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Homi Dastoor speaks about his deep passion for western classical music

Musical Journeys is about 90-year-old Homi Dastoor's deep passion for western classical music. While the book serves as an excellent introduction to the genre, Faye Monteiro met the grand old man, for whom this is a gift of love.

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At 90, Homi Dastoor lights up when you ask him about his journey with music and animatedly tells you how he began this journey as an 18-year-old boy.

It was 20th century American violinist Jascha Heifetz in the Hollywood film 'They Shall Have Music' that charged Dastoor with an undying passion for classical music.

With no one to guide him, he was determined to know everything about Heifetz and other violinists of the time. He would skip college after the first lecture, tuck his notebooks under his arm and walk to the American Library. He was seen so regularly at the library taking down notes vigorously from the book Lives of the Great Composers that the librarian asked him to buy it. "I told her I couldn't afford to buy the book, so she very kindly asked me to keep my notebooks with her instead of carrying them daily," remembers Dastoor, who has distilled six decades of passion for music in his book, Musical Journeys: A Personal Introduction to Western Classical Composers.

It took him six months to take down notes from the library book because he was careful only to choose what he required to go in his notebook. This is a commendable feat, particularly for this generation where a teenager is likely to whip out a smartphone to take a snapshot of pages and most probably never find time to read them.

In three years, Dastoor felt he was ready to attend western classical music concerts in the city. At the time, the pioneering efforts of Mehli Mehta are what kept music alive in the city and what kept the flame of Dastoor's passion burning. His favourite instrument is undoubtedly the violin but at 18 he was unfortunately over the age to learn it. That didn't stop him from pursuing the knowledge for enhanced listening. With no prior knowledge of music theory, it is difficult to believe that Dastoor could not only understand but intuitively and emotionally perceive changes in the lengthy works of this genre. He calmly explains, "The sonata form, for instance, is a simple form just like popular music of today. One doesn't need music theory to cherish its beauty."

Besides going to concerts, Dastoor would save up to buy vinyl records. "One had to save for each record, but the pleasure of buying the record at the end can never be expressed fully." However, once work at the Tata group started, Dastoor started his own collection of music. "I always placed this passion above other leisure interests and it has enriched my life like no other interests could have ever done."

It was only in 2012, at the age of 88, after his children insisted he publish his knowledge, that he considered this book. It is a culmination of the knowledge Dastoor gained by reading and listening to western classical music over the last 60 years. However, it is not his only contribution. "Soon after I started reading about composers and listening to works of the masters, I had a missionary-like zeal to educate the masses in this genre of music. I was part of the Youth Assembly Club in Dadar and one day, my friends and I set up the equipment required to listen to vinyl records and gathered a crowd for this educative purpose in hall. I chose simple, interesting works like Invitation to the Dance by Carl Maria von Weber, where a pleading violin part representing the male is answered by the cello, representing the female; a dance takes place and towards the end one can hear the man thanking her through the melodies played by the two instruments."

"The audience response was dull at first," reminisces Dastoor, "but they clearly enjoyed it as sometime later I was invited to give talks on music where at the end of each session people were free to ask questions." Dastoor's heart at this time was not only on music. He was determined to have these talks so that he could meet the girl he had set his heart on who went on to be his wife. "She told me I won her heart at these talks," says Dastoor with pride.

He is definitely a role model for western classical musicians in India. Those who know the art in India know that we could all do with enhancing our listening skills. It is commendable that without knowing an instrument or music theory, this man understands the music and the composers as if they were his friends. "Many western classical music teachers today focus on exams and doing just three pieces for these exams. Whilst learning and practice is important, teachers should encourage their children to play popular songs for fun as well as read stories about composers."

Dastoor is uncomfortable with naming his favourite composer because there are so many he loves. However, the book will tell you it is most definitely Beethoven, as the most number of pages are dedicated to him. The simplicity of his life and the commitment to the art of composing clearly inspired Dastoor. These days, one has to speak loudly and clearly for Dastoor as his hearing is slightly impaired, but his mind is strong and it forces you to phrase and annunciate accurately. Not only are his listening skills powerful, his command of the English language is also impeccable as demonstrated in the book.

Beethoven also lost his hearing toward the end of his life, but his mind was so strong that he produced some of the most inspiring music for mankind, the famous 'Symphony No 9' being one of them. One can't help but draw similarities between these two great minds.

The book leads with a foreword from the renowned conductor Zubin Mehta. The unpretentious and storytelling narrative is what makes the book a perfect introduction to anyone interested in this genre. "There is really no mystique about classical music. All that it asks of you is but one thing: your time."

And time is what Dastoor used to his advantage, 60 years of listening and reading of the times 100 to 400 years ago and placing it today for us to learn more about a journey with music that can only bring happiness. Time is really all we need.

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