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tension which have been attained elsewhere. In this respect music is, 

 like all other sciences of the Hindus, and their philosophy, unprogres- 

 sive and effete. In performance upon the vina or sarungi, the perfor- 

 mer's ear, and the capabilities of the instrument, lead players into thirds, 

 fifths, and octaves, with the laws of which they are unacquainted ; but 

 all singing and playing are in unison, and whether trebles, tenors, or 

 basses, which are often joined, and in all instrumental music, the exe- 

 cution is of the same character. It is needless to say that this inevit- 

 ably produces monotony, and causes Indian music to be generally un- 

 interesting, if not repellant, to European ears. 



I am bound to state, however, that very little of the really good or 

 classical music of the Hindus is ever heard by European ears. What 

 is ordinarily played to them is the commonest ballads and love songs, 

 with modern Persian and Hindustani ditties, sung by ill instructed 

 screaming dancing women, at crowded native durbars, marriages, 

 and other ceremonials. The late Nawab Shumsh-ool Oomrah, of Hy- 

 drabad, for instance, used to cause from ten to twenty sets of dancers 

 and singers to stand up together, each set consisting of several women 

 as singers, and a proportion of instrumental performers. All sang and 

 played together whatever they pleased, and the clamour of different 

 tunes, with all their varied accompaniments, was quite indescribable. 

 It is no wonder, therefore, that the English guests stopped their ears, 

 and declared native music to be abominable. Need I say, that, were all 

 the best singers and bands of Dublin to play the most beautiful music 

 at their command at the same moment, the effect might even be more 

 painfully hideous ! 



But music of much intrinsic beauty, nevertheless, exists; and the an- 

 cient rags or modes, with their simple melodies, and the marvellously 

 difficult, and often charming'scales, droopuds and laonees, and other exer- 

 cises of vocal and instrumental performance, and the plaintive and beau- 

 tiful ballads of the Rajpoots and Mahrattas, would, I think, amply repay 

 collection by one competent to make it. It would be a grateful gift to the 

 musical world at large, were the government of India to undertake a com- 

 plete collection and exposition of the best Hindu and Mahomedan music, 

 as it exists in the north of India, in Eajpootana, and Guzerat, in the south- 

 ern provinces, and midway in Maharashtra and Bundelkund. The music 

 of all these provinces differs as much in character as national music in 

 Europe, and there is a great deal of it that is very interesting. How many 

 of the old rags or modes are illustrated by love songs ! and how many 

 of the chivalrous events of ancient and mediaeval times are subjects of 

 ballads much like our own, descriptive, picturesque, and most original 

 both in subject and music ! In the Mahratta country, I can state of my 

 own experience that ballads and love songs are innumerable, whether 

 of the old Mahomedan period, the Mahratta risings against them, and 

 the more recent English and Mahratta wars, and are full of local adven- 

 ture and spirited description; while in all the grades of love songs, under 

 their several local denominations, there are scores, nay, hundreds, in 

 every province of India, worthy of being rescued from their present 



E. I. A. PEOC. — VOL. IX. E 



