Western
Music scene in Delhi
By
Maxwell Pereira
mfjpkamath@gmail.com
Western
music arrived in India with the colonial powers, its influence
initially confined to coastal towns. Delhi at that time was under
Bahadur Shah Zafar - a poet in his own rights, who had neither
the will nor the power to resist the gradual British influence
infusing the existing Indian culture with fresh intake from the
west. Music they say is international with no language, nationality
or borders - so making inroads here was just natural.
The
popular or pop - which is light, and the classical - which is
deeper and soul touching, classified western music. The light
made its way to corners of the land, with young people deeply
involved, their creativity giving fair competition to other musicians
on the international arena. The Church music of today is also
imported from west and is heard and played in every church and
worship services, sans the rock and sway aspect of western music.
In Delhi popular music was restricted to 'crooners' in all the
5 Star Hotel night clubs, or in total contrast, to small groups
that met in homes for the more studied and practiced recitals.
Western
classical music has a much older history, but did not match the
pace with the progress that light music made in India. Classical
music too has two divisions - instrumental and vocal. Delhi may
have had a bit of instrumental music but more or less dry in vocal
music. Twenty years ago, apparently there were only two trained
voices in the public domain in Delhi with an academic music degree.
Seetu Singh and Sharmila Livingston (nee Bannerjee). In those
days music was a hobby, not an academic profession. Today with
Trinity School of Music offering a rock curriculum in addition
to the classical, the numbers of takers has leaped exponentially.
Delhi University too has for the first time opened up a degree
programme in Western Music.
Things
have changed. A one time dry desert for western music, Delhi has
since grown. With greater dispensable income in the city, music
is no longer a luxury for a limited few, but an important extra-curricular
activity for kids. With changes in import/export regulations one
can buy quality foreign branded musical instruments at somewhat
affordable prices. Music teaching/training is becoming big business
with classes costing upto 1200/- a lesson, and Schools of Music
opening up in the NCR.
With
the MTV age, music videos, well funded College Festivals, Inter-school
competitions, TV talent shows - there are any number of platforms
available for performance, starting with the very young.
From
a single city chorus namely "The Delhi Christian Chorus"
conducted by Rev Richard Smythe in the late 60's, early 70's -
the city now offers choices - Capital City Minstrels, Neemrana
Chorus, Choraliers, Artists Unlimited, the Naga and the Mizo choirs
and several other smaller ones. Folks can join and/or go to more
choices of concerts. The audience at most of these affairs is
no longer mostly foreigners. Indians are working hard to get to
concerts, shows, recitals, and musicals.
Promoters
though are few - perhaps because of limited know-how, infrastructure
or funds, to develop and take classical music to greater heights
in Delhi. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is doing its
bit by inviting foreign artists, chamber and symphony orchestras,
dance groups etc. Delhi School of Music and Delhi Symphony Orchestra
are making their own contribution in a limited way - their performances
just a few with inadequate publicity.
On
the instrumental side, the Delhi Symphony Orchestra is one of
the oldest. Bringing together musicians from around the country,
the bulk are from Delhi. Often numbering as much as 75 strong,
the orchestra has performed some of the most demanding symphonic
scores. Its conductors, for the last many years, have come from
around the world, each bringing his or her own sensibilities to
the music. Members of the orchestra range from trained students
to highly qualified performers and music professionals. The Delhi
Symphony Society also hosts many musicians, choirs and ensemble
groups from India and the rest of the world, enabling them to
perform in Delhi. Gautam Kaul, the honourary Secretary, has managed
it almost single-handedly for the last many years.
To
Capital City Minstrels goes the credit as the face of western
classical choral singing in the city, although its repertoire
- its President Giti Chandra asserts, ranges from jazz and blues
to pop and Broadway, and from gospel and spirituals to Hindi film
songs, vernacular carols and opera. Founded 12 years ago by Zohra
Shaw, CCM's members come from across the world and across religions,
across ages and across professions - with a wide range of participants
from the completely untrained to the most highly qualified music
professionals in the city. The quality and difficulty level of
the music CCM performs remains dauntingly high. The Minstrels'
annual calendar has 3 seasons: the spring performances scheduled
for late April/ early May, often focussed around Easter. The Fall
season that used to be a period to relax, show off the repertoire
of light music and pop, jazz and Broadway, has for the last three
years been committed to an annual Peace Concert at the India Habitat
Centre on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The winter season is
the busiest, filled with the joy and harmony of Christmas. Classical
sacred music as well as the much-loved carols to fill halls across
the city to the delight of Delhi's music lovers. The highlight
in this forthcoming winter season is also a concert of Mozart's
music at the Bahai auditorium on December 5 to commemorate his
250th birth anniversary - with Sharmila Livingston conducting.
The
honour for exclusively pioneering sacred Christian music goes
to Delhi Christian Chorus. Boasting some of Delhi's finest voices,
its concerts under Royall McLaren at Easter and Christmas are
eagerly anticipated and well attended. Started in 1965 the DCC
has made significant contribution in the field of western music
for well over forty years now. Though confined to sacred music
only, they always have a classical section in their concerts and
have over the years presented works of such great composers as
Handel, Schubert, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Bach, Scarlatti, Haydn,
Brahms and host of other Modern, Contemporary and Classical composers
- today claiming a repertoire of over 1000 pieces of music of
different times.
Lately,
the Neemrana Music Foundation, founded in 2001 by Francis Wacziarg
and Suman Dubey, has been active. Set up to promote western classical
music in India and Indian classical music abroad, TNMF has produced
two operas in Delhi and Bombay. The Fakir of Benares (2002) and
The Pearl Fishers (2005) were both performed by Delhi musicians
and singers in conjunction with French musicians and singers.
The foundation also conducts workshops and organises individual
performances by local and visiting musicians.
With
immense potential are Artistes Unlimited - an initiative by young
artistes in Delhi, started in 2003 with Annette Philips as conductor
in a quest to create a sound they could call their own. 3 years
and over 40 concerts later, over 200 artistes have shared their
dream, from across Delhi schools, colleges and institutions, in
the age group of 10 - 44 years. Their USP mainly the experimentation
with different genres of music; their repertoire including extensive
work with Indian and Western classical music, Sufi, fusion, jazz,
gospel, funk, soul, R&B, Broadway and progressive light rock.
With their jazz and rock concert offering, 'Reverb' just past,
AU is now gearing for the launch of its debut album of 12 original
compositions.
Favourite
of many, the band - Indian Ocean, has released five albums: Indian
Ocean (1993), Desert Rain (1997), Kandisa (2000) and Jhini (2003),
and the Original Sound Track for the feature film Black Friday
(2005). Desert Rain, recorded live at a concert performed for
the SAHMAT (Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust) annual festival in Delhi,
consolidated the band's reputation as an original, intelligent
and fun presence on the Indian music scene. Kandisa, with its
eclectic mix of musical styles, including non-western lyrics in
Hindi, Kashmiri, Bengali, Aramaic and Bhilali, gave the band a
couple of its biggest hits. Critics feel Indian Ocean achieved
cult status in India with Kandisa, as audiences sang its complex
lyrics in unison with the band at live concerts. Jhini received
the AV Max award for the Best Produced Album in India. The release
of a music video of the title song in May coincided with Indian
Ocean being featured as the Artists of the Month on MTV. Like
the previous albums, the band's most recent work in Black Friday
has also been critically acclaimed. The song Bandeh was #2 on
the Hindi film charts, providing Indian Ocean with their first
major crossover hit. Indian Ocean has performed all over the world
- including the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the
UK - winning the Pick of the fringe award at the Edinburgh Fringe
Festivel in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Founded 15 years ago, the band
is made up of 4 very talented musicians, Susmit Sen (guitar and
vocals), Asheem Chakravarty (tabla, other percussion and vocals),
Rahul Ram (bass guitar and vocals) and Amit Kilam (drums, gabgubi,
other percussion, recorder and vocals).
Advaita
is another notable young band on the music scene in Delhi currently.
Although they fall into the bracket of fusion music, its members
are quite determined that their musical style comes across as
something organic in itself. The band consists of some experienced
'rock' musicians who have grown up on a staple diet of Floyd,
Zeppelin, Purple, Aerosmith etc, and Indian Classical musicians
who come from families with a classical background that is generations
old. Yet when guitars, keyboards and drums merge with the sarangi,
The
Hindustani vocals and the tabla in this outfilt do not put it
actually in the western music ambit, but the modern effort to
re-interpret sensibilities, a process which reflects the identities
of the band members likens it to the western style, growing up
in the modern world, where terms like 'your music' and 'my music'
are out dated. Advaita have gigged extensively around Delhi in
the last year and their shows are attended by college kids, working
professionals and even grandmothers. Their belief in their music
has also been rewarded viz a viz an album record deal with a leading
label.
One
cannot leave out jazz, and out pops the name of Soli Sorabjee
as the foremost exponent of it in the city, with Mohsin and Debbie
Menezes as the best-known local artistes. Even as the much looked
forward to annual winter Jazz Yatra is currently on in the capital,
news comes in of Mike's Jazz Club - an international standard
club of Jazz, Blues and Latino Music Club for Delhi jazz buffs
- a brainchild of jazz aficionado Michael Albuquerque, who is
planning about 180 open-air and indoor jazz concerts in elite
restaurants and 5-star deluxe hotels over the next 12 months.
And
there are a plethora of others - lesser known parish groups to
church choirs, the Naga and Mizo Choirs with stunning harmony
and voice quality, pop bands the likes of Seby and his Wings,
the Indian Ocean and Advaita. Situ Singh Beuhler has her ensemble
of student trainees too, and there are the likes of Superfuzz
the rock band, The Clones, Perestroika, Nakshatra, Vishnu, Brits
and Pieces of expats and the American School group Choraliers
- a mixed bag that sings a variety of jazz, classical, pop, and
gospel - under Diane Pritchett, who had earlier wielded the CCM
baton for a season.
All
this opportunity has led to specialization of tastes and preferences
for music in the city. One can actually enjoy Jazz, classical,
choral, pop or rock concerts and have choices on any given night
of the calendar. Even though hugely limited so far, one sees potential
for internationally famous artistes to tour India in the days
ahead. The audience and connoisseurs are growing in number. The
number of those who love music in the city, who are articulate
in verbalizing what they like and don't like, who can recognize
good quality when they hear it, and are more and more discriminating
with sound quality is increasing.
Nov
22, 2006: Copy Right © Maxwell Pereira: 3725 Sec-23, Gurgaon-122002
email: maxpk@vsnl.com, mfjpkamath@gmail.com;
web: www. maxwellpereira.com
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