Sometimes I wonder whether any attempt has been made at a scientific study on the history of music. Musicians have mainly become only practicians, some degenerating into just reproducers. The study of theory, history and background of music is essential for gaining a practical mastery over it.
At times, I ruminate whether there would be a decline in Indian music due to decline in the study of sastra in music. If we analyse, what comes to our mind is that it is possible that during the 17th and 18th centuries, when a large number of eminent Muslim musicians came to the fore, the study of sastras or the theory practically stopped, the reason being that the sastras were in Sanskrit and the musicians did not know anything of that language. Of course, a few of them should have believed that the book knowledge would be utterly useless.
I strongly believe that the absence of this vital and essential general culture of music could create a lopsided and distorted position in our music, which has resulted in copying from the voice of one guru, at times leading to the gradual changing and distortion of the various compositions.
The dichotomy arises now. No guru can transmit to his disciple exactly what he knows, particularly in these days of Skype transmissions and the limited capacity of the disciples, physically and mentally, to assimilate, whatever has been taught vocally, becomes the most important factor in any such transmission. The vagaries of the electronic transmission of the keerthanas, the physical deficiency of the disciples, as the physical potential of every being different from others, it is but natural that every disciple drops some of the finer points of the teaching of the guru.
Recently, during my trip to the USA, I found that the rendition of the disciples tutored through Skype indicated, to a very considerable extent, a change in the original compositions, and the way of rendering them. Please imagine - would this happen if they are taught to study the sastras and outline of music in writing.
I firmly believe that the study of history and theory of music is very essential for progress in music. Let us understand that blind copying of particular compositions, without any background of the study of the sastras would bring music to a sorry state.
Let us understand that music is a dynamic art and if it does not adopt itself on the foundation of the noble sastras and create new forms, it will be too difficult to restore the pristine purity of either lyrics or rendition.
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