Image © The Hindu Gouri Dange, The Hindu, 11 May 2019 | Read the full article here >>Every kind of music has a protocol for ‘beginners’ or ‘learners’. Students must practise paltay, alankaras, scales, études, tonalisation exercises, depending on the kind of music they pursue. […] However, here’s the rub: for many learners, these ‘early’ […]
Category Archives: Transmission
Why Carnatic Music Matters More Than Ever
Sruti 35th anniversary issue (October 2018) >> by Ludwig Pesch For this musicologist and author, there are good reasons to believe that Carnatic music matters, perhaps more than ever and almost anywhere in the world. So why not perform and teach it in the service of better education for all, for ecological awareness or in […]
Unity in Diversity, Antiquity in Contemporary Practice? South Indian Music Reconsidered
“Unity in Diversity, Antiquity in Contemporary Practice? South Indian Music Reconsidered” by Ludwig Pesch (Amsterdam) in Music – Politics – Identity published by Goettingen University Music always mirrors and acts as a focal point for social paradigms and discourses surrounding political and national identity. The essays in this volume combine contributions on historical and present-day questions […]
A storm of songs: India and the idea of the bhakti movement
by John Stratton Hawley Interview in The Hindu (January 10, 2016): “A Storm of Songs examines how devotional songs such as padams mingled with the abhangs, how the Dalit narrative and Sufi music found an outlet in creating the network called the Bhakti movement. In a conversation, he maps the mystical journey which knits India.” http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/bhakti-challenges-communal-religion/article8086253.ece “In this comprehensive […]
“What Ragam Are You?” Absorbing the essence of ragas with a personal touch, literally! – YouTube
Documentary on S.Rajam singer, scholar, teacher and painter – YouTube video
S.Rajam is a multifaceted genius with creative talents in a variety of fields such as music, musicology, classical painting and acting. In the field of music, S. Rajam is an unparalleled authority on Vivadi ragas and has done much to popularize Koteeswara Iyer’s kritis. He has the distinction of being the only musician to have […]
Paper and Lecture Recital at the International Congress of the Gesellschaft für Musikforschung
Music | Musics. Structures and Processes 15th International Conference of the Gesellschaft für Musikforschung Goettingen Title of the presentation by Manickam Yogeswaran & Ludwig Pesch: “Unity in diversity, antiquity in contemporary practice? A fresh look at South Indian music” Read more >>
All craftsmen in Miraj are musicians – the wonderfully resonant Tanpura (Tambura)
Lakshmi Sreeram, The Hindu, July 19, 2012 Miraj is famous for tanpuras made by its craftsmen, who honed their skills by first becoming trained musicians. How did it ever strike someone to stick a piece of wood on a dried pumpkin, build this bridge and that and twist some strings on it, to make this wonderfully […]
Rajeswari Padmanabhan: Vainika, teacher, friend – a tribute in Sruti, A Monthly Magazine on Indian Performing Arts
By Dr. Pia Srinivasan I joined Kalakshetra in 1968 to learn Carnatic music. It was there that I met Rajeswari. It was a great event in my life as I came to realise more and more. Rajeswari, along with her music, is the central figure in my book titled Il raga che porta la pioggia (The raga that […]