Sargam - An Introduction to Indian Music

About Sargam - An Introduction to Indian Music

One of the books, which made the appeal of Indian music spread to the west, was a brochure by Vishnudass Shirali published in the thirties, when he was the musical director of Uday Shanker’s famous troupe. Since then, this highly talented man has written a more comprehensive but vivid book about the internal rhythms of classical music. The simplicity and liveliness of his analysis of Nada or sound, Raga or the soul of classical music, the explanation of the grouping of beats or units, the Indian notation and orchestration, will grip the uninitiated reader as well as the expert. The highlight of the text is the chapter on different musical instruments used in Indian. There are 200 illustrations of these instruments, which is a unique feature of this book. Other illustrations include eight colour plates of Ragas and Raginis, and several black & white sculptures depicting musicians. This book is a model of accomplishment by one of the most versatile Indian Musical directors responsible for creating background rhythms for many dances, dramas and films and originating his own unique style of interpretations of Ragas.