Cool Stuff: Arabic and Indian Music

Snake Charming

I have always been interested in the "snake charm" kind of music because it always sounded very cool on the clarinet. I even played a snake charmer once in a school play and got to play my clarinet on stage (fun times!) Besides that however, I actually ended up finding out how unethical it is and why it is endangering snake species. 

First of all, what is snake charming?

Snake charming is more common in India, but is also seen in African Arab countries such as Morocco. In Morocco, it began around 500 years ago by the Aissawas. Snakes were used primarily for medical and healing purposes back then, and the "charmers" would set up stations in markets to use these snakes on people who needed help. Of course, in order for the snakes to be used they had to be "charmed". Nowadays, snake charming has become more of a tourist grab used to pull in money from foreigners. 

Before a snake can be charmed, it must be caught. Aissawas would hunt for snakes and catch them, and in more modern day it is common to buy snakes from hunters to use. The most common snake used for snake charming is the Naja haje cobra, but recently Aissawas focus more on how venomous and powerful the snake is, preferring ones that are more-so. 

Snake charming practice in India and Arab countries is now common within the marketplace at places of widespread tourism. The snake charmer usually carries the snake in a basket, which is opened up right before performing their tune for it. As the snake slithers up and forward, the charmer plays what is most likely a flute-like wind instrument and supposedly makes the snake dance along with the music. 

However, snakes don't actually have ears and therefore can't even hear the music. What is really going on is that the snake watches the flute intently, seeing it as a threatening object hovering above it. This creates an illusion that the snake is dancing to the music because it is moving its body to follow the instrument. 

Effects of snake charming

Once looking at the process of snake charming, it starts becoming clear why this does significant damage to the cobra populations in these countries. Not only are they taken from their natural habitat and forced into captivity, but the conditions that they got under are strenuous and can decrease their health significantly. Defanging is a common practice amongst snake charmers and causes the snakes that fall victim to be unable to eat and end up dying of starvation. Snakes under the control of charmers frequently fall ill, and when they do they are usually disposed of and replaced quickly.

 The exploitation of cobras has caused their population to go down a massive amount in areas such as Morocco. However, due to public awareness of the issue rates of snake capture have gone down a significant amount. It is very unfortunate that snake charming is so harmful to the snakes, because the music has always been super fun to play. I hope that eventually we can enjoy the snake charmer music without the connotation of forced snake labor and exploitation. 

Hope In India

It is possible that snake charming may be able to be reformed in India. There are specific laws under the Indian government that ban anyone from capturing and keeping a snake. These laws are not fully reinforced, but there are regulations being brought out to help make sure that snakes are not being exploited as much. For example, snakes captured for charming are being released with chips to identity them. To lower the number of snakes being used, snake that are captured without a chip are immediately released back into the wild. 

Another concept brought to attention is to switch the roles of snake charmers completely. Instead of killing the snakes under their control, snake charming can be used to actually save and protect them. By using the charming methods to lure snakes away from areas where they are unfit to be in, such as suburban or urban areas. Luring snakes back into the wild where they belong can be very helpful for both snake and human populations and are a great way for snake charmers to use their abilities for good rather than evil. 

This video is a very interesting perspective on the situation of banning snake charmers in India. It shows the point of view of the snake charmers after their craft was taken away from them. I would encourage you to look at all of these sources and make your own opinion. Is it right to take away the only thing snake charmers had for income for the sake of animal rights? This question makes the situation a lot more difficult. 

Dances In India 

There are five dances  mentioned in this CNN article. The Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance done usually by a solo woman and is used as a form of religious storytelling. As we learned in the before quiz, dances like this rely a lot on body and facial expressions, which in general is referred to as abhinaya. Another traditional dance is the Kathak, which was a dance used by traveling bards as they would entertain the court during more ancient times. It is now used as a form of classical entertainment in storytelling, and combines itself with elements of Sufism, which is a form of Islam. 

The Bhangra is a joyful folk dance of the Punjabis and was introduced as a method of celebrating the harvest season. It is still used today as a celebratory dance and is often performed at events such as weddings. India also has created a syncretic dance with their own version of hiphop, which is very popular amongst Indian individuals. Finally, there is the Bollywood genre. Bollywood is a perfect mixture of traditional Indian dance and a variety of modern genres around the world. It is probably one of the most popular dances today in India. 

More On Bollywood

The term Bollywood comes from a mixture of Bombay (now Mumbai) and Hollywood. It is mainly a film industry, but also has music and dance associated with it. This genre has a lot of international attention, especially since the dances combine elements of Western dance such as hiphop and jazz with traditional Indian. In Bollywood films, dancers can be seen in large groups almost in a folk-like way. Over the years, Bollywood dances have adapted to what was popular at the time ea. 70s and disco, 90s and freestyle. The use of dance in movies is such an interesting concept to explore, especially since it is something that others look forward to when watching Bollywood movies. 

Here is a fun dance video by Manpreet Toor that guides the viewers on how to do basic Bollywood dance moves. I love how her set up in the background has a mixture of Western and Indian instruments, and Manpreet simplifies the Bollywood dance to make it so that anyone can do it from anywhere. I think her content is definitely worth checking out! Also, I had no idea there were Bollywood parties. I should go check them out sometime! 

Takht Ensembles and Tarab 

Takht ensembles  began in the 18th century as a form of Arab chamber music. We already knew that the texture of takht ensembles were complicated but still heterophonic, but I found it super interesting that because each instrument is playing the same melody, their sheet music is all the same! This article also explains the use of microtones and different notation and tuning, as well as the maqam. 

The solos, or taqasims, are also mentioned in this article as well as the audience interactions which are much similar to out jazz. The improvised taqasims are actually made to create a joyful musical feeling called tarab for both the performer and the audience. This would explain why the solos are usually complex and frequently show off the performer's skills with difficult and novel elements. Tarab is supposedly reached to the audience if a soloist performs with a lot of expression, since that is very important in Indian culture and music. The audience commonly reacts to good music with a lot of verbal approval and encouragement, giving the musician a lot of confidence and tarab as well since they are gaining happiness from performing music. I love the connection between the audience and the performer and how both can reach musical joy at the same time by both contributing to a performance. 

Here is a wonderful video about tarab made by an Egyptian woman named Joana Saahirah. In this video she explains how tarab is a transcendence of the soul through music. Although she specifically talks about dance in this video, this can be applied to any musician or performer as well as the listener. I love the concept of becoming so immersed in musical practice that the moment is all that is important, much like in meditation and deeper thought. It is a very spiritual practice that explores the soul and personality, by enhancing different skills that can't be taught directly in schools. The importance of expression and control are both present in Arabic culture. Although they may seem like opposites, it makes a lot of sense when Joana explains it. When we focus less on our appearance and skill and more on expression and connection to the music, we are more in control of our performance and ability. 

To experience tarab, Joana says that performers and listeners alike must deeply connect and find themselves within the music that they are performing or listening to. Intent listening is a concept widely done through Arabic cultures in order to reach tarab, and involves a lot of feeling and being rather than doing. Relaxation is the key to reaching tarab and oddly enough, it is so hard to reach even though it seems like its methods call for not trying too hard. I love this video and this concept and I may try using it more when I play so that I'm not so anxious on stage!