The Grammar of Carnatic Music

The Grammar of Carnatic Music
Author: K.G. Vijayakrishnan
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 359
Release: 2008-09-25
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110198886

This book argues that Carnatic music as it is practiced today can be traced to the musical practices of early/mid eighteenth century. Earlier varieties or 'incarnations' of Indian music elaborately described in many musical treatises are only of historical relevance today as the music described is quite different from current practices. It is argued that earlier varieties may not have survived because they failed to meet the three crucial requirements for a language-like organism to survive i.e., a robust community of practitioners/listeners which the author calls the Carnatic Music Fraternity, a sizeable body of musical texts and a felt communicative need. In fact, the central thesis of the book is that Carnatic music, like language, survived and evolved from early/mid eighteenth century when these three requirements were met for the first time in the history of Indian music. The volume includes a foreword by Paul Kiparsky.

Singing the Classical, Voicing the Modern

Singing the Classical, Voicing the Modern
Author: Amanda J. Weidman
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 367
Release: 2006-07-18
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0822388057

While Karnatic music, a form of Indian music based on the melodic principle of raga and time cycles called tala, is known today as South India’s classical music, its status as “classical” is an early-twentieth-century construct, one that emerged in the crucible of colonial modernity, nationalist ideology, and South Indian regional politics. As Amanda J. Weidman demonstrates, in order for Karnatic music to be considered classical music, it needed to be modeled on Western classical music, with its system of notation, composers, compositions, conservatories, and concerts. At the same time, it needed to remain distinctively Indian. Weidman argues that these contradictory imperatives led to the emergence of a particular “politics of voice,” in which the voice came to stand for authenticity and Indianness. Combining ethnographic observation derived from her experience as a student and performer of South Indian music with close readings of archival materials, Weidman traces the emergence of this politics of voice through compelling analyses of the relationship between vocal sound and instrumental imitation, conventions of performance and staging, the status of women as performers, debates about language and music, and the relationship between oral tradition and technologies of printing and sound reproduction. Through her sustained exploration of the way “voice” is elaborated as a trope of modern subjectivity, national identity, and cultural authenticity, Weidman provides a model for thinking about the voice in anthropological and historical terms. In so doing, she shows that modernity is characterized as much by particular ideas about orality, aurality, and the voice as it is by regimes of visuality.

A Southern Music

A Southern Music
Author: T.M. Krishna
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2013-12-26
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9350298228

One of the foremost Karnatik vocalists today, T.M. Krishna writes lucidly and passionately about the form, its history, its problems and where it stands todayT.M. Krishna begins his sweeping exploration of the tradition of Karnatik music with a fundamental question: what is music? Taking nothing for granted and addressing readers from across the spectrum - musicians, musicologists as well as laypeople - Krishna provides a path-breaking overview of south Indian classical music.

Lakṣana and Lakṣya of Carnatic Music

Lakṣana and Lakṣya of Carnatic Music
Author: T. V. Manikandan
Publisher: Kanishka Publishers
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2004
Genre: Carnatic music
ISBN: 9788173916595

The Book The Concept Of Sangeet Sastras And Their Practice And Differences Through The Ages. The Study Dwells On The Composition Of The Trinity-Tyagraja, Samasastry And Diksitar. Has 6 Chapters, Conclusion And Appendices.

The Music Sound

The Music Sound
Author: Nicolae Sfetcu
Publisher: Nicolae Sfetcu
Total Pages: 6042
Release: 2014-05-07
Genre: Music
ISBN:

A guide for music: compositions, events, forms, genres, groups, history, industry, instruments, language, live music, musicians, songs, musicology, techniques, terminology , theory, music video. Music is a human activity which involves structured and audible sounds, which is used for artistic or aesthetic, entertainment, or ceremonial purposes. The traditional or classical European aspects of music often listed are those elements given primacy in European-influenced classical music: melody, harmony, rhythm, tone color/timbre, and form. A more comprehensive list is given by stating the aspects of sound: pitch, timbre, loudness, and duration. Common terms used to discuss particular pieces include melody, which is a succession of notes heard as some sort of unit; chord, which is a simultaneity of notes heard as some sort of unit; chord progression, which is a succession of chords (simultaneity succession); harmony, which is the relationship between two or more pitches; counterpoint, which is the simultaneity and organization of different melodies; and rhythm, which is the organization of the durational aspects of music.

Carnatic & Western Music

Carnatic & Western Music
Author: V.S. Narasimhan
Publisher: Notion Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2024-02-15
Genre: Music
ISBN:

“I too have a dream”, says V.S. Narasimhan, author of this book. Someday the sound of St. Thyagaraja’s compositions should be heard in places like Carnegie Hall! It is my desire and vision that cello should become a prominent instrument of Carnatic music both as solo and accompanying instrument just as the violin is. The grandeur of the tone of a cello in Carnatic music is something I hear in my head. Similarly bass players could incorporate Carnatic music ornamentation techniques. Viola should also become a featured component of Carnatic music as a solo and as accompaniment. If these instruments which cover a wide range of frequencies get into the hands of skillful artists, the result would be a novel symphonic style of arrangement that would gain a broader international audience and would be a transformative event bringing new dimensions to Carnatic music. What I hear in these tracks is the voice on the other side of the world, seemingly divergent yet at the same time oddly familiar, using the same classic instrumentation to provide yet another compelling new musical paradigm in the continuing evolution of the string quartet form. One can only wonder what Papa Haydn would have thought if somehow by a miracle of time travel he were to hear this music!…Grammy award winner, David Balakrishnan, Founder/ Member of Turtle Island String Quartet: Together, the musicians of the Madras String Quartet played authentic, grace oriented Carnatic music, setting off its beauty against the harmonic richness of the Western classical idiom. It was beautiful. Bangalore Mirror, March 1, 2010 A Capella twist to Thyagaraja kriti “Brova Bharamma” gets a new sound, thanks to ace violinist V. S. Narasimhan The Hindu, Chennai, Friday, July 22, 2016

Excursions in World Music, Sixth Edition

Excursions in World Music, Sixth Edition
Author: Bruno Nettl
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 591
Release: 2015-09-25
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1317350294

Explore the relationship between music and society around the world This comprehensive introductory text creates a panoramic experience for beginner students by exposing them to the many musical cultures around the globe. Each chapter opens with a musical encounter in which the author introduces a key musical culture. Through these experiences, students are introduced to key musical styles, musical instruments, and performance practices. Students are taught how to actively listen to key musical examples through detailed listening guides. The role of music in society is emphasized through chapters that focus on key world cultural groups.

Dance, Music and Cultures of Decolonisation in the Indian Diaspora

Dance, Music and Cultures of Decolonisation in the Indian Diaspora
Author: Tina K Ramnarine
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2020-06-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000766535

Dance, Music and Cultures of Decolonisation in the Indian Diaspora provides fascinating examples of dance and music projects across the Indian Diaspora to highlight that decolonisation is a creative process, as well as a historical and political one. The book analyses creative processes in decolonising projects, illustrating how dance and music across the Indian Diaspora articulate socio-political aspirations in the wake of thinkers such as Gandhi and Ambedkar. It presents a wide range of examples: post-apartheid practices and experiences in a South African dance company, contestations over national identity politics in Trinidadian music competitions, essentialist and assimilationist strategies in a British dance competition, the new musical creativity of second-generation British-Tamil performers, Indian classical dance projects of reform and British multiculturalism, feminist intercultural performances in Australia, and performance re-enactments of museum exhibits that critically examine the past. Key topics under discussion include postcolonial contestations, decolonising scholarship, dialogic pedagogies and intellectual responsibility. The book critically reflects on decolonising aims around respect, equality and the colonial past’s redress as expressed through performing arts projects. Presenting richly detailed case studies that underline the need to examine creative processes in the cultures of decolonisation, Dance, Music and Cultures of Decolonisation in the Indian Diaspora will be of great interest to scholars of South Asian Studies, Diaspora Studies, Performing Arts Studies and Anthropology. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of South Asian Diaspora.

OF GIFTED VOICE

OF GIFTED VOICE
Author: Keshav Desiraju
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 565
Release: 2021-01-21
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9390327555

M.S. Subbulakshmi's life was one of extraordinary achievement. Although she was portrayed in many ways - as a musician who sought and achieved an all-India appeal; a philanthropist and supporter of noble causes; an icon of style; a woman of piety and devotion; and a friend and associate of the good and the great - she was first and foremost a classical vocalist of the highest rank, of unmatched gifts, who lives on in the musical history of India. Of Gifted Voice looks at her life and times, and the great musical tradition she belonged to and to which she brought so much, against the larger backdrop of the developments in the world of Carnatic music. It describes how music came to be performed in concerts; the impact the gramophone, the radio and the talkie had on music; the decline of the traditional performing families; and the appearance of women on public platforms. The book also delves into Subbulakshmi's brush with films as well as her concert style and that of her celebrated contemporaries. Though her story has often been told, we know little of the woman behind the image and the musician behind the public persona. Of Gifted Voice attempts, with warmth and keen-eyed perception, to understand the music, the history, the artiste and her incomparable presence.