Ravi Shankar-Vedic Chanting

This week, I am sharing "Vedic Chanting", performed by world renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar. The origin of the song is India. It features sitar, chanting voices, and flute.

This piece is especially interesting to listen to when considering the theme of this week. In considering how classification systems are useful, both instrumental classification and time classification stand out as noteworthy in this piece. Instrumentally, using classifications that describe how the sounds are produced gives the listener a clear idea of how the piece might sound. According to Wade (2013), Indian instruments are classified based on whether the vibrating body is the instrument itself, a membrane, a string, or a column of air. These classifications inspired Victor Mahillon's system for classification in labeling instruments as idiophones, membranophones, chordophones, and aerophones. These classifications focus on the sound rather than other cultural significances of the instruments. When approaching "Vedic Chanting" as a new listener or in introducing it to students, it may be helpful to describe the instruments by their classifications first. This allows students to picture what they may hear if they have never heard the instruments before. At the same time, it keeps the mind open without imposing preconceived sounds of certain instruments on the piece. For instance, if students were told that there was a flute in the song, they may picture the flute that they play in their school band. However, the flute playing in the song differs greatly in timbre and style from what they may be used to.
In terms of classifying time, this piece may seem as if it lacks rhythm due to the chanting, the drone, and the soloist, aleatoric nature of the flute. However, the chanting is definitely rhythmic. The three instrumental elements form an interlocking of patterns through their entrances that create an overall, rhythmic landscape. Therefore, the song does not have "free rhythm" as described by Wade (2013). It exhibits a succession of durations which would qualify as Wade's description of "a rhythm". Both instruments and time are important to note in developing sound awareness in listening to this piece.

References:
Wade, B.C (2013). Thinking Musically. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Comments

  1. MeganOctober 29, 2017 at 7:30 AM

    Kristine,

    You presented a wonderful example that fits very well with this weeks reading and focus on the classification of instruments and time. As I listened to the example, I was loosely reminded of the Qur'an chant in our listening examples. Wade (2013) mentions how the Qur'an recitation is guided by the text. Do you feel that there is an element of the rhythm being guided by the text in this example?

    Reference:
    Wade, B.C. (2013). Thinking musically. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristineOctober 29, 2017 at 4:36 PM

      Megan,

      Thanks for your comment! In response to your question, I did a quick search on vedic chant and I do believe the rhythm is guided by the text. The chant is characterized by accented, almost hypnotic verses, and the nuances in intonation and rhythm give it meaning as much as the text itself. For that reason, oral transmission of the chant is considered more valuable than textual transmission.

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