Importance of sound and music
Now we come to second most important factor of sound–music. Music is nothing but sound! In Physics, the classical definition of music was: the sound that is pleasing to the ears is music; the sound that is displeasing is noise. However, this definition did not stand the fundamentals of science and had to be changed on the basis of musicology, and had to be quantified. Then the scientists provided a quantified definition of music in terms of frequency of vibrations.
Anyway, we move back to India. According to our music system, there are two types of sounds that are believed to exist-struck and un-struck (Aahat and Anaahat). Struck sound is that which is produced in this world-the sound which is produced by people by some means. However, it is believed that there is another type of sound, which travels in space, and can be heard by Enlightened Souls only. Yogis and saints are believed to be the listeners of that sound. This clearly settles the importance of sound in the uplift of humanity to divinity. Likewise, our music is based on some particular notes-seven of them, which are different forms of sound. Each of these notes is related to the Chakras or the rings that are believed to be in the human body, which are essential parts of meditation and Yoga. These things are essential parts of theology, comparative religion studies, philosophy, psychology, Yoga, and medicinal sciences.
Saint Thayagaraja, the doyen of Carnatic Music, composed a song for these seven notes in Telugu, detailing their place and the importance. However, the correct pronunciation matter has entered the field of music also-the second note, which should be pronounced as “ri”, where “i” is not accented, is pronounced as “re”. “ri” note has been taken from the word “rishava”, and if we start pronouncing it as “re”, we are again losing the meaning and significance of the word from which it was taken. Healing through music is purely based on this system; whereby, music helps in the curing of anxieties and tensions. There is a whole lot of developed-form of science for these processes in foreign countries, but in India where our music is so rich and uplifting, we have paid no heed to this matter and continue to keep our music only for entertainment! This has actually led to the degradation of level of music and many forms of music and instruments are losing their significance and appeal to the society, which makes it very difficult for the people exercising those forms of music and instruments to make a living!
Emphasizing the importance of music and its effect on animals also, some scientists in Australia also proved that the milk output of dairy could be increased with the help of music, which should have some specific speed, frequency, and sound level-if this is changed, the effect could reverse! It is clear that sound and physiology of living beings, are closely related to each other. All this is related to the finer aspects of research in music and the sounds that are produced, and our people need to pay more heed about the sound aspect of our music. We now move forward to be more specific about the music. It is said that the best singers have the ability to sing through their naval, throat, and the nose. The combination of the sounds produced by the control of breath in these various parts makes the sound melodious and harmonious. Sound produced through the naval is believed to be the best in singing, though other sounds are also important.
The science of music and the human body is closely related, and we can’t simply ignore the sound factor of music related to our body, and keep on producing the music, which has no value for our body and mind! Let us now move to some musical instruments. The first Asian to win a Nobel Prize in science, Dr. C. V. Raman, was very fond of music instruments. In fact, he was more interested in vibrations than anything else, before he shifted his interest to colors and all that!
Sounds are nothing but material waves and all the instruments are based on some particular types of waves and vibrations that they produce. Dr. C. V. Raman conducted comprehensive experiments on musical instruments. At the end of his experiments, he found that the drums of India produce the perfect musical sound according to scientific definition. He also found the reason for this phenomenon. It does not, in any way, mean that music of other countries is inferior or anything like that! What all this means is that our system of music was very refined and was scientifically very correct, producing perfect musical sounds. And there is no reason why we can’t see the importance of sound in the field of music!
