The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c12.s1: Music
The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c12.s1
- Language
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Music
c12.s1.1
It is in the domain of music in particular that the contribution of Muslims is the greatest. It is, however, difficult to claim that it is really Muslim. What they have practised since medieval times is Hindu classical music with its *Guru-Shishya parampara*. The *gharana* (school) system is the extension of this *parampara* or tradition. Most of the great Muslim musicians were and are originally Hindu and they have continued with the tradition of singing an invocation to goddess Saraswati or other deities before starting their performance.
c12.s1.2
Be that as it may, all Muslim rulers and nobles had musicians - singers and players on instruments - in their courts.¹ They patronised the meritorious by giving them high salaries and rich rewards. They got a number of books on music translated from Sanskrit into Persian. Some of them used to get so much involved in poetry and music that sometimes it was done at the cost of state work. There are many reasons for this phenomenon. The Indian system of notation is perhaps the oldest and most elaborate.² There are *ragas* meant to be sung in winter, in summer, in rains and in autumn. There are month-wise *ragas* meant to be sung during the twelve months of the year (*baramasa*). There are ragas meant for singing in the morning, early noon, afternoon and in the evenings. There are *ragas*, it is claimed, that can light a lamp or bring about downpour of rain. Then there are *ragas* and *raginis* designated for dance. Dance in its art form is as elaborate as music, and is based on Hindu *natya-shastra*. Sculptures of dancers and musicians carved on ancient and medieval temples, now mostly surviving in south India, bear testimony to their excellence, popularity and widespread practice.
c12.s1.3
In such a situation Muslims could add little to this art from outside. Officially music and dance are banned in Islam. Muslim ruling classes therefore could only patronise Hindu classical music in its original form. Some rulers were patrons of artistes, others practised it themselves, many others collected musicians from all over the country. That is how Mian Tansen could earn so much renown. Amir Khusrau is also credited with composing songs some of which are popular to this day. Under the Khaljis there were concerts and competitions arranged between Hindustani and Karnatak musicians.³ Indian classical music flourished throughout the medieval period, although classical Indian dancing drifted from the aesthetic and religious sphere into the *salons* of courtesans and dancing girls.
c12.s1.4
Abul Fazl writes about the Mughal emperor Akbar that His Majesty pays much attention to music and is the patron of all who practice this enchanting art.⁴ About Tansen he says that a singer like him had not been in India for the last one thousand years. Tansen was originally a Gaur Brahman of Gwalior and he had been trained in the school established by Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior (C.E. 1486-1518). The Raja was the author of a treatise on music entitled *Man Kutuhal*. He also got the *Ragadarpan* translated into Persian. Similarly, during the reign of Firoz Tughlaq (1351-88) was composed *Ghunyat-ul-Munya* by a Muslim scholar of Gujarat. Under the patronage of Sikandar Lodi was written the *Lahjat-i-Sikandar Shahi* by one Umar Yahiya. Yahiya was a scholar of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit and his work is based on many Sanskrit treatises like *Sangit Ratnakar*,⁵ *Nritya Ratnakar*, *Sangit Kalpataru* and the works of Matang.⁶
c12.s1.5
Most Muslim rulers, nobles and elite passionately patronised Indian classical music and dance and therefore there is no need to mention their names or those of their musicians. But Vincent Smith aptly notes that the fact that many of the names are Hindu, with the title Khan added, indicates that the professional artists at a Muhammadan court often found it convenient and profitable to conform to Islam.⁷ There is another interesting fact noticeable. The Indian classical music which became national music about the time of Akbar in Agra holds the field even to this day. Political or religious barriers have failed to divide musicians and lovers of music into narrow or antagonistic camps, as the Hindu classical music remains the common legacy of both Hindus and Muslims.⁸
Cites (1)
- Saṅgītaratnākara — Śārṅgadeva, Sanskrit