Defined by Music
“If I were a sound I’d probably sound like an old engine - reasonably
quiet and a bit spluttery, and make a bit of a noise if someone puts their foot
down.” This was one response to an informal survey asking people to describe
what sound best describes them. Another person responded : “If I was a musical instrument I would be an
extremely down tuned 6 string guitar – metal and brutal”.
If people were to be described as types of music, then
perhaps a calm person would be a gentle melody, a free spirit would be a jazz improvisation.
A person could be described as a powerful symphony, or one could even describe
people or events as the nuanced komal or teevra notes of classical Indian
music, expressing ghambhirta or depth of thought.
Music is composed of sounds. The essence of life lies in
movement which in turn produces sound – the rhythm of a heartbeat, breeze
stirring leaves, the sound of footsteps or rain. The tone in which words are spoken, and
sometimes even silence, conveys as much if not more than the actual words
spoken.
Astrophysicists have converted cosmic wavelengths into sound,
literally creating the music of the spheres as once proposed by Pythagorus,
Plato and Aristotle. Hindu mythology believes the universe was created from a
primordial vibration. The Quran describes a trumpet blast by the Angel Israfil
that will initiate the end of the world.
Flutes made of animal bones, dating as far back as 60,000
years ago, are evidence that music and art were as essential as survival for
human beings. The flute is found in nearly every culture. The Sufi master Rumi
believed the sound produced by the flute to be closest to the human voice. It becomes
a symbol for the soul’s longing for reunion with the divine. Drums were more an
announcement of power especially in war time. Tribes sent messages over great
distances by coded drum beats. String instruments evolved, like the ektara,
still used by folk singers in Pakistan, which dates back to the 4th
C.
Over the centuries many thousands of musical instruments
have been created and exchanged across cultures. The pan pipes of ancient
Greece are now associated with South American Andean culture. The sitar is associated with Northern Indian
culture. But it was created by Ameer Khusro who merged the Persian seter with
the Indian veena. He also created the qawwali from Persian sama, and the tarana
using softer Persian inspired consonants.
The Sassanian ruler of the 5th C, Bahrain Gur, invited about
1,200 instrumentalists to Persia from India. Persian music in turn influenced
Arab music.
The harmonium, such a staple of Pakistani music
performances, was the invention of a Frenchman, and was introduced to India in
the 19th C. It was modified into its present form by local
musicians. The first performances combining a drum set and guitars was said to
be by New Orleans jazz musicians in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Today it is a universal ensemble for pop musicians across the world.
Music is often seen as mere entertainment. But it is much
more than that. Music is a narrative, regardless of whether it has lyrics or
not. Folk music is a reflection of a people. Irish ballads carry the history of
the Irish, their resistance to loss, and reinforces their cultural identity. Russian
music reflects the "Russian soul," with its intense passion,
melancholy, and a sense of vastness. Blues have the ability to transform pain
into beauty, bring harmony to the dissonance of life.
The complex theories of ragas composed for different times
of the day explore the emotional impact of music. The Darbari creates
melancholy or sadness, and Yaman creates a feeling of joy. Raag literally means “that which colors
the mind”.
Music has also been used to endorse political power such as
national anthems or fanfare announcing the arrival of an important person. The
17th century Catholic Church,
reasserting its power in response to the challenge of the Reformation,
commissioned baroque architecture for churches to echo with awe inspiring
orchestral religious music. New missionary zeal spread Catholicism to colonized
territories. The complexity of creating and performing orchestral music mirrors
the intricate coordination and discipline to create a harmonious and powerful
whole, and organizational leadership that defined colonial power.
Sufism spread through more intimate music integrated with
mystical poetry, from the whirling dervishes of the Mevelvi to the Qawwali of
the Chisti, or the mystical chants of Gnawa.
Whether grand and public or quiet and personal as Plato said
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the
imagination, and life to everything.”
Durriya Kazi
August 21,
2025
Karachi
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