On the surface, North Indian classical music and postmodern theory seem to have nothing in common. However, the theory and performance of North Indian classical music illustrate how constructivist and objectivist realities of postmodern theory work together in harmony. The paper explains some of the tenets of North Indian classical music and then explores its connection to postmodern theory. The author then discusses how her knowledge of Indian classical music helped her understanding of postmodernism and how this experience has informed her practice as a student affairs professional.

Could an ancient art form from India have anything to do with the relatively recent theory of postmodernism developed in the West? In a very narrow definition, postmodernism examines the relationship between constructivist and objectivist realities. Contructivism is the idea that knowledge is created and is always being created. A major premise of this type of knowledge is that the person constructing his or her reality cannot be removed from it (Smith, 1997). Objectivism, on the other hand, is the belief that there is an absolute answer which exists in any given situation (Smith). The absolute truth is one that is non-negotiable and leaves no room for questioning, debate, or personal experience. In North Indian classical music, however, the artists’ creativity, experience, and personality are all important components. It is a holistic art form that has an ethereal and spiritual quality.

My knowledge of North Indian classical music helped me understand some concepts of postmodernism. Being able to link a concept with which I was already familiar to a new and complicated one helped me greatly, not only in furthering my understanding of postmodernism, but also in my practice as a student affairs professional.

Postmodern theory is a broad and complex topic which cannot be covered in its entirety by the scope of this paper, nor does this paper attempt to explain all the intricacies of North Indian classical music. After giving the reader a general description of North Indian classical music, the paper shows how both its theory and performance are excellent illustrations of how constructivist and objectivist realities interact in one art form.

North Indian classical music is based on improvisation within a set of defined rules. As such, there are not large orchestras or symphonies, only small groups of performers. A typical North Indian classical music performance involves four people, the instrumentalist or vocalist, a tabla player, a harmonium player, and a tanpura player. The tabla consists of two hand drums, the harmonium is like an accordion but rests on the ground, and the tanpura is a string instrument that plays only four notes.

The Indian music scale, Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni, Sa, corresponds to Do, Re, Me, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do, on the Western Scale. Within the scale it is possible for some of the notes to be komal (flat) or shudh (sharp). The vocalist or the main instrumentalist uses this scale to perform a raga, which has a set of rules specific to that raga. Raga Bhopali, for example, uses only the following five notes: Sa, Re, Ga, Pa, Dha, Sa. Within the raga, there are many bandishes, or sets of lyrics from which a performer may choose. There is usually a slow piece followed by a faster piece. The bandishes are not the most important part of the performance; they simply provide a structure for the artist. Within the bandish the artist creates the music based on the rules of the specific raga. In the example of Raga Bhopali, the musician comes up with as many combinations of the five notes in the raga. The bandishes are set to a specific beat, or taal, and there are different taals for different bandishes.

The tabla player provides the taal, or beat, which dictates how many beats to play per cycle. Teen taal, for example, has a 16 beat cycle. Those 16 beats are divided into four sets of four. The first and ninth beats are accented while others are not. The difference in emphasis allows the vocalist and the tabla player to coordinate their performance. The tabla player can create different combinations of beats in the time that it would take for four, eight, or 16 beats to pass. For example, in the time it would take for four beats in a regular cycle to pass, a tabla player may break it up into nine. The tabla player improvises and shows his or her talent by breaking up the beats into different combinations. The singer or instrumentalist also has the freedom to break up the beats in his or her own way. In teen taal, the key is for the artists to come back together on the first or the ninth beat, depending on where the bandish falls.

The harmonium player and the tanpura player are accompanists. The harmonium player follows the singer or instrumentalist in his or her different improvisations. At the same time, the tanpura provides a drone to the singer or instrumentalist so there are background notes of the raga.

The audience is an integral part of the music concert. There is an assumption that the audience understands the improvisational quality of the music. They are not there only to listen, but to participate as well. The audience constantly provides non-verbal feedback to the artists through their applause, nodding heads, and facial expressions. In addition to the non-verbal feedback, the audience gives verbal feedback during the performance to show their appreciation and admiration of the music. Verbal feedback can take the form of requesting different ragas or expressing their delight with a specific improvisation that the vocalist or instrumentalist just created. Negotiations are made between the audience and performers to determine what raga the artist sings, what bandish, and even the length of the performance.

Objectivist ideas are ultimate ideas and universal truths that lie outside of individualistic opinions. For example, “the sky is blue” is an ultimate idea; it does not account for someone’s opinion. On any given subject, one is either an objectivist believer or not. In the sky example, one would have to either agree or disagree with the statement in its entirety. Saying that the sky is blue only some of the time is a rejection of the objectivist statement that the sky is blue. In objectivist thought, there is not room for someone to say that the sky may look gray to them instead of blue. Unlike constructivist ideas, a person’s experience cannot change an objectivist idea, as it are absolute.

According to constructivist theory, personal experience informs knowledge. Since experience is always changing, knowledge is also evolving. Each person’s life experience affects the knowledge that he or she constructs; thus, each person’s perspective is different. The unique knowledge each person has is valid and cannot be discounted. Therefore, there is no universal, objectivist truth. Using the sky example again, one person could say that the sky looks blue, another that it looks gray, and yet another that it looks pink, and all would be right in their respective observations.

North Indian classical music theory illustrates both objectivist and constructivist knowledge. It is objectivist in that there are certain rules one must follow. For instance, when singing Raga Bhopali, the five notes that make up that raga will not change. It is constructivist as well, however, because what the vocalist chooses to do with those five notes is entirely up to the artist. The vocalist will never sing the same raga in the same way, because the foundation of North Indian classical music is this improvisational construction. As a result, it is unlikely that two vocalists would ever perform Raga Bhopali in the same way, or that one vocalist would perform it the same way on any two occasions. The vocalist’s performance is tied to the artist specifically because of his or her experience, including how and by whom the artist was trained. Another vocalist will not share the same construction of the raga that the first vocalist had because they each have different life experiences that affect their music. Likewise, tabla (hand drums) players construct different ways to break up the taal (rhythm). A good performer can come up with many combinations within the constraints of the raga or the taal. It is what the artist does within the objectivist constraints that is the challenge of North Indian classical music.

The challenge to construct new music, or knowledge, within the objectivist constraints is the “thrill of horror” (Smith, 1997, p. 81). It is challenging and exhilarating at the same time because the music demands both constructivist and objectivist realities concurrently. Without the creativity and improvisation, the music would be the same from performer to performer and performance to performance. Each vocalist would sing the same raga and bandish (song) in the same way, so there would be little to no distinction between performers and performances. Without the rules, the opposite would occur and chaos would be the result. The vocalist would not have to worry about staying in synchronization with the tabla (hand drums) player and could sing any or all of the notes that he or she wanted.

North Indian classical music is a marriage between constructivist and objectivist realities, allowing both to exist in harmony without questioning which reality should prevail because both are necessary. Performance of North Indian classical music involves the interaction of the knowledge of the mental and physical realms: the musical theory and the physical aspect of singing. The two are not separate entities but interact with each other intimately. The theory affects the singing and the singing affects the theory, forming a “hermeneutic circle,” the circular “process of environmental interaction and organic modification” (Smith, 1997, p. 47). In the case of music, singing is an environmental interaction and improvisation is an organic modification. A raga is organic, in that its notes never change, but each time the vocalist sings a raga, it is modified through the different improvisations the artist creates. These different improvisations form the artist’s performance which in turn then effect subsequent improvisations.

Our actions and behaviors are linked in a continuous circle, actions to behaviors and behaviors to actions. Knowledge is always changing because a person’s experience is always evolving. As a part of the hermeneutic circle, knowledge will help make sense out of someone’s experience. That experience will then inform the person’s knowledge, which in turn will help make sense out of the person’s next experience. This cycle continues, forming a never-ending circle. As such, the music the artist performs today will be different than the music that he or she performs tomorrow because of the experiences that transpire between the two days.

It is common on the day of an Indian classical music performance for the four musicians to meet for the first time. There is little to no time for the artists to practice together but they are still expected to deliver an excellent show. This is possible because they are all part of the same “knowledge community,” a community where everybody “‘speaks the same language,’ the language that constitutes the community” (Bruffee, 1993, p. 130). That is, all of the artists have a common language and knowledge base; they all know the constructivist rules that govern North Indian classical music, such as knowledge of taal (rhythm) and ragas. The tabla (hand drum) player does not have to explain the concept of teen taal (16 beat rhythm) to the vocalist before he or she performs, nor will the vocalist have to explain to the harmonium (accordion-like instrument) player that his or her role is to accompany the vocalist. Since they are part of the same knowledge community, the artists know what their respective roles are without having to talk about them. It is the artists’ ability to speak “that language fluently [which] defines membership in the community” (Bruffee, p. 130). As they perform together, the artists’ knowledge community grows and changes to create a new knowledge community.

The new knowledge community may “be only slightly different than the one [the musicians] left” (Bruffee, 1993, p. 116). Even though the new knowledge community may “turn out to be largely the same in general outline, if not detail” (Bruffee, p. 116) from the previous knowledge community, it is a new and different community. This community formed among the artists and the audience at a specific performance will be an entirely new one. Music, the knowledge being generated, is created when the performers “revise the conversation among themselves and reorganize relations among themselves” (Bruffee, p. 131). The vocalist may give time to the tabla (hand drum) and harmonium (accordion-like instrument) players so that they have the opportunity to show their talents. The relationships between the artists are constantly negotiated and are always in flux. The artists communicate among themselves and continually revise the music so that it is always in creation.

Constant conversation among the musicians is integral to the collaborative creation of music. The music is “construct[ed] interdependently by talking together” (Bruffee, 1993, p. 113). Through non-verbal interchanges during a raga or verbal conversation between songs, the artists are communicating with one another. Conversation also occurs between the artists and the audience. A vocalist may plan on singing a set group of ragas until an audience member requests something different. The performer may then work to accommodate the request. If the audience member did not suggest a specific raga or the vocalist did not respond, the music performance would be different. The music becomes “the common property of a group” (Bruffee, p. 113) because the members of the group participate in the creation of the performance.

The new knowledge community, the musicians and audience who are creating music together, are a temporary community. All the members of the community take ownership for the product, in this case, music. This new community is comprised of the musicians and audience members all coming together to form a new reality. Just as each person has his or her specific reality that shapes his or her thought, this new community will have its own existence. In effect, the communal reality is an aggregate of the individual realities. Music is formed and shaped through the various interactions between the realities of the performers in the community. This temporary community will be short lived, only for the time that the artists are performing together. After they leave the performance, the artists will have a new reality as a result of their shared experience. Music is created when the musicians perform together because “knowledge is a consensus among the members of the community of knowledgeable peers” (Bruffee, 1993, p. 3).

Jane Tompkins’ (1996) reflections on karate mirror some of my own thoughts on North Indian classical music. She says that karate is:

Formal, external, abstract, calculated [and] seems at the opposite pole from everything intimate and personal; yet it requires your total concentration, body, mind, and spirit, and because it requires endless practice, day after day, it enters into the fibers and molecules and knits itself up with your life, trellis and vine. Though it begins and is carried on in the physical realm, it ends by training your soul. (p. 159)

The interaction between the rigid rules and the creative freedom within those rules makes North Indian classical music a mental challenge. In addition, there is a physical challenge which includes training one’s voice so that one can sing and ears so that one can listen to the other musicians. The interaction of the mental and physical challenge, the reflection on theory and the action of singing, results in praxis, the simultaneous combination of reflection and action (Freire, 1970). The reflection on the musical theory manifests itself in the improvisations that the artist creates, while the action is the physicality of singing. The interaction of the two is transformational which gives North Indian classical music its ethereal and holistic nature.

North Indian classical music illustrates one way in which constructivist and objectivist realities can come together as one art form. Understanding some concepts of postmodern theory has given me a language with which to discuss North Indian classical music, and my knowledge of those musical concepts has given me a better understanding of postmodernism. In effect, the integration of the two has been postmodern itself, a hermeneutic circle where the understanding of one concept helped in the understanding of the other and vice versa. The freedom of being able to bring my own experience of North Indian classical music to a new and complex theory not only has helped me to understand postmodernism, but it has informed my work in student affairs. Allowing students to share their past experiences and bring their own voice to inform new knowledge is critical. In doing so, we not only respect students and their experiences, but we also give them a language with which to better explain their reality.

Bruffee, K. A. (1993). Collaborative learning. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: The Continuum Publishing Company.

Smith, B. H. (1997). Belief and resistance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Tompkins, J. (1996). A life in school. Reading, MA: Perseus Books.

Surabhi Lal learned North Indian classical music for ten years. She graduated from Virginia Tech in 1997 with degrees in Agricultural Economics and Liberal Arts. She is currently a second-year student in the HESA program whose assistantship is in the Alcohol and Drug Services Office, a part of the Center for Health and Wellbeing.