Page 220 - Communication Processes Volume 3 Communication Culture and Confrontation

Say It in Singing! 195

Figure 6.7
Detail of Median Occurrence of Phirunı -

Source: Caelen-Haumont, Geneviève and Bernard Bel. 2000. ‘Le Caractère
Spontané dans la Parole et le Chant Improvisés: De la Structure Intonative
au Mélisme’, Revue Parole, 15–16 (2000): 251–302. Available online at
http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00256388.
-
The same ornamentation was used for kerasunı in the preceding
.
distich. A detail of this ornamentation is shown in Figure 6.7.
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The striking feature of this ornamentation on phirunı is its com-
plexity given the short duration (2.2 seconds) and the apparent global
structure of the tune. The line does move across the tonal space, but
it also catches the tonal positions that may be used to notate this
movement:
D E (F) (E) (D) C B A (C) (A) (B)

Approximate matchings are marked between brackets. This figure is
a melisma as it displays at least five discrete notes for three syllables.
Given the speed of the performance, this melodic pattern is not less
accurate than fast movements in the performances of famous Indian
musicians such as Kishori Amonkar or Sruti Salodikar (Arnold and
Bel 1983).

Conclusion

The foregoing analysis is a tentative description of phenomena recently
observed thanks to the availability of accurate transcription tools. At this
stage of research it is important to avoid jumping to early conclusions.
Twenty years ago, after constructing the Melodic Movement Analyser,