Robert Morris and the Concept of Melharmony

ROBERT MORRIS AND THE CONCEPT OF MELHARMONY CHITRAVINA N. RAVIKIRAN EARLY INTERACTIONS FIRST MET ROBERT MORRIS in 2003 during one of my concert tours in the United States. He attended my concerts in Rochester and Buffalo on successive days. After both events we briefly exchanged views on Indian and Western approaches to music. Later he sent me one of his compositions, scored for orchestra, but fashioned after a Carnatic (South Indian) classical music form, Varnam. In one of his very first mails to me, he wrote: My basic goal is to encourage sophisticated treatment of issues in non-Western music to be added to the problems theorists like to address and probe. And especially studying Indian music settles I Robert Morris and the Concept of Melharmony 155 some points of difference about what are limits for human appreciation of music and comprehension of musical patterns. Most Western scholars have a limited idea about what can be learned and performed in music because Western classical music does not explore the melodic and rhythmic worlds so well known in other cultures and historical periods. They are therefore doubtful about recent developments in Western music, which they take to be “experimental ;” but when these developments have been already explored in another form of music, the doubt is rendered obsolete.1 Given my respect for Western Classical music, it is particularly gratifying to me for Morris to suggest that Indian music might have this effect on the reception of new music in the West. MELHARMONIC FORAYS The concept of melharmony came to me during the year 2000 when I was collaborating with members of the BBC Philharmonic. I soon realized that it had roots in my childhood when, while practicing Indian classical music, I first heard Western Classical music. The concept can be understood roughly as “melody with harmony and chords that conform to the modal/scalar, sequential and ornamental principles of highly developed melodic systems. . . . The concept dictates that a composition based on a well-defined scale such as the raga not only features chords and harmonies drawn only from the notes permitted in the raga, but also highlights the sequence and typical ornamentation that bestow the raga its unique individuality and identity.”2 When I shared my concept of melharmony with Morris, I was heartened to see that he was interested immediately. In response, he made three observations: (a) Melharmony is not just another “fusion” attempt. (b) It is founded upon highly sophisticated and rationally comprehensible rules. (c) Its principles can be applied to any well-defined melodic system of music. Understanding that harmony in melharmonic compositions is distinct from Western concepts of harmony, Morris agreed with my approach to explore areas of overlap that were governed by aesthetic principles common to both systems. Since we were both in agreement on this, we soon started collaborating on melharmonic compositions. 156 Perspectives of New Music COLLABORATIONS I sent Morris preliminary versions of my compositions, which ranged from the acceptable to the challenging from a purely melodic perspective. Suggestions from Morris enabled me to make them sound enticing and palatable to Western ears. For instance, I was used to Indian compositions whose typical pitch range is two octaves to accommodate vocal performance. In my initial forays in melharmonic composition, I tended to camp in the same narrow melodic range. Morris pointed this out early on, prompting me to expand the melodic range of my compositions. Likewise, he indicated note combinations that sounded dissonant to Western ears and noted that a particular section in one of my compositions was too “square.” Thus he was able to make constructive suggestions that were sensitive to the ambitions of my project. Furthermore, Morris pointed out aspects of my pieces that helped me to appreciate the commonalities in approach of the two systems. We had thought-provoking discussions about jazz, neo-classical, atonal music, and other developments in the West. We discussed the merits and difficulties of the orchestra vs. smaller ensembles. He arranged several pieces of mine, such as Singing Swans, Nattai, River, and Languid Brook, which have been performed by symphony orchestras and other groups. I am convinced that these collaborations would not have been successful had...