Evolution of Music Education and Female Emancipation in 19th-Century Bengal
Dr. Soma Das Mondal
Music has been practised in Indian shrines for centuries, and is deeply intertwined with rituals and the daily social routine of society. Historically, while music played an important role in family and domestic life, the practice of solo musical performance remained rare. Furthermore, formal systems of music education did not exist. Children absorbed musical training organically by participating in family events and community traditions.
However, female access to education—musical or general—was stringently restricted. Social orthodoxy dictated that literacy for women would bring misfortune. As noted in Samakal magazine:
The caste system has kept society stagnant. There was a fixed idea in the society at that time that if girls learn to read and write, they will become premature widows, adultery will increase and society will be ruined. Girls did not have an education system; their essential destiny was child marriage. If a relatively old groom died in a short time, his daughter-in-law would become a widow for life. From then on, his companion was white cloth, forced to be vegetarian, and they had to give food once in a day and fast on different days of the month. She was forbidden to involve the family rituals and festivals.”
The Rise of Institutional Education and Cultural Shift
During the 19th century, European missionaries and British officials initiated institutional schooling for their children, laying a new foundation for music education. Inspired by these developments, progressive Indian reformers—including Raja Radhakanta Deb, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, and Debendranath Tagore—pioneered schools across Bengal. Vidyasagar, in particular, established numerous girls’ schools to dismantle social barriers.
Simultaneously, folk genres such as Kavigan, Tarja, Akharai, Half-Akharai, Ramayana Song, Krishna Jatra, Leto, Kheur, and Alkap flourished in local neighborhoods. Elite zamindars hosted grand multi-day performances in their garden houses and courtyards. Over time, music gained social respectability, championed by figures like Raja Sourindra Mohan Tagore, who formed orchestras using indigenous instruments.
Jorasanko Thakurbari: The Vanguard of Music and Reform
The Jorasanko Tagore family (Thakurbari) became a central force in the Bengal Renaissance. Debendranath Tagore learned the piano and ensured his children received comprehensive instruction in Indian classical traditions, European music, sciences, and literature. While British women taught piano to the women of Thakurbari, legendary music masters like Jadu Bhatta, Srikantha Singha, and Vishnu Chakraborty provided rigorous training in vocal and instrumental Indian music.
The atmosphere fostered deep intellectual and creative growth. Reflecting on this cultural awakening, Jyotirindranath Tagore wrote:
“With the initiation of Brahmism came a wave of knowledge in our home; The fiery discourse of the father, the beautiful Brahma-music of Mejdada, the profound theology of the great-grandfather and the incomparable dream-life spread the light of knowledge.”
When the family embraced Brahmoism, new nature-centric cultural celebrations were established, including Maghotsav, Barshamangal, and Sharadotsav. Women played a central role in organizing and performing at these gatherings. In her memoir Jharapatar Dinguli, Sarala Devi Chaudhurani recorded:
“A huge crowd used to gather at Jorasanko’s house on the day of Maghotsav. The main reason is the attraction of the songs and specially they had a great attraction of listening to women voiced song. Brahma Sangeet is one of the topics of modern Bengali song. I started singing the song after playing a little bit of the raga or ragini of that song at the beginning of every song in the music program of 11th Magh. Before the song, there was a little bit of music based on western introductory style performed. It was completely new to Bengali song at that time.”
Broadening Horizons and the Birth of Modern Songs
This musical renaissance extended beyond Jorasanko. An article published in Anandabazar Patrika highlights the wider contributions of Brahmo women composers:
“The connection between the Brahmo movement and women’s education, social and cultural renaissance is not unknown to anyone. But in the era of Bengali Renaissance, there was not as much discussion about womens’ writing as there was about women’s songs. Indubala Ghoshal, Sarojini Dutt, Chanchala Ghosh, Sumatibala Devi, Annapurna Chattopadhyay, Hemlata Devi, Bidhumukhi Devi (wife of Upendrakishore Roychowdhury), Matangini Chattopadhyay, Sudevi Mukherjee — these names are not easy to recognize. But they all have songs written in the store of Brahma Sangeet. Along with that there are many songs written by Nirupama Devi, Jyotirmoyee Devi, Kamini Roy and females of Thakurbari.”
In the private quarters of Thakurbari, gender norms were systematically dismantled. As musicologist Dr. Prabhat Kumar Goswami observes:
“The music practice in the inner courtyard of Thakurbari was going very well. Hemendranath ignored the ancient custom and taught music to his wife. Pratibha Sundari, the first child of Hemendranath, the third son of Devendranath, practiced both Indian and Western music. He took training in country music from Thakurbari’s master Vishnu Chakraborty. He also learnt to sing Western songs playing the piano. In a letter to this effect, Hemendra Nath wrote that if you can learn the music of German scholars such as Beethoven and learn music theory at the same time by learning dance music and a little song, then it is real.”
Pratibha Devi broke long-standing taboos by performing Brahma Sangeet in public assemblies, acting in lyric plays, and establishing the Sangeet Sangha, an influential music academy. Her cousin Indira Devi Chaudhurani transcribed hundreds of Rabindranath’s compositions and authored the seminal musicological work Triveni Sangam. Meanwhile, Hemendranath’s other daughters, Abhi and Manisha, excelled in classical vocal traditions and foreign instrumental performance.
The synthesis of Western harmony with indigenous melodies (such as Baul and Kirtan) birthed the genre of modern Bengali song (Adhunik Gan). Rabindranath Tagore later institutionalised this inclusive artistic vision at Santiniketan’s Brahmacharyashram, embedding music into daily education. Through these collective endeavours, the movement transformed music from a restricted, domestic practice into a primary vehicle for female emancipation and national consciousness throughout India.
References:
১। https://samakal.com/bangladesh/article/200938189/অক্ষয়-মনুষ্যত্বের-মনীষী
২। https://www.bengalhour.com/history/jyotirindranath-tagore-biography-in-bengali/
৩। সরলা দেবী – জীবনের ঝরাপাতা
৫। প্রভাত কুমার গোস্বামী-ভারতীয় সংগীতের কথা
