A connoisseur of fine arts is aware of the fact that without the knowledge of an art, one is not in a position to appreciate the art with perfection and authenticity. As a layman, one can appreciate music; he/she can enjoy it according to his/her capacity. However, when it comes to serious criticism, evaluation of a musical composition or critical analysis of a musical work, solely appreciation of music or the layman’s point of view does not work. It needs something more, a kind of deep understanding of the art, in order to properly evaluate its effects on the audience or its artistic value. Criticism is very important for any art to evolve. Without proper criticism, the negative/positive points of the art cannot come into light. A critique explains logically the strength as well as the weaknesses of the arts as well as the artists. The criticism has some specific features which keep on changing from time to time. This article draws the attention of the reader towards the present status of the criticism with special reference to music. It also tries to look into the future of the music criticism.
Meaning of criticism
First, let us understand as to what the criticism is. It is a kind of cleanliness drive which washes the faults in the pure water of logic and purifies the “subject of criticism”. In day-to-day life, our friends indicate to our faults in order to remove errors from our behaviour. The teachers evaluate the performance of their students and take the remedial measures if required. Likewise, a book review, review of a musical composition etc are also criticism in its broader term.
In The Dictionaries, the word “Criticism” has been defined as:
1. The act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything
2. The act of passing severe judgment; censure; faultfinding.
3. The act or art of analyzing and evaluating or judging the quality of a literary or artistic work, musical performance, art exhibit, dramatic production, etc.
4. A critical comment, article, or essay; critique.
5. Any of various methods of studying texts or documents for the purpose of dating or reconstructing them, evaluating their authenticity, analyzing their content or style, etc.: historical criticism; literary criticism.
6. Investigation of the text, origin, etc., of literary documents, especially, Biblical ones: textual criticism.
Criticism can be classified in many categories. For example, the literary criticism, Music criticism etc. from the psychological point of view, the following information is available on the Internet.
Psychology of Criticism
1 Criticism and the narcissists
Vulnerability with their own self-esteem makes individuals with narcissistic personality disorder very sensitive to criticism or defeat. Although they may not show it outwardly, criticism may haunt them and leave them feeling humiliated, degraded, hollow, and empty. They may react with disdain, narcissistic rage, or defiant narcissistic personality disorder.
Narcissists are extremely sensitive to personal criticism and extremely critical of other people. They think that they must be seen as perfect or superior or infallible or else they are worthless. There's no middle ground.
The narcissist is constantly on the lookout for slights. He is hyper vigilant. He perceives every disagreement as criticism and every critical remark as complete and humiliating rejection: nothing short of a threat.
2 Criticism and paranoids
Individuals with paranoid personality disorder are often rigid, critical of others, although they have great difficulty accepting criticism themselves.
3 Criticism and avoidant
Individuals with avoidant personality disorder are hypersensitive to criticism or rejection. They build up a defensive shell.
4 Criticism and dependents
Individuals with dependent personality disorder are readily willing to "self-correct" in response to criticism.
5 Constructive criticism, or constructive analysis, is a compassionate attitude towards the person qualified for criticism. Having higher experience, gifts, respect, and knowledge in specific field and being able to verbally convince at the same time, this person is intending to uplift the other person materially, morally, emotionally or spiritually. For high probability in succeeding compassionate criticism, the critic has to be in some kind of healthy personal relationship with the other one, which is normally a parent to child, friend to friend, teacher to student, spouse to spouse or any kind of recognized authority in specific field. Hence the word constructive is used so that something is created or visible outcome generated rather than the opposite. Participatory learning in pedagogy is based on these principles of constructive criticism, focusing on positive examples to be emulated over precepts to be followed. There can be tension between friendly support and useful criticism. A critic might usefully help an individual artist to recognize what is poor or slapdash in their body of work, but the critic may appear harsh and judgmental in the process. Useful criticism is a practical part of constructive criticism.
6 Hypercriticism
Hypercriticism is a feature of certain personality types and is colloquially known as nitpicking or nagging. Nitpicking is minute, trivial, unnecessary, and unjustified criticism or faultfinding. Nagging is to scold, complain, or find fault constantly.
7 Hypocriticism
Hypocriticism is criticism by somebody (a hypocrite) who criticizes another but does the same as the person they are criticizing.
8 Self-criticism
Self-criticism (or auto-critique) refers to the pointing out of things critical/important to one's own beliefs, thoughts, actions, behaviour or results; it can form part of private, personal reflection or a group discussion. Most people regard self-criticism as healthy and necessary for learning, but excessive or enforced self-criticism as unhealthy.
9 Criticism of criticism
Notable scholars of the Post-Structuralist tradition have often emphasized the self referential nature of all criticism. Stanley Fish argues that all interpretations are subjective projections and have no inherent meaning; therefore, the critic undermines himself for he undermines only his own interpretation. Thus, concludes Fish, all criticism is self criticism.
Criticism is a process of balancing the merits and demerits, through properly analyzing the facts. However, many a times, it gets personal and hence perverted. One should not take the criticism emotionally. It is seen as fault-finding by many of us. Of course, nobody is free of faults. To err is human. Therefore, when someone indicates to the faults without any prejudice or ill will, this act should be welcomed by those who may be benefitted by removing the indicated faults. Many important personalities and scholars have praised the healthy criticism. Some of such quotations are given below:
Scholarly views on criticism
“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”Winston Churchill “You can't let praise or criticism gets to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.”John Wooden
“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.”Norman Vincent Peale“I am sorry to think that you do not get a man's most effective criticism until you provoke him. Severe truth is expressed with some bitterness. There is no just and serene criticism as yet.”Henry David Thoreau
Indian music and criticism
If we look into the history of Indian music, we find that most of the ancient as well as the medieval works of music are based upon the two basic aspects. Namely, the theoritical and the practical aspects. Most of the music scholars [wilfully or otherwise] tried to distance themselves from any kind of criticism of other scholars. In the “Guru Shishya Parampara”, there is hardly any scope for a healthy criticism. One cannot question one’s seniors, Guru, or any other person who has got the favour of the Guru. It was through the Western scholars that the criticism in Indian music got a place. Scholars like Teresa Albuquerque, Benedict Anderson, Alison Arnold, J. T. Becker Judith, Titus Burckhardt, Stoddart William, J. Crandall, Alain Daniélou, Gerry Farrell, Thomas J. Hopkins, Paul Humphreys etc wrote extensively on Indian music. The Westerners presented a new image of Indian music. Initially, their views about our music looked to be “the laymen’s opinions”. However, gradually, these intellectuals took to excellent research on a variety of topics relating to the subject.
In the Modern Period, many Indian artists and scholars too presented genuine research works. Many of these presentations laid the foundation for the appreciation and criticism of Indian music. Pt. Vishnu Digambar Pulaskar[1] Pt. V. N. Bhatkhande[2]etc redefined the basic principles of music and hence started a new discourse on Indian music full of analytical and critical components.
The objective of this essay is not related to the history of music criticism. Therefore we restrict this description to the theoretical aspects of criticism only.
Presently, Indian music is passing through a phase where there are lots of possibilities. Many experiments have been taking place for around half a century now, which have the capacity to give a completely new direction to our music. These experiments are not limited to just one or two forms. Be it the light or the classical music, folk or popular music, countryside or urban music, North Indian or south Indian music, in all forms of Indian music new experiments are taking place.
In classical music, new trends are rapidly emerging. Some of these trends are experiment of bringing together not only the great artists of Hindustani/Karnataka music, but also combining the Indian and the Western musical arts together. Pt. Ravishankar, Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasiya, Ustad Zaqir Husain Khan Illiyaraja etc are engaged in such new musical experiments. The readers may wonder as to why I am mentioning these great names. My point is that these new experiments with Indian music need a thorough criticism. Listeners enjoy the aforesaid musical compositions. They like them. True. But is it enough? Should the critiques of music come forward to analyze these compositions with a view to properly evaluate the same?
When a book is published, we have many book reviews for that book. Several critiques present their views over the book. But in case of musical compositions, such trend is nowhere to be seen. It is my personal feeling that musicians in general, do not like to be criticized. I am aware that sometimes the generalization proves to be wrong. I am also aware of the fact that fault-finding is not taken positively by most of the human beings. However, in the civilized society. Let us be ready to welcome the real feeling of the appreciator of the art. Sometimes, it may not suit to our taste. Sometimes we may not like it. But that does not qualify us to stop the honest expression of likes or dislikes of a connoisseur. In the absence of a proper criticism, Indian music, especially the popular music has been fully captured by market forces. The sole objective of the companies involved in the production of popular music, [Including movie melodies], looks to be making as much money as possible through it. The result is before us. The quality of our popular music is falling incessantly day by day. The good quality compositions in the popular music category are seldom seen these days. In terms of quantity, a lot of music is coming up but it is the quality and not the quantity that counts.
The communities like that of SPICMACAY (Social Promotion of Indian Classical Music Amongst Youth) “Naad Mandal”, “Sankalp” etc are doing a commendable effort in promoting the classical music. However, there is something missing. The review of such musical performances is full of praises of the artists concerned. The persons, who review music concerts, do not bother to look into it minutely. They generally use the “same old phrases” for the review of almost all the concerts. Thus, a purposeful, objective and critical analysis does not come up. The readers are ousted of a valuable review of musical performances. This is not a good sign for the music of our region. Let us join hands in evolving a mechanism whereby expert review-writers can be made available. For this, we have to include the criticism of music as a part of curriculum of different music departments. No doubt, in most of the music department of different Universities, a paper on “aesthetics” has been included in the curriculum. However, not much endeavour has been made to impart upon the students the skill to critically evaluate the musical compositions.
In the absence of proper criticism of musical performances, the basic rules of classical music are sometimes compromised by eminent artists while performing on stage and there is nobody to raise a finger on it. The result is that there no set rules for the Ragas which are said to be the very basis of our classical music. In the name of different singing styles or gharanas, sometimes, Ragas are twisted to the taste of the performer. It has also been seen that sometimes the artists break rules just to create a kind of strange element in their compositions. This way, they get cheers and a lot of applause but the rules of music are compromised.
Conclusion
I am no authority to decide that the instances stated above are right or wrong. What I wish to state that there should be a healthy debate over what is right and what is wrong. For such debates, there needs to be some scholars who can objectively and without any prejudices could evaluate and criticize the musical performances of great artists.
Therefore, the need of the hour is that we should develop the criticizing skills in the students of music so that they can review the musical compositions as well as the musical performances. By this, we would be able to develop an atmosphere wherein, the good quality music would be available for the listeners and the Rasikas.
About the Author
Dr. Vedprakash Sharma has been teaching music in a Delhi Government School since 1986. He has written extensively on Indian music. Comments or suggestions are always welcome. He is open to new ideas and approaches. Please feel free to send in your valuable ideas, suggestions, likes/dislikes etc about this article.
[1] "An Introduction to Indian Music" by B. Chaitanya Deva (Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government
of India, 1981
Posted on RMIC by Rajan Parrikar as part of Great Masters Series.
For a more detailed account, see 'Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar' by V.R. Athavale (National Book Trust, 1967)
[2] Hamare Sangeet Ratna [Hindi] by Lakshmi Narayan Garg
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