oe Pedagogy of Music Urmila Bhirdikar {WO AMEN AND MUSIC: NATIONALS IN THE MAKING OF AN INDIAN CLASSICAL TRADITION 1 Tine Mem and Musics Natomaliom in she | Making of an Indian Clasicat Tradiio bistory of music in the ate nineteenth and carly rwendieth-cencary western India, iusting ac che cent of her book the works of Vishnu ‘Narayan Baatkhande and Vishnu Digambar Paluskas, wo stalwarts whe are comin sree with fesevaly changing te pecegony ‘races che history of the ssa cla beginning ar the Bacodz princely the discustion pf che court id insticuonizer Maula Baksh, and cartes i beyoncl the rwo men wo the newiy emerging sites of public perfoomances of Abdu! Karim Khan and Hibai Badodelar in the Bombay Presidency. Each isa separate sory, placed by the author in the lager context of she educational reforms, newly emerging forms and spaces of publiciy ise of the commercial ‘Marathi cheat and the Orientlis writing on Indian susie, bur esentally linked to the (question of modernization of music ehrough the new forms of pedagogy: Thus, while the ‘canvas appeacs to be large, the author's arrention ie Focused on a specific isue in the Sry of mas i chs patio story of che two eeatral mea, Blackhande and Paluskar, has for Balle the onal sirlary of envioning she concepe sation while potting together now forms of the pedagogy of musi. Juxtapasing them, Bake places 2 fag “liberal seulac” vis sichande agaist che blatant “religioss conservative” bhwhe! nationalism of Pauskar. In et which emerged as ‘more elcctive in the laver-day msical practice, ‘while Bharkhaade’ project achieved only sccesses”(p.135). The lst evo nalyse the efecs in terms of the aed incorporation of women atthe cencre of she susial practice, Iris vo Bahl’ eredic that she writes chs Look from the position ofa historian, de- linking it ftom elastics, Indelogis, ruusicologst and ethnomusicologise po (2:19). She discusses at length the problems sources of writing chis history: the adulatory Biographics of musicians, the lack of cxtcal rial writing, and the disordesly and unsvalable or inzcessible archive (pp, 16-17). i Bakhle explores 2 specific aca inthe | ns of the Muslim usd musicianship | Her reading of these, in juxcaposition 10 exch other, has cesulted in some remarkable documentation of the contest, especially in che cate of the adminis polices in the | lagngy and the | Gundharva s well as Bhatkhande’ tours in | Barods cour and | fenccioning of Palusk | Mahavilal Sadly weve, the musics context and practice. given some risisading questiont sased ia this book. ‘The peculris ofthe musical pace rem casive in ee above archive, requting | ws te look at disographier,cecardings, band | | collctions and most importa the conenes | e mance. The review ales up | this qucstion view-vis some arguments | provided by a suppor of her | ieicae Serpent | This story begins in che pi | Baroda in period before Bhat | Patna Bale documents grit of the bursa adminitration that Emerge under te rl of Saya, and ie ffx on te adiniimaton of mune wed tnusicane which she muss wo be radically differance dhe feudal ptmonege ofthe pot | Under the wetesized nue of Sayizao | Gackwad, the adminsatve policies eendad | patronage ro musi under the svingene rules of | the ast: deparmen Maula Bash emerged | nth court asthe fic inesatonioe and | standin Bal acoue cvsining&cnon sectarian, ming! aed liu ince mse (p. 46) Bazhle | offen these characte of the nel ‘| practice as unique ro Maula Balch. Lougget | that dhe lac wo arbues ac lat end oe be| peculiar co Mauls Balch buc ave pare of ce | musi practice a sch. The masial Se mghe agi ae always © mlilingal aswell as the mukirrdigous from Amir Ktusro | | onwards. Maula Bash was no mote oes | exholc in his performative rstes than most masciaw this foc! fa: Molar! Kian | che other significant musican in the Baroda ceurt eng ot only the Sakic Asbgpad: as | part of his Gwalior repertoire, but ao the | | Marathi couples fom Munache Shots, | authored by (Sain) Ramdas (Data. 19970). Gia (oow kourwn 25 Parend Ghezl) were porvof ngs rmaie The published dandith | same cannot be ssid of| ‘The Book Review / January 2007/5 Its to Bakhle’s cregit that she writes this bock from the position of historian, elinking it from classicist, Indologist, musicologist and ethnomusicologist positions, collection of Bhaskarbua Bakile (who mained with three usta) contains a mix of “Hind” snd “Sufi Muslin” religious sentiments, (Derar:19975). “The ral question then ie about che “non- sectarian” character of Maula Bales which ‘when seen in the context of hist Sans shasta and is alliance with smodern “notation” suggests in fick 2 "Hinds! opposition to the traditional knowledge base of the hereditary wzads, and anveipates the negoriations of Maslim acta? knowledge wich the shastochars in Bombay Presidency. Balkrishoabua Kapileshwnel’s biography of [Abdul Karim Khan (which is 2 major source of ‘Bake’ reading of Abdul Karim Khan) suggests this opperition in the delineation of the feud berweea (Abdul Karim Khas’) ie and (Maula Baksh’) shasta ox beoweea the traditional “srgam” and modera “notation”. (Outside the scuree of biography and anecdote, {is worth noting that as early as 1872, Maula | Baksh was recognized as representing "Hindu" ‘musi inthe Borabay based Marathi newspaper ‘Nanive Opinion (Aug 27, 1872 article “Gawayes Maula Baksh), It seems he was also becoming known so in Caleutta, Bekele rightly ores that most of the Marathi biographies of musicians represent Maula Baksh as 2 ‘megalomaniac, among other things and cites an arid by senior scholar SV. Gokible asthe cl one who takes note of Maula Baksh a che foundation sune) of musics roderization” (p. 46). Clearly, the ewo representations do not rally cancel out each other, Moreover, SV. Goktle too in a note on “Maula Baksh describes him having become “proud and intolerant of others succes", ater the bocarae the head ofthe aris’ deparcment in Barosa, (lembe: 1984: p. 165). Inthe same ‘book, in his nove on Fair Mohammad Khan Goll represents Khanshab as"... repressed | by Maula Bash but held in honour by senior ‘musicians and connoisseun” (Tembe 1984: p. 95).). The ral issue is not of Maula Balls personality per se, but ofits postion and effect in an ambience of sharie modemization | wherein che hereditary atads had ta negoiate eating to the cena question ofthe juneaposion of Bhatthande and Paluskar one centers & more fragile area of rwo esentially “Hindu” approaches. In her analysis of the “contradictions in Bhackhand's vision,ramely his own exertions about Muslims and Aisespeifl to her guru ky the posiby of | (p. 232). Ifwe note that Abdul Karim had search for an origin of music, while writing a singing a vesion unaeceprable to her guru, | announced in public the names of somme'30 sam ns Bakle hows an anes of | nos ta er novi ofthe | raga when he rote fr dhe Gramophone this fag. Even s, she seems w believe chat | funn the books was ‘bookish’ bur also sates | Company in 1905 and before him several baie one rand’ claims was for envisioning | that her gurus slow and systematic metiod | and some male singers had done so from 1902 4 sacl musical presce~. eatched Sy | would not pe ber he rags mew ing for | onward, the picture aed sipifcandy scousse of celigion or spitczaliy”(p. 99). 1c | che radio, (Hangal: 2003:16-17) (Kinnear: 2003) Bekhle has missed this point isin lighe of te lure of inspiring a musical (On the other hand, can the impact of | as she notes AK. Khan recorded oaly in 1930s. price devoid of spina and divinity | Pakséar's bstane Hinds leanings be | Ia the conte of his reoedings Abdal Kasim ‘har Bhackhande appears 252 tragic igure in| understood in terms of ce questions raised by | Kant negotiations stand out ina lager Bakile’s account. akhle about the appavent absence of the market field, one dat had aleady begun the ‘One wonders if cis ilu’ coo was not “Yorms of religiosity particular ro South Asian inscribed by Bharkhande himself quite clearly, | Islam” in the woeld of rusic(p. 174)? I is true and ie was not merely a matter of its “esonance | that singers do not routinely sing gawalz, bur | gramophone recordings (Kinnear 1994) isthe his method and mannet” (p. 134) s Bakble | they were probably aot sung by all herodiary | presence af a large group of musicians, mainly oes briefly. IFwe loole atthe bendisher sss algo. Bus the craivionsl bandishe wich | wornen, and the repeatabilcy of the medium of ascribed to Bhatkhando—eigned as Chatur | Sufi coatent were and are commonly sung by | gramophone records. (A jaa can be heard (and its variations) and Har-Rang (and its the Paluskar radon and others. | once, but the record” can be repeated, and variations) —we can see thar many of them a Vinayakbua | leazat from.) By recording his music for this inthe mode and vocabulary of devor Kutmisdia Kuoubslam | raediven Abdul Kara Khan bac formed sere and abo in the “Hindu” religious concest. | in Rage Todi, Omkarnath Thakur’ recording | company with the ‘recording ardsw, sl proceses of bringing music out in public ‘What cat be learnt from the history of. “Take for example, a bandic in Raga Sohani, | of Hazrat turskemun in Darbari Kanada is well | managing to carve for himself a ‘ghaana’ Signed as Ha-Rang “pura charanna sharna ker | kaw. Bokble ports a rumour thac Kumar — | idenday. [further suggest char che publicity of sanuja" (Shamik Pasiak Malika ol 3: pt | Gandhacva refused ro sing Rags Miyan Malhar | the gramophone records and the music that 2002), or from the ame volume a bundith in| hecause ofits Musi connections (p. 174). It | was released can suggest anced ways for toga Shree—Patbin he chara kamal nis dn | is well known that he nor only sang it butalso_| undewtanding the formation of ghanond ise, seman r, aso Signed as Hacrang, | hus composed dudes in the same raga asa, from now onwards gharana would have to Chinchore’s introduction ro Hindustani Sage | well a in Dashari Kanada (Sumar Gandharva:_| negorae the reeoning singer's repernire of Pasidusi vol 3 (£997) has co be believed 1965) Karim naam tra remains to be the main | yal bandises as well a che sels elements Bhatkhande’s bandit in Raga Suha—zohon | bandh in Miyan Malhar in the post Pauskar | established ehrough this medium, In the albich baifanimaata, mormuitus nayun padagogy. The music textbooks written in the | particular case of Abdul Karim Khan the Vishale—was wricen in memory ofand 10 | Palushar craition notre mudarek badijan, | ‘difference in his musica aesthetic is clear in describe Mohammad Khan Kozhiwale ‘hadigan take devn, ala rol a Raga his emphasis on the melodic ather than the Jsipurwale (Paddhai, vol 3, p. 13). In dhe Dartari Kanada, Obviously, over and sbove | shythmic in his later recordings. T must note Jiglous leanings Ape | that AX. Khanh meladiousnes is also ssexibed ing coatinued to produce a mixed to the inlucnce of Rabimae Khan. pertoie and continued to maintain the Ta Bakle'saccoun the entre discussion of Jnxerwoven in tk prseice and pedagogy ofthis | srtegrcy of bandh in yal, thus cuoning us | Abdul Karim Khan and his daughter Hirai nasi, and i aot limited co Paluskats populist | co dhiok on how co proced on the question of | Badodckar, based on che biographies of the sand blusan: invocacon of i in public. sign and music. msc, seme to have welected sgaiticnt Ie isall the more significant then, [think ‘moments to form larger arguments. For that one needs wo see how and why example, che discusion of Abdul Kazi Khas Bhackhandcs presence is uinmislable vray, rage and dissppoincment atthe deparare of cepecilly in the iid ef theorizaon and his mos promising stent Rembhau populaiaation of dascal” ana, His fe the Kundgolkar co thee hae sparked off Single most influential cheory tht rxcves discussion of swo issues: Abdul Karim Khenis Kenton, for agreement or disagreement the represetation of Abdal K shorcence for thestre, and crossdressing and arsongst musickins, which ie nor the case with | Hicabat Badndskar scen in a wider context, | his dboppointment in lesing out on the some ofthe coutemporate’ theories Deval’ | chin as only desl aectad by Bhactharde | question of brakminisa (pp. 229-230). As ane Clement’ for tample. The incdlccwal | and Plush, proves & much more complex | such the discussion on brahminism i valuable insicutiona infuence of scholars tained | picture of che emerging shifts in music and the | because it captures a strong momene i the in his eptem hat not heen unsubets | clomense cht fackioned fis modmy. Bakes | rmuvical negertions. Ae for the other point, rat Patak Malika bas run isso several | point sbout Abdul Karim Khan starting is | about cheat, Kapleshwar's biography shows seprins for example the 13ch Hathros ction | Asya Songis Vidyalaya in reponse co Paluska?® | some pages late: that Abdul Karim Khan’ jalas sous public in 2002. All acc Radioiee | actonestntrggite asa rages (G2230) ta | cocatbel dance, snivlly pufoemad by young, websites like the ITC-SRA (and othe) cake | not ce point of my contention bere. Ie isthe | gilt and later handed out to young, (male co ‘Vat and Samay Reaga as theorecal novins | Inaugural and radical status Babble gives to | female impersonator) boys in the school. for disseminating the knowiedge of music. One | Khan announcing the name ofthe raga in the | Moreover, Khansahab himself had taught his Mohammad Khan as “my guna” (p. 18). It seems thatthe notion of bhi! isinricarly | | volume Bhacklande himsel” refers to | Palushars donates and | Tr sens that che history of music is ever sore layered and fragmentary than has been comes aero anecdote Gat sugget fund rising corer (pp. 231-32) for thin | student Dasheach Mulay to sing the heroine's Bhackhande to have been an agent in teasing | 2 ascde tobe looked at cledly: This | song ftom the play Seubhadrs in the gaua ( she knowledge snd sirengihening the spire of | jalur mnt have ten place ia 1903, and | musician) and nati (cheated sryles performance in a changed oublc space. For | Bakhle analyses in deel the implications of | (Kepleshwari 1972: p.490) Clea, the ie, Cangubsi Hangal nora inher | Abdul is cildrea periormiag a | negoriations of musiians incorporated sucobiogrphy how she lara agus rors | raga afar announcing its mame in public as | opportunites as they eame along, The field of Bhackhande's books to be adle so sing on che the naming proces of the power fe | chese negotiations was in face very wide. It is ragio, She nows ic widhout sounding ‘musician and the audience alike" | also worth remembering chat ti this same 6 / The Book Review / January 2007beahnin suet Rambaha Kendo, ore populitly known a Sawai Gancharva, who is | ( {heroes mca cir ef the Kia arias rocsy trough nis dents Biman Jos nd Giogubs Manga ! Brno eid howe, hat te | cf Hinbel an be nad qrmpomccaly | teedoneand thesis in perfor sm! ee | cwune of ropeoabley permed pero mua peciecand Hedkdvameidhe | ft a fanilarand mpegs |? indeed the print of enay tno this droune ‘Whar can beaded and wie sony iedy ugg in the March Biogepics are the | conrats oF ber reper which owe loco | the songs made popelarby the bot recordings ells the pea of woman singe ‘hom glinpec of can etm in ne axzabiogepiy of Gangubel Hang, The Song (of My Uf od abe an nersing Stee poser: Hints thet consemporary Kes! Kedar and gage how 2 fren mused negedndon (mperae of | ( tocwelbioowa ngancomplae aiceacee | € tn deco el, Foidncs of eday tdi sucha adi iflreat concer < ot bad on authosiarianin ec} t ‘ y t | in conclsion then one apc wit Bale | con he need ro forfone che question of maxcin | bwsogcaply and of elgios and malign in the historlography of music. She rightly argues pecullarises and thes shaped its modernisyam References ; | ‘Bhackbande, Pandit Vishos Narayan, Hindushe Sangie Paddhaz vol 3, (Miambai : 1997) rami Pustak Malia ol 3, (Hathras | 2002) Danas, Shaila, Devagandharoa (Biography « Bhaskarbua Bake), Pune: 19973) | sdhuanachayansSou Gharanedar Bandishrs Ka | (@anes19975) a Hiangal, Gangubat, The Song of My lif, (tobi |} 2003) |? ‘apileshwati Balkrishnabua, Abed Karim Khan Yanche Jeevan Charieva (Bingraphy of ABtul Kavim Kan) (Pune: 1972) ‘ eat, Michael, The Gramophone Companys Fire | Jian Recordings: 1898-1908, (Bombay1994) | Kinnear, Michal, Rae Abdul Keri Show —A Bio | Discography (Ausra: 2003) Kumar Gandharva, Anoepragania Bombay 1963) | ; “Teaabs; Govindrao, Mans Sengertachs Vasang, 3, WH. Deshpande Bombiy1934) Urmila Bhiedikar teaches Engish in The Mahindra United Word Colege Pune a curently on lane fos her doctoral research, She ‘eines n Hinds:ani Casicel vocal ney