Hindustani Classical Music , which was essentially a music in the form of baithaks and mehfils with houseful attendance of 100-200 people (chamber music ) , became widespread with Musical Jalsas and Conferences that were spread over 2-3 days and had multiple artists perform day and night. People enjoyed such Jalsas and it was prestigious to perform and attend such Jalsas and Conferences , that typically occurred once a year.
Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan , Bengal Music Conference , Tansen Mahotsav , Gunidas Sammelan and Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav were some of the prestigious and popular "Festivals". The attendance in even these festivals were to the order of few hundred to a thousand people.
With the modern electronic advances in Music and PA systems , classical music had to adopt to the change. Huge auditoriums with electronic systems made the festivals and jalsas more popular moving from "Classes" to "Masses". The Festivals , Jalsas and conferences started turning into "Events" , gathering thousands of audience. Musicians started playing to the gallery , to the masses , compromising the "Classicalness" of the music. Thus evolved the current fashion of big "Events" where 20-30 artists playing to the gallery !
Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav in Pune ,with tradition of over 60 years is no exception. It has now turned into "Event" attended by 20000 "people" from a traditional Jalsa like festival that boasted as mecca of classical music connoisseurs ! Connoisseurs of Classical music dislike this change. The quality of music and concert is compromised , the choice of music played is more to get applause from "masses" than the connoisseurs. The intense and subtle nuances of classical music is losing its charm in such "Events" and connoisseurs feel the loss in an amplified fashion. In an attempt to make "Classical" music "Popular" , the DNA of classical music is lost and connoisseurs are feeling the brunt !
The Phenomenon called "Productization of Music"
The productization of
classical music has turned "baithaks and mehfils"
into "Events" .. “Classicalness” of
music is in the "interactive – evolving-impromptu process in the served
performance" .. something similar to a service
“Massicalness” has taken over this process and has converted
the service into small products served in the "Event" ..a three
minute song , some natya sangeet , some bhajan or gazal..
The irony is that ,
in even classical performances , it has now become a trend that many of the
artists, in order to gain "popularity" among masses , perform light
music like song, bhajan , natya sangeet etc to conclude a classical concert performance !
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