Bach and Bhakti

http://epaper.navhindtimes.in/NewsDetail.aspx?storyid=16097&date=2017-02-12&pageid=1

Rendezvous @ Ketevan Bhakti

In 1986, Ilaiyaraaja, the carnatic musician, paid a tribute to the great musical composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Tyagaraja, considered father of carnatic music, in his fusion music album- ‘How to Name It? ’ The album had carnatic and western musical movements that were dedicated to Tyagaraja and Bach.  One of the tracks is based on ‘Preludium in E’ by Bach.  In another track two violins talk, one of which speaks Western classical and the other Indian classical!

Johann Sebastian Bach Cantatas and the devotional compositions of Tyagarajaa are rooted in bhakti. The ongoing Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival in old Goa explores the intersections between Bach’s World and Indian classical music. There is also a separate concert dedicated to the compositions of German bhakti saint Hildegard von Bingen..

My research to find interconnections between these two musical exponents led me to a study printed in the Boulder Bach Beat, which states, “The musical composers Bach and Tyagaraja belonged to different races, cultures, and language and musical traditions. Bach lived in Germany, Tyagaraja lived in Tamil Nadu (South India). Bach died in 1750, whereas Tyagaraja was born in 1767. The former’s mother tongue was German whereas that of the latter was Telugu. Bach was a Christian whereas Tyagaraja was a Hindu. The former lived in an increasingly capitalistic semi-feudal society while the latter lived in a traditional caste-based society coming under growing influence of British colonialism. The western musical tradition to which Bach belonged was polyphonic, whereas the South Indian tradition to which Tyagaraja belonged was based on ragas and taalas.”

Yet they have a commonality that transcends these differences, turning all barriers to dust. The study further states, “Their musical genius and innate spiritual sensitivities were wonderfully receptive to the spirit of bhakti. Their creations are the highest musical expressions of the spirit of bhakti of their respective countries. Bach’s duet ‘Mein Freund ist mein’ from Cantata no. 140 Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140) and Tyagaraja’s krithi Rama ‘Nannu Brovara’ (raga: Harikamboji, taala: Rupaka), along with countless other examples, prove the point.”

Studies do not doubt their spiritual cores, but it is interesting to note that their spiritual compositions were deeply influenced by religious reformation movements in their respective countries. While these bhakti movements developed separately from one another (one in Germany and the other in South India), they show striking similarities.

Bhakti movement in South India arose as a response to Brahminic Hinduism of the medieval era. Brahmins from elite classes had built fortresses around sacred texts, and only the priests could have access to them. Worship was mired in elaborate rituals and sacrifices which required money. Also the language of ceremonies was Sanskrit, which was like Greek to the common man. The hegemony of the caste system bound society into separate iron-clad compartments, and was a misinterpretation of the religious texts. Also the priests were exclusively male.

 The pioneers of the South Indian bhakti movement were the wandering poet-saints called Alvars (Vaishnavites, devotees of Vishnu and his incarnations Krishna and Rama) and Nayanars (Shivites, devotees of Shiva). It first began in Tamil Nadu in the sixth century and later spread to other states in India. It was at its peak from the 13^th to the 17^th century, and as a result, carnatic music was born in South India in the 1400s.

Similarly a bhakti movement arose in Germany in the eleventh century in response to the institutionalized medieval Roman Catholicism, headed by the pope. The priests (exclusively male) played a great role between God and man, leading prayers in Latin (language of the educated elite) and other mandatory ritualistic procedures. The fine line between political powers and the church was crossed frequently in favour of the wealthy class. The teachings of the bible had lost their essence to superficial protocols. Along came the German Reformist Martin Luther (1485-1546), who gave a great boost to the bhakti movement in Germany. Luther, who was himself a gifted poet and a musician, composed numerous congregational hymns in German, known as ‘chorales’.

More interestingly, in contrast to prevailing male dominated religious structures of their time, the pioneers of the bhakti movement in both the countries were women. The pioneer of German bhakti was a woman, Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), who was a Catholic nun (enjoy the Ketevan concert ‘Hildegard to Cage’ on 18^th Feb). She was followed by several other nuns. The first bhakti saint in India was Karaikkal Ammaiyar (sixth century AD).  In India, the bhakti saints also included outcastes and pariahs. The bhakts in both countries composed songs in native languages, which were then sung in congregations by common people. This enabled the Germans/Indians to express their innermost spiritual emotions in their mother tongue. They emphasized the need for man to directly experience the divine through personal efforts.

Bach and Tyagaraja were hugely influenced by the bhakti movements of their respective countries. Bach was brought up in the tradition of north German polyphonic music, which gave pride of place to the chorale. Tyagaraja was brought up in the tradition of South Indian Carnatic music. Tyagaraja, was greatly influenced by the devotional songs of saint Purandaradasa, sung by his mother since his childhood. Tyagaraja was a devotee of Rama, a ‘Ramabhakta’.

In today’s world of partisan politics and sectarian violence, world sacred music festivals become centers of research and collaboration where new meanings are sought and understood, in turn creating channels of communication. These threads hope to tie seemingly diverse cultures together and build bridges of understanding in a world that’s falling apart at its seams.