The learning of Indian Classical music requires a stepwise approach that begins with the study of gat (composition) and ends with the mastery of alap. When IThe author first undertook his study of sitar in 1974, Rahul Sariputra (Mahadeo) taught gat in rags Kafi and Bhairavi.
With regards to alap, Rahul said that its was the equivalent of doctoral level study and not appropriate for beginners. Although he did teach a few token phrases of alap to be played before gat, it was not until after several years of study with Radhika Mohan Maitra in Calcutta that a complete alap was learned.
Introduction to Alap
The word alap literally means 'introduction'. It is played or sung before the composed sections of the development of a rag. Alap is associated with the vistar (expansion and development) of a rag. It is in this context that Jitendra Mohan Sengupta (author of Ragalap - 1979) defined alap writing:
"The idealistic note combinations which express the form (shape or body) of a rag may be called the alap of that rag. The word alap means the vistar of a rag."
The presentation of alap requires an indepth knowledge of the rag being played and a familiarity with the format of alap development.Sengupta contrasts alap and gat saying that the former is `idealistic' whereas the latter is `realistic'. Gat is bound by tal (rhythmic cycle) and bol (stroke pattern).
Composition of Indian Classical MusicIn 'Sitar Music in Calcutta' (1989) several types of gat that are performed in the sixteen beat tintal are described. These include:
- Masitkhani gat
- Ferozekhani gat
- Rezzakhani gat
Masitkhani gats are played in a slow tempo and all gats of this type follow the same general stroke pattern. Ferozekhani gats are performed in a medium to fast tempo while the Rezzakhani gat is played in a fast tempo. These latter two forms follow stroke formuli which may vary slightly from one composition to another.
Gat is recognized as being a relatively fixed representation of rag. Specific gats are often attributed to a composer and are performed within a specific range of tempi. Variation in stroke pattern and ornamentation is possible but only in so far as the gat and rag remain identifiable.
How to Play Alap
Alap is not composed in the way a gat is. It is at the heart of the classical music system in that it provides musicians with the opportunity to display their creative talents as they make original music. It is true that some students perform an alap which their teacher composed for them, but these alaps are seen as a stepping stone to individual creativity and an aid to understanding rag interpretation. These 'composed' alaps give the student an idea of how alap should be performed including such aspects as phrasing, cadences, usage of tempo and ornamentation etc.
Sengupta writes that, in alap, every musical phrase should be original, avoid repetition and be played with new rhythm and ornamentation and thereby create rasa (sentiment and feeling). Sengupta uses the analogy that is familiar to Bengalis. He writes that sculptors who make images from clay, present the same gods or goddesses in different shapes. Similarly, musicians expresses the same rag even though the form it takes may differ according to the artists' skill and expression.
A sound understanding of Indian classical music can be acquired through a systematic approach to the field. This should begin with the study of gat (compostion). Once the student has a command of gat and the development of rag associated with it, then they can move on to the more complex aspects of musical expression found in alap.
Bibliography
Hamilton, James S. 1989 Sitar Music in Calcutta. University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Alberta.
Jitendra Mohan Sengupta1979 Ragalap (Bengali). Calcutta: D.M. Library.
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