The book is an attempt to highlight the process of evolution of our plucked instruments with a special reference to the most popular instrument Sitar. In Indian Music there are more than thousand kinds of instruments evident in the history of our music and many of them are now not in practice due to various reasons. Many instruments have been used by the folk singers and players but very few in the classical music. In our classical music tradition not many instruments could have a place in performance. In the North Indian Classical Music there are very few plucked instruments which have come to stay under the category of classical instruments, suitable for performance. This book is an attempt to focus the evolution of some instruments in its physical and musical form. Each main instrument is being discussed in details in its various forms viz; physical structure, tuning of instruments, playing technique and its current form of playing. The book is based on facts and documents with photographs, written in a simple language for the benefit of general readers. This may interest the students of music, dealing in the subject of evolution of plucked instruments for an analytical study with gradual changes in it’s physical form and development of the performance through different period.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prateek Chaudhuri
Prateek Chaudhuri, a brilliant performer, is acclaimed as one of the most outstanding Sitar players of the country today amongst the young generation. His Sitar sparkles with the rare combination of virtuosity with technical finesse and deep sense of aesthetics. His music also reflects the eternal essence of Sitar. Born in New Delhi, he has been groomed in a musical atmosphere since his birth. He has, for his father, the World Renowned Sitar Maestrom Padma Bhushan Pandit Debu Chaudhuri. Prateek has been meticulously trained and guided by his father from his childhood. He also had the great fortune to learn from his "Dada Guru" (father's Guru), Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan Sahab, the great legend of the "Senia" tradition. This leading tradition is named after the great doyen of the Indian Music Mian Tansen. Tansen is often called the father of the Indian Music and those who belong to his family as well as follow his style are called "Senia". In shaping Prateek's musical aesthetics, his mother, Dr. Manjushree Chaudhuri's influence is evident in his presentation. A votary of talent, training, education, intelligence and self-confidence, Prateek is the automatic successor to this rare "Senia" tradition of the great Indian Classical Music, having a unique individual tradition of playing Sitar not only with 17 frets, but also having an individual and unique string arrangements of its own. Academically, Prateek has excelled in each stage of his higher education. He is the recipient of the gold Medal for his M.A. (music) and also secured first position in M.Phil. (music) examinations and Ph.D. (music) from Delhi University. At present he is not only performing but also been teaching as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Music at Delhi University. Amongst his many achievements and accolades, Prateek has been ranked as an "A" Grade artist by All India Radio and Television, Government of India.
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