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Temple Musical Instr...
Temple Musical Instruments of Kerala
by: L.S. RajagopalanIn this volume the first English-language publication on the subject the author describes the various indigenous musical instruments which support rituals and performances within and outside the temples of Kerala. Illustrations of each instrument, accompany the text, with information on its dimensions, construction, playing techniques, methods of training and music.
$20.00
ISBN: 9788124605448
Year Of Publication: 2010
Edition: 1st
Pages : xv, 167
Bibliographic Details : Appendices; Bibliography; Index
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 23
Weight: 450
The performing arts of Kerala Kathakali, Kutiyattam, Mohiniattam, and other forms of dance and drama occupy a vital space in Indias creative imagination. All these performances move to a music that is supported by Keralas indigenous musical instruments a variety of drums and clappers, as well as a smaller number of pipes and strings.
Quite a few of these instruments are also found associated with rituals and festivities in the temples of Kerala: the Itakka, Chenta, Timila, Milavu, Suddha Maddalam all membranophones; the aerophones Kurum Kulal and Kompu Vadyam; and Ilattalam, an idiophone. Notes on these instruments by a devoted student of the performing arts of Kerala are put together in this small volume the first English-language publication on the subject. Illustrations of each instrument accompany the texts.
The author brings to his task the benefit of an intimate knowledge of each instrument, acquired through years of fieldwork, as well as an erudition born of his immersion in literary classics in Tamil, Malayalam and Sanskrit. The pieces here are a source too of the folklore associated with Keralas musical instruments. The chief strength of the book, however, lies in the precise information it provides on each instrument its dimensions, materials, construction, playing techniques, methods of training, and, not least, its music.
Apart from musicians and musicologists, this book would interest students of Keralas folklore and anthropology, as well as general readers with a special interest in the arts and culture of Kerala.
Foreword : Kavalam Narayana Panikkar
A Note from the Editors
1. Itakka
2. Ilattalam
3. Kurum Kulal
4. Kompu Vadyam
5. Chenta
6. Timila
7. Milavu
8. Suddha Maddalam
Appendices
A. Folk Musical Instruments of Kerala
B. A Brief History of the Tala-Vadyas of Kerala
C. Ona Villu
D. Bhagavati Pattu of the Mannans
E. The Pulluvans and their Music
Afterword
L.S. Rajagopalan: A Brief Life Sketch
Bibliography
Index
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This anthology, consisting of fourteen essays, deals with a variety of themes that are of central importance for an authentic appreciation of the philosophical core of the Indian culture. The readers will find here illuminating discussions on various issues that bear witness to the critical thinking and deep reflection on the part of the author that have enabled her to carefully expose the subtle internal divergences that nourish the Indian conceptual world.
Based on arduous and painstaking research, these essays focus on a range of topics. There are several essays on multiple aspects of the large themes of time and consciousness, penetrating analysis showing how in the ancient discourse ideas of klesha (affliction), abhyasa (practice) and karuna (compassion) as well as on women and values are dealt with. There are also deliberations on the themes of religious diversity and the need for an encounter of world religions along with the attempt to explore India’s self-image. All these have contemporary relevance, as these essays clearly bring out the distinctive character of a living culture. -
An Introduction to the Study of Indian Poetics $24.00
The book aspires to do for Indian poetics what Hudson’s book, An Introduction to the Study of English Literature did for English literature, though in a totally different manner and style. It provides the student with the essential knowledge about almost all aspects of Indian poetics. Based on the original Sanskrit sources, it presents the necessary information lucidly in precise and clear terms. Each chapter is self-contained and complete in itself, with explanatory notes, and a bibliography of relevant works. The Sanskrit terms used in the text are invariably explained or provided with English equivalents.
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This handy volume, with its unique features, will prove invaluable to those who are going to embark on the study of Indian poetics, especially the ones who have no Sanskrit background. To a devoted student, it will prove a useful companion during his/her further studies. -
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