About the Book MUSICIAN AND ACTIVIST T.M. KRISHNA INVESTIGATES THE HISTORY OF THE MRDANGAM AND MEETS THE INVISIBLE KEEPERS OF A TRADITION: THE MRDANGAM MAKERS. The mrdangam is an integral part of the Karnatik stage, its primary percussion instrument. Yet—startling as this is—the instrument as we know it is only a century old. T.M. Krishna investigates the history of the mrdangam and meets the invisible keepers of a tradition: the mrdangam makers. The making process is an intellectually, aesthetically and physically taxing one. From acquiring the skins for the circular membranes and straps to the wood for the drum, from curing the material to the final construction, and at the end of it all, making sure that it has the tone that the mrdangam player wants, mrdangam-making is also a highly nuanced operation at every stage. While several artists have been credited with the evolution of the instrument, including the stalwart Palghat Mani Iyer, none of them had knowledge of a fundamental aspect of the making: hide. The quality of the hide and how it is cured, cut, stretched, bound and braided impacts the tone, timbre and sound of the instrument. This requires a highly tuned ear and an ability to translate abstract ideas expressed by musicians into the corporeal reality of a mrdangam. Yet, their contribution to the art of the mrdangam is dismissed as labour and repair—when it is spoken of at all. There are legendary mrdangam players, yes; there are also distinguished mrdangam makers, many of them from Dalit Christian communities, who remain on the fringes of the Karnatik community. Sebastian and Sons explores the world of these artists, their history, lore and lived experience to arrive at a more organic and holistic understanding of the music that the mrdangam makes.

One of the foremost Karnatik vocalists today, T.M. Krishna writes lucidly and passionately about the form, its history, its problems and where it stands todayT.M. Krishna begins his sweeping exploration of the tradition of Karnatik music with a fundamental question: what is music? Taking nothing for granted and addressing readers from across the spectrum - musicians, musicologists as well as laypeople - Krishna provides a path-breaking overview of south Indian classical music.

Resounding Mridangam explores the nuances of Mridangam, the majestic South-Indian drum, an inevitable accompaniment in Carnatic classical music. The book is a beautiful journey in time and history. It is designed for a wider readership comprising music students as their academic source at universities across the globe, performing musicians, followers of Indian & Western classical music, and anyone who wishes to gain interdisciplinary knowledge in music. Analysis of the physics of Mridangam would enthuse readers with a scientific bent of mind. It covers a comparative analysis of the various music genres to appreciate synergy and synthesis. The book also contains unheard vignettes of 200+ Mridangam masters. Resounding Mridangam is divided into eight chapters. Chapter 1: The South Indian Classical Music Chapter 2: The Musical Instruments Chapter 3: Mridangam - Evolution & History Chapter 4: Bani - The Playing Traditions Chapter 5: Mridangam - The Structure & Components Chapter 6: The Physics of Mridangam Chapter 7: The Tala Systems Chapter 8: The Great Masters The first two chapters set the book's tone wherein the readers are introduced to Indian Classical Music's spectacular world. These chapters cover the genesis and evolution of Indian classical music and dwell into the two major Indian music genres: the Carnatic and the Hindustani. The readers are given an overview of the Indian classical music instruments from the archaic to the contemporary ones. Chapters 3 and 4 cover the history and evolution of Mridangam. The playing traditions (Bani) are narrated in great detail. These chapters will enrich the readers with the rich history and fine traditions of Mridangam playing. Chapters 5 and 6 take the readers through the anatomy and physics behind Mridangam. The readers are given the scientific aspects of this instrument, which makes Mridangam a unique one among the other classical percussion instruments. Chapter 7 takes the readers to the Tala systems (rhythmic frameworks) in Carnatic music. All Tala systems in Carnatic music are explained in detail, which would be of special interest to all music students. The last chapter is a tribute to the great masters of Mridangam on whose guidance and contributions this instrument has evolved to be a ubiquitous part of the tradition of classical music. This chapter covers unheard vignettes of 217 Mridangam masters of great reputation who classical music lovers are revering. The chapter covers information that invokes the interest of all classes of readers. Resounding Mridangam is an earnest endeavour chronicling the king of percussion instruments - the Mridangam. This book appeals to all music lovers to get a nuanced perspective of Mridangam and its fitment in the Indian Classical music milieu. It will serve as a definitive handbook of Mridangam. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Erickavu N. Sunil is an A-Grade South-Indian percussion artist in Mridangam at the All India Radio, the national public radio broadcaster of India. During the three decades of his performing career, Sunil has performed alongside many maestros, and his talent has been recognised with several awards and accolades. He left behind a successful corporate career in Information Technology to spend more time exploring, researching and understanding music. Sunil has put to best use his background in science while researching for Resounding Mridangam which is sure to leave music lovers enthralled. Prof Trichy Sankaran, the world-renowned percussion virtuoso, has written the foreword to this book.

"World Music: Traditions and Transformations, fourth edition, is an introductory-level survey of diverse musics from around the world. It assumes no prior formal training or education in music, and with one brief exception avoids the use of Western music notation entirely. It is written primarily for undergraduate nonmusic majors but is equally appropriate for music majors, and is therefore ideal for courses enrolling music and nonmusic stu-dents alike"--

This edited volume considers performance in its engagement with expanding Indian cities, with a particular focus on festivals and performances in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The editors ask how performance practices are affected by urbanisation, the effects of such changes on their cultural economy, and the environmental impacts of performance itself. This project also considers how performance responds to its context, and the potential for performance to be critical of the city’s development, and of its own compromises. Bringing together perspectives from the humanities, natural and social sciences, the book takes a multi-faceted analytical view of live performance, connecting contemporary with heritage forms, and human with more-than-human actors. The three sections, themed around heritage, everyday life, and future ecologies, will be of great interest to students and scholars in performance, heritage studies, ecology and art history.