Thursday, 28 November 2024

Bach's 48 & S. Balachander's Melakartas

These two are the towering achievements in Western Classical Music & Indian Carnatic Music respectively.

The musical octave being divided into 12 semitones, there will be 24 scales if both major & minor scales are reckoned. Johann Sebastian Bach composed a set of Preludes & Fugues in each of the 24 scales in 1722. Twenty years later, he composed another set of 24, making in all 48. They were named "The Well Tempered (tuned) Klavier (keyboard instrument)" & helped to popularise equal temperament over just temperament. Instead of being mere academic exercises, they turned out to be supremely varied artistic creations, known as  "The Keyboard Player's Bible." Svetoslav Richter's set is widely acclaimed.

Carnatic (& Hindusthani) Music also has broadly 12 semi-tones in an octave. A melakarta raga has seven notes (included in the 12 semi-tones). Keeping the fourth (Madhyama) & the invariable fifth (Panchama) constant, by permutations & combinations, one can obtain 36 melakarta ragas for Shuddha Madhyama & another 36 for Prati Madhyama ragas, making a total of 72 melakarta ragas. Veena maestro S.Balachander decided to record all 72 melakarta ragas in alapana & thanam only, omitting the pallavi. In spite of hurdles posed by the record company, he successfully managed to complete the project (spread over 12 vinyl LP records) between 1971-76. A project of this magnitude had never been attempted by an Indian musician & they remain a connosieur's delight.

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