great Aristoxinas takes the

the

same doctrine and

same view,

forcibly enforces

will not allow .either reason or

mathe-

matics to have any share in the arrangement of the intervals.

He

He

thought sense the only judge.

therefore determined

the 4th, 5th, and 8th by the ear, and the difference of the

4th and the 5th found out the interval of the tone.
Professor Graham, in his essay on the theory and practice

dwelling upon the injurious

of musical composition, while

effect

mathematics on music, says,

of

hear persons

who cannot read

combine

together

in

way

this

Do

harmony.

of the harmonic ratios of

idea that even an octave is in

Italy

we may

music, singing very agreeably

in two, or three, or four parts, in

know any thing

"In

They

the

ratio

such persons

the sounds they

no

have

of

1:2,

have of the distance between the earth and

more

than they

moon.

the

Similar false applications of mathematics have tended greatly

to produce that mysterious obscurity

which has hitherto been

thrown over the beautiful and inviting regions
of musical melody and harmony."

artificially

But

it

is

not necessary to go so far as Italy.

The truth

contained in the above extract

is

and may be perceived in

countries in the fact that the

greatest

all

of

universal application,

musicians and the most tasteful composers

not pretend to a knowledge of mathematics.

the students
of

of

oriental

Mibja Bull-bull

Nicomachus

of

of

Arabia,

music

is

Persia,

Who

did

amongst

ignorant of the

names

Akhwal-u-Sobbha and

Hekmes Tbismegistus

of Egypt,

HIHDU MUSId.
the great Confucius and
of Turkey,

Asaph

of

Chaong

the

343

of China,

Osman Efiendi

Than

Hebrews,

Sen,

Ameer

Khusru, Nayaka Qopal, Huridas Swami, and Raja Man,

Haha, Huhu, Sarangadeva, Narada, Bharat, and Naraya-

HADEVA

of India

any one

And

them was

of

have given, we hope,

Mr. Clarke's

We

will

yet

venture to say that

will

The

extracts

we

prove sufficiently the futility of

infallible test of

admire

who

a mathematician

mathematics.

Mr. Clarke's

a discussion on the merits

boldness in
of

venturing upon

Hindu Music

with, as

it

appears, scarcely any knowledge of its elementary principles.

He

has no knowledge of Sanskrit, and

acquainted with Bengali.

who seems to be

is

but very imperfectly

He had recourse

to a native guide,

equally ignorant of the Sanskrit language

And

as of the musical literature of his country.

is that

the critic

is

made to betray

the result

his ignorance of the

simplest things in our musical system, such as the term

Raga and the number of Rigas in use,

of the Sitara and its capacity, though
and the most

He

popular

of

of the construction
it

is

Hindu musical

the simplest
instruments.

attacks the Srooties which he does not evidently under-

stand, though they form the very base-work of the musical

system of the

Hindus.

That we are not wrong in our

estimate of the critic's knowledge of the subject of his criti-

cism will

by

be perceived as we examine his

theories one

one.

First as regards his views of

Raga

in

Hindu Music.

In

saying " there are 36 modes in use amongst the Hindus,'?

he evidently supposes that Riga and Mode are synonymous.

Let us see how Danneley defines the term " mode." " A
mode," he says, " or a scale

is called

major,

when

its third

344

HINDU MUSIC.

diatonic note

the

is

composed of four chromatic degrees

diatonic chromatic note of the

fifth

the major third

E sharp

&c.

as,

Cnatural,

mode

composed

is

opposition to major, the third note of which

Captain Willard takes of Eaga in Hindu Music

"Mode

in the language of the musicians

two

my

of style, and the other of key

latter is the sense in

our

is

is

which

it is

country

of this

continues, "

may

be taken

one implying manner

the

and, strictly speaking, this

usually understood in

the following

music"

true that a European melody written in the funda-

mental mode can introduce and sometimes

all

in

tune Eaga as has been apparently construed by

critic in

" It

different significations

Neither

composed

That and not Eaga or

opinion, termed

"The word mode," he

Eaginee."
in

in

is,

is

but

Let us again see what view

of four chromatic degrees."

(India)

when

of

E flat D Fnatural

as

or is

E natural, C sharp,

or scale is said to be minor

the third note, called the minor third,

three chromatic degrees

called also

scale,

will introduce

the twelve notes in the octave, whereas the Hindu tunes

cannot."

We will again quote Willard.

a Eaginee

(or

Eaga)

is

is true,"

is

amongst

us.

to the acceptation of the

Tune and Eaga

he says, " that

not to be considered exactly in the

same situation as a tune

a tune according

" It

are thus so distinct

It is not strictly

word."

from each other that

one cannot be used for the other without a confusion of ideas.

Eaga

may

is

not joined by regular and symmetrical forms, and

not terminate in the same key as the tune.

one

when

Eaga
its

may

be

multiplied

into

Moreover,

innumerable

tunes

angas, namely libddi,. anulddi, samb&di, graha,,

HINDU MUSIC.

345

wya&a, &c, are so arranged as to follow each other in regular

Again, Raga

succession.

or bars, as the tune

is

not divided by a QivajilcA-MkhpL

The truth

is.

is

the English language has

To express it by the

not a corresponding term for the Raga.

term mode would be nearly

as

accurate as to express the

How

idea of quinine by the word efyiretta in Bengali,

chiretta

when

there is no term for chiretta in English and

for quinine

Bengali

in

Rga

valent term for

The

could

be translated into English or quinine into Bengali

In the same way there

mode

in English, nor one for

idea which the word Raga conveys has net

no term

is

no equi-

in Bengali.
its

counter-

part in Eaglisk.

To

enable Mr. Clarke to form a correct idea of

Raga, And to prevent his confounding

to

recommend

for his perusal

it

the.

term

with mode, we beg

such learned treatises as Rdgd-

Bibodha, Rdga-Sarvama Sdra, Rdgdranava, &c.

As we have observed above our

f Raga, but he
ties.

is also

In one pari of his essay

which employs 36 modes, $c"

siecircigrgnM! pf all

$he

has not only no idea

critic

ignorant of the

3.6 fnadjBS

the distinction between

.nipple

he

number

If he

he refers

researches

ficial

,o,n

The

enquirer

literature of

the .subject

Musjc,

attempts to give a
jto
?

.and Raga.

he

had extended

will perceive

He would

however, avoided the mistake into which he has

hearsay.

of its varie-

"Hindu

says,

have,

fallen^ if Lis
little

beyond

following stanza will occur to the most super-

who has but

a rudimentary knowledge of the

Hindu Music

is! sjTwifsr

Kmm wzmfa

*r

n)7sn

HINDU

346

MUSIC.

" Krishna, enchanted by the music of hia

flute,

legan

singing,

and the QopikAs (sixteen thousands in number)

followed

him one by

one,

and thus are produced sixteen

thousand Ragas."

N&rada Sambdda
Again, our

says, " It (Bengali

critic

I,

Chapter.

Music) employs also

seven notes only of the octave in simple tune and nine in

elaborate ones, &c."

more

confidence with which the above lines are written

The

is

keeping with his general knowledge of Hindu Music.

whom is

he indebted

for

in

To

that invaluable morsel of truth

Bengali music employs nine notes in elaborate tunes

that

We would take

the liberty to

which occur in

lines

all

"There are three

that class which

is

commend him

to the

respectable Sanskrit works on music

classes

of Ragas

(in

following

Hindu Music)

produced by a grama consisting of

grama

five

tones

is called

odava, and that produced by

tones

is called

shddava, while the third one produced by a

gr&ma

of six

of seven tones is called eamp&rna."

Sangita Darpana.
It

may

be observed here in passing that the diatonic scale

for our SC^Sf grama is a wrong one.
somewhat resembles the saptaha but not

which Mr. Clarke has used

The

diatonic scale

quite.

After giving a very short and meagre description of the

Sitara,

ment

the simplest and the most popular musical instru-

in use

amoDgst the natives of this country, he says

347

HINDU MUSIO.

" But the frets (of the Sitara) are then inconvenieutly close
together."

It

would be

which depends upon

difficult to

ent to any other person

a practised

feats to

happy

obviate objections in a case

What may
may be one of
We,

player.

the easiest musical

for our part,

demonstrate this practically

to

appear inconveni-

practice.

shall

be very

our critic wants a

if

practical demonstration.
We do not know on what authority
he ventures to make the statement that " the Sitara can-

not play

flat."

playing

in

Any body

without displacing the

knowledge.

practical
"

harmony."

This

The

Mr.

all

of

who

Clarke,

but

it

meaning

in

possess-

another

tHr^rp

WOT

them

is

It is true

not void of

iron*

work

*m'

There are ten kinds of properties of a song.

but

There would

statements had been

if

in melody,

vJ

3fflTf

it

illus-

following quotation from Nakada's

will best explain our

?^r"

another

a very unqualified assertion.

is

Hindu Music abounds

harmony.

difficulty

Hindu Music employs melody only without

place, says,

that

is

the authority of an expert or of one

some

no

find

Here, again,

frets.

been no chance of mistake

made on
ed

We

it.

mischief of hearsay knowledge.

tration of tlie

have

can do

with M&rchchhana and can practically shew

it

fastf^'

These are

^r' *w

are not to our present purpose

tang) only serves our purpose well, and

its

?L^f (Rak-

definition

is

as

348
follows

HINDU
*^f (Raktahg)

.-

bination of the

is

MUSIC.

that which

sounds of

instruments, and those of other

This

is

harmony.

produced by a com-

kintfe.

Vide l^tt ^tflT and

The disadvantage
of his subject

is

stringed-instruments, wincf-

all

^JH

^TfTTJlt!

of writiug with an imperfect knowledge

has betrayed the critic into absurd blunders

We

at almost every step.

have another instance in the

following extract

" The Sitara thus stands in the mode, amd can

be-

made

to-

stand in any one of the thirty .six modes employed in Hindu

This connection between the Sitara and the modes

Music.
in use

renders

that either the

certain

it

modes

are derived

from the Sitara or that the Sitara has been invented to play
those particular modes.

This latter seems to

me

highly

improbable."
It is impossible to

have two opinions on a point which does

To say that the R&gas were derived

not admit of a doubt.

from the Sitara would be as much

was produced from the

of

yesterday's

invention.

Willard, invented

12th century.

The
It

as to say that the goose

Sitara is an instrument

according to

was,

by Amber Khusroo

Even the VinS,

Hindu instruments
is

quill.

Captain

in the beginning of the

the most ancient of the

of music, of which the

modern Sitara

a clumsy imitation, was invented by the great NiflADA long

after the

Kagas had been practised on the

throat.

most ancient instrument, whose invention

with the origin of Hindu
follow the Ragas

will

Music,

did

not

That this

almost coeval
precede

but

appear from the following extracts

familiar to every student of Sanskrit music

" The Bagas are

is

known

to be located in the throat."

349

filNDTT MUSIC.

Ergo they

are not derived from the Sitara or any other

instrument.

SITWft JIPrffolT

T? here

are

(Ddravi) or

<J

cT^JT:

W* ^^ST

two kinds of Yiai

which

that

(G&travfna) or that which

Now Jn^tmr

is
is

in

made
to be

music, namely,
of

wood and

(GatravinS) is called S6magi because

hymns from

the Sdma- Veda.

both tones and articulate sounds.

of wood,

is

^f?;^

jrr^fiftJnt

found in the human body.

Sdma- Veda singers wholly depended upon

ing

|)

an imitation of the

*raj*^n:^fi^

this

It is capable

Vln& in

the
sing-

of producing

Ddravivind, which is

made

G6fcravna.

wf ^ His* ^

" Looking at the fingers and following the directions of the

Sdstras the words should at Once be sounded both by the

mouth and by the

Again

hand.'*

sit)

ifttf

H^H<^r^n^T^fH^tJi9
*r^ta

mw

350

HINDU MUSIC.

"Dancing

follows

instrumental music, and music follows

singing, hence singing being of

here be

first

prime importance,

should

it

explained."

It is thus clear that the JRagas

were neither derived from

the Sitara nor from the Vin&.

Mr. Clarke in a kind of condescending style reproves us for

our obstinacy in maintaining that

His words are

flat.

my

" Probably
that

ments

sharp

is

like violin

sharp

the same as

is

Bengali friends will be surprised to hear

never the same as

D flat that

in the instru-

We

that can be stopped anywhere, &c."

forbear urging any thing in defence of our position.

If

we

have erred we have erred with the safest authorities on the

What

subject.

Dr. Adolph Bernnard Marx,

Professor of

Music at the University of Berlin, says on this point,

we suppose, be accepted

"The

attentive

as

student,"

a'

will,

conclusive settler of the dispute.

he

"

states,

will,

however, soon

observe that two keys have each two different names and that
cflat

is

the same as

which only

differ in

pitch) are termed

e

and

f flat,

naifflat ia the same as e. Such sounds

name but are indeed the same (as regards

b,

Thus

enharmonic sounds.

b sharp and

e,

c sharp and

sharp are enharmonic sounds or notes.

It

may

and

flat,

c flat,

flat

and g

at first appear

strange that each sound should thus have two different

names

and the student may be inclined

call

to

ask

why

not

the

black keys always o sharp, d sharp, &c, &c, or Aflat, eflat

&c, &c.
times

Why is

sharp.

e to

For

be called sometimes

are very good reasons

clearness
will

more

and precision
fully

flat,

this apparent superfluity of

;

and

some-

names there

they are indispensable for the sake of

in musical notation, but their necessity

appear in the study of the theory and practice

of musical composition."

351

HINDU MUSIC.
Again, the critic asks, "

sharp and

A flat,

there

if

no difference between

is

why have European musicians permitted

V The reply is a

using two for one and the same thing

in

simple one, and a reference to Mr. John Hullah's work would

have saved him the trouble of this enquiry.

The words of
Mr. Hullah are that they " are used for transposition, modu-

lation,

minor

are used to

scale

and chromatic

We are free to confess

that

we made the

on the authority

disputed, not

one,

When must

and when as the elevation

sufficient to

which

As

Weber

Dr.

is

from

states :-

a tone be written as the elevation of a lower

higher one

of a

point to which .we have not yet attended.

it is

of a scale.

assertion,

of Sanskrit works, but

what we observed in English music.

"

In Sanskrit they

scales."

mark the ascending and descending

know that sometimes the one

sometimes the other, just according to the

This

is

For the present

takes place and

different relations

under which the tone occurs."

Again

" It may, however, be further observed in respect to this

matter that such a tone should not properly sound so high in
the

case as in the second,

first

it

occurs as

C sharp

appears as

D flat, F

sharp

D, when
it

flat

as F,

not so low as

is

flat is

is

called

sharp and

or

Srooties).

flat,

C
flat,

and

&c

is

(which

differences,

not

This difference

G flat, and the

tremely small and thus imperceptible to our

flat,

not quite so high

is

double sharp

sharp and

difference

These

not quite so high as

double

the key between

not quite so high as when

D sharp, E sharp

an enharmonic

ference of

it is

not quite so low as E,

quite so high as

between

is

e. g.,

we

call

like,

the dif?

however, are exear,

and we may

with entire propriety and convenience have but one and the

same key

for all

tones differing only enharmomcally

they

352

HINDU MUSIC.

may

also be called enharmonically parellel tones.

one and the same key

flat,

for

sharp and

double sharp and

Thus only

D flat, for A

and E double

sharp and
&e.

flat,

" Whatever be the bearing of this circumstance in other

respects, in one certainly it is very convenient

of the mere twelve keys which

for

instead

if,

we now have within the

compass of one octave, we should have a distinct key exclu-

C sharp and

sively for

another for

flat,

sharp, &c., our pianofortes

less

D flat,

another for

aud

still

&c, one

for

another perhaps for

and

double

must be overloaded with an end-

multitude of keys."

Thus we have been spared the

trouble of entering into a

vindication of our position, though Dr. Weber's explanations

do not appear

to us to be quite satisfactory.

there must be difference between

ing to the division by Srooties.

this theory,

must

G sharp

We

and

hold that

A flat accord-

Mr. Clarke, should he admit

confess to a conversion to our doctrine

but

should he deny the Srooties (quarter tones) he will only contradict himself.

Any how

his statements

and

his apparently

professed creed are at variance with each other.

we say

is that he is right only

With regard

when he admits the

All that
Srooties.

to our critic's complaints as expressed in

following extracts,

we sympathize with him on

his

the

want of

knowledge of the Sapskrit language in which the theories

of the art of music are clearly expounded

"

My

Bengali critics assert that I do not understand what

Srooties (or very sharp, very flat) are in Bengali music.

can I

if

How

the Srooties are not defined."

Again

" But

my

Bengali critics while they go on piling heaps of

hard terms about Srooti,

&<;.,

also

omit altogether to define that

of which they say I fail to discover the accurate meaning."

HINDU MUSIC.

We

Mm

attempt will always

And any

effort.

The

make

the idea

definition that

But we

sif?Wiit

A Srooti
to

is

is

make

will

definitions in Sanskrit as given in Sangita

Ratnavali are the following

and

we

short of his comprehension

fall

because pf his ignorance of Sanskrit.

another

to

by a periphrasis iu which the use of

hard terms was unavoidable.

may

We tried

are really sorry for our critic.

of Srooti clear to

353

formed by the smallest intervals of the sound

be perceivable by the

ear.

of twenty-two

It is

kinds.

" Every distinct audible sound

is

a Srooti."

Again:

"f^RW-SlTfe^rasiT SH^t
" It

is

Srooti because

it is

by

Srooties,

arise are three in

number,

are produced

"

To

^Tf^fa: 3WT:

to be heard by the ear.

Srooties are

Tones

and the places from which Srooties

viz.,

heart, throat,

and head."

every one of these three places there

strings attached,

ar.e

twenty-two

and from" them when struck by the wind the

produced, and these Srooties in every place rise

HINDU MUSIC.

54

successively higher and higher,

those of the throat are

i. e.,

of higher tone than those of the heart,

and so

on."

The critic's failure to understand the term Srooti has led

him to a curious blunder in his attempt to give a division of
the Srooties in the Hindu Swaragrdma ; this will appear from
the following passage

the tone from

The

truth

A
is,

responds to our

from

to

G to A

" The tone from

to

is

divided into three Srooties and

into two Srooties."

within the interval from

to ^j

-q

B which

we have

corresponds to

the following couplet from Sangita

G to A which

cor-

four Srooties, and in that

to f*T three Srooties, as

Nar&yana which

is

borne

out by similar authorities in other Sanskrit books, will prove

secret TTi*f

v% *iiJr

^ci*ft *rar.

wsm *ta9 tcNit i" arreiK firer^

" There are

11

TJ^, 3^5T and frgrn or G, C,

and %%*( or D, and A, and two in

four. Srooties in

^5HH

and F, three in

jnsqra; and f^Err^ or E, and B."

We
Engel

some

also
:

find the following passages

on the point in Carl

" Smaller intervals than semi-tories are in use with

Asiatic nations,

and were employed by the Hindus long

before our Christian era."

Further,

"The seven

intervals of the

Hindu

respond with our diatonic major

scale

scale,

which nearly

cor-

are subdivided into

twenty-two Srooties corresponding to quarter-tones."

Mr.

Clarke finds fault with us for using the term quarter-

tone for Srooti.

We

owe him some explanation.

We used

the word in the absence of a better one, though we are fully

aware that a quarter-tone

is

not a Srooti.

The term

ia

used

HINDU MUSIC.
works where

in all English

it is

355

intended to convey the idea of

a Srooti,

and we thought that Mr. Clarke would have no

difficulty

in

understanding

if

it

by

similarly used

English there are no corresponding terms

In

us.

for Srooti, Raga,

Murchohhana, Tala and several other words commonly used in

Hindu Music, and

lish

in employing any one of

them

in

an Eng-

composition on music the choice of words conveying an

approximate meaning

unavoidable, and in such a case the

is

writer cannot be said to misuse words except by the hypercritical.

Then Mr.
ask what

is

Clarke puts the following query

a Srooti,

usually denominate

it

is

it

or

sometimes third of a tone

my

We

"

opponents

sometimes a quarter-tone

it

is

" I therefore

a quarter-tone as

reply that a Srooti

is

sometimes a quarter-tone and sometimes the third of a tone.

There are four Srooties between

fore

each

Ef*g"gj

and

these two tones

Srooti between

^(JBJJT

and

there-

a quarter-tone.

is

Similarly there are three Srooties between ^J5f jq and jrpSITt:

and here each Srooti

misconception

it

is

To prevent

the third of a tone.

is necessary to add that except in

the

definite places pointed out there cannot be a quarter-tone

and third

of a tone in

any and every

dogmatical conclusion that

"

if

proved that when a Srooti

SB and

II it is

is

to our critic's

the latter alternative (the

third of a tone) is selected I think

that music on such a scale

As

place.

is

it

may

be demonstrated

We have just

impossible."

the third of a tone between

quite in place and the tone

is

perfectly musi-

cal

nobody has yet questioned that the tone between

IT

an unmusical one.

is-

To come now

to his other queries.

Srooties are there

between C and G

in

He

asks,

"

^ and

How many

Tar&, the upper

octave,

HINDU MUSIC.

356

and how many between A and

And

in answering this

the distance from

There

octave."

in

question

C and D

or

Muddrd, the lower octave

it

from

must be

A to B is

recollected that

the

same in every

couched in these queries an unconscious

lies

mistake, but for which there would have been no occasion for

Between C and

them.

Srooties,

in the

A and B

and between

remark that there

shall only

tween the three saptahas

"These are the

difference in

The numbers do not

We have again

highest

up

different

in tone

be-

increase

recourse to Sangita,

kinds of tones.

Srooties because they are heard

called

We

number

only difference that exists con-

sists in the difference of value.

Eatndvali which says

no

is

the

in quantity but in quality.

upper octave there are four

in the lower octave, three.

and

as they pass through

Then these
rise

are

higher and

the

different

quarters)."

Tie warning given

the critique

from

to

is
)

in the last sentence of the extract

uncalled-for.

is

The distance from C

to

or

not the same in every octave, for there are

and D, while there are

four Srooties in the interval between

three only between

and B, and our

wish us to say that four

is

critic

does not,

equal to three.

we hope,

We repeat that

the different spaces are the same in the three octaves,

differ

from

they

from each other only in quality.

Again, he asks

" If between

and

the difference

is di-

vided into three Srooties, does any one of the Srooti intervals
coincide with the semi-tones, or do the three Srooties divide

the interval from

to

tion itself is wrong.

into three equal tones }"

Between

and

A there

The ques-

are not three

HINDU MUSIC.

357

but four Srooties divided into four equal intervals.

the truth which

all

This

is

Hindu Musical works teach and which

reason approves.

The assurance implied

"It

surprising.

in the following passage is not a little

impossible to challenge any Bengali per-

is

former to exhibit the Srooties on a Sitara, for there are no

on the Sitara at the Srooti intervals so that the Srooti

frets

can only be performed by nicking the string,

altogether

i. e.,

uncertainly."

This

going a

is

little

too

to say the least of

far,

will the writer do-if he has to tune a

Eaga

String merely or do something else

Will

to remove the frets as often

the Srooti so that Eaga

and whenever

may come

out

Will he flick the

it

not be necessary

necessary, and tune

His

What

it.

replies to these

questions will serve for the explanations he seeks.

Our

critic

not content with his extravagant and dogmatic

opinions makes the following challenge

"

Can any Bengali

singer

quarter tones between

between

am

G and A

be produced

and

who can

sing the

and afterwards the third note

I will not say produced before

me

as

about to pledge myself to a total disbelief in the whole

thing,

but any competent Professor of music such as Mr.

Frye."
Security,

it is said, is

man's chiefest enemy, and this

ably the case with Mr. Clarke.

ther impracticable nor

The

difficult.

feat

is

he alludes to

One who knows

to sing can

sing both the quarter-tone and the third note without

culty.

It is

diffi-

done every day by practised singers and has

been in use amongst us from remote antiquity.

allusion is

note-

is nei-

made

to

Very

distinct

the feat in ancient Sanskrit works on

music such as Ratnavali, Riga Bibodka, and the

which we make the following extract

like,

from

358

HINDU MUSIC.

" Srooties or enharmonic tones

and highest up

rise higher

in succession perceivable both in

Vin or in the stringed

instruments and in the throat."

It is thus clear that the

We

happy

shall be very

Srooties are both tuned

to satisfy Mr. Clarke not

Professor Frye, but any

number

truth of our statement.

The

ger himself, who,

and sung.

only before

of European musicians of the

difficulty will lie

we may be permitted

with the challen-

to

say,

seems to be incapable of appreciating the Srooties.

evidently

His

belief in them, however, does not disprove their existence

more than the

a blind

disbelief of

man

dis-

any

in the existence of

colors disprove the colors themselves. Neither can it affect the

truth that the Srooties or enharmonic tones have been used

and recognised from time immemorial not

only

in

this

country but in Greece, Arabia, China, Persia and several

other Asiatic countries.

Nathan

observes that

truly

the

Srooties are extremely musical, and they are so called from

their superior excellence as a species of music, the modulation

whereof, according to Brossard, proceeds by intervals less than

quarter-tones.

This species was in great vogue among the

Greeks by

whom

but

now

it

is

it

was considered much

lost.

It is evidently of

easier

much

of execution,

of ancient date

as Aristoxinus ascribes the invention to Olympus.

says that Dr. Russel procured

scale of music, the octave of

quarter-tones,
tration

as the

Graham

is

very

all

of

which consisted of twenty-four

which admitted of the same demons-

Srooties.

much

Dr. Burney

him from Aleppo the Arabian

The

following extract from

to the point.

He

says, " as

to

Dr.

the

Hindu, Persian and Chinese scales and the use of the quarter-

359

HINDU MUSIC.
tones and other minute intervals,

we

we

refer the reader to

published on that subject in No. IV., of the

burgh Review

what

new Edin-

We have examined

for April 1822, pp. 521-528.

a number of Chinese wind and stringed instruments brought

home

in June 1837 and have found semi-tones in

Professional

who

musicians

followed Napolean

all

of them.

Egypt

to

remarked the frequent and dexterous use of very small

vals

by some

Can we help

singers."

in the instruments referred to were Srooties

Again

Stafford, the musical historian, says

ler assures

inter-

inferring that the tones

1
:

" A late travel-

us that the modern Egyptian performers make

use of very minute intervals in singing passages of embellish-

ment with a

rapidity

and

would be

difficult,

singers."

That they

imitation of which

volubility, the

not impracticable, to most European

if

are

among many

in use

uncivilized

nations will be found in various works of note, from one of

which we transcribe the following passage

" Even some uncivilized nations possess according to the

accounts, of the travellers such a discernment of intervals as

to surpass our

own Councillor

Teliuius* informs us that the

natives of Nukahiva, the principal

island of the Marguisus

Archipelago distinctly intone demi-semi-tones (quarter tones

in their vocal performances.

from Davis' account to

The New Zealanders appear

be- gifted

with a remarkably fine ear

for distinguishing quarter tones."

The Persians appear

to have employed at an early period

smaller intervals than semi-tones, f

of experiments were

made with

In France too a number

Viottis' performance,

was ascertained that he employed a vast number

* Musical curiosities

by E.

and

of.

it

very

Jones.

Specimens of 'Popular Poetry in Persian as found in the adventures and

in- Hie songs of- the people inhabiting the shores of the Caspian Sea by
Chodgoho.
t

HINDU MUSIC.

360
minute intervals

The Swiss

As

still

in

order to play perfectly tunes in

keys.

all

retain the quarter tones in use.*

Sdra does not contain

for the assertion that the Sangita

anything like the theory of music, we will take the liberty to

point out that ia the book alluded to and in

on the
upon

subject, the theoretical part of

as in

any European

treatise,

hold that

it is

only

it is

As we have

obscuring mathematicism.

all

music

Sanskrit works

is

as fully dwelt

not mystified by

we

elsewhere

said

quite possible to build a rational theory of music

We

without the aid of numbers.

will again trouble the critic

with an extract from a Sanskrit work bearing on the point

in question

e(

*"

^ftSMKIW
" Sound, which
the
(

human

n&da
"

it

is first

produced by vibration and

body, comes through the mouth and

air within

is called

m\

),

Thus the sound arises

is

first

from within the body, secondly

expressed in the form of words through the mouth, and

thirdly

by means of instruments.

sound the whole system

of

music

C. S. P. 54.

From
is

this

evolved."

m^

nada

or

361

HINDU MUSIC.
'

And

singing is to be explained

(nada) singing
of

tone

therefore jT3[

is

) is

tlle a11

the root

is

impossible, and

pervading soul of the world."

this jfj^

^a

) ia

m^W# ^ra^T^swm
IT^WT SfT^TSTC *aHr J

is

impossible, without sound

without sound Raga

a

and nature of

origin

but without sjt^

impossible and therefore sound

impossible,

is

The

is

Without sound singing

all.

first,

aa follows

||

or (0 vital air or

P ower and

(^) heat or vibration produced by heat originates nada (ft^)

or sound.

Again

^t
"

From

*ti ^fPciiit

nfida arises srooti,

aftcf

from

<tqitw sircar

srooti

comes

11

swam

and from sieara comes Raga, and from Raga comes

therefore the soul of Gfta

is

sound.

or tone,
Gfta,

and

The instrumental music

follows Gfta."

Hence it

is,

we contend, that our

scale is natural

represented by M. Momigny's doctrine which holds

scale is derived

and
tha't

is

well

a true

from nature and requires no mathematical

calculations.

Our

critic

observes with some emphasis that the Hindu

boatmen whom

he heard " employ occasional sharps and

T-l

HINDD MUSIC.

362

Apart from

could not be played on the Sitara.''

flats that

the question of the accuracy of the statement

boatmen's songs we

ved

will

and say that there

in the criticism,

melody with occasional sharps and

played on the Sitara.

we

will

about the

simply dwell on the principle invol-

Let our

critic

not a single Indian

is

which cannot be

flats

name any melody and

demonstrate our position.

In extolling the boatmen's songs

and the most

as the best

approved specimens of Hindu music our

critic

makes the

following remarks:-

" I think most Europeans who take the trouble to compare

this (boatmen's song) with the best specimens in Sangita

Sara

my

17th

will

May

1873 (which appears to have

critics)

readily

that

viz.,

credit

'

while

all

my

statement in

&c,

much

letter of

my

angered

Bengali

Hindu musicians speak with

contempt and almost abhorrence of the boatmen's songs, I

have heard many Europeans declare
chants are the only music in

that

boatmen's

the

Bengal that can properly be

called music'."

There

is

such a refined appreciation of musical lore in the

above that we know not what to say.

comment.

We

grieve to find

But

it

requires no

that our critic drags other

Europeans along with him to countenance his own idiosyn-

May we

crasies.

language of
cadence

ask

how many Europeans understand

the boat-man's song

or its so-called

All native boatmen do not sing in the

the

musical

same

strain

and in the same language. In the Eastern districts there

are classes of boatmen who may be marked out by broad
distinguishing characteristics.

Their habits and

manners

are distinct and their songs are different in strain and language.

The boatmen

of Noakhally are not like

the

boatmen

363

HINDU MUSIC.
and the boatmen of Chittagong

of Dacca,

the boatmen of Dacca and Noakhally.

greater portion of these

boatmen are Mahomedans, who sing

songs in Mahomedanized Bengali

Can Mr. Clarke

selves.

his nativity

if

we may

so express our-

distinguish a native boatman as to

by his song and

large classes of

are quite unlike

Again, by far the

its

language

Besides the three

boatmen we have named there are others in

East Bengal who are also distinguished by some peculiarities

the boatmen

of Sylhet,

Backergunge and Furreedpore for

Again, the boatmen of West Bengal

example.

the Ganges and

boatmen from any

They

of the Eastern districts.

number

larger

sing

much

They usually

better than our critic's friends of East Bengal.

come in contact with a

who navigate

quite a distinct class of

tributaries are

its

educated and

of

polished gentlemen than any boatmen of East Bengal can

ever hope to do, and

They

society.

and more
districts

merit.

it

may

be said the former

move

in better

are therefore expected to be better educated

civilized

than their fellow-laborers in the eastern

and yet their songs indicate no tunes of musical

If there

is

any thing

for

which

their songs attract

notice it is their point and peculiar epigrammatic beauty.

But perhaps Mr. Clarke bad the

with a

class of musically educated

surprises us

He
"

says

rare good fortune

most

is

had

travelling in

When

that his proteges sang songs in Sanscrit.

my

boat

the boatmen to repeat the words to him.

me

in

Koylash Chunder

Sen (Additional Deputy Inspector of Schools

told

to fall

What however

boatmen.

in Dacca) I got

Koylash Chunder

that the words were Sanscrit, that the boatmen very

imperfectly understood them themselves, and gave

account of the legend of which I took no note."

me some

HINDU MUSIC.

364
It ia very

maintain one's gravity in arguing

to

difficult

with a person who can be so credulous.

Cannot our

critic

favor us with one or two of the songs which so charmed hitn

But a few words

will

He

suffice.

cannot deny that

the

popular songs of a nation must be composed in the language

Can he

spoken by the people.

refer to a period

when

Sanscrit

was the spoken language of the masses of Bengal, and of

East Bengal in particular
Sanscrit songs

We

know

extempore Sanscrit songs.

when he
tune

in

says that

Where did

the boatmen learn

of very few Pandits

who can

" the boatmen often sing

though their

style uncultured, &c."

very nicely

may be rough

voices

and

if

they sing in Sanscrit

fear Mr. Clarke's short stay in

of him, and

made a Bangal
him

we

fear that his

it

may

cannot

own com-

be in uncultured style unless the songs be of their

We

their

Ignorant and uneducated people

mispronounce Sanscrit, but

posing.

recite

But the writer betrays himself

East Bengal has

Deputy treated

with, a canard.

We

now come

to the discussion of our critic's remarks on

"
our musical notation, which he condemns by saying that the
nationalist Bengali musical notation is valueless

and ought to

be superseded at once by the stave.' To say the truth we do

not very clearly understand the gist of his objection. We

may, however,
goes

is

all

tell

that

sufficient for

all

we

him that the Indian notation

require.

It

is

practical purposes.

as far as

simple, convenient,

What

the Europeans

express in eleven lines by the great stave of eleven

same

hands.

we do the

in three lines only, the great stave of eleven

trarily divided into

We

he condemns

it

and

is arbi-

two halves as the Europeans use both the

beg Mr. Clarke to bear in mind that the notation

is

based on the original Sanscrit notation, of

HINDU
which he

will

365

MUSIC.

by Sir William Jones

find a full exposition

the Asiatic Researches;

many

of the signs

anil

in

symbols of

now become obsolete or have been entirely

What we have done is simply this, we have endeavoured

that notation have

lost.

improvements

to introduce such

sary to adapt

line

system as are necesIn the original

Hindu Music was represented by means

Sanscrit notation

one

in the

modern requirements.

to

it

with certain signs and symbols and the

seven notes

we now use three Hues

reason of this

innovation

is,

of

initials of the

The

for three octaves.

that the three octaves being

the three natural ones are best represented by three

lines,

though one line would do and might

same

way

as the Tonic-sol-fa

method

still

be used in the

of the Europeans.

It will be

remembered that the Greeks represented three octaves by

Now

three different letters.

it will

be seen that in represent-

ing the three octaves the Europeans not only require the stave
of five lines but also use

many

ledger-lines for the notes, or

they use the great stave of eleven

Mr. Clarke to say which

is

simpler

Now we

lines.

stave of eleven, and which would occupy lesser space

There

a great diversity of opinion

is

cians regarding the stave in use.

Music says

put

the stave of three

it

to

or the

among English musi-

Nathan

in his History of

" In the eighteenth century a

general use, which

may

stafi of

four

lines

was in

be met with at this period in some of

the old church music.''

Again Curwen says

"

The

old

way

of " noting " or writing music called the old

" notation," uses a ladder of five lines and four spaces, which
1

is called

the " stafi ."

represent the tones.

On

this certain

marks are placed which

These marks are placed higher or lower

366

HINDU MDSIC.

on the Hues and spaces as the tones are higher or lower in

The

pitch.

from

its

difficulty of

the old notation, to the singer, arises

not shewing plainly and promptly, which

tone Doh, which the third of the scale,

Me, which

is

the key-

the fourth,

is

Fah, &c. For, on the preception of key-relationship, the power

When

of the singer depends.

once the Tonic Solfa-ist has

heard the key-tone and knows that a certain note before him
is

Ray

or Soh, &c, he can sing

key-relationship of a tone he

* # * But until he sees the

it.

at a loss.

is

No

information as

to its absolute pitch, or its distance in pitch from the last tone

him that

sing,

apart from key-relationship, can supply to

clear

and accurate preconception of the tone to be struck, to

To remove

which he has been accustomed."

this

difficulty

the author offers some hints, the repetition of which in this

place

is

deemed unnecessary.

When the staff of five is still

how can it be sufficient for

imperfect even in English music

Hindu Music which

rich in

is

Murchhands, Tdlas, &c.

And

KSgas and which abounds in

yet Mr. Clarke says that the

Bengali notation ought at once to be

superseded by the

English stave.

Every nation that has a music of

system of notation

for writing

an advanced one or not,

its

Whether

it.

may be. And

in

many

system of notation,
insufficient

scientific

Under such circumstances we do

respects,

system of notation

and

improved and

how the introduction

can save us the trouble of learning

become

own

even in such a case the notation will have to

be studied separately.
not understand

also its

that system be

cannot he correctly expressed in the

it

notation of another nation, however

it

own has

for

for
it

we

it.

confess

of a foreign notation

Anglicized as

we

we have

prefer our national

our national music.

The English

needs be

is

the purposes of

observed,

imperfect

Hindu Music

simple reason that the genius of Hindu Music

ia

for

the

distinct

HINDU MUSIC.

We

from that of European music.

367
cannot, therefore, sub-

opinion that "

scribe to'Mr. Clarke's

it

if

was essential to

represent quarter-tones, some modification of the stave would

be far more preferable to the nationalist notation, and that the

common European
dies

and ought

stave can represent fully the Bengali melo-

to be generally adopted."

that some modification

is

When

it is

admitted

necessary for the quarter-tones

alone and some more for the Murchhauas and the varieties
of Tala

we

&c, we cannot understand with what consistency

are asked to have recourse to a foreign

to our national system.

tion, in preference

and hybrid nota-

we

Indeed,

to perceive the force of the ipsi dixit that a Bengali

fail

who knew

no English might play a melody from an English or French

piece of music,

the

difficult

when

it is

not denied that he must submit to

task of studying the English stave without

know-

ing the language, and learn the modifying signs not only for
the quarter-tones but also for other innumerable varieties of
Tdlas,

&c,

referred to above. It

may from

what a deal of trouble he must undergo

in

this be

order to under-

B ut why impose upon him

stand a single Raga.

imagined

work when in the three-lined Hindu notation

this

in

heavy

spite of

the signs for Srooties, &c, which, however, are very distinctly

marked upon the Swaragrdma

different

swaras in their

placed separately each in

thing
lines

is

at the perfect

mark

and

clear

its

To

has only to mark the

order in the three Saptakas

proper place, and the whole

command

the three sorts of

chest, the throat,

he

initial

of the learner

Only three

natural sounds, namely, the

and the head sounds.

give a clearer idea of this

Is not this simple

we

give below a

diagram of our Swaragrdma of the Saptakas which

natural and at the

purposes.

same time

sufficient

for

all

is

so

practical

368

HINDU MUSIC.

&
il
11

Now mark

a ft

q t

^r t <r f=?

q fa

the contrast in the English notation.

diagram of eleven

Here

is

lines.

::

-C!

Let us examine, as far as practicable, both the English and

the Indian systems of notation from the diagrams given
below in order to judge of their comparative merits and of
the

facilities

afford.

We

eigners as

we

understanding
octave

it is

for

will

are,
it

comprehension which

they

take the English notation

respectively

first,

and, for-

we cannot help remarking that

is

complicated.

to our

In order to express an

required in the European notation to have seven

or eight Hues or steps indicative of the position of notes

that constitute an octave.

cd

efga

Thus upon the lowest of these

note

must have been placed

next note
this case,

d upon
;

it is

is

lines or steps, the lowest

upon the

the third line, the note

which however

are necessary that

line
e,

above

it,

and so

on.

the most natural, so

many

the

In
lines

next to impossible to perceive at a

HINDU MU3I0.

369

glance the position of the notes upon them, and such will
exactly be the case if our Saptakas

venience, the

number

of lines

is

limited to

because an odd number of

Firstly,

be required to be ex-

To remove

pressed according to this system.

lines, as

Dr.

advantage of an equi-distant middle

has the

and why

Marx

line,

two equal parts and thereby

divides the staff into

its reading.

this incon-

five,

Secondly, because a less

three lines together, with their

says,

which

facilitates

number than

five,

say

spaces do not afford even

a sufficient number of spaces for a single octave, while a

greater

number than

five,

say seven, will be unnecessary.

In order to obtain a sufficient

between the

lines

which

is

now

These

in use

five

them, separate places

lines together are called a

among the Europeans.

lines together with the spaces

for

These

five

between, below and above

eleven different notes as will be

seen in the next diagram drawn below

1.

of degrees, the spaces

above and below them are also employed

as places for notes.

staff,

number

370

HINDU MUSIC.

^^1^
11.

is

13.

14.

15.

Recourse

12.

had to the same expedient when the lower

sounds are required to be noted.

of such lines,

Thus

there will be no end

and how complicated and cumbrous

when our Saptakas

look

_c

it

different varieties of T&las. For, besides the Swaras, for

an almost

infinite

number

of

would

and the

are noted with the Srooties

which

ledger-lines will have to be

drawn, there must also be used numberless different signs to

represent the Srooties, &c, along with the signs for the differ-

ent
is

clefs.

Yet we have not done, we must know what sound

really represented by a note standing upon a certain line

or space.
as

it is

have

For these various purposes they remove the notes

impossible for

them from the nature

For instance,

a fixed position.

mined that the

first

line

of

the

if it

of

staff in the last

quoted above should be the place for one lined

should at once know that the note on the

on the second line

d,

e,

and that below the

for the notes follow

sounds themselves.

But

the staff to

had been deter-

first

o,

example
then we

space must be

first line

be small

each other in the same order as the

it is

obvious that

if

than one lined c were to be placed on the

other notes would change their places.

If,

one more note

first line, all

the

for instance, e

instead of c were to occupy the first line, then the notes

HINDU MUSIC.

d and /would stand below and above

place on the second line.

This

The

confounding method.

definitely fixed, if the object

the

places of

purpose

371

it,

and g would have

situation of

must be

a note

be to determine the respective

The English musicians use

rest.

its

indeed a complicated and

is

certain signs called

this

for

have been

which

clefs,

in-

troduced to point out a certain line as the fixed place of a

Of such

certain note.

or treble

and the F or bass

shewn below

we

If

These three are

sometimes called the violin

clef,

use three,

clefs there are at present in

and there may be more in future.

clef.

The form

of

the

clef,

first

clef,

or treble clef is as

required to note in this clef the small /,

have to place

it

upon a third

we should

ledger-line below the staff

the

three-lined a would have its situation over the fourth ledger-

above the

line

use

as the

Swaragr&ma.

staff,

For

and so on.

note,

first

form the base or the

Here the English musicians

which would be impossible

corresponds to our q, and

first

note of the q^gjxf^

according to the Sanskrit authorities

the

Further,

first.

here

note,

and

is

in our

cannot

^cr>

in? af

always to be taken as

we do not understand why they have used

instead of C, which is the recognized fundamental

this a they use

on the

ledger-line.

Again, the

note must, as a matter of course, occupy the

the g, although taken here as the
the second

line.

Altogether this

to understand, however plain

Moreover, in the

first

is

it

first

note,

first line,

first

but

must stand on

a complex method for us

may appear

diagram drawn above,

to Europeans.

it is

shewn that

372

HINDU MUSIC.

takes

But

the

first

in reality

used

it

line,

and therefore

does not do

as the first note

c.

it

It occurs in this

occupies

form

alto,

the

is

forms the

elef.

but we do not

The C

clef

shows,

the fixed place of one lined

again is employed in three different ways, as canto,

and tenor

first line.

first line

its position.

^ih
And this

e naturally

Formerly in France they

and upon the

know why they have changed

that the line which

so.

clefs.

Here

is

The canto
a table of

clef places one-lined c

upon

its notation.

.11'

'*

T=n

HINDU MUSIC.

373

#HH ^g^^B
cdefgab
t=

These are the three ways in which the

The

ployed.

ancients used

_?

clef

in the second also,

it

now em-

is

and we cannot

account for the modern alteration, neither do we understand

which of the three

the

first

clefs is

canto clef

may

one-lined o

now

stand for

lined c corresponds to

Saptaka, but in the

used.

inapplicable to

is

E^Sf ;

^5T

^fttf

It

the answer

not in the

may

be asked

Hindu Music,

g^TCT

is

that the one-

or the lowest

or JT^t^T Saptaka.

In Hindu

music, whether vocal or instrumental, we commence our

from the lowest or the g^TCT

canto

may

is

grdma

But the

discant or

the highest of the four principal voices.

Here we

^ITl^f.

observe in passing that in noting our three octaves,

which are natural, when divided and sub-divided

European music, an endless number

used.

And

system

of

why

since the

Hindu

will the

as in the

of ledger-lines

must be

innovation be an improvement upon our

Supposing

it

were,

it

would change the character

music, which does not admit of any minute divi-

sions and sub-divisions.

We now

come

to the third

clef,

or Bass clef,

which

is

represented in the form here shown, and indicates that the

line

which

it

encircles is a seat of small/.

$~#
In modern music

it

always occupies the fourth line and

the remaining lines and spaces are

named thus :

HINDU MUSIC.

374

Contra Great.

^ L.^'
When

-#-

it is

required to extend its range,

Thus contra

drawn.

insuffi-

being situated below the third ledger-

they require an additional ledger-line for the notation of

contra

F;

above the

staff,

for one-lined g, a fourth

we

music, however,

for

a third ledger-line must be drawn

and so

b,

upon the

These are the

many

clefs ?

Will

clefs

single

as

of one

line.''

clef

Weber

To

this

many more might

take

use of

not the numerous gradations of clefs

says,

Will not one be

" indeed we might employ only a

perhaps

might be urged that the use

it

would necessitate the multiplication of ledger-

below and above the

lines both

upon the

but what is the

in use prove perplexing and misleading

sufficient,

clef

Thus there has been a

fifth.

change already, and we know not how

place in future.

In old English

on.

meet with Bass

occasionally

third line, and also

for

found

it is

and innumerable additional ledger-lines have to be

cient,

so

*--*

ABCDEFGABcdefgabcde_

line,

-#

-#*-

staff, as

Bass clef

in the

example, two ledger-lines are required for one-lined e ;

five ledger-lines for

two-lined

use of the

why have

the second

line,

according to

c, all

which

is

less

than

avoided by the

Admitting the explanation to be reasonable,

clefs.

the Europeans then in

only the

and perhaps not

c,

nine ledger-lines for three-lined

clef

upon the

and

many

modern music discarded not

first line,

but also the

C clef upon

F clef upon the third and fifth lines and

the reduction

is just.

Really, all this

is

375

HINDU MUSIC.
puzzle to us
difficulties

the

this

is

system

which

solve

to

is

All these divisions and sub-divisions together with so

clefs

and

our

varieties of lined notes

notwithstanding

great stave of eleven, and,

many

have been derived from the

all

these

inno-

Weber remarks,
originally noted down in

vations and modifications, they cannot, as Dr.

represent

more than three

octaves,

the simplest forms of the stave of eleven

lines.

Again, the

English musicians divide this stave into two equal parts, the
reason of which is inexplicable to us.

Perhaps

hands, or

it

may

But

harmony.

both the

be for male and female voices being used in

that

all

may be

explanation

done in

it is

order that the performer on a pianoforte might use

we say

is

mere guess

best furnished

whatever the reason, no such division

by
is

correct

But

admissible in

Hindu

Music in which the melody requires that the

should come in succession

the

Europeans.

series of tones

nor have we any instrument like

the pianoforte which to be tuned requires two hands for two

kinds of tones at one and the same time.

explanations

it will

From

the above

be evident how complicated Hindu Music

will become, if noted after the

European fashion, while the

contrast will be remarkably favorable to our national system

of notation.

"We

-will

now

enter

system of notation.

upon the examination of the Hindu

In the English notation, of which we

have furnished but a rough sketch, the lines used are in proportion to the

number

of tones in an octave, which are eight

sometimes so many as eleven or twelve

lines

are used, per-

haps with the view of making them correspond to the number of strings in a harp, or for other reasons which are un-

known to

us.

In the Hindu system of notation we generally

HINDU MUSIC.

376

common

use three lines forjthe three saptakas in

us

^TT

^R H

*T

There

may

fa corresponding

'y

are the seven notes

use amongst

C DEF GA

to

B,

which together constitute a saptaka.

be more than three saptakas in Hindu Music

The three

but they are not in general use.

lines

on which

the saptakas are placed indicate by their position three kinds

of sounds,

viz.,

quire different

Q<*\*j[ , fX^X^X
clefs,

has

first

^e

cTW.

^o not re-

nor changes in the situation of our notes

for different purposes, as

the

an^

we always make ^ rg^ the base

note of the saptakas

its position fixed

or

or c in European music

q^5f

and permanently

settled.

This peculiarity enables us to avoid the introduction of

different

clefs,

the use of numberless ledger-lines, and the

We

change of situation of the notes.

in

common

use, for

which only three

have three saptakas

and nothing more

lines

are required.

jfi

*rl

Tl

n ^

ft

? t

n it?

h fa

fa

*i

fa

In the foregoing diagram, shewing the notation of Hindu

Music, the lowest or the

first line

has the lowest saptaka, and

the third or the uppermost line has the highest saptaka.

it

If

were necessary to use more saptakas, we could use dots

under each note to mark their position, either below the

first or

above the uppermost line.

dot under

5T

on

if

it will

show that

a place in one saptaka above that line

under ^[ on *^ e

l wes k

me

>

it

we

Thus,

^ e uppermost line,

and

if

Similarly

it

has

we put a dot

w iU shew that

in a saptaka, next below that line.

place one

it

has a place

two or more

HINDU MUSIC.

many

dots will represent as

377

saptakas besides the natural

ones, either above the uppermost or below the lowest or

first

line.

This

is all

that

we

require for the purpose

basis of our notation,

and from

all

of

forming the

that has been said, the

reader will form an idea of the simplicity of our notation

as contrasted with that of the Europeans.

misapprehension, we must say that

establish the superiority of the

To guard

our object

against

is

not to

Hindu system over the Euro-

pean, but merely to show that our system, as

sufficient for all practical purposes,

it

is,

is

of the European system will not be an improvement.

will here

add that

by means

will

we have recourse

We

to the division of seals

of clefs, one line for each saptaka will be sufficient.

From what
it

if

quite

and that the introduction

has been said of the notations of different nations,

be remarked that each nation, for the complete

representation of the differences of

different signs.

If

their

music,

must use

the Europeans use lesser number of signs

than what we require,

it is

simply because they have to do

with harmony, while we, for the sake of melody, must use a
variety of signs to represent ^rooties, Murchehhands, Talas

&o.

So our notation, as we have shewn,

requirements, and

is

sion than the English

of adopting the stave.

while

Mr. Clarke's

" by adopting,

if possible,

of

Bengali

it

adapted to our

dispenses with the necessity

We cannot, however,

the view of

sentation

is

both simpler and easier of comprehen-

give our assent to

so-called progressive

party, that

the European stave for the repre-

melodies, the Bengali musicians of

course would save themselves the labor of learning one nota-

who knew no English might

play

a melody from an English or French piece of music."

For

tion more," that " a Bengali

HINDC MUSIC.

378

we have the

dissent

this

best of reasons.

pean notation we cannot use

full

all

representation of our music without

Some

and cumbrous.

of the signs

making

we

of

Krintanas,

such

indistinct

it

refer to are

and Prakshepa, which are in frequent use

varieties

In the Euro-

the signs necessary for the

Bikshepa

in vocal music

^^T^r^T^ which

are of very frequent

use in our Vina-Setdra, and the sign known by the

greatly

in several

contribute

music

used

strings

the Spars'a, the

varieties

A'tfa,

not

in

others

are

represented

called progressiva

not

party,

make the

for nothing

else,

at

and

grace

the

to

Gamaka-A's'a, Murchchhand

does

name

of

which in the Mahomedan instruments, the Babdb, the

Sarode, &c,

our

the

Gamaka-krintana, A! s a-Tcrintana, &c, the

Spars, a-krintana,

varieties of Chheras or

*KTO

Murchchhana-krintana,

as

#<?.

in

various

ways,

ornamentation of
of

A's'a,

These

such as

and several

the notation of

the

so-

and their not representing them

representation the less necessary,

least

for

tegrity of our system of music.

if

the preservation of the in-

They may

ignora them, but

we are prepared practically to prove their existence whenever

we may be called upon to do so. Again, that which we hold
to be the very foundation-stone of Hindu Music, we mean the
Srooties, or the

quarter-tones of the Europeans, in which

Mr. Clarke has pledged

his disbelief,

and in expressing which

we take a special pride, finds no place in the system of the

misnamed progressive party, who are victims of self-practised
All these signs when mentioned in the Sanskrit
delusions.
works on music must be expressed either vocally or by means
of instruments, and if we fail, it is plain we are ignorant of
the method.

even in

its

The adopted

improved

notation of the progressive party,

state, is still

as incomplete

as

it

can

379

HINDU MUSIC.
signs introduced in

The numerical

possibly be.

and so

will

the several

peculiarities of our music,

of other nations,

Will

new

signs created expressive of the

which

be possible for an Eaglishman or Frenchman, who

it

to play a

melody from a piece of Bengali

music as represented by these notations

have

been differently

ing our music, and

man make them

how

is

for the

The

Soma

signs,

more-

purpose of represent-

Englishman or the French-

will the

For instance,

for the English pause, while this.

the very starting poiut in

Hindu Music, and

of comprehension to the European as the

difficult

We

used

out without special instruction

they use the sign of

Soma

from the music

is distinct

and that in the languages of those nations.

knows no Bengali,

over,

require

it

of different nations,

to be explained for the comprehension

could point out other anomalies, but what

as

is

Rdga.

we have

already done will suffice.

Above
treble

all,

clef,

the notation in question has been formed on the

but not only one such

clef

but

all

the clefs

divided as they are, are quite insufficient for the representation of the A'lapa of a Rdga.

divisions,

ggr^Tft,

5RTO

The A'l&pa

four divisions together constitute

these

Tana

(cfT*})

without which the

consists of four,

H^TCt and snwfjT, and

Rdga

is

what

is

thus evident that Mr. Clarke's assertion "that

essential to represent quarter-tones,

&c,"

is

We

if

It is
it

was

some modification of the

would be far more preferable to the

staff

called

incomplete *

nationalist's notation

barely an assertion, and does not admit of proof.

think

we have adduced

sufficient evidence in this

part

of our discussion to justify us in pronouncing Mr. Clarke's

*

An

account of these divisions will be found in Sir William Jones'

Works on Hindu Music ;

also in Sangila Ratrulvali in Sanscrit.

HINDU MUSIC.

380

theory about the adaptation of the English system of notation to the music of

Every

nations as wholly arbitrary.

all

has a music of

civilized nation, that

its

own, has also a system

of notation adapted to the peculiarities of that music.

attempt to replace

it

If

we

by the European system of notation, we

under the necessity of expressing those peculiarities

will be

by means of new

signs.

Take the Chinese music as an

The Chinese have a notation

tration.

They have adopted nine

distinguishing peculiarities.

illus-

own with

of their

different

characters,

which are enumerated in French by DeQuignes

as ho,

y,

se,

chang,

hung, fan, Kaon, and an.*

tche,

a character of their own, and DeGuignes says

them down

to set
tion.

correctly in the

As

Take again Japan.

musical

far

it is

impossible

European system of nota-

back as the year 1611, the

Japanese were

the

of

lines

There

They note down each with

they write in a line downwards.

Captain

pricked, f

Turner was informed that the Buddhist priests in Thibet

had

their

Nor

music written

their

of

own. J

Java and

other

of

requirements

the musical

The

and Hebrews without a contrivance

some kinds

possess

sea

characters which they studied.

in

are the Egyptians

islands

a proficiency in music as any

are naturally very fond of
for the

most

part,

lively,

pleasant to the European ear.

style

They have

Howard Malcolm's

as great

They

of their music

and may

is,

not sound un-

Their pieces of music are

been translated into English by the Bev.

also

made

other Asiatic nation.

and the

extremely

sufficient for

the different nationalities.!

of

Burmese and the Siamese appear to have

it,

Indian

the

of

notation quite

E.

W.

Style,

Travels in South Eastern Asia.

X Historical, Technical and Literary Description of Oriental Music and

Musical Instruments by Villotcau.
i,

Opus

cit.

381

HINDU MUSIC.
They

very numerous.

exhibit as

many

tunes written in their own character.*

appears

be

to

In Ceylon

The Turks

are not without a system

all

or rule.

the tunes and sounds corres-

ponding to ours, but, possessing quarter-tones,

it

very

is

aud consequently highly melodious and

rich in materials,

reduction to a regular scale even in their national

The Turkish

system of notation.

people play in unison or

in octaves, which practice though hostile to

musical sense of the word,

effect,

too,

seen in regular notes written in the

Their music has not only

difficult of

fifty

music

There are

cultivated with great ardour.

pieces of music to be

Pali language.

hundred and

as

and

is

very imposing, t

is

into two parts

the

telif

in the

The Arabs

divide their music

(composition) or music considered

in its relation to melody,

and the ikaa (cadence of sounds)

or the measured cessation of melody

music only.

harmony

productive of a grand musical

They have four

regarding instrumental

principal

modes from which

are

derived eight others, and they have also six composite modes

formed by union of these.

by forming an oblong

Their manner of noting music

rectangle, divided

by seven

is

lines perpen-

dicular to its sides, representing together with the two extreme

lines eight intervals.

Each of these

lines is

of a different

color,

which must be remembered as well the name as the

val.

They use

tones.

in their

The notes

of their scale (which are designated

numbers from one

heft, or, as in

to seven

yek, du,

European music, by the

Alphabet, which are in the Arabic,

si,

tschar,

first

Howard Malcolm.

t See

by the

pent, sehesch,

seven letters of the

alif, be, girn, dal,

tain,) are subdivided into seventeen one-third

inter-

music smaller intervals than our semi-

ha, wain,

tones,

The Harmonicon,

Vol. II.

and in

HINDU MUSIC.

382

rendering this scale in the European system of notation,

signs

have to be invented for the quarter-tones.

will

from the sixth to the minor seventh a

Thus,

tones, while in their scale only one-third tone, &c.

But

he semi-

will

fiat

new

it is

impossible to represent Arabic music in the European system

of notation, notwithstanding the invention

of

new

signs for

quarter-tones*

The

Persian music very

own

its

notation,

scale is as difficult

we

leave

it

to

much

resembles ours.

It has

also

the reduction of which to the European

and impracticable

that of ours.

as

Now

Mr. Clarke to determine the result of repre-

senting the music of different nations on the face of the earth

by one common notation,

i. e.,

the European with newly in-

vented signs according to the requirements of each.

fear

we must

music

the milleneum arrives.

till

We

defer the prospect of an universal language of

If an

attempt be made to

adapt the English notation to the music of the different

nations,

it

will be

Clarke's plan, to

wants and
will not

necessary,

make

we

believe,

according to Sir.

sub-divisions in order to cover the

peculiarities

of each nation, but then the result

be that " a Bengali who knew no English might

play a melody from an English or French piece of music."

But

the difficulty

we have

just represented is not

all.

As

the different systems of music of different nations are not

equally progressive, (and

the new

signs

we have

some are not

altered or extended according to the

stages

development of the original music.

to bear in

mind how much

A Treatise on

at

all

progressive)

referred to will have to he modified,

alteration

We

of progress

will ask

and

Mr. Clarke

has European music

Arabic Music, translated from the Arabic by

EU

Smith.

383

HINDU MUSIC.
undergone in the course of the

more

it is

last

destined to undergo.

500 years, and how

Had

much

European system

the

been an immutable or a system, what necessitated John

Curwen'a modifications (which by the bye closely resembles

we

the ancient Sanscrit notation) and what guarantee have

that they will stop

adduced
fact

may now

it

systems

the

the music

the

of

already

who

are well supported by Ambros,

invented

of notation

nations cannot

oriental

European notation.

by the

represented

we

From what we have

be safely assumed as an established

except by

that,

by them,

here

In

be

opinion

this

says that " respect-

ing the national songs which have hitherto

been published,

them the

original charac-

it

must be observed that

ter of the

in all of

music has been greatly altered,

by the arrangement

if

not obliterated,

melodies for the pianoforte,

'of

unwarranted addition of accompaniments

of

or.

by the

some

kind.

In many instances where the songs are usually performed in

unison, they retain,

when harmonized, but

Even

former characteristics.

paniment

originally

exists,

entirely disregarded

almost another
lity

of

in the

the music

of

Hindu Music.

its

other

The

And

has been

nations

oriental

is

difficulty of adopting

much from

quarter-tones,

as

enumeration.

We

for

it

often

so

becomes

to the inapplicabi-

as

notation, what

tion arises as

said

of

equally true

the foreign

of

nota-

the modifications necessary for the

various other causes too intricate for

will cite a

of the views advocated

Willard, " prevails

peculiarities are

arrangement that

composition."

the European

faint traces of their

in instances where an accom-

by

few more authorities in support

us.

"

great difference,"

says

between the music of Europe and that

of the oriental nations in respect to time,

in

which

it

re-

HINDU MUSIC.

384

sembles more the system of the Greeks and other ancient

nations than the measures peculiar to the music of

modern

Europe.''

Again, another writer says, " nor are the ancient

Hindu

known to the Europeans from the impossibility

them according to our system of notation. The

aira

of setting

Hindus have quarter-tones, a

difficult to

fact

still

more

own system."*

Mr.

which renders.it

express their music by our

Whitten, in his lecture on the music of the ancients, delivered

at the Calcutta

Normal

School, took the

His words were as follows

question.
airs are

known

sible to

set

to

Europeans, and

them

of notation, as

to

it

"

same view of the

Few

of the

music according to the modern system

we have neither staves nor musical characters

whereby the sounds may be accurately expressed."!

writer,

Hindu

has been found impos-

Another

an equally independent authority, goes on to

that " considerable difficulty

is

say,

found in setting to music

the Ragas and Raginis, as our system does not supply notes
or signs sufficiently expressive of the almost imperceptible
elevations

and depressions of the voice in these melodies

of which the time

is

broken and irregular, the modulations

frequent and very wild."t

It is thus generally

admitted that Hindu Music, from

nature, does not admit of being represented

Mr. Clarke may, therefore, well regale

system of notation.

in the enjoyment of his pleasing visions supported

distinguished authority of his progressive friends,

* Oriental Collections
t Orchestra,

its

by the European
by the

and

will

by W. Ouseley Esq.

March 14th

1868.

by Sir W. Ouseley. Mr. Clarke himself has given

J Oriental Collections
an indirect demonstration of the difficulty of representing Hindu Music
in the three lines appended to his article, and we
notation
by the European
are glad to find that Mr. Aldis takes our view of the case.

385

HINDU MUSIC.
we hope have the goodness

to practically illustrate his theory

with their invaluable aid as to how the Hindu system of

notation

We

may

will

errors into
in

respect

be superseded by the European.

conclude with a few words, pointing out certain

which Mr. Clarke

to

In discussing

certain

the

perhaps unwittingly, fallen

has,

musical facts and personal questions.

he

notation

question of

mentions that the notation in use

is

incidentally

not the Bengali notation

but an invention of four years ago, taken up by " a small

We

but rich party in Calcutta."

making

this

statement our

critic

are sorry to say, that in

is

entirely mistaken, or

has allowed himself to be misled by the party to which he

has apparently surrendered his

had referred

to the published

recommend

works on Hindu Music.

judgment.

If

he

works of his countrymen, he

would have discovered his mistake.

take the liberty to

critical

Amongst others we would

for his perusal

The notation

Sir

W.

Jones'

in use is not one of

four years' invention, but of an age anterior to the commence-

ment

of the authentic history.

In proof of

its

antiquity

we

annex a facsimile of a printed form of notation, written in

the oldest Sanskrit character of g^jsfj ^f jj

w-i

$&
-9tffll

iOjo

dfil

31

a
eg)

S
M
-(VJ1

a
/=3

SI

as

oo

<>

^1

<X

387

HINDU MUSIC.

We

will not enter into the personal question,

state for Mr.

shares our opinions in musical matters

to

as

is

may

which

nearly as numerous

all

degrees of taste and

of course the progressive

party only excepted.

comprehend musicians of

proficiency

but we

that the party

Clarke's information

In the appendix will be found a paper containing autographs

of

the eminent

all

who

day,

We

Hindu and Mahomedan musicians

of the

endorse our view of the question under discussion.

do not pretend to any knowledge of English music

little

we know does

that

yond a knowledge

not, perhaps, extend to

explanation of the notation.

to study the particular

we venture

But we have taken

the pains

we have presumed

to write.

to express a hope that Mr. Clarke

do us the justice to believe that in

the course of this controversy

by any unfriendly

be-

branch of music in which we take

pride and pleasure, and on which

Finally,

much

harmonium and the

notes on a

of the

the

feeling,

all

that

we have

will

said in

we have not been actuated

or hostile

spirit.

What

grieves

us most

is

scientific

attainments, natural abilities, and high character,

that a gentleman of

Mr. Clarke's

erudition,

should have imported in this discussion the party

those,

who

are

spirit

of

themselves unable to understand or explain

what they write about, and who have made him an exponent
of their crude views and egregious misconceptions.

paper

satisfies

If this

Mr. Clarke that in advocating the national

system we are simply following reason, truth, and history,

we

will consider ourselves

amply

repaid.

389

HINDU MUSIC.

^ft*p5NCT3r

to:

f%reft

sr^fT

fw

#i

'5WRT

*fi^?T

'ti

s:^3ft rr^^ta ^ten

?r*ft

ra,

f^rcr

?r^^T fro ^
^?r, *re, twf*w *n: to f5R fpr ^T5rni T&fsft ^w?m

n&rft

T*

to^ totto^

^rar

rr^

^i^: ^rt^ ^f?r

it ^t ^tt, *h\<<

^*re

^^5^

HINDU MUSIC.

390

TRT

Tf%^,

^hft

?n^fter

'=r<.*H*rref

*r#t

^RT

*T?

w\wa,

3F^

<T

^^

*rsi^fcrer,

^ifa*irtar,

^^ft T%^?T T*iT

^r^?ft tif

^ ^f

# ^RT ^^ ^R Tpfqj

g^eref ^ft

^rt

f ^HR

^fit t^jt

^fa** 'w: wrcr

*ra*

HINDU MUSIC.

*re3%

ra rare *repr ^t<rre$

^Stare *nrc

'S^Nrr

^rH

*rrew

^TR^iT ^TCI

^RS.1

^TT

**rre

^ti

^rt *m

srTsNrir

to

fft

'SW

^f^

^RT

^NFt^ ^w*s

^^ft

qm ^V*r w$i ^tt%

V TO?T # ^t

f^l if?5W^T

T#t TTTTf

ft^t rat ^iifa

wnsft

<?farrf

^r^r s;^r thrw

^rrsra

s^Nt

f^t

WW? T^ T^*t

SPI^ft^

391

?RT*r n*?rraik

't,

*t ^I?T TTf

-d!4l *fi*% #,

WSWVfT

'Tt^T-

HINDU MUSIC.

392

^k t^trw "*\*ft
Professor

MOWLA

II

ii

BUX,

Of Bombay.

tor

fira, sreferc

^EPnraftfMk,

sjxrfksT

^lr

ji$

|.U.J

&

HINDU MUSIC.

393

wXjjjj ajlo^ j-^Jjl

i^t ^J^> y*^&.

t^i j'j'

J^

^ f^

**J* >Uij
MM

^ bo u4^V

vtt*ju*l jjl

pX^JL)

J^ji olmAi ic^hy

J0

vs/*t

jjl jl*ij

(*

vAPjij* fk

t^r* <-V

tit )^ ^'jj

>

j>

p* ^-jj)
j 2.

O*' 4-

<**"

^b

ft

W ji
]

^*

^r
*

-^

<J>l->l

*>J*Vi

^HH

*-%*
.

^^
j)jl

,^1
uft

^G^

X-l

^
j>'

HINDU MUSIC.

394

^ ^ L ^Ail^JJ

V^

O/*

fe"

jjy* j\l*

^gX.-jl ? jjl

j.i>

*fyj-l <^ nJJ^-cU

t_jbj

^j

^*x.
v

^t J*

^g^f.)

^llswo

IS"

jjl Jjl

KO^J J*

&gJt,Jjl

"

*"

V.

jj'

^^ M

vU v'-*-2*
1

erV ^ir^

^^y^ j < ^

&->f jj'

^"

^5^.

uLo>

*fekj^. (_/ |J^ u*'

w^

v^ ^**

4^-5

fe"

cH.

HINDU music.

B^Xto,*

V*.

jV

*)j*$ \j^t

jj| rJ '
,

-6

u/t?

US'

j^ U ^li.jjJL,

<J!j

jf

^j!

^^ Vi^J O^yJ X- &4SV0* ^Jojl

^ *fe<^ ^
ft**"

v* ^^ **

i^<

395

^ r^

ks*.

J-5 '

&h Lf

^jji

-^.'

^ c^*ji> y^

^i $\y

<j>^*

jl

<

J^t

liljiXrU

HINDU MUSIC.

396

J* U^i

LaS^

lsi <J>*

^LuaJ

o*

V_^.'

*- ****

oJ^j ^^^j* Jaia^iX^Jjl

*J%

*-^ ^

Lf^

jJ^Vijmoj

j.

j*J]

J,

utll

0.

>jJ|

d..SW0

;H

^^ ^

slJI

^U.
*

* Sf^J"

*5

J.

t>

* 4

JJtf)

hindu music.

397

* 4

ij'j-^ jjj-"

n>^ (Ji

JJtJI

U^j-J-c

o.

cJ|

J.

JJlJI

ON THE

MUSICAL SCALES OP DIFFEKENT NATIONS

FROM

TO THE STCTDY OF

NATIONAL MUSIC;"
BY

CARL ENGEL.

MUSICAL SCALES OF DIFFERENT NATIONS.

The

seven intervals of the Hindu scale sa,

pa, dha, ni,

major

which

nearly correspond

with

ga, ma,

ri,

our

diatonic

subdivided into twenty-two Srooti, corres-

scale, are

ponding to quarter-tones, but not quite exactly, since there

are only 22 instead of 24 in the compass of an octave.

Whole

Whole

Semi-

Whole

tone.

tone.

tone.

tone.

Srooti.

l!

3 Srooti.

Whole

Whole

Semi-

tone.

tone.

tone.

4 Srooti.

Srooti.

3 Srooti.

Srooti.

Srooti

ma

ga

pa

(/)

(<*)

dha
(r

(?)

(*)

(<0

Sir William Jones considers sa identical with our a, so

that the syllables sa,

ri,

our scale of a major,

ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, would represent

a, b, c

on Hindu music take sa

iff,

d, e, f

to be

% g %.

been done in the above illustrations of the

Willard observes that Sir
to

correspond to

a,

W.

Jones, in

" appears

to

may have with

tuned ut or

* Khviruj ia

e, it

the

me

to be

c,

as has

Captain

making the Khuruj*

musical arrangement.

seems to

scale.

more

be guided

alphabetical arrangement of letters than

it

Other writers

synonymous with

by

by any connexion
If the

Khwruj

more systematic,

name given to ax, the fundamental note

it

is

being

of the scale.

Y-l

HINDU MUSIC.

402
the key-note

of the natural key.

The musicians

of Hin-

dustan never appear to have had any determined pitch by

which their instruments were regulated, each person tuning

own

his

to a

certain height, adapted

strings, the

capacity

voice intended to be accpmpanied, and other adventi-

of the

tious

by guess to the power

aud quality of the

of the instrument

circumstances."*

much importance

This question, however,

in our inquiry.

that two of the whole tones in the

Hindu

not

is

More remarkable

of

the fact

is

scale, viz., those

from

the second to the third, riga, and from the sixth to the
seventh, dha

ni,

comprise only three Srooti, while the other

whole tones comprise four.

some extent obviates

In certain cases the performer to

inequality,

by enlarging a small whole

tone with a Srooti borrowed from the next tone of the scale.

The general name

for the

Hindu

scale is That.

R&ginees are melodies founded upon certain

modes, which are

formed

either

R&gas and

scales, or rather

by substituting

the

for

prime another interval of the scale as fundamental note,

or

tonic,

sidering

as in

certain

our ancient

Church modes

intervals

the scale as inessential

by omitting one or two

of

intervals entirely.

In

or

by con-

subjoin a few specimens of scales selected from a

given in

Hindus.'t
it will

or

illustration I

number

W. Jones's essay On the Musical Modes of the

Two of them, called Todi and Saindhavi, resemble,

Sir

'

be seen, the former the Dorian, and the latter the

Phrygian mode.

Those intervals which

in the scales called

Bhairava, Tacca, and Maravi are written as crotchets, are

A treatise on the

Music of Hindustan by Captain N. Augustus Willard.

Calcutta, page 27.

t Asiatic Researches, Vol. Ill, p. 55.

403

fitNDTT MUSIC.

inessential,

and may be skipped by the performer.

entirely omitted

(as

M&ravi and Hindotd)

in

Intervals

are indicated

thus
Saindhavi.

*ToAi.

r^rf jJ-^E8
II

j^f

-P

Pf'HrN-M5
Eindola.

Maravi.

j"

$1

Tacca.

Bhairava.

jtth

ii

,)

^^~a

In the music of the Arabs we also meet with smaller

intervals than our
scale,

semi-tones.

The notes

of

the Arabic

which are designated by the numbers from

yek, du,

si,

music, by the

first

1 to 7,

as in our

tsohar,peni, schesoh, heft, (or also,

own

seven letters of the alphabet, which are

in the Arabic alif, be, gim, dal, he, wan,

zain.,)

are subdivided

into seventeen one-third-tones.

Yeh

peni

tschar

i
I

ichesch

111.

In rendering this

scale

in our notation,

Yeh

Iieft

flat

shall

employ

signs similar to those previously adopted in the examples

with quarter tones.

third-tone,

and

Thus,

# two

Jiff

before a note raises

one-third-tones

Jt)

it

a one-

before

404

HINDU

SHJ8IC.

indicates that the interval is a one-third-tone higher thas

.

flat,

and

|[

The minims
be seen,

that

it is

two one-third-tones higher than

indicate the diatonic

differ

from ours

intervals, which,

in so far as the

Sat.

seventh is minor,

and the two steps from the third to the fourth

from the sixth to the minor seventh, a

it will

flat,

/,

and

which in

our notation would be semi-tones, are in the Arabic scale

only

The

one-third-tones.

written as crotchets

intervals

denote the intermediate one-third tones between the respective diatonic intervals.

ARABIC INTERVALS.

if

h$

^&

7ttftl&W*&*
The Persians appear

to have employed at an early period

smaller intervals than serai-tones.

Persia

by the Arabs,

about

the

After the conquest of

middle of the

seventh

century of our Christian era, the music of the Persians and

Arabs, became, so to say, amalgamated, and there are

treatises extant of early

which the system of one-third-tones

wards, however,

some

still

Arabian and Persian theorists, in

of the

is

exhibited.

After-

Persian Musicians adopted a

system of twelve semi-tones in the compass of an octave,

like

our chromatic scale.

THE SAMAN CHANTS

FROM

BY

A. C.

BUKNELL,

ph.d.

THE SAMAN CHANTS.

The music

of the

now sung by

the

there

respects,

Sdman

Chants has been so often men-

me, that I shall try to give an idea of

tioned by

therefore, follow

formation.

The

priests.

are

numerous CahhA

the

practice of the

of which

only one

Veda

Sdnia

it,

as

differences

Kaulhumi

have been able to obtain

and I

it,

shall,

CdJchd,

the

sufficient in-

very nearly extinct, and this

art is

good reason for describing

it is

Here, as in other

is

European

especially as the only

who studied it in India Dr. Haug-^js now no more.

The foundation of these Chants being unquestionably very
they are,

old,

of notes, but

as might be expected, on an imperfect scale

modes do not appear to be used, except

one.

The Sdman Chants resemble in some respects the Gregorian

or Plain Chan t, and the two kinds of music approach one
another in

many

points

the

older and less cultivated, one

Sdman, however, being the

occasionally

meets with pas-

sages which are forbidden by the rules of the Plain Chant,

and

are, to

The

a foreigner's ear, by no means pleasing.

notation, as has been already remarked* varies exceed-

MSS. come from different parts of

much to say that it would be almost
two MSS. which precisely agree. MSS.

ingly, accordingly as the

India,

and

it is

not too

impossible to find
the

of

ganas

1 ofr. P. 370

(3rd ed
2

a3 to the

are

only

of Helmholtz,

copied

by

professional

" Die Lehro von den Tonemp-findungen,"

development of taate as regards Music.

Above PP. XXVI and XXVII.

Sama-

408

HINDU

Veda priests

their

for

to the

terest

own

his

own

the S. Indian

him

in chanting the notes.

MSS. and which

mentioned, for these letters amount

The

principle

more

simple.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

these the

have

already

to several hundreds.

modern notation by numbers

of the

The seven notes

are

is

and the

far

marked by the numerals

6 and the last (really never used) by 7 or ^.

first

the complicated notation as

give

to

of in-

follows

therefore,

almost every one adds marks

to assist

It would be useless

used in

and present no kind

use,

public; every copyist,

different plan in details, for

and signs of

MUSIC.

Of

rest E, I), C, B, A, G. 1

It is necessary to point out (as there has

been much con-

fusion on this point) that the ganas are not accented in the

ordinary sense of the word, or like the other Vedas

but

that the marks which form such a prominent feature in the

text are actually musical notes.*

The

difficulty

in

understanding

true nature

their

connect

them, phonetically, with the accents.

difficult

to

understand this

by

comparison

attempts of the mediaeval students of music.

1 I

has

out of the attempts to classify the notes, and also to

arisen

It

similar

Thus Hugbaud

have ascertained thi3 by means of a standard pitch-pipe.

the doctrine of the Ndradacixd (adhy.

not

is

with

It is also

according to oral information

ii.)

Yah SSraaganam Prathamah Sa Venor madhyamasvarah

Yo dvitiyah Sa Gaudhai as, tritiyas tv rishabha smrita.
The common Hindu
Sir

W. Jones

which

scale corresponds

with the European key of

has (as evidently might be done) put

can find no

inconsistency (As. Res.

sufficient reason

and, in fact, he

2 These notes; should bo as just mentioned

is,

in the
is

key

but

of A, for

thus led into

iii.)

which the accent marks were used, and

the practice

it

admittedly, wrong.

this

but I have seen M8S. in

misled

me

(Cat.

P.

45),

and

HINDU MUSIC.
(840-930 A.D,)
the following
So, La, Si, Ut

grades

the notes of the Plain Chant in

classified

way

Ri, Mi, Fa, Sol

409

finales

La,

Si, Ut, Re,

superiores

In the Indian books on music there

classification of the notes

is

Mi,FaJSol,La 1

excellences

a somewhat similar

Anudatta

Uddtta

Rishdbha,

Nishdda, gdndhdra.

Svarita

Dhai-

Madhyama,
Pancama.

Shadja,

vatu.

The three sthinas represent three octaves.

The names of the seven notes differ, and some have
several names. The oldest list that I know of is probably
that in the Sdmavidhana Brahmana* krushta, Prathama,

dvitiya, tritiya, caturtha,

the later works

Sdyanas

{e.g.,

numbers prathama,
pond

pancama and shashtha

C.

are used 3

etc.,

to the shadja, rishabha,

In

or antya.

on the Arsheyabrdhmana) the

;

these again partly corres-

gandh&ra, madhyama, pancama

dhaivata and nishdda of usual music, but in reverse order,

i. e.,

the

of the

first

Sdma

note of the Hindu ordinary music

priests,

the scale of the

and the
In

last.

given as prathama,

etc.,

S.

scale

is

the fourth

ascends, the reverse of

India the names are usually

mandra

(5th) anusvarya (6th)

and

atisvarya (7th).

Dela Page, "Cours complet dl Plain Chant," P. 691.

2 See i,

1,

8 of

my edition (P.

3 So in the Svaraparibhdshd.

the

fifth svara.

stand for the

4 That the

S).

Mandra

In the Sdmatantra (by

first five svaras.

krwMa

is

knuhta repeatedly

(.

g.,

i,

The antya

however, the most usual

ii,

is

3" ueoo

gan")

not mentioned

gi,

name for

ji,

(8. T. I.,

di,
i,

di

1.)

and that it is generally called prathama

SSyana (in his C. on the Arsheya br.) mentions
in 1, 16 and 17) where the Samaa'has the first
note

the

there can be no doubt.

is,

first note,

marked.

Z-I

HINDU MUSIC.

410

Besides the seven simple notes (pralcriti), there are seven

others (vikriti) 1 which express constantly recurring groups of

notes or modifications, and the necessity for which has evidently

from the system

arisen

There are

'

notation by numbers.

of

prenkha' which adds two mtra to the preceding

and ends with the second svara,

syllable

S. Indian

MSS.

'

pre'

sometime

occurs.

includes

up the

marked by

'

vi'

or S and

4565,

vikritis are

Samprasdrana=234:b.

of the art, but

only

Namana? which

these marked.

and 2

consists of 1

occurs in the Qr&mageyagana, Prenkha

The two remaining

i, or in

'

con-

iarsTiana'

(marked A) or down (marked V) and

scale

the notes between

all

marked

two and three)

sists of the first three notes (one,

is either

it is

'

'

is

'

Vinata'

where

'

is

Vinata'

put in the Uha.

embellishments

Atyutkrama

There are many other terms

abhigdta '

requires

to be noticed.

This consists in a repetition of the note with a short a

it

appears to be marked in the Bibliotheea Indica edition of

As is everywhere
7.
Sdma Veda priests have a

the Santa- Veda by

literature, the

technical terms, but I

shall not

as most have arisen out of

the case in Sanskrit

long vocabulary of

attempt to explain them,

the peculiar notation, and

would not be possible to make them

intelligible

it

in a short

space.

With

men

these explanations

of the

Sdma Veda

Chant system which

it is

now

possible to give a speci-

chants noted according to the Plain

will best suit the

remarked, however, that the Chant

staccato,

and

that, in one respect,

resemblance to the Plain Chant

purpose.
is

there

the

time depends chiefly on the words

It

must be

continuous, and not

is

a total want of

value of the notes or

in the adaptations of a

1 These are purely modern.

<5

HINDU MUSIC.

Sdman

411

to different words, the length of

the notes

is

made

of the words

and insertion or omis-

sion of letters. .^JjTotes are, sometimes,

Dirgha or Vriddha,

up by the modifications

usually by the letter

Indian

MSS. by O.

in S. Indian

r,

notes are emphasized

MSS.

Vriddha

Dirghn notes are prolonged beyond

Where

the usual length.

markedin N.

alone

and the former are

there

a group of notes and a

is

number over each one, these upper numbers

give the length in

division {Parvan)

marks the notes

(Mdtra).

The bar or

The

to be sung with one breath.

length of the note depends

on the vowel, and not on the length of the

to prosody

thus in

note in each parvan

If I*be right in

tion
this,

and none (so

is

the

citra'

syllable according

note

first

is short,

the last

always Vriddha.

assuming that the

the oldest

is

'

and

far as I

there are

S.

many

Indian letter notareasons in favour of

can see) against it it

is

obvious

that such chants can never have been thus preserved exactly

without

alteration, for the

letters

do not show the place

of the notes on the text, and there are other indications of

this.

in the

For instance, the

Sdman was

syllable

'

hum' which

called originally (as the

so often occurs

Brahmanas prove)

hinkara, and 'him' must, therefore, have been

the original

sound.

Again the PhuMas&tra shows that some Cahhds sang

certain

Sdman to more notes than others. Again, it is diffimuch in common between what are nominally

cult to trace

the same chants as sung by

members

This consideration affords a probable

The above explanation

e. g.

cases notes

seem

any

will enable

printed in the B.

chants (as

to be

I.

made sharp

rule as regards these.

any one to note the Sdma Veda

edition) in the

or

flat,

of different C&khds.

explanation of the

but

European way.

In some

have not been able to learn

HINDU MUSIC.

412
(in

assertion
less ('a

the Purdnas) that there were formerly count-

Sdma Veda;

thousand') Cdkh&s of the

evitable that endless

it

was

in-

should arise in course of

differences

time, as the fidmavedins gradually arrived at a better appreciation of melody.

am

not sure that the chants are not

modified even at the present day

some

priests,

at

all

events, use embellishments which others reject.

Soma Veda

Thus the

contains the

them 1

and

it

is,

'

incantamenta'

of great interest

therefore,

preserved record of a phase

of

of

belief

as the best

which we

traces in the histories of the civilization of all nations.

to music

ascription of a magical effect

our word
Latins

'

the

incantation' is

is

a witness to

still

German held the same

find

The

remarkable, and
it

among the

belief."

Brief and imperfect as this outline necessarily

it will

of

Roth appropriately has termed

Ancient India as Profr. V.

is,

I think

be found sufficient to show what the oldest Indian

music was.

The ancient music

of nations even nearer than

India has not as yet attracted any interest, 3 and the best
historians of this art have

not always had access to un-

questionable information.

When more

I have in hand

ever

is

done,

to this subject, and to

if

it

important work that

be done, I hope to return

elucidate

it

so far as

my imperfect

acquaintance with the theory of music will permit.

(l

Der Atharbaveda in kaschmir,"

J.

Grimm,

"Deutsche

P. 9.

Mytliologie"

pp.

987

ffg.

The myths which

have obvious reference to music are numerous and interesting, but

haB, as yet, been done to illustrate them.
3

e.

y.

Greek music has been but

little studied.

little

THE HINDU THEORY OE MUSIC

t

r<sm^.

is

ISAAC
Pianist

and

L.

gmic ,;
RICE,

Professor,

New

York.

THE HINDU THEORY OE MUSIC,

The

musical system which next claims our attention

is

Though unlike that of the

curious and interesting. The latter

that of the ancient Hindoos.

Chinese,

no. less

is

it

attempted to account for the power of music over the emotions by a mystic symbolical system. But it was not the

Hindoos to enter into such geognostic

characteristic of the

They,

mysteries.

too,

were susceptible to the influence of

the music, and to a very great degree

but they were too

dolent to seek for the natural cause of the

had a simpler way of doing things.

Why spend

in the futile effort to untie a knot,

your existence

when you can

cut

sever its most intricate ramifications at a single blow

2.

Music

the invention of the great

is

who caused
The sixth owed
na,

Ragas

five
its

to

existence to Parbuti.

Afterwards Brahma

Each Raga was then

ones.

Later, Sarasvati, the spouse of

Brahma, presented mankind with the most beautiful of

teach

'the

its use.

Vina.

The demi-god Narada was

Then Mabada-krishna endowed

the power of magic.

ginis.

per-

each Ragini

it,

The Ragas were the primary modes, the Ragi-

nis the secondary

truments

and

God Mahada-krish-

god who protected and governed

in a nymph.

it,

spring from his five heads.

himself created thirty Raginis.

sonified in a

in-

phenomenon they

The Sagas,

in turn,

the

ins-

elected to

Ragas with

endowed the Ra-

Men, animals and inanimate nature were henceforth

compelled to obey them.

One Rag a was possessed of the

power of raising clouds and producing

versed in that

rain.

A songstress

mode at one time saved BeDgal from an

HINDU MUSIC.

416

imminent famine by intoning.

One charmed

sun to vanish.

All heaven

tigers.

Indra

is

is

filled

Another Saga could cause the

serpents,

surrounded by Gandharvas

war and sing

his praise

another lions and

The great God

with music.
;

they accompany him in

in peace.

Yea, the terrible Shiva

himself was charmed by the magic of Havana's Vina.

is

the pier of prayer and sacrifice

The

3.

original

system was

of time, so that it grew to

it is

much

Music

god-compelling.

elaborated in the course

contain no less than sixteen

thousand modes, each of which was governed by one of the

sixteen thousand

nymphs, who attempted to gain the love of

The nymphs

Mahada-krishna during his incarnation.

governed by the thirty Raginis,

are

the Rdginis by the six

Sagas, the Sagas by Krishna himself. Now, as certain Raginis

had

affinities for certain

Sagas,

general marriage had taken place

wedded

it

was conceived that a

that each Raga had been

to five Raginis, and that eight sons

each family

had been born in

that each of the forty-eight sons, called Putras,

had taken a nymph

for a spouse,

whereupon the immediate

family of the Sagas comprised one hundred and thirty-two

heads,
4.

all

chief modes.

Later,

the seasons.

the

Sagas were construed as being also gods of

This was done, because there appeared to be a

great analogy between the frame of

of the Sagas,
into

mind produced by each

and the one natural to one of the

which the Hindu year was divided.

of one

Raga were

The

six seasons

joyful strains

symbolical of the season of blooming

the gay characteristics of another, of the ripening of the

fruits; while

the sad and melancholy melodies of another,

of the fading

and

falling

leaves.

In time

it

considered a grave offence to the presiding

came

Riga

to be

of

the

417

HINDU MUSIC.
season,

melodies in any but one of the modes subject to his

if

control were intoned.

How
for

differently the

bright,

the

Hindu

philosophers,

On

the one hand, the

numbers and the elements

And

on the

gorgeous heaven of sunshine,

fantastic,

marriages, and pleasures

the

of music

of the

gloomy mysteries
other,

Chinese and the Hindus accounted

power

the emotive

yet,

who

who knows but

that

established such a flowery

system, were thinkers fully as deep as the Chinese sages

that their original conception

and hidden meaning were

not as spiritual as those of modern days?

spirit of the

age to

call

personify the ideal,

As

The

It

was the

is

to say, to

theoreticians,

first

as a sober name,

signifying

rhythm, &c, appeared to be-

come almost unmanageable,

or

rather irreducible

to

any

they were compelled to limit them to a certain

number

that

the tones increased in variety, and by the aid

of modulation, changes of

system

God

the spiritual.

word Rdga

probably, used the

mode.

a force a

of

modes

fit

calculation,

The

must have

this

number be-

by some
Then came mytholo-

to sixteen thousand

which we are ignorant.

of

gical philosphy.

the soul,

and

for practical use,

came in course of time extended

tones, with their wonderful effect

originated in heaven.

was to specify how and where they

on

The next step

originated,

by

whom

they were propagated, and then the wildest speculations on

the subject were the order of the day.
cal character

What

question

"

"What

Nature?"

is

is

music

The

Hindu showed

of the ancient
"

as

part

of

peculiar poetiitself

the

in the

question

THE INDIAN ART OF MUSIC

FROM

The Imperial Gazetteer of India.

BY

The Hoh'ble W. W. HUNTER,

c. i. e., l. l. d.

Director-General of Statistics for the Government

of India,
President, Education Committee of India.

THE INDIAN ART OE MUSIC.

The

Indian art of Music (Oandharva-veda) was destined

a wider influence. A regular

system of notation had been worked

to exercise

out before the age of Panini (350 B.C.

were designated by their

1)

and the seven notes

This notation passed

initial letters.

from the Br&hmans through the Persians to Arabia, and

was thence introduced into European music by Guido

d'

Some, indeed,

Arezzo at the beginning of the 11th century.*

suppose that our modern word gamut comes not from the

Greek

letter,

gamma, but from the Indian gdma

Sanskrit, grdma), literally

after a period

Muhammadan
Of the 36

of

(in Prakrit

elaboration,

excessive

in

Hindu music,

a musical scale.'

'

sank

under

the

dynasties into a state of arrested development.

chief musicians in the time

of Akbar,

Not content with tones and

were Hindus.

only five

semi-tones, the

Indian musicians employ a more minute sub-division, to-

number

gether with a

of sonal modifications,

Western ear neither recognises nor

enjoys.

which the

Thus they

divide

the octave into 22 sub-tones, instead of the 12 semi-tones of the

European

to us

This

scale.

ences, but

it

giving

is

one of several fundamental

differ-

alone suffices to render Indian music barbaric

it

the effect of a ballad in a minor key sung

intentionally out of tune.

Von Bholen, Vat

Gruber'B

alte Indien,

Encyclopadie,

xvii,

p. 272, foot-note 315, (1878),

ii,

195

1840)

(1830)

Benfy's Indian (Erscb.

quoted by Weber,

Hist.

Jnd.

&

Lit.,

HINDU MUSIC.

422

Melodies which the Indian composer pronounces to be

and which

the perfection of harmony,

have for ages touched the hearts and

fired the

imagination of Indian audiences, are condemned

by the European

as discord

trained to recognise

critic.

The Hindu

ear has been

sound

which the

modifications

of

European ear refuses to take pleasure in

our ears, on the

other hand, have been taught to expect harmonic combinations for

which Indian music substitutes

The Indian musician

tions of its own.

by the few simple Hindu

to be judged

ear can appreciate.

represent

and the

It

effects

its

The complicated

requirements of Hindu

modes

{rags)

of its musical

a
the

and the

student

Revival
MuS10-

to

other

state

living

which

of

Hindu

of

consists

seven

of

Greek

Within the past ten

the

earlier

side

It

upon the

structure

separate

other

of

preserves

in

forms which

by

side

puzzle

with

developments.
late

old

the
Pat-

endeavoured

Sanskrit basis.

Rajah SourindVa Mohun Tagore

a series of interesting works on

the English tongue, adopting as far as

European notation.

chestra to illustrate the

lections of

three

five,

Hindus have of

years,

of Calcutta has published

the

of

most complicated
riotic

Indian Music in

upon

notes.

music,

create a musical revival

possible

rests

some of the

of

can only be produced on

2,000 years to suit the special

music.

six,

which the English

vast collection of sound-producers,

during

slowly elaborated

one

airs

indeed, impossible to adequately

is,

range of

Indian instruments

systems,

combina-

Indian system by the European notation,

the
full

different

declines altogether

art

Hindu instruments

He

has organized an

and presented complete

to the Conservatoire at

orcol-

Paris,

423

hindtj Muaio.

and to other institutions in Europe.

subjects which the

new movement took

One

of the earliest

as its theme,

was

the celebration of the Queen of England and her ancestors, in

a Sanskrit volume entitled the Victoria-Gitika (Calcutta, 1875).

No Englishman

has yet brought an adequate acquaintance

with the technique of Indian instrumentation to the study

of

Hindu music.

The

art still awaits investigation

eminent Western professor

Europeans in India regard

of the system on which

it

merely proves their ignorance

Hindu music

End of Part

Printed by

I. 0.

Bose

Bow-Bazar

&

by some

and the contempt with which

Co.,

is built

up.

II.

Stanhope Press, 249,

Street, Calcutta.