Fallibility of the Infallibles

E. C. Bentley in his milestone detective novel/parody "Trent's Last Case", created Philip Trent, the detective who falls in love with the chief suspect & solves the case quite logically, but with the completely wrong solution. He is only saved with the fortuitous confession of the true murderer. As the authority of (& also author of many)  detective stories, Martin Edwards writes, Bentley wrote it as a parody of the "infallible detectives" who had appeared so far, but created a masterpiece of the genre himself. In this Bentley resembles Cervantes, who created "Don Quixote" as a parody of the Chivalry novels then popular, but created an immortal classic by itself.

Similarly, the egoistic Hercule Poirot, a creation of Agatha Christie, in spite of boasting of his celebrated "little grey cells", slipped up badly only once in his career, in the story "The Chocolate Box". Using his twin tools of method & logic, he fixed upon the wrong person as the culprit, only to be saved by the confession of the actual culprit. To his credit it must be said that he analyses & realises himself where exactly he has gone wrong for the first & last time in his career, & even tells Captain Hastings to remind him of it, if he gets too arrogant!

Famous Musical Farewells

Josef Haydn, was the court musician for the Prince of Esterhazy, of Vienna. But the Prince once prolonged his stay at his summer palace in the country, much to the chagrin of his court musicians, who had their families in Vienna. Haydn promised his musicians to convey their feelings to the Prince in a subtle way. 

He composed his Symphony No.45 in F sharp minor, the last movement of which is so designed that the musicians can leave one by one, the last measures being played by only two violins. Needless to say, the Prince got the message & returned to Vienna with his musicians! Hence the name of "Farewell" Symphony for this.

In the evergreen film, "The Sound of Music", the widowed Captain with seven children is courting the Baroness Schraeder & invites her to his home & gives a party in her honour. To entertain the guests, his children, guided by their governess Maria, perform a song "So long, Farewell", in which each of the children, age wise, sing their reasons for withdrawing from the party & dance out, finally leaving the youngest, Gretl, who after singing her lines, promptly falls asleep & has to be carried out!

Coriolanus

This is the most perfectly shaped of Shakespeare's tragedies according to the scholar Marchette Chute. In addition it is highly contemporary in its depiction of famine, democracy & maternal obedience.

When the play opens, Rome is in the grip of a famine & people are hungry & angry. But Coriolanus, their bravest warrior has no sympathy for them. Their enemies, the Volscians, also want to attack them. This is gleefully welcomed by Coriolanus, who rushes off to war. He is egged on by his fierce mother Volumnia, who has trained him to be a fighter but tearfully sent off by his wife Virgilia, who is fearful of his safety.

After routing the Volscians, Coriolanus returns triumphantly, where his mother wants him to be Consul to become which,  the candidate should stand in the market place, in a gown of humility, to explain his qualifications & beg the Romans for votes, which is deeply abhorrent to him. But he reluctantly agrees & goes to the marketplace, where his enemies irritate him so much that he ends up displaying his contempt for the people, who exile him.

Furious at what he considers as the ingratitude of the Romans for saving them from the Volscian invasion, he goes & joins the Volscians to invade Rome. When Volumnia learns this, fearful of the certain destruction of Rome, she goes with Virgilia & her grandson to beg Coriolanus to spare Rome, kneeling on her knees for the first time. Coriolanus cannot refuse her & in consequence, is assasinated by the Volscians.

Ingratitude: The besetting sin of humanity

When Jesus Christ was met by ten lepers, who shouted "Jesus, make us well." Jesus said "Go & show yourselves to the priests." This had to be done before they were allowed to go back among other people. The men set off, & as they were going, they saw that their terrible sores had disappeared. Their leprosy was cured.

One of the men went back to Jesus to thank him. He bowed low & shouted out his praises to God. "But where are the other nine?" asked Jesus. "Didn't I make ten men well?" The nine, like many other people, had forgotten to thank God for his goodness to them.

In living memory, Sri Satya Sai Baba, has set up free education from KG to PG & Super Specialty Hospitals free of cost, so that poor people, who otherwise could not afford access to education & healthcare, have benefitted in thousands in addition to miraculous healing by Himself for many. But all the media & people are interested in is the presumed wealth found after his passing away & "magic tricks" (as his Divine Powers like Jesus Christ) are termed.

Ms. Sudha Murthy, the well-known philanthropist also recounts the attitude of a prosperous doctor, whose medical education was financed by her foundation. When she had to consult him unexpectedly in an emergency, though he recognised her, he charged her double for turning up without a prior appointment!

Sadly human nature has not changed for the better in 2000 years!

"Indian Sun" by Oliver Craske

This comprehensive biography of Pandit Ravi Shankar, published in his birth centenary year is a treasure house of information, even for those who have read his earlier two auto-biographies. It is good that the author has kept Panditji's music in the foreground rather than his turbulent life.

That said, the decision to print the index, which would be constantly used in a book like this, in microscopic type is hard to understand. Also the same glaring lacuna which was present in the earlier two auto-biographies, continues in this volume also. That is that the biography of a legendary, well-recorded musician, does not contain a discography. Given that the records have been issued & re-issued under different numbers, there is nothing to prevent them being listed, containing the year of recording, ragas contained & the record numbers (all versions, if necessary.) After all the musical legacy of Panditji is contained in these priceless records. Even though recordings are listed in the microscopically printed index, they do not give the names of the ragas nor the record numbers.

Also Panditji issued his first records in 78 rpm Shellac records, which were subsequently re-issued on 45 rpm EP records, LP record & finally on CD. These little gems need to be listened to. Also for a comprehensive book like this, there is no mention of a French recording containing Ragas Puriya Kalyan, Purvi Kalyan & a Dhun (which was sold in India also) & a CD "Ravi Shankar in Venice", which is hard to come by, but contains the only performance of his own creation "Raga Shailangi."

Another noteworthy feature is many of Panditji's contemporaries are dealt with, but perfunctory attention is paid to Nikhil Banerjee, his gurubhai. This may not be surprising, because even though Swapan Bandopadhyay's book on Annapurna Devi is listed in the bibliography, the same author's book on Nikhil Banerjee is not listed. It is a pity because that book throws additional light on the ragas which both Ravi Shankar & Nikhil Banerjee claimed as their own creations.

Incidentally, the Nikhil Banerjee biography contains a discography, whereas Ravi Shankar's & Vilayat Khan's (by Namitha Devidayal) do not contain one.

Women's higher education: The other side of the coin

In earlier times, there was little opportunity for higher education for women all over the world, as pointed out by Virginia Woolf in her impassioned trail-blazing essay "A Room of One's Own." This has been remedied to a great extent now, but bringing along with it an appalling rise in philistinism.

Earlier, at least in the middle & upper classes, it was "de rigeuer" for young ladies to be "accomplished", meaning they had to acquire at least the rudiments of classical music, literature & preferably art, with a view of increasing their value in the matrimonial market, if not for other reasons. This has been enchantingly shown in Jane Austen's "Sense & Sensibility" carried over into the eponymous film, enhanced, if possible, by director Ang Lee. Both the sisters could play the piano, sing & Marianne could even complete lines of poetry, quoted by her suitor, Col. Brandon.

But all these, like all good things, have come to an end, especially in India. When a girl goes in for higher education, she practically renounces the chance of becoming a "cultured lady", meanwhile dedicating her life to becoming economically productive with the sky being the limit in this pursuit! Of course, there are honourable exceptions to this like Dr. Kaveri Nambisan (Surgeon/Writer), Dr. Jyotsna Srikanth (Clinical Pathologist/Violinist) & Dr. Rohini Mohan (Runs own clinic/Sugam Sangeeth Singer).

May their tribe increase!

Nadia Boulanger & Annapurna Devi: "Tiger Teachers" of Music

Nadia Boulanger was an internationally famous teacher, who trained the likes of Daniel Barenboim, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass & many others. In her student days she tried to win the Prix de Rome (composition), but failed. But her younger sister Lili, was the first female composer to win it. But unfortunately Lili died very young. 

Philip Glass says "I studied in the famous Julliard School of Music in New York, but when I went to Nadia, I erased everything & started afresh. Once, due to unavoidable reasons, I was a trifle late for a lesson. She reacted so strongly, that it would have been  better to go back & phone some excuse. She made sure I never went late again. Fortunately, I didn't live with her. It would have killed me!" 

When Hariprasad Chaurasia, already a successful  professional flautist, wanted to study with Annapurna, she insisted that he play left-handed, so that she could teach him from scratch. (like Nadia & Glass). Even then she was very rigorous & uncompromising & once in a fit of fury, broke a tanpura on Chaurasia's head!

Pollyanna in Covid days

For the un-initiated, Pollyanna is a fictional little girl, who sees something to be glad about even in the worst situations. How would she have reacted if she were with us now?

Daughter of an impecunious clergyman, who hunted out about 400 verses in the Bible about "gladness", she was orphaned soon after & came to live with her initially unwilling aunt.

In the town, she made friends even with habitually grouchy people & spread the message of gladness. If she were here now, she might have welcomed the imposed restrictions on socialising & travel, as heaven sent opportunity to delve deep within oneself to unearth hidden depths of creativity.

In the pre-Covid days, it was quite obvious that many were wasting their time & energy on meaningless gadding about & indiscriminate socialising as the only ways of enjoying oneself. Now, as those are restricted, one may hopefully expect that at least now, the futility of frittering away of precious human life is fully realised.

Of course, this holds good for those of us fortunate enough not to be infected.

Finiteness of Life & Infinity of Art

The famous quotation of Hippocrates, the western "father" of medicine, "Ars longa Vita brevis" puts the same thing in Latin.

This can be used to maximise our enjoyment of life. Most of us have a livelihood to earn & a profession to be followed, which take up most of our time. The rest of the time & post retirement, is the time to savour the riches of Art.

As Dr. Edward Hodnett, writes in his excellent book "The Cultivated Mind", the occupations of the cultivated mind are the only steadfast defence against boredom & of frittering away the best portion of our lives in unsubstantial & unproductive pursuits.

He starts his book on the impact of ideas of Socrates & continues, to the delight of Indians, to the ideas of Gandhi & its practical applications. Next is the scientific vision from Aristotle to Pasteur. The biographers from Plutarch to Pepys & Boswell come next.

In fiction, Homer to Chekov rule the roost.

On the stage, dramatists starting from the Greek tragedians to O'Neill held audiences in thrall. Neither can the highbrow art of Poetry from Chaucer to Dickinson be overlooked. The visual arts Painting & Sculpture (the great Michelangelo was the master of both) pleased the eyes. Music is the most difficult art to write about, but the easiest to enjoy. From Bach to Stravinsky, the great composers spanned the whole gamut of human emotions.

Every cultivated person can make himself familiar with the above works. The cardinal sin is to do anything to "pass time" or worse, "kill time." Remembering the finiteness of Life, one has to be focussed & allocate one's time judicially to the pursuit of the above, never wasting a single minute on superficialities. Then, one may have the satisfaction of having time to enjoy only the best of the arts, leaving the others to fall by the wayside.

The key is, before any activity, to ask oneself the question "Is this the best way of spending my limited time?" If the answer is no, ruthlessly discard that activity & start with the best, because frankly, there is no time except for the best in our short lives.

Ravi Shankar First Sitar Concerto

"It was Andre Previn who made it happen. He admired Ravi's music. In 1963 itself he had suggested that Indian music might be coupled with Western concert music. After the London Symphony Orchestra appointed him as it's principal conductor in 1968, he invited Ravi to compose a Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra.

But Previn, who had never formed much of a bond with Ravi, on seeing the first draft of the score, listed 21 queries betraying his anxieties. Ravi included a demo cassette along with his answers.

The premiere took place on 28.01.1971. The recording took place at Abbey Road at the end of May & Capitol Records claimed it sold like a pop record. But the starkest critic was Previn himself who attacked the recording (conducted by himself) as "absolute, total, utter shit....I knew it was nonsense."

But Yehudi Menuhin wrote to Ravi "The Sitar Concerto is absolutely superb. To use the western orchestra to produce Indian music is a great achievement, especially when it is carried by your playing & virtuosity."

From "Indian Sun" by Oliver Craske.

(My note: It is my favourite record in jacket design, music & recording.)

Violinists in jeopardy

Michael Holme in Vikram Seth's "An Equal Music" & Min Kym in "Gone" are the musicians in question. Both books explore the rarified world of western classical music in some depth. But Seth's book is a novel written in sparkling language (he being a music-loving professional writer), whereas Kym is a professional violinist writing her auto-biographical work, straight from her heart.

A word about the classical western musical hierarchy: The highest slot belongs to the soloists, next to the chamber music (string quartet) players, next to the first violins in an orchestra & last the second violins in an orchestra. 

Michael Holme was not a child prodigy like Min Kym & when pressed too hard by his teacher to attain soloist status, failed & became a second violinist in a String Quartet. Min Kym was a child prodigy & straightaway rushed into the soloist's slot.

The highlights of Seth's book is the exciting, persistent search for the record of Beethoven's String Quintet in C minor in the record shops of London in the first portion of the book & the "musician's block" experienced by Michael in the latter part, leading to his playing in a "hack orchestra."

The peak points of Min Kym's life are the performing & recording of the Beethoven & Brahms Violin Concertos. However because of the negligence of her exploitative friend Matt, she loses her beloved Strad & the moorings of her life, & reduced to playing in String Quartets.

A big difference in the two books is the violin  used by Michael, (unaffordable to him)  loaned to him by the owner, was willed to him after her death & so came back to him beyond his expectations, whereas Min's stolen violin, though found again, was not restored to her, because she had accepted the insurance money & spent it. Heart breaking indeed.

But both the musicians pick up the pieces of their shattered lives & continue, though not at the dizzy heights of their early days. Both books are riveting reads for lovers of western classical music.

Indian Record Industry: Consumer's View

India was one of the first countries to make commercial 78 rpm shellac records, & affordable players to play them. When the vinyl LP & EP (45 rpm) arrived in the 1950's, they were also made here with suitable equipment. But the first classical records were issued only on EP's, fighting shy of LP's which were however issued for film music.

The first LP of Indian Classical Music was recorded in the west by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan with a spoken introduction by Yehudi Menuhin. Then on Pandit Ravi Shankar's visit to the west, his LP's were also recorded & produced there, then re-issued in India. Then Indian Classical Music LPs of other artistes  started being recorded & produced in India.

Affordable players with spares & service were on hand.

But with the advent of CD's, record making  & record players manufacture prematurely stopped in India,

even though in the west, they continued being made along with CDs.

Now with the come-back of Vinyl LPs in a big way globally, India is caught on the wrong foot, having wound up factories making records & players.

Now consumers who want to enjoy LPs like their counterparts in the west, have to import players & LPs from the west at prohibitive prices with non-existent spares & service. This is the effect of Indian manufacturers jumping the gun in closing down existing facilities.

The Relevance of Religious Identity in George Eliot's "Daniel Deronda"

This unjustly neglected last novel of Eliot, deals in some depth of religious identity in xenophobic England of the nineteenth century but is curiously contemporaneous.

The novel, starting with the "spoiled child", Gwendolen Harleth, traces her journey into misery through her wilfulness. Simultaneously, one of her admirers, the eponymous Daniel, starts investigating his Jewish roots.

Gwendolen, after losing her riches, being a talented musician, contemplates becoming a professional one. But Klesmer, a professional, dissuades her by saying mere talent is not enough. So she marries the manipulative Grandcourt, rushing headlong into marital purgatory. 

Meanwhile, Daniel discovers that his mother was a Jewish singer & delves deep into that religion's beliefs. Even though Gwendolen becomes a widow through the accidental death of Grandcourt, Daniel marries Mirah, sister of his friend Mordecai.

Gwendolen writes to Daniel on the eve of his marriage: "I have remembered your words - that I may live to be one of the best of women, who makes others glad that they were born."

"Bannada Vesha" to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: A Journey of self discovery

"Bannada Vesha" is a film by Girish Kasaravalli about a Yakshagana actor, who starting from humble roles, rises to the pinnacle of fame by playing the (South Karnataka) God called Junjutti. But he is dismayed to learn that he is not venerated as an actor but as Junjutti. This crisis of self & identity makes him a chastened man, contemplating on the insignificance of life & the vanity of all human wishes.

A similar situation arises in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, when Sage Yagnavalkya asks his wife Maitreyi about bequest of his property.  She asks whether if she had all the wealth in the world, would she be happy? He says No, you will only be rich.

The Self (in-dwelling God) is the dearest of all things & only through the Self is anything dear. The Self is the origin of all happiness. He adds "It is not for the sake of the wife, my beloved, that the wife is dear, but for the sake of the Self."

So the question raised in "Bannada Vesha" about self & identity, is given a spiritual perspective in this Upanishad.

Ten Greatest Showpieces of Western Classical Music

"Surprise" Symphony Haydn.

Haydn's Symphony No.94 was so called because of the loud chord in the middle of the quiet second movement. He is supposed to have said jocularly that "it would make the ladies jump!"

"Jupiter" Symphony Mozart

Mozart's last symphony, No.41, had a "majestic" opening of the first movement, hence the name of "Jupiter", the chief God of the Roman pantheon.

"Eroica" Symphony Beethoven.

The third symphony marked a creative turning point in his work. It was initially dedicated to Napoleon (heroic=Eroica), but later changed.

"Trout" Quintet by Schubert.

A rare chamber music piece using the double-bass & having five movements. The fourth movement is a set of variations on his song "The Trout", hence the name.

Symphony Fantastique by Berlioz.

One of the first "programme" (telling a story) compositions, using a love story with drug induced hallucinations, with novel orchestration.

"From the New World" Symphony by Dvorak.

On arrival at the USA, he composed this immensely popular work (more than 100 recordings) using African American & Native American tunes.

"Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky.

Inspired by the art of Victor Hartmann, Mussorgsky composed these piano pieces, which however are better known in their orchestral version, prepared by Ravel.

"Carnival of the Animals" by Saint Saens.

The composer uses various instruments & sections of the orchestra to depict different animals, the most popular being the "Swan" played by a cello.

"The Planets" by Holst.

Contrary to general understanding, the sections refer to the astrological meaning rather than the astronomical meaning of the planets. From the "ff" (loud) opening of "Mars" to the "pp" (soft) ending of the "Neptune", this work covers the full dynamic range of the orchestra.

"Concerto for Orchestra" by Bartok.

All the sections of the orchestra are highlighted in turn in this stunning work.

Special mention can be made of the parodying of the theme from the first movement of Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony, in the fourth movement of this work.