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Music has a very special significance in the value system of Indian culture. The whole universe is music. The music of the spheres is not audible; it is anhata which means ’not struck’ or ‘not beaten’. Nada on the other hand, the audible sound, is ahata, i.e. ‘beaten, struck’. This audible sound creates harmony between Man and the world of the inaudible sound. Even the very earliest treaties on music, which date back some two and a half thousand years, focus on the belief that the musician – this means the singer in 20th century India – is able to evoke feelings and thoughts that lie beyond our rational ability to think and speak.
Dhrupad is first and foremost religious music. The performance of a raga is not intended to entertain the audience: on the contrary, it represents a kind of prayer, an expression of religious feelings, and endeavors awaken the awareness of God in the listener. Originally, dhrupad or its forerunners was only sung in temples: the singer stood facing the deity, and anyone wishing to listen sat behind him....
Various aspects of yogic discipline such as Asana, Pranayama and Dhyana, thus form an integral part of the performing technique.
Text of Raga ‘Miyan Ki Todi’
‘Clever as you are, O mind of mine, knowing all about Ragas and words and meanings and nuance of speech; yet delude not yourself!
For this – the Primal Sound – is too deep for us, inscrutable and beyond knowledge. To grasp it, you need not learning but Grace.’
Text from cd-inlet of ‘Dagar Brothers, Raga Miyan Ki Todi’, jecklin disco
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