The discussion of the sitar and its repertoire as well as of the background material on gharana and rag contained in this book is derived from the author’s personal involvement with Indian music dating back to 1974. The work commences with an ethnographic preamble. The first chapter is devoted to a study of gharana and patronage. Chapter 2 deals with the history of the sitar and the evolution of performance style on this instrument. The third chapter commences with a discussion of terminology which is relevant to the study of rag. Chapter 4 and 5 consist of a detailed examination and comparison of two traditions, namely, the Gulam Ali Khan and the Imdad Khani gharanas.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR James Sadler Hamilton
James Sadler Hamilton has a broad background in both Western and Asian music and is regarded as an authority in the field of ethnomusicology. He completed his B.A. degree (History and Philosophy of Religion) at Concordia University in Montreal (1976) and obtained his M.A. (Instrumental Music) from Rabindra Bharati University (1976-79). It was during this period that Dr. Hamilton received his initiation into sitar music from the renowned musician and musicologist Radhika Mohan Maitra. His study of the presentation of classical music on the sitar culminated in his being awarded the degree of Ph.D. Social Anthropology (Ethnomusicology) from Queens University of Belfast, Ireland (1986). Dr. Hamilton is presently continuing research under the guidance of the noted sitarist Ms. Kalyani Roy. He is also visiting scholar at University of British Columbia.
There are no reviews yet.