The Music of Hindostan c6.24

c6.24

In the neighbourhood of Madras the wells are worked by the *picotta*. A bamboo pole is balanced crosswise on another; at one end is a weight, at the other a bucket. A man stands at the junction of the poles and throws his weight against the full bucket. Here there is no rhythmic motion to emphasize, and there are no animals to direct; it is merely a question of half a dozen hours and hundreds of bucketfuls. I was unable in a short stay to find a man actually working and singing; so one was persuaded to come to me and sing, a very different thing. This was his melody. The C was slightly sharp; the intervals C–B and B–A seemed to be about equal.