New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-26

,@ssszs3
Coomaraswamy is q learned Hindu. who
has written and lecturcd extensively in
England on the arts, philosophy and
Literature Of India and Ceylon. Rattan
Devi, his wife, Us an English women
who, TO illustrate his lectures on Hindu
music, studied the classic rdQGs lof
which something more presently ana
popular songs IN kashmir with native
master. She IS 20 sing music Of both
kinds 10 her own accompaniment on the
tamDoura-Gu instrument Of the Lutte or
guitar kind, though used only IN the
fashion Of harp 10 supply the buzZing
drone of tonic, dominant and octave,
which serves as the harmonic sub
stratum, II IL can be called that, 20 all
the songs. She, too, has published q
collections of songs, 10 which kabiN-
dranath Tagore has contributed fore
word and her husband an Introduction.
The Hindu poets account OF Ra'hn
Devils singing IS extremely enthusiast
tic. beginning with an expression OF
the doubt and uneasiness OF mind
which he felt when he first had an OPP
portunity 20 hear the lady sing. lie
did not believe IL possible that an ing
li,h woman could give him any musl
that could be hailed as Indian. lie
ends with a rhapsody: Rattan Dew
sang an alan In kandora, and ] forgot
for a moment that ] was in London
drawing room. Ny mind got itself
transported in the magnlhcence OF an
Eastern night, with its darkness, trans
81. h.. = Ia o. o. 81 g.
Of an Indian maiden, and ! seemed to
he standing alone IN the depth OF IT'S
stiffness and stars
Since We have had more or less sin
cere or affected study OF Hindu phi
losophy for a couple OF decades a1
least there ought 20 be lcerahle
manifestation OF Interest DO the lecture
and Illustrative recital which Ii.
CoOmara swamy and his gifted wife arc
20 GIVE az the Princess Theatre. What
ever il may not do IL will az any rate
bring the auditors q little nearer 20
an appreciation Of the music OF the
Hindus than study OF the books on the
subject qn br ny them. The trst avn
Guilty in the case which presents itse.i
20 the general reader IS that TINS
music does not show itself % us as
an AIT. I'm the sense that Occ'denta.
music Is an art. IL ls still primitive
in IFS purposes. however profound and
complicated its theories may be. II Us
simple tune without harmonic support,
and knows little II anything o. the
forms which give European music p
standing by the side OF sculpture
uai7tiug. architecture, and even poetry.
IL we except the Cashmere songs
which Rattan Devi has set down In her
book, which are foiksongs, J. e., song
made and sung by the people as dis
tingu!shed from the raga5 sung by Pro
fessional musicians, Hindu music is
almost divorced from poetry. in iacl'
the deeper the singer immerse3 MN
self in music ana music the more does
he despise the verbal mColum. L "
meaning vocahles suffice him. More
ovrr Hindu music is based more in
theory than DO practice. however,, upon
sn intervallic system which defes the
laws upon' which our art is built anu
equally defcs our cars. since IL makes
use of fractional tones which, II rec
ognizcd by us AZ ALL Will on Pc rec
oguized. i'm our present state of cult
ure. as alterations from natural an
agreeable iutouatiOn. Elropean music
Is marvellously developed art, con-
trolling a superb intellectual and me
chanical apparatus; Oriental music y
primitive raturalism $50, 81 least, n
apncers 70 us1 arrested a. an early
period Of DEVELOPMENT by philosophy
fantastic philosophy. some vii say
whose minds and bodies cannot b.
made 20 feel the potentialitics which
Hindu writers assert exist Do tones and
their combination. Dr. Coomara swamT
and his wife assure us that the musi-
clans Of India still believe, as their
ancestors have believed for ages, that
the elements can be compelled by the
singing of certain rOGs. and that once
upon time a singer who sang inc hre
rg0 AZ the command Of his monarch
was consumed by flames while standing
ncck-deep In "a river. Rattan Dew says
that her teacher would not sing rain
rqG in wet weather, and Dr.. Coomaras
wamy. IN an Introduction 70 hrs wltc.'
collection Of songs. says Of her teacher
that Abdul Rabini "is dcvout and even
superstit;ous; be would hesitate %
sing 0iDqk rdO unless in very cold
weather" The legends which such O
people have created touching the orr
yin % their music are extraordinary
enough 20 be studied with curious In
terest, ~ least We have space for
only brief excursion into them.
According TO some Of the sacred
.rH