Music in North India: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture

Designed for undergraduates with little or no background in world music, Music in North India is one of several volumes that can be used along with Thinking Musically, the main book in the Global Music Series, in any introductory world music or ethnomusicology course. Music in North India provides an overview of the many styles of North Indian music, from the chants of the ancient Vedas to modern devotional singing; from the serious and meditative rendering of raga to the concert-hall excitement of the modern sitar, sarod, and tabla. The text is framed around three central topics: the devotional component of North Indian music, the idea of fixity and spontaneity in the various styles of Indian music, and the importance of the verbal syllable to the expression of the musical aesthetic in North India. Featuring vivid eyewitness accounts of performances and interviews with performers, this unique volume describes the form, structure, and expression of North Indian music while also illuminating its pronounced religious and cultural significance. It is packaged with a 70-minute CD that includes examples of the music discussed in the text.