Culture Shock

I have been exposed to different genres of Western music, but have hardly experienced Eastern music at all. With that said, I find myself in almost a state of shock as I listen to, and learn about Tayagaraja's kriti Kaligiyunte. The shock for me has everything to do with the text, and the way vocalist express the text. Although I believe that music can be quite personal for anyone, no matter his cultural background, I hear a deep personal connection when listening to Kaligiyunte. By this I mean that the vocalist is not just singing a song for show, but he is truly worshiping. As a person who has spent many hours listening to and praying with music for worship, one may wonder why this expressions of Kaligiyunte is so shocking for me. Perhaps I do not quite have the answer, except to say my shock is not a shock of disappointment, but a shock of pleasant surprise. It may be naive of me to say, but I guess I was surprised to find such passion and longing sung in such a piece. And so, I ventured to listen to others recordings in addition to the once on our textbook's CD, the other recording I found displayed for me the same type of genuine worship. Often when singing songs created for worship outside of the context of worship the sense of prayer is lost. I am impressed by the vocalists' ability to not simply perform the kriti, but to pray it.