I've always felt that the perfomance of a raag resembles a novel - or at least the kind of
novel I'm attempting to write. You know,' he continued, extemporizing as he went
along, 'first you take one note and explore it for a while, then another to discover its
possibilities, then perhaps you get to the dominant, and pause for a bit, and it's only
gradually that the phrases begin to form and the tabla joins in with the beat... and then
the more brilliant improvisations and diversions begin, with the main theme returning
from time to time, and finally it all speeds up, and the excitement increases to a climax.'
~ A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth
novel I'm attempting to write. You know,' he continued, extemporizing as he went
along, 'first you take one note and explore it for a while, then another to discover its
possibilities, then perhaps you get to the dominant, and pause for a bit, and it's only
gradually that the phrases begin to form and the tabla joins in with the beat... and then
the more brilliant improvisations and diversions begin, with the main theme returning
from time to time, and finally it all speeds up, and the excitement increases to a climax.'
~ A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth
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