Music is one of the earliest forms of non-verbal communication. Its power on the human mind has always been acknowledged to be very great. It is music, which nurses the soul even as the first traces of life begin to stir.

Music has its genesis in prehistoric times; and it has evolved through countless processes. It has taken different climes, and at different times. But the basic impulse that has inspired man to sing is the same every where; an instinctive effort to express  the emotional urges of the soul 

Probably in no other country is music so delicately interwoven with the fabric of life as in India. Her devotion to her music, and her efforts to develop and enrich it, go back to times immemorial. The music of India is a product of the ages and revelaton of centuries of culture and civilisations.

The history of its evolution, from the sacred hymns of the Veda to the modern romantic thumari, is one of assimilation, adaptation and creation, with its roots in the past. The fine variety of its ragas, the subtle complexity of its talas, the rich overtones of its myriad instruments are not just marvels in musical experimentation 

They are a tribute to the musical intuition and creative talent of its makers. And it is the evolutionary character that has enabled our primitive societies; and that hymns of early civilised nations' music to survive through the ravages of time and history as an unbroken tradition.

The original musical scale in India consisted of twenty-two microtones, known as shrutis. The musical observers of antiquity, with their extensive observation and uncanny sense of hearing, ascertained the different gradations of musical sound from the call of birds and cry of animal, and grouped them under twelve notes. This scale of twelve notes, recognised by our music and known as swaras, also, incidentally, from forms the international basis of the music of the East and West 

At this stage, it will not be wide of the mark to refer to the observation of Swami Prajnananda, the eminent musical historian and musicologist, in his monumental work, Music Of the Nations 

He convincingly puts forward the view that the music of different nations has been enriched by the importation of foreign elements; that the principles of rhythm and tempo act as the controlling and balancing factor; that religion, magic and music went hand in hand in are almost identical, revealing a surprising affinity of tune, melody and rhythm 

In course of time, however, while the West evolved its system on harmonic lines, music in India has evolved as essentially melodic or homo-tonic tradition.

With all its record of achievement over so many centuries, the extent of neglect our music suffered under the alien rule was quite appalling, while popular patronage, too, languished away because of the economic and social backwardness of society.

The process of revival started in the earlier years in this century with the missionary movement by missionaries like Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Vishnu Narayan Bhatkande. Their endavour to popularise traditional music through the medium of mass education received fresh impetus in the new set up of things following the attainment of political freedom. It has helped, in no small measure, to educate the public taste for good music and bring forth appreciative connoisseurs. It has also encouraged many an educated youngster to take to music as a serious life work rather than mere-side-activity.

Side-by-side, with the disappearance of the princely order of the last vestiges of private patronage, the professional musician came out of his self-imposed to seek his living through public patronage 

India's entry into UNESCO, soon after independence, opened new avenues for the expression and contribution of Indian music to the world at large. Over the years Western interest in Indian music has also steadily grown from discerning appreciation to cautious participation, thanks to our cultural ambassadors whose concert tours abroad have made this largely possible 

Conversely, the impact of Western music on us is no less discernible. The contribution of maestros like Mehli Mehta and his son, Zubin to the enrichment of Western music is such as would make everyone of us proud.

Besides, we have a number of talented performers in Western music with a large following in India 

The impact of Western music in our country is particularly evident in our commercial films. Our film industry has afforded more scope for gainful employment to a large number of musicians, music arrangers and music directors trained in Western music.

We live, so to speak, in an era of internationalism. In the welter of confusion caused by conflict in art, theories, and art forms, we also hear a few voices clamouring for expanding Indian music by making it international 

No doubt, Indian music has an unlimited potential for development along orchestral and choral lines. But, melody must always remain a dominant factor in these media of expression. They should, by all means, be allowed to grow along with our traditional vogues and not displace them 

The real problem facing our music today is to preserve its traditional values and yet create new forms of expression, which would emerge as an organic growth from the past and still be nearer to the idiom of contemporary life. The problem, by and large, involves the stupendous task of making Indian music strong and dynamic to meet the exigencies of modern times 

What is needed today is a free and unbiased understanding of the art of music in the context of Indian life and thought. A happy synthesis of the music of the past with the music of the present will be possible only with a proper appreciation of its past achievements and an equally dispassionate assessment of its future possibilities 

Meanwhile, on this International Music Day, let us not forget that heritage of world music is marvellously varied, that its different aspects can speak to us at different times in our lives if only we open our hearts and minds to listen 

Indeed, in this age of speed and hurry, din and fury, it is music and music alone than can make people mellower and gentler, enrich them emotionally, spiritually and intellectually and thus add to the sum-total of their pleasure in living.

--

Mohan Nadkarni has been a music critic for nearly sixty years. He wrote music reviews primarily for the Times of India for five decades. He has also authored six books published internationally. Conferred several state and national awards, he celebrated his 86th birthday just last month. He has now moved permanently to Auckland, New Zealand, to live with his son and his family.