1. The Sensuous plane. Here one listens to the sheer pleasure of the sound itself. A kind of brainless but attractive state of mind is engendered by the mere sound of the music.
2. The Expressive plane. All music has an expressive power which, unfortunately (in the case of instrumental music) cannot be put into words. For example each of the 48 fugue themes in Bach's "The Well Tempered Clavichord" mirrors a different world of feeling.
3. The Musical plane. Here, in addition to the above two, music exists in terms of its own notes & their manipulation. The musically aware listener should hear the melodies, rhythms, harmonies & the tone colours. He should be aware of musical forms & be able to follow the lines of the composer's thought.
If this is the case of Western Classical Music, Carnatic music, being based largely on Kritis, offer a convenient verbal peg to hang one's appreciation, even in the case of instrumental renditions.
Hindustani, especially instrumental music, has attained an universal appeal, because of its pure, abstract form. But here also, ability to recognise the ragas is a prime requisite in appreciating it.
Many "connoisseurs" have never got beyond the first "Sensuous Plane" mentioned above as evinced by nodding their heads & exclaiming "Wah, wah!" Ustad Vilayat Khan, once asked why he didn't announce the name of the raga he would play, scathingly replied "If they can't recognise the raga, they are not fit to attend my concert!"
