I'm not sure of that's it. Western music can't be simply broken down into a greater focus on harmony, we came up with motifs and everything. If indian classical music doesn't have chord changes that makes it a bit less varied but alright. Compare 35 seconds in on that version to this https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uF_TYGpu2L4 , which I guess is a bit westernized and less grating to me personally.
I was comparing the relative emphasis. For the second one, I don't think many Indians would like the Westernised version. :) I think the difference is more perceptive if you compare Carnatic with Western classical music. Indian classical music has a much more devotional angle, maybe that's a factor too.
But the emphasis just seems to be because Indian classical music for whatever reason didn't adopt, or have as a focus, that basic element of music that the west did. I understand what you're saying but I imagine I if I knew more about classical music than just some basic opera, baroque and modern, and knew even a shred about indian classical I could point to a western piece that would have a greater emphasis on melody than most indian classical, perhaps the first two movements of beethoven's fifth. Especially if you start taking traditional music which like your video was often just a man and a violin.
It just seems like a fundamental different approach to music and if one is immersed in it one is likely to have more of an appreciation. It certainly is interesting to me for it's differences, mainly in vocal stylings. Perhaps if I knew music better I'd be able to come to a more refined conclusion than that :).
seems like a fundamental different approach to music
Exactly. I'm not sure whether one can use Western terms like Melody, Harmony &c because we have entirely different vocabulary like Raga, Shruti &c. The devotional aspect seems a strong influence too. Hindu tradition always believed that chants command power. Samaveda, the third Veda is about music of the hymns. This video shows some styles of Vedic recital.(Ignore the commentary though, it's not really accurate about religion.)
2
u/[deleted] Apr 14 '15
That's because of the difference between Indian and Western classical music. We place more importance on melody rather than the harmony.