Theory and Practice in the Study of Indian Music Harold S. Powers he wording of my title is not intended to be he called “civilized,” “pre-civilized,” and Tqu ite as ambiguous as it sounds. To be sure, I “peasant,” using these terms as purely objective shall have occasion to refer to the theory and categories in social science. Following V. Gordon practice of music in India; but the main theme of Childe, Professor Redfield listed a number of this report is the theory and practice of studying characteristics of the society-type he was labeling Indian music. “civilization,” among which are two that have a At the time of the organizational meeting of special relevance to musical activities: the presence the Society of Ethnomusicology, “The general of “full-time technical specialists,” and the consensus favored the view that ‘ethnomusicology’ presence of “a privileged ruling class.” To these I is by no means limited to so-called ‘primitive would add a special characteristic for the musical music,’ and is defined more by the orientation of aspect of “civilization”: the presence of some sort the student than by any rigid boundaries of of more or less independent theory of music, discourse” (Ethnomusicology containing (minimally) names Newsletter). Some years later for notes or for other melodic Alan Merriam (1960: 111) units of musical discourse. wrote in part: There is, surely, an important distinction to be made If our field can be defined as “the study of music in culture,” between musical cultures then it is as applicable to the which have developed or study of…art music forms…as preserved theory and musical it is to a non-literate cultures which have not, even group…Ethnomusicology is though the presence of theory the method of study which searches for certain goals in is often allied with another of certain ways and which is the Redfield/Childe applicable to any of the varied characteristics of musical systems of the world. “civilization,” the presence of The two phrases I would “the art of writing” (loc. cit.). like to emphasize in the foregoing are “the And this is a distinction, which is more a cultural orientation of the student” and “a method of distinction than a musical one: indeed, the study.” I would like to suggest that there is no presence, survival, or absence of a theory of music single orientation or single method of study, which is itself an important index of the relative is equally, usefully, and meaningfully “applicable independence of musical phenomena in a culture. to any of the varied musical systems of the world.” We can say roughly, then, that in a “civilized” Different types of cultures show vastly different society music will have several kinds and levels of functions of the attitudes towards music and development, and that at its highest levels, which musicians. The degree to which a culture’s music we customarily call “art music,” it will be is separable from the cultures as a whole varies produced by professionals or by leisured amateurs, enormously, and it is this degree of separability, for an elite or for one another and that musicians which must determine the basic attitudes and and/or scholars will talk about musical methods of the researcher. phenomena as if they had some sort of existence The late Robert Redfield, in The Primitive independent of other parts of daily life. World and Its Transformations, made a general In contrast to this picture, Professor Redfield distinction between three types of society, which (35) points out that “in the pre-civilized society the dramatic and lyric arts are inseparable from the Powers, Theory and Practice religion or from the mythic content of the local to music. Indian music is of course an integral part culture, and secular professional entertainment is of Indian culture; but it can evidently be separated unknown.” To rephrase this for music, we can from the culture to an enormous extent and still roughly say that in a “pre-civilized” society music retain whatever it has that makes it work, both as a will be produced by persons whose primary roles vehicle for composition and as a vehicle for are other than that of musician, for the benefit in improvisation. To this extent I would disagree some way of the group as a whole, and that music with Mantle Hood’s (58) observation that “fluency will normally be tied to and structured by, at least in the art of improvisation… means an in considerable part, external factors of the understanding of… not only music… but also culture, factors we would call non-musical. For this language, religious, customs, history—in other last reason in particular, as well as for the more words, the whole identity of the society of which predictable reason of probable pre-literacy, there music is only one, but one very important part.” is not likely to be any pure music theory, any And I do not contradict myself if I say that speculation about why or how the notes relate one securely to entrench oneself in Indian musical to another. The notes behave the way they do practices requires an intimate acquaintance with because they do or because they must. the ways in which Indian musicians are Needless to say, this dichotomy is greatly accustomed to deal with and talk about music. But over-simplified, even allowing the omission of the the emphasis is on “musicians” rather than musical problems of Professor Redfield’s “Indian.” One must first revise one’s musical “peasant” societies, the most difficult of all. habits, not one’s cultural ones. Nonetheless, I think these general contrasts I suppose each of us feels that his own little between “civilized” and “pre-civilized” societies corner has special and unique problems, and and music make a useful point of departure for perhaps special and unique advantages as well. Let any discussion about scholarly equipment, and me itemize some of the advantages in working biases in musical studies. with Indian music. First of all, it is an advantage, I mean to imply then that in working with at least for a musician, to be working with people “pre-civilized” music—and this would include of one’s own profession. Second, there is a tribal music in India—one is constrained by the language advantage: in both North and South culture to work in anthropological terms and with India there are enough intelligent professional anthropological techniques. But in working with musicians and musical scholars with a good “civilized” music—including Indian art music as command of English to make shop talk in English well as Western and other art music—I believe possible, provide one is gradually making oneself that one is at least permitted by the culture to familiar with the practice of music, and its work in musical terms, and that the “orientation of technical vocabulary. Third, it is an advantage, for the student” and his “method of study” are as those accustomed to books, to be working in a much dictated by the nature of the musical literate society; there is much to be learned from materials themselves and by his own free choices Indian books on music, including many in the as they can be in our own cultures. English language, in conjunction with direct The art music of India, perhaps more than observation of practice and granting the normal critical approach of the scholar. any other, has shown a gain rather than a loss in our own time. Some of this gain can be attributed A final advantage, from the point of view of to the encouragements of cultural nationalism, but direct experience with musical practice, is the fact for the most part it stems from and is made that Indian art music is both soloistically and possible by the vitality of the tradition itself, as a vocally oriented: one can spare oneself the time- tradition of pure music. An Indian may be quite consuming mechanical obstacles of acquiring an “deculturized” in religion, manner of thought and instrumental technique before participation and behavior, domestic practices, and even language, the test of performance becomes possible. Even on and still retain an intense interest in and devotion 2 Powers, Theory and Practice the rhythmic side, as is well known, anything that understanding of the history and practice of can be drummed can be said. Indian music has been a failure critically to I can think of only a single disadvantage in distinguish between theory that reports on theory working with Indian music and that is the from theory that reports on music, and a failure necessity of learning to improvise. And yet even critically to examine the relationships of either to here the difficulty soon becomes an advantage. contemporary practice. There is and has been, in Once one has learned two or three standard and out of India, a pronounced tendency both to compositions in a single raga, one is not only try to prove that modern practice can be derived prepared, one is vastly tempted to extract the from ancient theory and to try to explain ancient common elements and try a little spontaneous theories from the modern practice. creation; this becomes an invaluable performance Since this is a real question of appropriate test of one’s analytical abilities and conclusions. methodology, let me illustrate with an example: I turn now to the question of theory and the question of the relationship of the celebrated practice in Indian music itself. I have mentioned ancient doctrine of the twenty-two srutis to the that I consider the presence, survival, or absence modern usages of what we may call microtonal of a theory of music to be a valuable index of the distinctions and differences.