Filmi &Ndash; Indian Music’s Unique Element

“Filmi – Indian Music’s Unique Element”

Music is a form of art created via the medium of sound and comprised of an variety of components which include pitch (harmony, melody), rhythm (meter, tempo) and sonic qualities such as texture and timber.    Culture and social context are the essentials that determine or constitute how music is defined, created, performed and valued.   According to French musi-cologist /semiotician Jean-Jacques Nattiez:

 ”the border between music and noise is always culturally defined-which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not always pass through the same place; in short, there is rarely a consensus…By all accounts there is no single or intercultural universal concept defining what music might be, except that it is ‘sound through time’ (Nattiez).”  

No matter how it is defined or interpreted, music plays vital role in the lives of people throughout the world.  Like all forms of art, its importance and value lies in the fact that is encompasses a holistic experience – physically, mentally, and spiritually.

The Republic of India is the second most populated country in the world and the seventh largest geographical area.  A multitude of ethnic groups with distinct cultural traditions, languages, and dialects comprise the South Asia subcontinent and such a factor is reflective in the music.   Rabindranath Tagore, profound Indian-Bengali polymath of the late19th/early 20th centuries and credited with having transformed/reshaped Indian literature as well as music, described music as the “purest form of art” that arises from the inner soul and is based on life experiences (Indie-Music).   Indian music – an infusion of traditional/classical genres as well as popular, folk, and R& B genres – was and continues to be a vital source cultural expression, religious inspiration, and pure entertainment in the lives of the Indian people. Carnatic and Hindustani music primarily comprise classical/ traditional Indian music.  Divinely orientated and mirroring Persian as well as Islamic influences, both genres emphasize instrumentation but is vocal centric.  Carnatic is primarily associated with southern India while Hindustani the northern part of the country.    Bhavageete, Lavani, Bhangra, Dandiya, Rajasthani, , Kolata, and a host of other forms constitute Indian folk music which unlike the classical forms is dance orientated and usually performed on non-crafted instruments made from readily available material (bamboo, coconut shells, pots, etc.).   Rich and diverse, Indian folk music is utilized for special occasions and educational purposes (Courtney).