The Phenomenology of Music: A Vital Source of Tagore’s Creativity

Abstract

Music was not only an art form to Rabindranath Tagore, it was one of the most vital forces in his dynamic consciousness throughout his life. He was brought up in an atmosphere of music. But despite ample opportunities, a thorough methodical training was beyond his artistic temperament and he willfully avoided it. Yet, he was much more musical than the average music-monger. He got into the essence of various kinds of good music most easily, leaving off their professional theoretical details and customary acrobatics. As intuition was a greater factor to him, he often missed or rather neglected the traditional styles. That has not been harmful. On the contrary, Tagore’ s creations in the realm of music have resulted in an original, subjective and in a sense transcendental style.