Old is gold

I read a review in The Hindu recently that eulogised a recent concert by a senior musician, hailing its vintage compositions. What is vintage The Oxford English dictionary defines it as, “Denoting something from the past of high quality, especially something representing the best of its kind.” There is no doubt a pull for that which is vintage, that which is old. These ‘olden days’ compositions still bear much value but as time goes by, newer versions of the repertoire are taking over. If contemporary is in vogue, in the classical milieu, it cannot but draw inspiration from the past. ‘Old’ is sometimes confused for dowdy, boring, belonging to a world that is not. That’s not always true in my opinion. A musician recently shared that singing Carnatic numbers once popularised by maestros of the past requires a different mindset, a different level of preparedness and patience. These values have undergone a sea change under the current circumstances. But they still are held in high esteem and revered. If not, ‘vintage’ compositions would have long been an outcast. But they are not. That’s the reason why a firm, slow, winding Kshetragnya padam, a haunting Tiruppavai or a long-forgotten Tyagaraja’s Intanutsu Varnimpa still charms listeners even if ‘new’ is the buzzword. This explains why Carnatic concerts are nowadays incomplete without abhangs — ancient in themselves but rather new to the Carnatic repertoire. ‘Do you sing abhangs ’ is a common question asked of Carnatic musicians nowadays. The new and the old need to coexist and draw from each other as we all assert. Which is why vintage still holds sway. That is why we still listen with lingering nostalgia to Mukesh on his 93rd birth anniversary and his ‘Kabhi Kabhi’ will never be forgotten. A mild nasal tone to his voice, Mukesh was melodious and the tunes he sang to were sweet sounding. He would qualify for ‘vintage’. I was informed of a music-listening session that draws audiences who listen to musicians of the past for enjoyment and discussions. Vintage again. Curiously, in our fast track world of whirring compositions and gyrating rhythms, there is much charm in the vintage. It’s an unexplained paradox.

If all this talk on old music was not sufficiently playing in my mind, my recent chat with a prominent player in the Carnatic music scene from Chennai took me by surprise. He lamented about the absence of musicians to fit into the shoes of great masters of the past. A groove was created by the standards they set. But the sizes don’t fit any longer. The standards have changed. It’s far more worrisome amongst women musicians than male, where the lacunae are more than evident he opined. So what do we do Who sets these standards and who abides by them It is a volatile situation whose variables are far too many to be accurately predicted. The laboratory of music like all art has conditions that cannot be controlled. With each age and time, the factors change, the concoction is different and the reception is different. The iconoclasts, the rebels, the ‘toe-the-line’ ones, all contribute. Fortunately, one has the choice to appreciate what one wants and leave the rest to others. Sure enough in today’s world, there is a market for anything. Sometimes I am just baffled how a Mukesh and an MD Ramanathan still live on. I wonder how they would have fared if they were today’s musicians.

Meanwhile I am treated to a Sunday morning song by Coldplay. My daughter explains patiently how their music appeals across age and time. I am listening.

Dr Vasumathi Badrinathan is an eminent Carnatic vocalist based in Mumbai. She can be contacted on vasu@vasumathi.net