The Music and Musical Instruments of Southern India and the Deccan c9.47

c9.47

Indeed, it seems more natural to regard all endings of Indian melodies rather as different forms of *Da capo* than as real closes, the object in most cases being a return to the commencement of the song. The fact so often noticed by those who have endeavoured to collect Indian airs, that almost every interval of the scale can be found used as a close, can possibly be thus accounted for. The words of most of these songs, particularly those sung by the common people, such as lavanies and javadis and svarajotas, are generally a long ballad, so that a definite ending is not required after each stanza. Many singers indeed, as a variety, improvise their words, so that after each stanza closes on intervals of all kinds are found. But when the real ending is reached, the performer frequently leads up to the key-note, or what he regards as the key-note of the Indian scale. Judged from a European point of view, it appears that closes on the intervals of the third and fifth should be regarded more as half closes upon the intervals of the tonic chord; those on the second and seventh as upon intervals of the dominant chord; whilst those on the sixth or minor third betray the relative minor; sometimes the third may be looked upon as the fifth to the relative minor. This view can of course be equally well applied to the national airs of any country, but it appears to be specially applicable to those of India.