Abstract
Rabindrasangeet, the corpus of art songs composed by Rabindranath Tagore from 1874 to 1941, marked a significant transformation in Bengali music. It departed from the traditional confines of the gharana and raag-bound Hindustani Classical Musical tradition and brought the composer and singer-songwriter phenomenon to the forefront. The genre is widely performed in the Bengali-speaking regions of South Asia, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam (India), Bangladesh, and the Bengali diaspora, creating a subgenre within the larger tradition of Bangla Gaan (Bengali songs). While not necessarily indicative of the entirety of Bengal's multifaceted musical culture, it possesses a distinct identity that sets it apart from Indian classical, folk, and Hindi film music (Bollywood music which have also become popular in the West) and semi-classical genres like the thumri and the ghazal. The urban, educated middle-class Bengali bhadralok not only embraced this repertoire during the late 19th century but continue to view it as an essential means of expressing their subjectivity today. Hence, despite its ubiquitous involvement in contemporary Bengali market dynamics, it is strongly affiliated in the minds of many with bhadralok ideas of apolitical ‘high culture’ and an ‘alternative’ musical space.This thesis aims to demonstrate the impossibility of achieving a unidimensional, generic, linear, or even holistic understanding of a genre as complex as Rabindrasangeet. It departs from the prevailing discourse of reverential sermonising that pervades the existing corpus of scholarship. Instead, it accentuates the genre's active involvement in political movements, the interplay of politics within its renditions, and the influence of power dynamics stemming from its institutionalisation, which has historically impacted Rabindrasangeet performances. It delves into the Swadeshi Movement, the Marxist Cultural Movement in colonial India, and the Language Movement in Bangladesh post the partition of India and how Rabindranath and his compositions emerged as a formidable force in shaping resistance and alliances within them. It also addresses issues related to cultural preservation, notably through the Visva Bharati Music Board, which held its copyright until 2001. By examining Rabindrasangeet's institutionalisation as a locus of power, the thesis reveals its widespread reinforcement of hierarchical and hegemonic cultural structures within the conservative 'rabindrik' (Tagoresque) tradition.
This thesis primarily uses archival methods and insights drawn from my two decades of Rabindrasangeet practice in India, Bangladesh, the UK, Europe and America. To expand the scope of this research beyond physical archives, I also engaged in an extensive year-long fieldwork spanning West Bengal and Bangladesh, interviewing a diverse range of individuals, including practitioners, culture historians, trainers, pupils, listeners, musicians and organisers. It presents an alternative history of the genre, beyond the baithak-setting, emphasising spaces that depict Rabindranath as an individual and his political and aesthetic positions as a nationalist and modernist through his songs.
| Date of Award | 1 Oct 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Katherine Schofield (Supervisor) |