পাতা:রবীন্দ্র-রচনাবলী (ষোড়শ খণ্ড) - সুলভ বিশ্বভারতী.pdf/৭১৮

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° のbr রবীন্দ্র-রচনাবলী feeling. The times that she observed were the usual difficult ones in Indian music, the cadence which is never too obvious or the division of beats too emphatic, Neither tunes nor times were the least modified to make then simpler or to suit them to the European training of the singer, Though the music was immaculately lindian, yet Ratan Devi's voice was her own, and it could not possibly be mistaken for that of any Indian it stad. In our country the execution of a song is considered to be of minor importance. India goes to the extreme of almost holding with contempt any finesse in singing, and our master singers never take the least trouble to make their voice and manner attractive. They are not ashamed if their gestures are violent, their top notes cracked and their bass notics unnatural. They take it to be their sole function to display their perfect mastery over all the intricacies of times and tunes, forms and formalities of the classic traditions. Those of the audience who have thc human weakness to demand something more, who are not content with the presentation of a music with its richness of forms and play of power, but whose senses have to he satisfied as well, are held to be beneath the notice of any selfrespecting artist. They think it to be the duty of the hireling musicians of dancing parties to cater for the enjoyment of tastidious dandies whose eyes and ears are apt to take of fence at the least touch of roughness. Anyhow, the cultivation of the flawless perfection of the exterior has been severely neglected in India. The ideal is otherwise in Europe. A stupendously vast annount of energy is constantly occupied in this country in perfecting outward details in everything, the least deviation from which takes away from the value of a thing much more than it deserves. Here the stage arrangement must be cxtravagantly perfect and the artist in the pride of the intrinsic merit of his at cannot afford to pay his respect to the public by appearing careless in the least detail of execution. As Europe is willing to pay a very high price for this, perhaps she has got her reward. " . at once realised this when I heard Ratan Devi sing. There was not a sign of effort in her beautiful voice, and not the least suggestion of the uncouthness we are accustomed to in our singers. The casket was as perfect as the gen. Sometimes the meaning of a poem is better understood in a translation, not necessarily because it is more beautiful than the original, but as in the new setting the poem has to undergo a trial, it shines more brilliantly if it contes out triumphant. So it seemed to mc that in Ratan Devi's singing our songs gained something in feeling and truth. Listening to her I felt more clearly than ever that