The Sanjoy Bandopadhyay School of Music (SBSM) has initiated the SBSM Gharoa Majlis project to explore the potential impact of Hindustani Raga Music on individuals who are not regular listeners of this genre. Inspired by the traditional Gharoa Majlis setting once popular in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), SBSM seeks to investigate how Hindustani Raga Music can resonate with contemporary audiences.
Methodology
SBSM has identified specific musical parameters to connect the objectives. It also made a point that the renderings must maintain the classical essence of Hindustani Raga Music. SBSM visualized the optimization method of content planning to reach diverse audiences. Optimizations primarily emphasize the universal musical elements of music, such as dynamics (Kakubheda) and aesthetic tempo variations (laya-bheda), in addition to duration optimization. The other two elements of music, i.e., pitch and timbre, are significantly culture-specific. The pitch element or svara positionings and applications are different in the music of different cultures and styles. Similarly, other music genres use different timbres, but HRM has its own restricted periphery of using timbres, and it also does not usually use many instruments for timbre variations and expanding the pitch range.
The musicians are encouraged to craft performances that evoke beauty and captivate listeners. SBSM intensively searches for traditionally well-trained and able musicians to cater to the requirements and tries to identify generally virtuous musicians who can accept fresh lines of thought.
To gather insights and evaluate the impact of these performances, SBSM invites attending audiences to provide feedback through an online questionnaire. The findings presented in this report are derived from the responses received, shedding light on the reception and potential transformative effects of Hindustani Raga Music beyond its traditional audience base.
Results and Discussions
SBSM witnessed four high-impact Gharoa Majlis [GM] during a span of 14 months. It started on 26 November 2022, and the fourth was on 20 January 2024. SBSM received around 200 listeners; 84 people have submitted their feedback so far. Among these 84 persons, 22 are regular raga music listeners, 62 are non-listeners, or rarely or never listened to raga music. [Table & Chart – 01]
The basic population distribution
| Row Labels | Music fan distribution |
| Other than Raga Music | 62 |
| Raga Music | 22 |
| Grand Total | 84 |
The total number of listeners in the survey was N=84. The chart and Table-02 show that 65 were below 40, and 19 were 40 and above. Among these listeners, 26.19% were fans of raga music, and 73.81% were fans of genres other than raga music. [Table & Chart – 02]
| Row Labels | Age distribution |
| 40 and above | 19 |
| Below 40 | 65 |
| Grand Total | 84 |
Assessment of Impact of SBSM Gharoa Majlis on the Listeners
The following table and chart show the appreciation of the SBSM Gharoa Majlis concerts of two different age groups. The ratings were ‘Excellent,’ ‘Good,’ ‘Moderate,’ ‘Not good’, and ‘Did not like at all. 82.14% of listeners assessed SBSM Gharoa Majlis as ‘excellent’ and the rest, 17.86%, as ‘good.’
| Overall impression of the event | |||
| Row Labels | Excellent | Good | Grand Total |
| Other than Raga Music | 61.90% | 11.90% | 73.81% |
| Raga Music | 20.24% | 5.95% | 26.19% |
| Grand Total | 82.14% | 17.86% | 100.00% |
Non-Listeners. [Table – 03]
Likings distributions of universal components of music by the listeners
Table – 04 shows the liking of listeners of different speed levels: slow, moderate speed, and fast.
| Music fans | Column Labels | ||
| Row Labels | Non-listeners of Raga Music | Raga Music listeners | Grand Total |
| High speed | 31.34% | 4.48% | 35.82% |
| Moderate speed | 38.81% | 13.43% | 52.24% |
| Slow | 7.46% | 4.48% | 11.94% |
| Grand Total | 77.61% | 22.39% | 100.00% |
Table 05 below shows the liking distribution for loud-sounding music.
Speed study
The table and chart below show the likings for different speed levels, i.e., high, moderate, and slow, by the raga music listeners and non-listeners.
| Row Labels | Ratings for louder parts |
| Excellent | 47.62% |
| Good | 42.86% |
| Moderate | 8.33% |
| Not good | 1.19% |
| Grand Total | 100.00% |
Conclusion:
The study indicates a positive impact of the raga renderings at SBSM Gharoa Majlis. The majority of listeners expressed an ‘Excellent’ as their overall impression. It is also exciting to find that middle-tempo renderings are a high-impact area, and the listeners especially liked loud music. The liking distribution from different demographic parameters further highlights the diverse preferences among Raga music listeners and non-listeners, contributing to a rich cultural experience.
Professor Sanjoy Bandopadhyay | Kolkata | January 28, 2024
