ABSTRACT Title of Document: AN EXPLORATION INTO NORTH INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC: RAGA , ALIF LAILA, AND IMPROVISATION. Michaela K. Cohoon, M.A. 2012 Directed By: J. Lawrence Witzleben, Professor, School of Music (Ethnomusicology) This thesis explores three themes: North Indian classical music , the individual Alif Laila, and the philosophical connection each has to improvisation. The process that was followed to analyze the interactions between raga in the North Indian classical tradition and one well-known musician’s path within that tradition bridges theory with individual insight. Alif Laila is the individual at the center of the study. As a prominent professional sitarist living in the Washington, D.C. region, her input is analyzed placing focus on individuality within the life of a traditionally trained musician living and teaching in a Western context. Her expression in traditional sharing of musical knowledge from teacher to student, in raga performance and in musical philosophy expand upon the new generation of teacher/performers who translate their craft in order to continue their tradition of North Indian classical music. Improvisation, both as a social and musical design, extends the scholarly research and personalized ethnography to complete the thesis. AN EXPLORATION INTO NORTH INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC: RAGA , ALIF LAILA, AND IMPROVISATION. By Michaela K. Cohoon Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 2012 Advisory Committee: Professor J. Lawrence Witzleben, Chair Professor Robert C. Provine Professor Fernando Rios © Copyright by Michaela K. Cohoon 2012 Dedication This thesis is dedicated to all those I consider mothers in this world. K, A, R, M, A. I cannot thank you enough for your love, your lives, and your constant inspiration. Without mothers none of us would be here and even fewer of us would choose to be graduate students. Thank you all. ii Acknowledgements This thesis has turned into quite a labor of love and without a select few, would not be available for you reading pleasure. First and foremost I must thank my advisor, J. Lawrence Witzleben, for providing edits and support throughout this project’s existence. To my additional committee members Professor Robert Provine and Professor Fernando Rios, thank you for your compassion, scholarship, and dedication to me as a student and the scholarly endeavors of all those who chose a life in ethnomusicology. To the fearless and fantastic Debbie Kuckuda for all help and support on the administrative side of things. I would like to profess my deep appreciation for the School of Music at the University of Maryland, for housing the beauty, pain, frustration, and passion of music. After twenty continuous years of education, there are entirely too many personal friends and colleagues to thank but I would like to mention the appreciation I have for all the friends I gained during my time there at Maryland. I’d like to thank the French baker and the many dog-walking clients I have had throughout the past few years who have funded my graduate education. Most especially, I thank the Worthington family and my sister, Brianna, who have provided me with love, support, and a kindness I will value for my entire life. Lastly, I express appreciation for this day and all music and for everyone who ever reads this document. iii Table of Contents Dedication ..................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Research Methods ..................................................................................................... 4 Goals and Significance ......................................................................................... 7 Review of Relevant Literature .................................................................................. 9 Music in India ..................................................................................................... 12 Raga Indices ........................................................................................................ 16 Additional Ethnomusicological Contributions ................................................... 18 Chapter 2: The Fundamentals of Raga within North Indian Classical Music ............ 21 The Construction of Raga ....................................................................................... 21 The Drone ........................................................................................................... 26 Alap: Exposition of the Raga .............................................................................. 28 Gharana and the Guru-Shishya Parampara ....................................................... 29 Rasa and Emotive Aspects.................................................................................. 32 Chapter 3: The Individual ........................................................................................... 35 Ethnomusicology and the Individual ...................................................................... 36 Case Study: Teaching and Studying Sitar in the Washington, DC Metro Area ..... 40 Meeting Alif ........................................................................................................ 41 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 43 Field Sites............................................................................................................ 48 Alif Laila ................................................................................................................. 50 Ethnography ........................................................................................................ 51 A Life in Music; A Life of Music ....................................................................... 64 Chapter 4: Vistar - Improvisation in Design and Practice ........................................... 70 Analysis of Two Alaps in Raga Charukeshi ........................................................... 75 Chapter 5: Conclusion................................................................................................ 81 iv Chapter 1: Introduction This thesis is an account of a project that illuminates one of the main professional female sitarists living and performing in Washington, D.C . The first section gives an overall background to North Indian classical music, with a particular emphasis on raga and the various definitions associated with the musical term. Since my main interaction with this music was with a sitar player, the focus of the raga chapter focuses on the melodic aspects and social bond created between musicians. The second section is an ethnography depicting the interpersonal friendship and professional relationship I developed with Alif Laila, a sitarist trained and performing in the North Indian classical tradition. It is Laila who opened my mind and my ears to a deeper understanding of sitar music and her own particular style of performance. The third and final section moves into a more philosophical undertaking, using the idea of improvisation and applying it to the social and musical implications the act of improvisation symbolizes to both performer and viewer. I set out to develop a more in-depth understanding of a traditional form of music in a way that was tangible and relevant to my surroundings. I did not knowingly step into “the field”— that is to say that my geography did not change while I undertook this project. Instead, my interactions within that geography shifted in focus to create and limit my topic. My work with Alif Laila, my teacher and mentor, was not based on the traditional student-teacher relationship where instrumental pedagogy is at the center of the knowledge-sharing process. Instead, I strengthened the core musical philosophy of individualism within musical structure, and in my work with Alif Laila I was able to realize the importance the music has for 1 the soloist and the listening audience by observing it from several different viewpoints. At various times acting as audience member, interviewer, student, and stage manager, I moved back and forth between my teacher’s knowledge and the scholarship that has been published on North Indian classical music, and came to realize the amount of power the individual holds within the entire tradition, especially when performing that tradition. After focusing on these two worlds (the scholarly and that of one performer’s musical reality) I began to question the role improvisation took, not only in the performance of raga but also in the livelihoods of those in performance. Individuality is a concept closely linked to musical creation, musical performance, and ethnomusicological research. Composers represent the artists who create musical language, drawing on personal influences and fusing a musical background to a highly individualized perception of sounds. Performers take the creations of others and individualize those creations in the moment of public presentation. Ethnomusicologists learn