IRISH AIRS AND SOUTH ASIAN RAGAS
by James Hamilton
Music systems that emphasize rhythmic and melodic development (as opposed to harmony) have consistently attracted my attention. More specifically, it is melodic systems that are broadly described as modal, which have become the focus of most of my musical studies. These include the musics of South Asia, the Middle East and Celtic music (among others). To perform these musics, I chose the sitar as an instrument that can effectively articulate the most melodies (especially those based on modes). I spent many years in Calcutta studying classical sitar music and also some time in Northern Ireland where I took an interest in playing Irish music. While playing jigs, reels and ballads, I felt that there were points in common between the two musics. This similarity can be accounted for in the fact that, in both music cultures, harmony takes a back seat to melodic and rhythmic development.
The appreciation of music is a gradual process. This applies to the music of one's native culture, as well as, to the music of other cultures. In 1990 I began to perform on the sitar at various venues in Canada. To gradually introduce the audience to the music of South Asia, I would play Irish music and then something South Asian that was similar to it. Similarly, I would play Greek music followed by a piece of South Asian music that was in a similar modal scale. In this manner, I found that the audience would begin to appreciate unfamiliar music as music, rather than as something exotic.
In Irish music, the scales are what musicologists call 'diatonic'. This means that, from the point of view of Indian music, they tend to be in scales like those of Bilawal, Kafi and maybe Asawari (see scales given below). Here are the scales of a few diatonic rags which are similar to those used in Irish music. I have represented the modes with middle C as the tonic or ground note.
Bilawal (C mode): c' d' e' f' g' a' b' c''
Kafi (D mode): c' d' e flat' f' g' a' b flat' c''
Asawari (A mode): c' d' e flat' f' g' a flat' b flat' c''
Bhupali (C mode-pentatonic): c' d' e' g' a' c''
Khambaj (G mode): c' d' e' f' g' a' b flat' b' c''
Dhani (D mode-pentatonic): c' e flat' f' g' b flat' c''
Breandan Breathnach notes that "Irish Folk music is diatonic and mostly in the C, D, G and A modes; hexatonic and pentatonic tunes occur much less frequently. Approximately 60% of the music occurs in C modes [Bilawal]; D modes [Kafi] account for around 8%, while G [Khambaj or Jhinjhoti] and A modes [Asawari] contribute to 20% and 12% respectively (Breandan Breathnach in New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians; Ireland 1980 vol 8 pg 317). "
Going beyond the issue of scale, it is relevant to discuss these types of music in terms of mode. Both forms of music are modal and, as such, particular Indian ragas and Irish airs are characterised by specific motivic features.
In Indian music the melodic phrases that delineate a particular rag are termed the challan of that rag. An interesting feature of South Asian classical music is the association of particular emotions or sentiments with specific modal scales. Other music systems also provide a means to convey feelings. In this regard, A.H. Fox Strangways has described the difference between Western and Indian music as follows:
What, then, are the differences, if we consider melody alone without rhythm for the moment, between this music and ours? First of all the [Indian] song is cast in one definite mood throughout. This mood calls up associations, unnameable, but yet distinct, of similar song heard under similar circumstance; so much so that to tell an Indian what Rag a singer chooses on such and such an occasion is to tell him a good deal about the song. We have no similar classification. We have plenty of 'mood' in our music, but we use it to articulate the balance of the song, not to differentiate one song from the other (Fox Strangways The Music of Hindostan 1914:174).
In Indian classical music the word tal is used to refer to a rhythmic cycle (a fixed number of beats that repeat). Any number of beats is possible but, in practice, a limited number are commonly found. For example, the 16 beat (4 groups of 4) cycle called tin tal is most popular. Other common tals are mentioned below. From the point of view of Western music, rhythmic cycles can be expressed in musical meters.
Writing on the meters found in Irish music Breandan Breathnach notes the following;
There are three broad classes of jig (in 6/8 time), the single jig (6/8 or 12/8) and the slip or hop jig (9/8) (Breathnach 1980:319). The basic rhythmic unit of the reel consists of two groups of four quavers (ibid.:320).
Both music systems use meters (and rhythms) that can be called additive ones. For example:
Irish meters / Indian tals
6/8 = 3+3 /Dadra (6 beats) = 3+3
-------------/Rupak (7 beats) = 3+2+2
4+4/8 /Kaharwa (8 beats) = 4+4
9/8 = 3+3+3 / Matta (9 beats) = 2+3+4
-------------/Jamptal (10 beats) = 2+3+2+3
12/8 = 3+3+3+3/Ektal (12 beats) = 3+3+3+3 or 4+4+4
Apart from scales and meters, the next relevant topic is general music performance. Looking at instrumental music we find that both Irish and Indian Classical Music use a drone instrument to maintain the pitch of the ground note or tonic. In Irish music it is usually a wind instrument such as the ullean pipes while in Indian music the tamboura (a stringed instrument) is used. This leads to another common feature, namely that both musics tend to stay in one scale. In Irish music, change of mode may occur between major sections of a tune or when several pieces are linked together as in the Indian ragmala. In the rendering of a particular rag, and in most South Asian folk music, the music remains in one melodic mode. Both traditions also incorporate an instrumental music component that includes solo improvisation.
It has been suggested that the historic link between Irish Gypsies and the peoples of north India account for commonalities in music culture of the two peoples. The Romany language retains vocabulary recognisable to speakers of Sanskrit-based languages (i.e., Hindi, Punjabi and Bengali). In addition, cultural similarities such as traditional social structuring and lifestyle may account for some of the parallels in music theory and performance practice.
(Music examples will be added to this page at a latter date)