Influence of Western Music in India

The classical music of India has gained most of the attention of outsiders probably due to the colonization era that has brought Indo-European invaders (Aryan Civilization) into their territory between 2000 and 1500 BCE due to the presence of rich resources. However, Indian music, unlike the communal music of Africa and Southeast Asia, is individual and often virtuosic and can be both vocal and instrumental. The Hindustani one (North) is more appealing to the Western society as it is more instrumental based, whereas the Carnatic (south) one is more vocally oriented. Another factor that attracts the Western attention

For as long as mankind has walked on this earth, music has been an important part of our culture and lifestyles. Each walk of life beats to a different drum. Different cultures use music for many aspects of their lives; for religious purposes, for celebrations, for comfort, for sorrow, for relaxation, for sports, for dances, for energy, for learning, for sleeping, and for sexual experiences. Everyone uses music for something. Music connects with people and reaches them in ways that words simply cannot. Music is a representation of what feelings sound like. It expresses emotion and brings that characteristic out from within us; it tells us a story. Every generation has its’ own sound and different music styles have emerged and become

In the late 2004, a series of papers (research project) on the topic of world music and globalisation became a hot topic in a conference and gradually took on a life turning onto a virtual laboratory for teaching and research on the relationship between music and globalisation under ethnography which was funded by the Canadian Social Sciences and humanities Research Council from 2003-2006. Since then this topic has got wide meaning and more complicated.

Music is an art that has united people all over the world for centuries and centuries. Evolving throughout the years, music is split up into many different genres. These genres have derived from diverse time periods and cultures throughout the years. Jazz and Country music both originated in the early 1900s, but have had lasting impacts on completely different cultures. The detailed elements of each piece are dissimilar, but are equally effective in providing entertainment for each audience.

American Indian life in the present time can be characterized as one big melting pot. Some societies try to preserve their own identity, while other groups came together in some way and brought their cultures together. A lot of what is known about their music has come from the past century when technological advancements were just beginning to take place. It was also during this period of time that there was a lot of turmoil between the whites. It was obvious that each tribe had its own musical identity, whether it dealt with style, uses of, or ideas of what music was. At that time there were thousands of groups, all speaking their own language, and each had several songs to accompany ceremonies, dances, and to divide society. Anthropologists have put them into categories according to their ways of life.

Having the Merasi, master musicians of Rajasthan, perform live at Colby College provided students and faculty with a cultural experience unlike any that I have attended. The Merasi, from the Thar Desert in Pakistan, have found great success through their music despite their status in the caste system. As a family group, they have been able to gain the international attention that they needed to establish both music and literacy education for their people back home. Although very few people in our audience could understand their lyrics, the emotion and physical movements of the musicians were effective in conveying the overall themes of their songs. From watching this live performance of Rajasthani music, I was able to observe how the music itself, the behaviour of the musicians and audience, and the function of the music interacted to transport a small part of Rajasthan to the Pugh Center giving the audience a glimpse into its culture.

Music is defined differently for each individual. It is the universal language that speaks to us all, but in different ways. It is one of the few genres that can instantly transport a person back to the past. Music is also an art of sound which expresses ideas, thoughts, and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, and harmony. It is the design of giving structural form and rhythmic pattern to combinations of sounds produce instrumentally and vocally. To me, music brings a sense of calmness, happiness, and peacefulness. Music is the absolute bread of life because it feeds my soul.

Music originates from all over the world since the beginning of time. Complex or simple, fast or slow, loud or soft. It’s what you feel. It could be your method of escape or keeping you living. Music is love. Music is passion. Music is unity. Music is emotion. Music is belief. Music is beauty. Music is life. Music is perfection. Music is imperfection. Music is peace. “Through music we can live forever.”

Famous music composer, Ludwig van Beethoven once rightly quoted “Music is a higher revelation than philosophy”. Indeed, music has higher magnitude than just being a mere form of entertainment- it plays a significant role in our society be it politics or religion or even academics. So important is music’s value that it has been recorded throughout history of mankind in numerous ancient writings including the sacred Hindu scripture, Veda. Thus it is no surprise that even today the value and contribution of music has not declined but on the contrary, risen.

Indian melody is usually based on ragas, a type of melodic mode. Many ragas exist, and each features specific “ethical and emotional properties.” Indian music does not use the Western major and minor tonal systems, or emphasize harmony. Instead the melodies incorporate seven-note thats. Unlike Western scales, the interval pattern varies for each that. “Two of the most common thats, Asavari and Bilawal, closely approximate the Aeolian mode (natural minor scale) and Ionian mode (major scale), respectively.” Traditional Indian music is monodic, with most compositions having a single melodic line, with percussion and drone accompaniment. Most Indian classical music is not contrapuntal, instead, “The interest and complexity of this music lies in its melodies and rhythms.” Talas, the rhythmic patterns, are the basis for the complexity of rhythms accompanied within songs. Talas are long rhythmic cycles, unlike the Western practice of organizing rhythm into short measures. Vocal music is part of Indian tradition, and “vocal techniques are the basis of good instrumental technique.” In general, Indian vocalists do not use vibrato, giving a tonal quality that may sound nasal, flat, or lifeless, very foreign to the Western listener. However, in Indian music, this can be described as a "clean, clear sound" that does not mask or

Music plays a significant rule in our lives. It’s a melody and rhythm we live in. It plays a very essential rule in our day to day to life when it comes to expressing feelings, passing time and for other uses as well. Though we in general may not think about how music has changed so much in the past few decades we must acknowledge the fact todays music is the outcome of the various change in the past. Today’s majority of music we hear is what we define as more as a “westernized” music. Considering other cultures in the world, a huge impact of western music is seen within them. Westernization and modernization are two different words with different meanings and they have two different impacts on a society. Modernization is used to define the improvements and show a progressive transition from one stage to another. Westernization is the concept of being influenced by the customs and techniques of the western society and reflecting them in a non-western culture. This essay will discuss furtherly about the impact of the western society on music cultures of North India and Korea by looking from both the positive and negative point of this impact.

The definition of music is very different to many people. Some say that music is the arrangement of sound and silence. Others like myself say music is that and much more. Music is an aural form of art that is used to express emotion and touch the hearts of the listener through the use of phrasing, dynamics, style and tone color. Music is a very universal art form.

The literal meaning of the word 'music' according to any dictionary is: 'art of combining vocal or instrumental sounds in a harmonious or expressive way.' But music has a meaning which is far broader than this. Music is life. Music means Self-expansion and oneness. It is an art by itself. Art, in any of its forms, is generated by a person, or a group of talented yet usually ordinary people, that express, willingly or not, an opinion regarding present times. It is not a want; it is a need. If you try to imagine yourself without it, you are bound to feel incomplete. For many of us, it has become a necessity of our lives. Music has no boundaries. Music is the

The music of India is one of the oldest unspoken musical traditions in the world. The basis of for Indian music is “sangeet.” Sangeet is a combination of three art forms: vocal music, instrumental music (Indian music). Indian music is base upon seven modes (scales). It is probably no coincidence that Greek music is also base upon seven modes. Furthermore, the Indian scales follow the same process of modulation (murchana) that was found in ancient Greek music. Since Greece is also Indo-European, this is another piece of evidence for the Indo-European connection (Dance and music of India).

With the variety of life throughout the world, there are different expectations for musical literacy. For instance, the style of Japanese music is very different from that of Cajun music, or Hispanic from West African. These variances give each culture a particular style of expression. Music literacy isn't even confined within cultures; it also produces a way for different cultures to learn from each other. For example, western rock musicians often incorporated traditional Indian music into their style during the 1960's, which broke boundaries between different approaches to literacy.