Analysing Alap: Differing Perspectives on Indian Music

Abstract

This conference is about Korean music. But it is also about the differing perspectives of "native and foreign scholars". This gives me, no expert on Korean music, the opportunity to contribute from the perspective of my interest in South Asian music. What do we mean by distinguishing "native and foreign scholars"? At one level, we presumably mean those who are born into a particular cultural community, or are not, and who therefore presumably share or do not share certain cultural assumptions or agendas. Those who study Indian music but are not themselves Indian certainly notice important differences of cultural outlook. According to traditional Hindu philosophy, knowledge is not created or acquired through individual effort, by "pushing back the frontiers of knowledge" as we say in English. On the contrary, all knowledge was uttered by Brahma, the god of wisdom, at the creation of the world. It is pre-existent, and is preserved for us through two channels of tradition. One is the channel of shastra, that is, theoretical texts in the sacred language, Sanskrit, which set out the structure of knowledge and lay down rules for action in every conceivable field (including music). The other is the channel of shastra, that is, orally transmitted knowledge passed on from teacher to disciple over countless generations since the beginning of time. If these channels appear to conflict, parampara is usually accorded the higher authority.

힌두 철학에서 지식이란 개인의 노력으로 습득되는 것이 아니라 세계가 만들어질 때 지식의 신 브라흐마가 말한 것이다. 이 지식은 인간보다 앞서 존재했으며, 두 개의 전통적 경로를 따라 보존된다. 한 경로는 샤스트라(shastra), 곧 거룩한 언어 산스크리트로 씌어진 이론적 텍스트들로서, 지식의 기틀을 놓고 파악 가능한 개개 영역(음악을 포함한)의 행동준칙을 제시한다. 다른 하나는 파람파라(parampara)라는, 구전으로 전승되는 지식으로서, 태초부터 억겁에 걸쳐 스승에서 제자로 전해내려 온 것이다. 이 두 경로가 경합할 경우 대개는 파람파라가 더 큰

권위를 인정받는다.