Book Reviewed: Sonic Liturgy: Ritual and Music in Hindu Tradition by Guy L. Beck

Seeking spiritual communion with God through ritual and music in Hindu worship (Five stars)

Music has cosmological, liturgical and devotional significance in Hindu worship since Vedic times. Mantras, Stotras, Kirtana, Kriti, Bhajans, Bhakti Sangit, Haveli Sangit, Samaj Gayan, and Padavali Kirtan are various musical forms that evolved on certain canonical standards. This book explore the history from the earliest times to the current form of Indian classical music. Hindu traditions offer the most consistent and enduring meaning for the sonic liturgy; the ritual order of sound and music. The author reviews the Indian history of music to illustrate how music became so significant in Hinduism. He discusses The Vedic worship that included fire sacrifices (Yajna) and Sama-Gana, and then outlines the emergence of Gandharva Sangita as the principal music designed for puja and seva that included offerings placed on an altar. Gradually music became more focused on two major Hindu deities; Vishnu (and Krishna) and Siva. These two gods were worshipped in various forms, avatars and names. Bhakti music grew simultaneously and it gave raise to bhajans and kirtans. Classical music styles such as Dhrupad and Dhamar in the form of Haveli Sangita and Samaj Gayan grew strongly especially in Vaishnava system.

A brief summary of this book is as follows: Rig-Veda and Samaveda has a systematic and highly canonized versions for chants and utterances of sacred hymns. Nada-Brahman in the Agamas, Pancharatra and Tantras describe the power of sacred sound, syllable OM (AUM), which is the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Being. This has the dimension of salvation to the music that gives access to the spiritual reality. This notion with Rasa theory and the structures of raga (melody types) and tala (rhythms) lead to various schools of Indian classical music. This form of music also shares the technical dimension of Vedic sacrifice interpreted by the school of Purva-Mimamsa philosophy.

Verses from Rig-Veda were chanted in three distinct musical tones or accents. These three were expanded to seven notes in Sama-Gana, the singing of Samaveda hymns with pre-set melodies during soma sacrifice. Gandharva Sangita is the counterpart to the sacrificial Sama-Gana; it is the music performed in the court of Lord Indra in heaven. This form of music also used musical instruments such as vina, flute, drums, and cymbals. The oldest surviving texts of this form of music is in Natya Shastra of Bharata Muni and Dattilam by Dattila (ca. 400-200 B.C.E). By sixth century C.E. the bhakti movement became powerful forces in favoring devotion centered Hinduism with song texts called Desi-bhashas. The theistic Vedanta started to make strong impact, and the impersonal nature of Brahman of Upanishads and Vedanta were conceived as supreme personal deity in the form of Siva (Saivism), Vishnu (Vaishnavism) and Shakti (Tantrism.) The radical switch from Sanskrit to vernacular languages created bhakti poetry and temple music traditions, which was sanctioned by religious texts such as Bhagavata Purana. The Tevaram hymns of Saiva saints known as Naynars, and Divya Prabhandam hymns of Vaishnava saints called Alvars became popular. Both these systems were compiled in fifth and sixth centuries C.E. These traditions overlapped with classical music traditions of Carnatic music, and sometime after thirteenth century, this traditions broke into two major groups that became the northern Hindustani music and the southern Carnatic music. Hindustani music that originated from classical Dhrupad and Dhamar became popular in the courts of many kingdoms of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bengal, and Uttara Pradesh. During the late middle ages (1200-1600 C.E), the deity of Krishna emerged as the principal object of Bhakti Sangit and helped to create Krishna Sampradayas, one of the prominent Vaishnava tradition.

By 18th century Dhrupad singing started to decline and replaced by more fluid improvisatory Khayal style of singing. It allowed more display of virtuosity and configured as less religious and more appropriate for court’s entertainment. Instruments like sitar and sarod were invented to mirror the renderings of fast tempos and rapid passages in succession.

I very much enjoyed reading this book and I recommend this to anyone interested in Indian history, particularly the music history of India.