Table Of ContentWords and Tunes: Principles of Assimilation
(With Special Reference to Tagore Songs)
SITANSU RAY
T he art of song is an artistic fusion of poetry and music, that is, wordsand
tunes. In some forms of singing, the words play a more important role,
subduing the associated tunes, as, for example, in the Katbakata (musical
story-telling), the Kavigan (extempore musical debate on mythological,socialor
politicalthemes), or the singingof the Ramayana, inBengal. On the other hand,
someother forms, for example, Hindustani classicalvocalmusic,beitDhrupad or
Khayal,laygreaterimportanceon the tune,the raga, than thesemanticcontentof
the composition.
At theextreme poles,thereispure musicandtbere ispure poetry.Instrumental
musicispure musicwithout anysemanticcontent; recitation,withoutanytune, is
pure poetry. The ups and downs of a recitative voice do not constitute music.
Both words and tunes primarily originated from the same source, the human
vocalorgan. With the same organ, man learnt to speak andtoproduce tunes. Itis
the innate and primordial musical instrument for both articulation and note
production. Again, both words and tunes are addressed to the samesense-organ,
that is, tbe auditorial sense-organ.
Butthese distinctionsare superficial. Theycannot illuminatethe mainprinciples
of tbe fusionof wordsand tunes,since tbe twoare structurallyandsemiologicaIIy
quite different from each otber. Vocal sounds, when articulated, produce vowels
and consonants. Vowelsand consonants constitute the word. Words make up a
sentence. Thus language evolves. .
Over centuries, prose developed into the preserverand transmitter of philoso
phy,scienceand history. Inaddition, there emerged prose-mediumliteraturesuch
as the short story, the novel, the essay, prose-drama, etc. In poetry, however,
languageincorporatedrbetoricand prosody notonlyforexpressibilitybutalsofor,
and perhaps mainly for, suggestivity and evocation. .
Intheearliest musiccultureofanycountry,musicwasoriginallyassociatedWIth
lyric. Pure music evolved later. Musical instruments were formerly used as
accompanimentfor vocal m~ic. Byvirtue of talentedspecialization,instrumental
music, whicb is the embodiment of pure music, evolved.. .
A word stands for something else, some object, idea or acnon. Unless thIS
baPJ?Cns, words, sentences and languages bave no usability. On the other h~d,
mUSIcalnotesand allthe tonal formsofmusicmainlystandforthemselves.MUSIcal
s...,..,NoW< No. 107: January-MatCb t993
14 SITANSU RAY
tune isincapable ofbeing translated. It cannot be substituted by any otber thing,
nor has it any otber alternative paradigm.
. According 10 Herbert Spencer's speculation', whet man uttered turned into
words and how he uttered them (tbe change of pitch) was the original germof
musical notes. .
RabindranatbTagore,inhisearlylife,subscribed10andelaboratedon Spencer's
speculatiorr', But, in course oftime, hisreflections on the art ofmusic evolvedas
follows: .
Tuneitselfisadynamism'.Itvibratesinitself. Wordshavetopleadforsemantics.Suchisnotthecase
withtune,whichexpressnothingbutitself.Someparticularnotes,combiningwithsomeothers,produce
atonal eo~mblc. Rhythm adds dynamism tei·lt.Theacceleration infused inourheart bythi!.'tonal
dynamismisapurepassion,withoutanyotherreferentialconnection.Generallywearcstimulated",ith
pleasureandpaininconnectionwithsomeparticulareventsinourworld.Butwhenmusicaltunemoves
our consciousness, it does so with direct contiguity. So, the passionit generates is altogether
unaccountable.I
Iftbis betbecase,itisvery difficult tofindoutanysatisfactoryprincipleofunion
between tbe word and the tune. Yet, apart from tbe specialized branches ofpure
poetry devoid ofmusic and pure music devoid ofpoetry, the song form of music
synthesizing the two has been evolving successfully.
The union,or rather the fusion, ofwordsandmusic issomethinglike the union
of the concrete and the abstract, the form and the formless, the finite and the
infinite,theknownandtheunknown,thespeakableandtbeunspeakable,theearth
and tbe firmamentand soon. Ofcourse,tbetunecannotbecalledformlessasithas
its sonorous form, however much ethereal it may be. In a good song, tbe words
tendto transcendand thetunetendstocome down to tangibility, andthus theyare
beautifully united.
Tagore melaphorized this union in various ways. Sometimes he called tbe word
and the tune twin brothers, sometimes two sisters, sometimes brother and sister,
and very often, husband and wife. From time to time, the poetry is the husband,
the tune the wife, and sometimes just the reverse. Another comparison is also
found where Tagore called the word and the tune two co-wives, one very often
tendingto suppressand dominatethe other, The most ideal metaphorTagoreused
isthat ofArdhanareeshwara'-the deity whose onehalfisfeminine andthe otber
masculine.
ot"
Let us see what Helmholtz said about the union music with words:
Theunionofmusictowordsismostimportant.becausewords'tanrepresentthecauseoftheframeof
mind,theobjecttowhichitrefers,andthefeelingwhichliesatitsroot.whilemusicexpressesthekind
of mental transition which is dueto thefeeling'.
Yet another kind of comparison is found where Tagore quoted Gluck:
Myideawasthattherelationofmusictopoetrywasmuchthesameasthatofharmoniouscolouringand
weU~posed lightandshadetoanaccuratedrawing,whichanimatesthefigureswithoutalteringtheir
outlines.6
Regardingthe relative importanceofwords andmusic insongtherewas a.,inning,
WORDS AND TUNES IS
argumentative,discussion in the issuesof Vichitra, a Bengali monthly, in 1937-38.
Variousscholars contributed to it. Tagore was also requested by the editor to
expresshisviewson the subject7, excerptedbelow, and lateramplifiedinhisarticle
in Prabasi in 1939: ' ,
Manhasbeensingingsongsassimilatingwordsandmusic.Therehasnotbeenanydebate00therelative
supremacyoftuneorwords.Ifanydebateisopenedatall,1wouldsaythatmuskitselfisthehusband
who hasuplifted language to itsowndan.I _
ItmaybeemphasizedthatTagoresongsarewell-knownnotonlyfortheirsuperb
poetic content but also for their extraordinary musical quality. Tagore held the
viewthat agood song adopts itswords byvirtue ofits own intrinsicadaptability'.
In Tagore's musical creativity, sometimes tune was the pedecessor and words
followed as in the case of his earliercompositions based on classicalmodels. He
captured the compactness, depth and detachment of the Hindustani classical
Dhrupad style. He assimilated and infused these qualities in most of hisreligious
songs. He wilfullyavoided rhythmic feats (laykan) so that the depth of his lyrics
might not be marred. Some of the best examples are: 'Tanhare arati kare
chandra-tapana', composed in the obsolete raga Bada Hansa Sarang and ,set to
Chautala; 'Prathamaadi taba shakti'in raga Deepak, set to Surphakta tala (also
called Sultala); 'Veena bajao he mama antare', composed in Puravi and set to
Dhamar. There are hundreds of such models, where classicismis avoided but the
classical essence is suitably infused. '
Occasionally, Tagore wrote the lyrics first, and set them to tune and rhythm
afterwards. The songs of Bhanusingher PadavaIiare the best examples of this.
Thesewerewritten inhisearlyyouthunderthepseudonymBhanusinghatoconceal
hisidentity.The theme ofthe songsisthe loveofRadhaandKrishna. Someofthe
notable songs are 'Shanana gagane ghora ghanaghata', Gahana kusuma kunja-
majhe, sajani, sajani Radhika Io, etc. ' ' ,
Sometimes again, words and tune came simultaneously to Tagore. 'Bado
~anara mato bejechho tumi he' is one such example. Most of hissongsof the
rams, composed in his later life, are also examples of this. 'Amarpriyarcl1!Jaya
akasheajbhase','Shravaneragaganeragay vidyutchamakiyajay', 'Ajijhara)hara
mukharabadaradine'and numerous othersuchsongsofTagore alsofallinto this
category.Ineverycase, the synthesisofwords and tune isremarkablyartistic.The
composite fusion has acquired a special style which may be called Tagorean.
Bothpoetry and musicare dynamic.Thehuman mindisalsodynamic. Whenthe
dynamism of the artistic mind and that of the musico-poetic art synchronize, a
fusion occurs between words and their musical rendering. In other words, the
I~rical depiction turns sonorously colourful along with the tune and rhythm ~y
VInue of creative dynamism. The two-streamed creativity of poetry and music
ap",:artoflowalongasinglechannel,whichiscalledsong.ASODgwilltake itsbest
POSSIbleformwhen the creatorisboth the lyricistand music-maker.Tagore-soDgs
are fine.examples of this type of aesthetic totality. .
I,n~DClenl Sanskrit texts a melody or ragahas been definedasamethodIcalan.d
artlSlIc tonal rendering which tinges our mind. Tagore also subscribed to this
Z6 SITANSU RAY
attribute of a melody. Moreover, he believed that apart from its colourfulness,a
raga is also associated with the intrinsic illumination of the human heart'", He
preferredthe sentimentofaraga toitscustomarydetails. Healways insistedonthe
economyof grammaticalparaphernalia. Hisattitude towards Hindustanimelodies
is not the same as that of a professional classicist. Yet, he exploited their bestin
most of his songs. He also incorporated the folk tunes eliminating their llJ5tic
elementsand utilizing alltheir appealing qualities. He moulded them withatinge
of sophistication so that his unparalleled lyrics may be fused with them. 'Amor
praner manush achhe prsne', 'ladi tor dak shune keu na ase tabe ek/a chalore',
'Pag/a hawar bada/ dine' may be cited from among innumerable examples.
Tagore's realization is much more animated than Gluck's pictorial analogy
(quotedearlier),sincepictureisa staticart whilethe poetryand musicofasong,as
wellasthe humanheartcreatingandenjoyingthem, are alwaysinmotion.Wehave
already observedthat this common dynamic quality brings them together ina
happy artistic fusion.
G.E. Lessing,inthe appended notesofhisLaocoon,stated thatsongshouldnot
beconsidered the union ofthe two arts (i.e., poetry and music), but ratherasone
and the same art": Matthew Arnold in his poem 'Epilogue to Lessing's Laocoon'
ascribedsupermacyofpoetryoverpaintingand music, andclaimedthatpoetrycan
depict the continuousstreamoflifewhich paintingand musiccannot. Inhiswords:
Beethoven, Raphael, cannot reachfThe charm which Homer, Shakespeare
teach.")2
Tagore, in hisearly youth, read the whole poem thoroughly, explained itupto
bisown realization,and put forth hisown observationsthat the art ofmusic,inthe
course of itsgradual advancement, would be able to express the dynamism oflife
insteadof choosing a single, lyrical feeling. His hypothesis, foretold in hisessay
'Sengit-o-ksbite'P, got gradually practicalized by virtue of his creativity in his
music-dramas such as Va/miki Pratibha, Ka/mrigaya and Mayar Khe/a and h~
dance-dramas such as Chitrangada, Chanda/ika and Shyama, where wordsand
tunes got united in the perspective of emotive human lives. Needless to say, a
variety ofrhythmicstrucures along with suitable tempos addto the ups anddowns
of that emotive sonority. .
Apart from various traditional rhythms, Tagore invented some unconventional
lyricalstrucutressetto music. In suchsongs, the rhythmicdivisions and accentsare
quite natural, and follow the syllables and pronunciation of the words. 'ByakuJa
baku/era phu/e' and 'le kandane hiya kandichhe' of nine beats and 'Kampichhe
deha/ara tharo thsro, of 11 beats are the best examples of this.
Inthe2lXXk>ddTagore-songscompiledinthe threevolumesofGeetsviuo(most
of the notations have been published in Swaravitan, Vol. 1-62), one may notice
variegated tinges of subtle sensuousness in the form of devotional fervour, love,
communion withnature,patriotismand innumerableotherfeelings. For facilitating
easy understanding, Tagore in his later life categorized his songs into sixbroad
groups: (1) Puja~I?evotional songs); (2) Swadesh (patrioticsongs); (3) Prem(~ove
songs);(4)Prskriti(songsofnatureand the seasons);(5) Vichitra(songsofvanoUS
n
WORDS AND TUNES
content, not classifiable in other categories); (6) Anusthanik (ceremonialsongs).
The first two categoreis belong to Geetavitan Volume-I and the rest to
Volume-II. In Volume-III, there are the music-dramas and dance-dramas
mentioned earlier together with some more songs of devotional fervour, love',
patriotism.and nature.
Yet, Tagore songs, though pluralistic inoutward manifestation, are monisticin
the realm of inward realization. The divisions shown above are never like
water-tightcompartments. Veryoften, theyintermingleandoverlap.Thatis,some
naturesongsaresurcharged withlove,somedevotionalsongsare basedonnature,
some love songs and devotional songs are on the borderline of each other. For
example,thefollowingsonginKhamaj,Ektala,canbetakenbothdevotionallyand
erotically, though it is grouped in the Prem (Love) category:
Amare karo tomara veena,
Laho goIaha rule,
Uthu)C baji tsmtireji mohanaanguJe.
(Make me your Veena, take hold ofme, and let mystringsresonate withyour'
lovely fingers).
Let us see the following song in Kafi-Pilu, set to Dadra:
Amar abhimaner badale aj
nebo tomar mala,
Ajnisbisheshe shesh kore di
chokher jaJer pala.
(Today,Ishall winyour garland inlieu ofmyhurt. Tonight,beforedaybreak, I
shall close the chapter of my tearful days.)
The ethos is a composite mixture of love and devotion. It is categorized as a
devotional song.
The semantic and poetic values of Tagore songsare not necessarily.co~edto
Bengali-knowingpeople only, since their musicalvalues.transcendthIS.partJcu~ar
languagegroup and appeal to all. Any loverofmusiccanenjoysomethingspecial
i? Tagorc songs. We may hope that with the spread ofthe Bengalilanguage, t~e
hteratureandmusicofTagore,the universalappeal andvalueofTagoresongswill
begraduallyestablished. 0
NOTES
I, Herben Spencer: 'The Origin andFunction of Music:*. in Essays: ScierJtifk. Poljtical VJd
SpttuJadve, Williams andNorgate, London, 1868,1'1" 210-238.
Z. Rabindranath Tagore:'Sangiter Utpa.tti~Upajogita· inSangit-orinta. 2nd edition 1392 B.S.,
Visva-Bharati, pp. 274-282.
3. Rabindranath Tegore, Sangit-Chinta, p. 226.
4. Tagorc'sdiscussion! withPilip Kumar Ray. sangit-Cbinta. p. 90.
5. H. Helmholtz:'OnTheSensations ofTone". DoverPublications.NewYork. 1954. ch. XIV.
p. 1St.
:l8 SITANSU RAY
6. Q'JOted byTagore in 'Katha-o-Sur 2'. Sangit-Chinta, p. &4.
7, Rabindnotah Tegore: 'Vidtilra', ed. Upendrao.ath Gaogopadhyay, 1344 B.S., pp. 161-541;
compiled in Sangit-Chinta, pp. ~ (Katha-o-Sur.1).
s.
RabindranathTegore:'Rupa-Shilpa',PTsbasi,ed.Ramananda Chatterjee..1346B.S.;Compiled
underthetitle'Katha-o-Sur 2' iQSngit-Chiata, p. 84.
9. 'VichitraPrabandha',RabindraRachanavali,Vol.14(CentenaryEdition,Govt.ofWestBcng.al),
p. 743.
10. Rabindranath Tagore: 'Sangiter Mukti'. in Sangit-Chinta, p. 47.
II, G.E. Lessing:Laocoon, II. RobertPhillimnre,GeorgeRoutledge 8<Son" London,Appendil.
p.317.
:1.1. MathewArnold:'EpiloguetoLessing'sLaococn',PoeticalWorks,Os:fordUniversityPress.1969.
pp. 221-227.
13, Rebindraneth Tegore, 'Sangit-o-Kabita' in Sangit-Chlnta, pp. 15-21.
