Collector’s item
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
| The second edition of ‘The Oxford Illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music’ by Ludwig Pesch is out on the stands. |
Perceptive: Ludwig Peschm.
Ludwig Pesch’s tryst with the Indian classical arts began in the late 1970s. His long-standing association with Kalakshetra, merging with its sylvan ambience and imbibing from distinguished mentors such as S. Rajaram and D. Pasupathi deepened h is perception of the subtly shaded nuances and the philosophy underlying South Indian classical music and dance. Having familiarised himself with precept, it was inevitable that Pesch be drawn to practice as well, learning the flute from H. Ramachandra Sastri and graduating to performance.
In 1999, ‘The Oxford Illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music’ authored by Pesch was published by Oxford University Press.
Vast scope
Pesch’s latest offering is the second edition of this publication. Compiling his painstakingly acquired knowledge on the subject into a book could not have been an easy task as the vast scope would have posed a challenge even to the musician or musicologist born and bred in the tradition. Others had done it before, with many efforts sliding into a pedantic morass that invariably succeeded in intimidating the lay reader or summoning the Sandman.
Not so with Pesch. The author’s scholarship extends beyond formal study and comprehension to a tone of ready empathy with the aesthete, whose instinctive appreciation of art forms, both familiar and unfamiliar, is in response to an inner call. In art, there is much that cannot be explained. Only experienced. Pesch unerringly homes in on this truth, trusting in intuition to guide him into spaces illuminated by the spark of enquiry and the glow of discovery that transform mere sight into vision. And herein lies the book’s USP.
A worthy addition
Three reasons that make this volume a must-read and a worthy addition to a classical music aficionado’s collection - the scope is comprehensive, the content is meticulously researched and accurately presented and the tone communicative, striking an instant rapport with the reader. Spanning a broad spectrum ranging from basic concepts, dynamics of voice and instruments, musical forms and composers to complexities of gamaka, raga, tala and rhythm, Pesch employs simple language and lucid explanations to unscramble jargon and decipher technicalities. Sifting, seeking and analysing but never overwhelming, the author engages the reader in a conversation that grows progressively absorbing in its traverse through deftly interwoven past and present, fact and belief, tradition and zeitgeist. The text is richly layered with the musings and quotes of savants and musicians such as George L. Hart, Rangaramanuja Ayyangar, Rabindranath Tagore, Joap Bor and Yehudi Menuhin.
At 514 pages inclusive of a glossary-cum-index, this tome is substantive but not exacting. Certainly, a book that can be judged by its tastefully designed cover that has you running your hand covetously over the embossed gold lettering accentuating a muted olive background graced with a mural depicting a colourful procession of female musicians playing instruments. The layout makes for pure reading pleasure with its vision-friendly font size and apt illustrations that include paintings, photographs, sketches, diagrams and staves.
The inside pages…
• From basic concepts, dynamics of voice and instruments to musical forms and composers
• Complexities of gamaka, raga, tala and rhythm explained in detail.
• Simple language and lucid explanations
• Quotes of savants and musicians such as George L. Hart, Rangaramanuja Ayyangar, Rabindranath Tagore, Joap Bor and Yehudi Menuhin.
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