The Music Seminar conducted by Sangeet Natak Akademi at New Delhi in April 1957 was a path-breaking initiative preceded by similar seminars on films and theatre and followed by the seminar on dance within a short span of time (1955 to 1958), each of them vast in scope, painstakingly conceived and executed, and involving outstanding presentations by artists, scholars and administrators who set the bar high for the many such future endeavours masterminded by the Akademi.
The most striking feature of the seminar would seem to be its eclectic approach towards music from the length and breadth of India with its very many stylistic and linguistic variations in form and content without prejudice or the slightest condescension towards genres and practices not regarded as classical, while acknowledging the phenomenon of raga (and tala) as the quintessence of Indian music. The impact of western music in India receives its due recognition; group singing and orchestration are shown as no longer alien concepts but promoted with a roadmap as to their transmission and training in a pan-Indian context. The importance and methods of voice training and notation are highlighted appropriately. How to teach children music by making it an attractive, enjoyable experience is explained in a delightful cameo of a presentation.
Vitally, the history and grammar of classical music are treated extensively and expertly, especially with regard to the untiring efforts of individuals and institutions through the last couple of centuries to propagate it among all classes of people. The story of the various forms of classical music such as dhrupad and khayal is told in a fascinating, informative manner, and so are the lives of composers, especially of the south, the great Trinity of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri included. Other southern greats like Bhadrachala Ramadas and Swati Tirunal are also given due importance. The impact of classical music on theatre, in Maharashtra in particular, and on film music are succinctly documented, as is the role of All India Radio in the propagation of high class music. The stories of the evolution of India's musical instruments and the mastery of the artists who showcased them with virtuosity and musicianship are told with love and reverence.
It has been an honour and privilege to edit this compendium of presentations of great substance by some of the most formidable personalities in Indian music. My heartfelt thanks to Sangeet Natak Akademi, and its Deputy Secretary (Publication), Sri Ankur Acharya. I was laid low by a serious medical condition while on this task, and Sri Acharya showed great patience and confidence in my ability to complete the assignment-if after considerable delay. I shall always remember this entire experience with gratitude and satisfaction.
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