An integral part of Hindustani music concerts is the continuous conversation that happens not just between the performers but also between ...
An integral part of Hindustani music concerts is the continuous conversation that happens not just between the performers but also between them and the audience.
Audience responses can come as verbal approbation in the form of overt exclamations like “waah”, “aahaa”, “kya baat hai”, or “subhanallah” and “mashallah” that praise god for the beauty expressed in the music and in a sense ask for blessings to be showered on the performers.
While some of these expressions may be heard even to this day, particularly in smaller concerts organised by music circles or by individual patrons in their homes, audiences at larger music festivals seem to respond more with loud applause that comes not just after each raag or taal presentation but also appears through a single presentation. Of course, one can see a combination of both.
Conventionally, this appreciation is expressed for the spontaneity that this music demands in terms of elaboration on seed ideas, although for decades now, the speed and volume in the music also attracts applause. The kind of appreciation and the reason for it could consciously or subconsciously drive performers to dwell more on a musical idea, move ahead along the same lines or change course.
One might say...
