Ritual Music and Hindu Rituals of Kerala

Rolf Killius

ISBN 10: 818882707X / ISBN 13: 9788188827077

Published by B R Rhythms, Delhi, 2006

About this Item

Contents Foreword. Introduction. 1. Hindu rituals in Kerala. 2. Kshetram the Hindu temple of Kerala. 3. Kshetram Vadyam the ritual music of the Kerala temples. 4. Chenda Melam and Panchavadyam the orchestral forms. 5. The solo ensembles Thayampaka Keli Kuzhal Pattu and Kombu Pattu. 6. Anusthanavadyam the smaller ritualistic ensembles. 7. Musical instruments in Kshetram Vadyam. 8. The Kshetram musician and ritual expert communities. Conclusion and outlook. References. Glossary. Kshetram Vadyam discography. Appendix. Index. This study explores the relationship of the Hindu religious rituals to the percussion dominated music genres in the South Indian state Kerala. It is both an introduction to the ritual performances and to the musical styles. It takes up the quest to investigate how ritual meaning is expressed through music it illuminates aesthetic beauty and the relative independent importance of the musical styles within the ritual context. The study investigates how and why the temple music ensembles are dominated by the ubiquitous drums and bronze cymbals and based on a sophisticated rhythm structure rather than on melody. Extended fieldwork within the musician communities in Kerala enabled the author Rolf Killius to arrange this work from the viewpoint of the musicians. As there are thousands of hereditary professional temple musicians in the districts of Central Kerala this work is mainly based on the oral knowledge of these communities however the few academic accounts of scholars were considered. The musician's perspective identified and illustrated through text photographs and tables should unfold the diversity of this musical culture. Thus Indian and percussion music aficionados and scholars alike should benefit from this study. 136 pp. Seller Inventory # 62605

Bibliographic Details

Title: Ritual Music and Hindu Rituals of Kerala

Publisher: B R Rhythms, Delhi

Publication Date: 2006

Binding: Hardbound

Condition: As New

Edition: New