The Originality of Santoor (Essay Sample)

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The beautiful sounds pattern commonly referred to as music requires the art of mastering the incorporation of various instruments to make it more lively and lovely. Multiple categories of devices are associated with the creation of a harmonious melody within the art. However, there are those instruments that traditionally have been known for their effectiveness in passing intended messages in music. Narrowing down to a single apparatus, the context will be exploring the santoor instrument that is linked with Indian culture and originality.
Some of the essential points that will be covered in the study include;
- Originality or community associated with the use of santoor instruments.
- The traditional practitioners of the device.
- Materials and components used in the building of santoor.
- The tonal system associated with the use of santoor.
- The years that santoor has been on the highlights.
- Music styles in the modern world that integrate the playing of santoor.
The originality of santoor
Santoor, a musical instrument that has found its way to the music arena, is played using several hammers made of light wood. The apparatus takes a trapezoidal shape in nature. The overall shape, performing methods, as well as its tuning methods, follow the same channel as the Persian santur and the American dulcimer. Santoor’s basis can be traced back to similar instruments that are played through striking of cords by use of a hammer, dated back to the ancient Persians located at the Middle East of India (The Musical Times, vol. 53). Some traces of santoor have also been traced back to ancient China where it was played by some of the famous composers in the Indian and Chinese history. Fashionable santoor design, though, is estimated to be less than two centuries timeworn. Santoor is predominant mostly within the Middle East regions, though it is also played often in Turkey and Greece. A good number of santoor designs prevail based on the locality of origin, the instrument’s preferences of the makers, and the associated musical notes produced by the tool.
Santoor has been known to provide more than three-octave musical notes, that is, mi3-fa6 or E3-F6. Every musical note here is conveyed via a four-string course that is tuned precisely along the line of a similar pitch. Those strings that follow the same path have in the same type style of playing called bridge or kharak. Under this design, two columns with nine courses each exist, with the bass course located at the right while the treble course takes the left side (The Musical Times, vol. 53). Accordingly, this mode of santoor is then referred to as a nine-bridge santoor. The positioning of treble bridges results in dual treble courses that offer double consecutive melodic octaves and an extra overlap note. The melodic octave associated with the playing of santoor is hidden behind the positioning of the bridges located on the instrument’s soundboard. Santoor’s soundboard lies within the frame that is made up of hitch pin part, bottom tail, and the top rail as well as the tuning pin board that is located on its right side. On the opposite side of the soundboard is the santoor frame attached to it and the space between the instrument’s frame rails to the soundboard forms the sound box (The Musical Times, vol. 53). The magical melodic nature of santoor is realized by playing these strings back and forth creating a stimulating and fascinating effect to the listeners.
The cultural background of santoor
Recently, santoor is an instrument that has been adopted within the Hindustani classical composition and remains to be one of the best developments of the century. Its history dates back to the most celebrated ancient musicians who existed in Indian past. The first mark of santoor can be traced back to the valley of Kashmir which was an accompaniment of the great Sufiana music (The Musical Times, vol. 53). From there, santoor underwent a complete transformation and appeared with a broader expressiveness range in addition to a single or solo instrument features. From then henceforth, numerous santoor prototypes with different names have been in the trend for decades in states like Hungary, Romania, Iran, Greece, and China. Santoor’s sound production basis was later taken into consideration in the modern pianoforte making in which incorporated strings are hit using mechanical keys. Santoor has been seen as a recently made or developed instrument. In not more than fifty years ago the device found its way into the Indian music industry. It can thus be said that this instrument has not yet gone complete standardization. The instrument’s width, length, height, strings number, bridges number, the order as well as thickness, and the playing techniques all vary from one artist to another. Even though the fundamental or basic structure is similar, the santoor that was first adopted in the Indian music differs slightly with the current santoor in the market (The Musical Times, vol. 53). From several reports, santoor as an instrument is thought to have found its way from Persia to present India over time. However, Indians argue that a similar device was present during the era of vena and is probably the modern santoor that was advanced to take today’s nature. Nevertheless, santoor use and application can be linked to cultural practices that were of high honor in Kashmir.
It is believed that Kashmir lies within a chronological nature of invasions from outside forces. The forces were responsible for subjugating people via perpetual force application and away from plunder and persecution; the most terrible hit of these forces was on the culture of the state that once lived like a paradise on the universe (The Musical Times, vol. 53). It has been noticed that the ancient Sufiana music that the Indians treasured so much is slowly diminishing out and thus an agent remedy is required to save its extinction. Unfortunately, only a few families within Kashmir had been left in the know-how on how to play the ancient instruments. The dying nature of the devices acted as an awakening call for the experts to keep the idea of classical music from generation to generation. That was the rebirth of the santoor instrument practice within the Indians.
Materials used to make the santoor.
The classical santoor’s sound box is either composed of mulberry tree wood, tun or walnut wood. Both sides of the santoor’s plank comprise of plywood, walnut or even pine wood. On some occasions, the plank can be made from a mixture of the various kinds of wood. Other times, red cedar may be used for the covering of the front (Holroyde. 14). Rosewood is used to make the bridges while ivory pieces are used at the bridges’ top portion. Bones or stag horns are fixed at the top edges too to act as jawari-an ancient Indian form of durra or sorghum. However, this is only done for the strings’ fine tone. Recently, metal and plastic have been used in the construction of the jawari part, though the most awesome effect is gotten from ivory. The instrument’s strings are attached to the pins found on one part or side and are connected to the pegs used in tuning. Iron is used to make these pegs and pins which are coated with chromium and are tuned using a tuner that is hammer-shaped. For strikers, frequently rosewood and walnut are used. In other occasions, the strikers may be made from mulberry wood. Classical santoor strikers happen to be more substantial than the ones in Sufiana santoor (Holroyde. 14). More massive strikers have been known to aid in sustaining the notes.
The place occupied by santoor in the Indian community
Santoor remains to be the only instrument in the Indian classical music industry that is struck. Santoor has been viewed as a staccato apparatus which cannot lend to practices such as Andolan, gamak, and meend which form the characteristics of the classical music of India (Morcom vol. 18.pp.55). However, santoor players are in the limelight of this nature and to handle this kind of problem that incorporates lack of sound continuity, every artist has brought something new to the instrument as well as its technique. Some artists have even gone to the extent of using accessories such as the slide guitar’s rod to aid in the generation of meend or glide effects when playing a lap, especially within the lower octave. Other artists have been embarked on using contact mikes aimed at generating a sound that is more sustainable (Morcom vol. 18.pp.55). Numerous experiences on the strings, wood and the size as well as the weight of strikers and bridges have been conducted by the artists to arrive at the best tonal quality as well as sound sustenance from the instrument.
The traditional practitioners of Santoor
After the Kashmiris families who were famously known for playing instruments of similar nature as the santoor, the art was passed down to the Maestros people who inherited it from their ancestors. The Maestros’ ancestors were believed to be part of the Sufiana Musique group of individuals (Pacholczyk.55). Those who inherited their actions thus devoted their all into the music art. However, at that point, the art was unfortunately on the edge of failing due to the selfishness that was witnessed in public in accepting the music. The meaninglessness witnessed was as a result of lack of support within the country. The only available source that was seen as being able to support the music art was the Kashmir Radio, but it was under the control of the government of the country, and the people who were dominan...