What makes music soul-less?

[Rsachi]

This is an interesting question. In order to have a meaningful discussion, I want to lay some ground "rules".
What is "soul"? A. Music that goes beyond mere entertainment, mechanics, and stirs something deep within either with the musical bhava or lyrical content or an overarching emotive power that leaves me in an elevated mood for a little while or a long while afterwards.

Now I want you folks to pick from the list below and tell me if these reasons could render a musical performance soul-less, either in part or in full.
The list of 13 reasons I can think of is not exhaustive but I have tried to cover much ground. Here is a list of possible reasons to render the music soul-less :
1. When I have heard the exact same music before and I am actually or virtually "replaying" it.
2. When it comes across as a sterile, totally rehearsed/stage-managed presentation.
3. When the musician is trying to impress with technique, speed, volume, gymnastics.
4. When I am busy unravelling the tala, raga, arudi, correctness of a line of text, swaras etc.
5. When the "bhava" is totally put on, and the musician has a smirk on the face.
6. The music is highly technical like a complex pallavi, with or without grahabheda etc.
7. When the stage is set up like a Bollywood Awards Nite.
8. When hoardings are stuck in our face for items from McDowell's Soda to Murg Mussala, or RMKV Silks to Royal Bank of Scotland High Risk Fund.
9. When the concert is advertised like crazy with photo collages and colours like a Big Bazaar sale flyer.
10. When people have come to hoo and haa all the time without any regard to the actual music.
11. When I am whatsapping, FBing and reading a mag or talking during the concert.
12. When the whole music experience is reduced to a Maha Mela of an IPL like show.
13. When I am busy making a "discreet" recording of the concert with my high tech soul-less recorder.

You can see that I think many factors, not JUST the musicians, can make music soul-less.

[kvchellappa]

When both the singer and the listener are solely engaged in music (without striving for effect), soulful music flows. Both must lose their selves in the music. When the selves (ego) are gone, only music (soul) permeates.

[munirao2001]

RSachi Sir,

'Soul' in Classical Music is the aesthetics of saahithya and raaga bhaavam in the composition; internalized values of vaaggeyakara; internalized values of vaaggeyakara by the performing artist(s); rasikas also internalizing all the three-composition; composer;performer values. The outcome is sense of fulfillment. This sense of fulfillment is described as soulful, with form, content and enriching experience making it happen.

munirao2001

[sureshvv]

How about:

14. When you may not have a soul to begin with?

[arasi]

Sureshvv,
Is it true that there is no music in hell?

[Rsachi]

Arasi,
That is a powerful statement or hypothesis. You mean no musicians, rasikas, Sabha secretaries, event managers, Mike technicians etc. make it to hell? Or do you mean someone like N Srinivasan has disenfranchised hell and bagged all the rights for music under the Chennai banner?

[VK RAMAN]

Soulful music can be seen in the eyes and body language of the singer and the listener - both having ananda kaNNeer and forgetting about the worldly affairs. Everything else is soul-less IMHO.

[vgovindan]

Here is someone who defined what 'soulful' means - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axuq7nc ... 65&index=1

Even apaswaram could be soulful if rendered by a person of competence like this one. When singers and dancers do not know how to merge their personality with the character, the music becomes soul-less.

We have lost a tribe in the name of social reforms - throwing baby with bath-water!

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Thanks vgovindan.
But it will be difficult to give a link to define a 'soul-less'. You may have to face the music!

[Nick H]

Sureshvv,
Is it true that there is no music in hell?

Why would Suresh be able to answer that question? )

[vgovindan]

Thanks vgovindan.
But it will be difficult to give a link to define a 'soul-less'. You may have to face the music!

I understand. I would prefer to listen to soulful music even if it is apaswara, because, music is communication - heart-speak. But such soulful music is available only in bits and pieces.

There is a story about Purandara Dasa. When he visited Tirumala, he happened to see a dAsi going out in the dead of night. His curiosity having been aroused, he followed her, only to find that she was playing vINA in the sannidhi of Lord and the Lord was dancing to her music. As soon as Dasa entered, Lord stopped playing and took hold of vINA and started playing for which the dAsi started dancing.

The Lord deliberately played vINa in apaswara, but the dAsi was unaware and was dancing blissfully. Unable to bear the apaswara, dAsa shouted at the Lord. When the dAsi looked up and saw another person (Purandara Dasa) interrupting the music, she scolded Purandara Dasa for the impudence. On hearing Dasa's reply she said, it does not matter what the Lord was playing but it only mattered because it was the Lord playing - and he being the saptaswara sancArin, even apaswara sounds blissful coming from nAdAnta nAda rUpa. This is what Sri tyAgarAja describes in 'sAmaja vara gamana' which someone described in a parallel thread as 'demise'. nAda and demise?

[sureshvv]

Nice story. The Lord must have been playing a vivadhi raga.

[vgovindan]

Suresh,
According to the link - http://www.carnaticdarbar.com/views_01.htm 'paramAtmuDu veligE' by SrI tyAgarAja, one of the finest compositions in rAga vAgadhISvari is vivAdi rAga. Please listen to Jayanti Kumaresh - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxSMsQyhVR0
Does this sound apaswara?

[arasi]

VG,
I think Suresh is saying it in jest. Atleast, it strikes me as such.

[vgovindan]

Arasi,
What you say seems to be correct. I am a bit dull-witted.