The Music of Hindustan

$51
Item Code: IMD24
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
Author: A. H. Fox Strangways
Language: English
Edition: 1994
ISBN: 8121506433
Pages: 374 (B & W Illus: 15, Tables: 2)
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 8.8" X 5.8"
Weight 680 gm
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Fully insured
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Shipped to 153 countries
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Book Description

About the Book

This book is a scholarly treatise on the basic features, principles, and systems of Hindustani music. For the preparation of the book, the author has culled together the varied information on this vast subject from his own field-work and first-hand sources and has handled this difficult subject with rare acumen. He has described and discussed in great detail the Hindustani classical music and Indian folk music including its lesser known aspects like bardic songs, lullabies, devotional songs and the like, in his view, in Indian music the element of melody is dominant as opposed to the element of harmony in the European.

Strangways work is not merely an adumbration of the theoretical aspects of Indian music but is an in-depth study illustrated by examples. He has very successfully been able to explain the nuances typical of Indian music.

In the twelve chapter the author has, besides dealing with the scale, mode, raga, grace, tala, drumming, the saman chant, form and melody, also given introductory remarks describing the milieu of Indian music and the legendary and historical background of Indian music.

This book will serve as an invaluable introductory work for those interested in Indian music. Along with the wide range of examples in each category of Indian music, the author has also explained and illustrated the material intelligible to the Western scholars. The book should prove to be of sustained interest both to experts and those interests in music.

 

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

The understanding of music as affected by national characteristics 1, 2
By an antiquated system 3
by the absence of harmony 4, 5
By difference of content 6, 7
Causes of the particular form taken by Indian music due to the conservatism of India 7
to its size 8
to its climate 9, 10
A concert 11-13
The future of Indian music 14-16
Chapter I

A Musical Diary

Conditions under which these songs were collected and caution with which they should be received 17, 18
Chanties and labour songs 19-21
Occupation songs 20-27
Nagpur, Central Provinces 29-31
West coast 32-8
Travancore 39-45
Maratha bards 46, 47
Conclusion 48, 49

Chapter II

A Musical Diary (continued)

Garhwalis   50-6
Gurkhas   57,58
Panjabis, Cuttack dance   59
Bhavnagar   60, 61
Lullabies   62-7
Children's songs   68
Conclusions   69-72

Chapter III

Legend, History, and the Present Day

Absence of the historical sense   73, 74
Legend   75-82
History   83-5
The present day   86-90
Subbanna and Seshanna of Mysore   86
Ramachandra of Trivandrum   88, 89
Sourendro Banerji of Calcutta   88
Chandra Prabhu of Bhavanagar   90
Rabindranath Tagore   92-9

Chapter IV

The Scale

The facts of folk-song and folk-instruments   100-4
List of Sanskrit authorities   105
Technical terms   106-8
The gramas,   109-12
Bharata   113
Date of his system   114
His twenty-two srutis   115-18
South India   119, 120
Transilient scales   122-6
The sruti in practical music   127-9
And in European music   130-3

Chapter V

Mode

Scale and mode   134-6
Indian conception of mode   137-9
The Greek parallel   140-3
Mode in actual practice   144, 145
Appoggiatura   146-147
Absolute pitch   148
Grama and Rag   149
Ancient and modern mode   150

Chapter VI

Raga

The table of Raga   151, 152
Appropriate times and seasons   153
Sources of Raga   154, 155
Tessitura   156
A Raga is not a tune   157
but it conforms to law   158, 159
Conjunct motion   160-2
Harmony and harmonization   163, 164
Instances of Raga   165-9
Re-entrant Raga   170
The drone   171-3
Comparison with European melody   174-6
and with the ecclesiastical modes   177, 178
Imitation   179
The intervals chosen in melody have no basis in harmony   180

Chapter VII

Grace

Grace is inherent in the note, not an appendage to it   181, 182
Two main kinds of grace   183
Comparison with Scotch graces   184, 185
and Hungarian   186
Grace in the Sanskrit theory   187
The Mohammedan Tappa   188, 189
Grace my be traced to Sanskrit pronunciation   190

Chapter VIII

Tala

Stree and quantity   191, 192
Sanskrit metres   193-200
The transition from poetical to musical metre   201-3
Metre in music   204-8
The Carnatic system of Time   209-14
The Hindostani system   215, 216
Comparison with the European system   217-24

Chatper IX

Drumming

Indian and European drumming   225, 226
Drums   227
Drum-words   228, 229
drum-phrase   230
and drum-variants   231, 232
Instances   233-40
Augmentation and diminution   241
and 'convergence' and 'cumulation'   242
The drum used ornamentally not structurally   243-5

Chapter X

The Saman Chant

The Rgveda accent   246-8
The Samaveda   249-52
Its 'form'   253
Its rhythm   255, 256
Its scale   257-9
Its original nucleus   260
Consonance   261, 262
The Gandhara grama   263
The Saman scale as transilient   264
The musical hand   264, 265
The early Greek scale   266
Instances of Saman chant   266-73
Notation   273
Some technical terms   274-6
A vocal scale   276-9

Chapter XI

Form

Amsa and drone take the place of our dominant and tonic as the basis of form   280, 281
The Kirthanam   282-5
Other forms   286
The Khyal   287-99
Subsidiary forms   299, 300
Specimens of Raga   301-16
The cycle of Raga   217-19

Chapter XII

Melody

Melody is homogeneous   320-2
Conjunct and disjunct motion   322-8
Climax   328-30
Tessitura   330-4
Rhythm cross-metre   334-6
Analysis of a European   337
and of an Indian melody   338
Their characteristics contrasted   338-42

 

APPENDIX I   343
APPENDIX II   345
BIBLIOGRAPHY   346
GLOSSARY AND INDEX   353

 

Sample Pages

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