Western Influences on Bengali Music and Culture

Abstract:

The purpose of this research entitled “Western Influences on Bengali Music and Culture”. Bengali Music and Culture has a long relation with religious and non-religious songs over so. Many years .Specially Bengali music, Lyrics and instruments playing scales has a lot of variation with different style. Music is actually a portrait where the purpose of storing live story based on true or Imaginations. As we see, Bengali Music had always influences from different genres and sub-genres music from different area specially the west. Though Bengali Music has various types of musical expression such as, “Fokiri”, “Manbhumi”,  “Bhadu”, “Golporiya”, “Morshidi”, “Baul” , “Bhawayian”, “Bhatiali” and many more. Basically Bengali Music got different flavor by climate change, diversified lifestyle and thoughts. As we see, there are a lot of songwriters and poets and later compositions are influenced by Western Music.

Table of Content

Introduction:        5

Background:        6

Research Questions:        7

Hypothesis:        8

Research Methodology:        9

Data Representation and analysis:        10

Summary of research findings:        14

Recommendation:        15

Conclusions:        16

References:        17

Introduction:

It is spoken by musicians, “When word fails, music speaks”. Music is a very common and popular form of entertainment where lyrics and musical instruments get together for making melodies. Musical expressions and practices can be seen around the world even if there civilization and modernism hardly exists. Bangladeshi people have got various types of musical tastes. There is question comes that how the music came from or what is the inspiration? The answer is, somehow musical influences are connected to each other. For example Rabindranath Tagore was also influenced by western melodies. “amichini go chiniogobideshini”, “Kotobarobhebcchinuapanabhuliyaa” , “Tomarcharanedibohridoykhulia” , “"Aaloaamar,aaloogo, aalobhuban-bhara, Aalonayan-dhoyaaamar, aalohridayhara"(Bagchi, 2014, n.p). His one of the popular soundtrack “PuranoSei Diner Kotha” was also inspired by “Auld Lang Syne” a Scottish folk collected by Robert Burns in 1788 (Tapan,2012,n.p.).As we see, Bangladeshi Music is influenced by western tunes and music by the time being in new released soundtracks.

Background:

Since nobody can put a point to the exact moment when the first music has played. This is true that the first melody came from ancient instruments and voice as well. Few of them may be copied or inspired to enrich another type of unique music. Even Bangla songs, poetries like “NazrulGeeti” , “RabindraSangeet” also inspired from inspired by Western style though those type of music banished classifications and  helped to set up on any class people . After that so many songwriters came who contributed Bangla music in different genre called “folk” . But now music pattern sounds and instruments are diversified because of global communications. Musicians are getting western influences on their music can been seen clearly. Specially In “adhunik” which refers to modern songs are heavily influenced by western tune and melodies.