Indian classical music needs to stop being boring

In 1805, in a gilded music hall in Vienna, a composer by the name of Ludwig van Beethoven presented a symphony that challenged the prevailing formula of western classical music.

To sum up its excellence, the symphony had story and emotion, and was not written just to please the gentry. It was long, much longer than the average symphony, and did not care much to employ music rules.

Beethoven went on to become one of the most remembered musicians of the western world.

And what happened to the traditional music that was played before Beethoven? Did it lose its sheen and memorability?

Not at all. It is still played and listened to with ardency and respect. Beethoven himself spoke of his predecessor George Frideric Handel in glowing terms.

He said this of the traditional Handel: "Handel is the greatest composer who ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel down at his tomb."

Innovation did not kill tradition in the western world; so why mustn't Indian classical music admit change?

I speak simply - why can't it be made more interesting? I am not speaking of dissolution of its purity. I am speaking of simple changes in technique and structure.

It's happening already. Santoor maestro Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma in his annual performances at Mumbai's Nehru Centre simplifies the music for the audience.

He plays the ragas still, but he tries making them enjoyable for listeners. I am not fond of this style, but I understand his efforts.

Why not similar efforts among vocalists? Why must some of them eat up the words so that the audience is left to guess their purport? Why cannot the alaaps be shorter? And the repetitions lesser in number?

Divide the performance into parts, each part telling a story or a mood. The shagird that plays the tanpura could explain to the audience the importance of what his guru is singing.

I am not suggesting heresy. I am simply attracting more people to classical music performances. Once they are used to its flavour, they may seek the more traditional performances that are performed currently.

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Like me - I enjoy the tradition of Bachs and the Pergolesi despite enjoying the rhythms of Beethoven and the folk of Dvorak. We crave consistency as well as dynamism. Merely constricting our self to one limits, and frankly, bores us.

Another advantage of this change is that it will prevent the dumbing down of classical music.

Have you noticed the trend of constant jugalbandis in performances? Or vocalists relying on murkis (singing a group of notes quickly and smoothly) to get some extra applause from the audience or, as one of them said to me, waking them up?

What good does that bring to the purity of the art form? How does it keep classical music sacred?

As such, several bands like Shakti, and songs from Coke Studio, are relying on fusion - mixing classical with jazz and other forms. So why not keep the pure form alive through innovation?

Say, a performance of raag malhar that brings out three to four short scenes associated with rains. Perhaps each scene a different mood - the manipulation of notes to bring out pathos, joy, surprise, horror... Goddess Radha exhilarated in the clean waters of the Ganga versus her visit in present times lamenting its purity.

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This will make it simple - a school child will be able to associate the swaras to the mood. He will enjoy the variation more.

Of what use is rule and structure if it makes him sleep or turn to other music? Instead, let him understand in five distinct parts that: the alaap introduces Radha to the Ganga river, the jor represents her joy at the scene, the gat vilambit her sadness at the condition of the river today, the gat drut her passion and complaint to Krishna about his inaction, and the tarana a resolution and coming together of Krishna and Radha.

What is harmful, actually, to the spirit of classical is the "fast" performances by vocalists and musicians.

It serves no purpose than to misinform the listeners that classical music too is capable of beats and tempo. And that, frankly, is more of an insult than anything I have suggested in this story.