“I completely enjoyed the role of being an observer and a commentator”: Sebastian and Sons by T.M. Krishna celebrates the contribution of mrdangam makers

Read the full interview in the Deccan Herald >> The writing in Sebastian and Sons introduces us to the storyteller in T M Krishna like never before. It’s a non-fictional work written with a novelist’s touch. It makes for a riveting read with the musician’s earnestness to absorb the stories of his subjects and his … Read more

Video | “There is more than one form of being a devadasi”: The complex world of India’s devadasis – Interview with filmmaker (Lady) Beeban Kidron

Interview with filmmaker Beeban Kidron, plus exclusive clips from her new film. Sex, Death and the Gods explores the complex world of India’s devadasi, girls devoted to a goddess and then sold for sex at puberty | Lindsay Poulton and Joanna Moorhead, theguardian.com, 21 January 2011 >> Documentary maker Beeban Kidron (4:49): “They [the devadasis themselves] … Read more

Learn to distinguish and remember the 72 melakarta ragas – free course

Click the above link to participate – for free! Learn more about the above teachers – both regarded as legends in their own lifetime – on Wikipedia and here:Vidya Shankar (1920-2010)https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/Art-and-science-converged-here/article16181169.ece S. Rajam (1919-2010)Remembering S. Rajam by S. Janaki (Executive Editor, Sruti magazine)http://www.varalaaru.com/design/article.aspx?ArticleID=971 Related posthttps://www.carnaticstudent.org/melakarta-raga-application/

Veena Dhanammal’s soulful music

Read the full report in The Hindu (13 December 2018) >> Vainika K. G. Vijayakrishnan’s determination to get the younger generation interested in Veena Dhanammal’s soulful music resulted in a documentary on the legend. The documentary, conceptualised by Vijayakrishnan and directed by Avinash Prakash, was recently launched at the Music Academy. […] Vijayakrishnan’s father had … Read more

Search a reservoir of Indian theses: Shodhganga, “a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses – Open access

e.g. search for “Shodhganga Carnatic music”, “Shodhganga veena”, “Shodhganga bamboo flute”, “Shodhganga Indian music education”, “Shodhganga music bani”, “Shodhganga percussion instrument” in the search field below: Track missing details for search results Note: search results appear without much delay. More patience is needed for consulting the Shodhganga website (waiting time varies depending on the hour … Read more

Tip | Online research library: Musicresearchlibrary.net

Merger of websites: The two sites www.musicresearch.in and www.musicresearchlibrary.net have now merged! We have closed www.musicresearch.in and moved its contents to www.musicresearchlibrary.net. In the ‘musicresearchlibrary.net’ site, a menu ‘musicresearch.in‘ has been created which will house some of the earlier contributions of senior scholars. Please like and follow our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Musicresearchlibraryadmin/ for latest news and updates.

New online tool that will turn written konnakkol into audio

Courtesy: email by online tool-developer Arthur Carabott (UK), 18 March 2017 Generally the rules are: – for any syllable there must be at least one consonant followed by at least one vowel – Any brackets must match, so if you have three opening { you must have three closing } Input and feedback very welcome! http://arthurcarabott.com/konnakkol/

“Sri Saraswathi Chakra”: Understanding the melodic concepts of Carnatic, Hindustani and Western with the help of an innovative 72 Melakarta wheel

Many Carnatic ragas have their counterparts in western Music […] L.S.Ramesh, a Post Graduate from the reputed Indian Institute of Technology-I.I.T.Madras, has designed an Innovative Carnatic Music chakra (Sri Saraswathi 72 Melakarta chakra). […] This chakra requires no prior knowledge and has been appreciated by Music legends Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna,Prince Rama Varma, Shri. Garimella Balakrishna Prasad … Read more

Nagasvaram (nadaswaram): The “auspicious” wind instrument without which no festive occasion is ever complete

Aparna Karthikeyan, The Hindu, April 11, 2015 | To read the full story and view more photographs, click here >>  It takes many days to make a block of wood sing. And it takes exceptionally talented craftsmen to do it. The four families who still make the nadaswaram by hand in Narasingapettai (a village near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu) … Read more