Lecture 5 Flashcards
Voice, Agency and Nationalism in India and Pakistan
what does identity suggest?
people are a function of their choices rather than the discovery of an immutable attribute
what is important background information to know about identity?
individuals posses multiple identities
these identities are not mutually exclusive
what is a nation?
a social construct, an imaginable community where people feel commonality with others even though they might not know them
what symbolizes the origins of classical music in India?
Ragamala, an 18th-century miniature or mehfil with living or past ustads in Mughal courts
what is raga?
a set of rules for composition and improvisation
what is tala?
meter or rhythmic framework
what is Alap?
raga improvisation in free rhythm
what is a jor?
a section of Hindustani music that introduces a pulse and follows alap
what is a taan?
a rapidly improvised melodic passage
what is Rasa?
mood or flavour
what is agency?
the speaking voice in Western philosophy.
what are the characteristics of the politics of voice?
PASP
studies how voices are constructed through practice
focuses on audibility and materiality rather than intentionality
illuminates how voice represents social position and power
power of voice to produce a particular persona induces relations and invite interpretations
what is a famous quote by Roshan Ara Begum?
“I now just spend my time in prayer and praise Allah through my Hindustani ragas”
what did the violin act as in Karnatic classical music?
as a “ventriloquiser” – the indigenization of the Western violin in Karnatic classical
what is Alapana?
melismatic and improvised introduction of Raga in free rhythm
what is kriti?
a fixed composition mostly in the form of a devotional song eg singing about the love of god
who is MS Subbulakshmi?
Tamil actress and playback singer
played in the hit Tamil film Meera
rose to national fame in 1947
what were women seen as?
the rightful keepers of tradition
what was the status of women seen as?
India’s modernity and fitness to be a nation
what is voice culture?
the practice of women especially people in the 19th and 20th centuries to attain vocal and ethical upliftment of the singing voice. Voice was known to elevate one’s class and was a chance to remake oneself racially. The voice became an origin of ethics
what was Lata Mangeshkar known for?
playback singing and the filmy voice
which songs had the filmy voice?
Gaja Bhau 1944
Railway Platform 1955
what is the significance of the filmy voice?
the filmy voice carries what folks called cultural intimacy evoking a national, collective public felt the personal, sentimental popular idea of middle-class nationalism
what is the significance of Courtesans?
they were dubbed as natch girls during the British rule in India. these professional singers and dancers were inflated with prostitution. As a result, their contribution to India’s classical music was scrubbed from consciousness and there stories found little place in the margins of history
what is the significance of the Devadasi system?
prevalent from 7 CE, engaged unmarried women to a life of musical and ritual service within temples of South India. This system including the music and dance of Devadasi was abolished in 1947 because their profession was attached to the stigma of prostituition
what are two examples of Indipop?
Seulement Vous
Hari Om Hari
what is the social meaning of Bollywood music?
disembodied and homogenous voices for people to lip-sync
what is the social meaning of Indipop?
heterogenous voices with representation of agency, freedom and self-expression
what is the aesthetic of Bollywood music?
raga based
melodic tension and release
large graphic of Bollywood actors on the cover
what is the aesthetic of Indipop music?
riff based
harmonic tension and release
simple, persona portraits for covers
what is the studio production of Bollywood music like?
a heavy reverb-based sonic space compatible with the modes of public consumption associated with films
what is the studio production of Indipop music like?
prioritizing a clear tone that will sound good on headphones, personal stereos, and in other modes of individual consumption
what is not agentive in a classical sense?
The dichotomy of having a voice or being silent leaves little way of interpreting a highly audible or public voice but is not agentive in the classic sense
