The Music of Hindostan c8.s3.16

c8.s3.16

The difference between Mohammedan and Hindu singing is more easily felt than described. One’s general impression, which a longer stay would no doubt have corrected in detail, is that the Mohammedan prefers the more cheerful *Rāgs*—*Khamāj*, *Kāfi*, and the *Kalians*; and the simpler rhythms, such as *Titāla* and *Dādra*; and the Rondo to the Variation form. With these he takes a considerable amount of liberty, concealing the rhythm, especially, by interspersed rests, and broken phrases that run counter to it, so that it would be unintelligible sometimes without the drummer. He has the performer’s instinct; he rivets the attention of the audience as a whole, and the less able singer is apt to tear a passion to pieces rather than not challenge their admiration. The performance of the best musicians (*Ustāds*) has a wonderful fascination in spite of the language difficulty. The phrases are finished off and fit so well into their place, there is so much variety and so much telling gesture, that the time goes quickly by, although you may find that, with the help of another singer perhaps, he has sung for at least half an hour continuously. All this the Hindu can do too, but he does it in a less vivacious way. He is at his best in the quieter Rāgs like Bhairavī, or the more characteristic such as Vasant or Bilhās or Toḍi, and in the more irregular rhythms such as Surphakta or Aḍachantāla. His singing is less broken up with rests, and he luxuriates in cross-rhythm. His song gives much more the impression of coming from the heart, and of reaching out for sympathy rather than for applause. You can more easily fancy him singing over his work, or her over her household duties; and, as has been mentioned, the Mohammedans have no cradle songs. There are some fine Mohammedan religious songs; they seem to treat religion more deeply and less imaginatively than the Hindus, and to produce it on occasions rather than as the natural expression of their daily life: the two songs, ‘Hādi e illah’ and ‘Cherarāvade-mirā’, Exs. 268, 379, seem typical of the two peoples.