Tunes & tones: An ear for music, for love of it
Does one have to be an artist to be able to appreciate and pick out exceptional paintings? Is a degree in styling and design necessary to enable me to pick a flattering dress for myself? Do we need to have done a course in cinematography or editing to recognise a fantastic movie when we see it? A friend can recognise the model and type of any aeroplane flying overhead merely by the sound of its engine and I am amazed at his knowledge and accuracy. I don’t have any of his magical abilities but every time a plane passes overhead, I involuntarily look up, just to admire and gape at this marvel of technology.
Similarly, do I have to possess an ear for music to enable me to enjoy it? Does only the ability to perceive variations in bass, pitch, notes and timbre qualify a person to appreciate a good song or can I, a complete novice in any musical education, also be humoured if I attempt to appreciate a piece of music or song for its own sake, or just because hearing it releases massive doses of endorphins and makes me absurdly happy?
I remember taking up vocal music as a hobby in school for the duration of a term because of lack of choice. The South Indian tutor soon singled me out as the one false note ruining his choir and not too politely told me to try my luck elsewhere. Much to my chagrin, I recall wailing, “But sir, I love music!”
While sometimes watching talent contests on TV, I find all singers performing to perfection but my husband will interject and tell me which one sang better and he is many a time in complete cue with the judges, pointing out the reason for a particular contestant’s eventual dismissal. I am, as usual, at sea because I just hear songs in their entirety, my untrained ears embrace the soulful words and lilting music, letting it wash over and envelop me completely, without any sound ever sounding false or flat.
While in Warsaw last month, we encountered their piano benches scattered all over Nowy Swiat, a fancy street dotted with charming cafes and quaint shops. These black benches play Chopin’s tunes at the press of a button and one can sit on them while enjoying the melodies wafting around, with the maestro’s huge statue looming in the background. It was a charming experience one evening when we found ourselves in the huge square, surrounded by massive pots spilling over with the most exotic, incredible blooms, heavy with scent and the tinkling, silvery notes emanating from various corners as people pressed buttons on the benches.
When we got back to our rooms and I rested my sore feet, we listened to the delightful warbling of our Indian genius, Kishore Kumar, on my phone and I thought to myself that appreciation of beauty, in so many varied forms, be it the written word, cinema, art or music requires not any great talent or sensibility but only pure, unadulterated love. Anything that makes your heart skip a beat is deemed beautiful and perfect if it gives the onlooker or listener joy and happiness.
THE TUTOR SOON SINGLED ME OUT AS THE ONE FALSE NOTE RUINING HIS CHOIR AND NOT TOO POLITELY TOLD ME TO TRY MY LUCK ELSEWHERE