OF HINDU MUSIC. 
7 
considered as licences only allowed as passing notes intro- 
duced for variety's sake according to the Hindu custom) 
would go to prove that^ since their intercourse with Euro- 
peans and the influence of the latter's music on them, they 
have tried to improve on their old forms, and have thus 
unwittingly sought after a more satisfactory tooality than 
they had before. The E b in the 9th bar of the tune above 
cited may be considered as the leading note of the key of 
F minor, into which this melody modulates, showing a 
tendency to transitory modulation or temporary change of 
key in their more modern melodies ; however, these changes 
are not to be met with in ancient Hindu Tunes. 
The Hindus retain the names of notes : Sa, Ei, Ga, Ma, 
etc., no matter in what key or pitch their melodies may be 
played or sung, like the Tonic Sol-Fa system of the present 
day. The principle is a very old one, it dates back as far 
as the Greeks, who applied it to their system of Tetra- 
chords : thus a tune whether sung in G or C would retain 
the same letters for the names of notes, and the pitch alone 
would change. 
EXAMPLE. 
H 
indu l^elody. ' 
' Sankara bahrana" 
Sa, Ei, 
i ^ 
Ga, Ei, Ga, Ei, 
Ma, Ga, Ma, M 
* 0 
;a. Da, Pa 
* J • J" * 
J- - - 'J d ■ 
Sa, Ei, Ga, Ei, Ga, Ei, Ma, Ga, Ma, Ma, Da, Pa. 
As there is little change of key or modulation in Hindu 
music, this system answers their purpose very well. 
