South Asian Arts - Music and Sound

BIBLIOGRAPHY - Abstract and Review

Literature: (Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit):

The old literature of Southeast Asia has been more extensively described
than any of the modern literatures. Though antiquated, MORIZ WINTERNITZ,
Geschichte der indischen litteratur, 3 vol. (1908-22; Eng. trans., A History
of Indian Literature, 2nd ed. 1959-67), is still very useful. So is ARTHUR
B. KEITH, A History of Sanskrit Literature (1928, reprinted 1956), which,
however, does not include the Sanskrit theatre. For the old literature of
the Veda, ARTHUR A. MacDONNELL, A History of Sanskrit Literature (1900),
remains very helpful as a survey. A full inventory of the literature is
given by S.N. DAS GUPTA and S.K. DE, A History of Sanskrit Literature,
Classical Period, 2nd ed. (1962). The epochal material is best treated by
EDWARD W. HOPKINS, The Great Epic of India (1901). On the Sanskrit play
specifically, the study by the French scholar SYLVAIN LEVI, Le ThÚÅtre
indien (1890), remains an important contribution. The best introduction to
the narrative literature is to be found in CHARLES H. TAWNEY (trans.), The
Ocean of Story, ed. by NORMAN M. PENZER, 10 vol. (1923-28, reprinted 1968).
GEORGE L. HART, The Relation Between Tamil and Classical Sanskrit Literature
(1976), is an argument that the two literatures stem from a common source.

Modern Indian literatures:

The literatures in the modern Indian languages are bibliographically
underrepresented in English. For some of them the best sources are to be
found written in those languages themselves. The following bibliography must
confine itself to works written in more accessible languages. (Hindi): A
good though incomplete inventory of the older literature in Hindi and
Hindustani is found in JOSEPH GARCIN DE TASSY, Histoire de la littÚrature
hindouie et hindoustanie, 2nd ed., 3 vol. (1870-71, reprinted 1968). A
useful guide up to its date is EDWIN GREAVES, A Sketch of Hindi Literature
(1918). A survey of the more modern literature in Hindi is R.A. DWIVELDI, A
Critical Survey of Hindi Literature (1966). (Assamese): Among the few works
available is B.K. BARUA, Assames¶ Literature (1941) and A History of
Assamese Literature (1965). (Bengali): The best extensive introduction to
the literature in Bengali is that of SUKUMAR SEN, History of Bengali
Literature (1960). Another useful source is J.C. GHOSH, Bengali Literature
(1948). (Marathi): Many works on Marathi literature are written in Marathi
itself. A good guide is G.C. BHATE, History of Modern Marathi Literature,
1800-1938 (1939). (Gujarati): Little is written in English on Gujarati
literature. To be recommended is K.M. MUNSHI, Gujarat and Its Literature
from Early Times to 1852, 3rd ed. (1967). A useful older study is K.M.
JHAVERI, Milestones in Gujarati Literature (1914). (Punjabi): A good survey
of Punjabi is given by MOHAN SINGH, An Introduction to Panjabi Literature
(1951). For information about literature in the smaller Indo-Aryan
languages, see the symposium of the All-India Writers' Conference, Writers
in Free India (1950). (Muslim contributions): The best short introduction to
the cultural and intellectual life of the Moslems of the subcontinent is
AZIZ AHMAD, An Intellectual History of Islam in India (1969). A
comprehensive survey of the literature in Urdu produced in South India,
especially in the medieval kingdoms of Bijapur and Golconda and in the later
state Hyderabad is the Urdu work Dekan men Urdu by NASIRRUDDIN HASHMI
(1963). A study of the convention of classical Urdu poetry in the light of
the writings of three Urdu poets of 18th-century Delhi is RALPH RUSSELL and
KHURSHIDUL ISLAM, Three Mughal Poets: Mir, Sauda, Mir Hasan (1968). The
latest and most comprehensive survey of literature produced in Persian in
various countries, including India and Pakistan, is JAN RYPKA, History of
Iranian Literature (1968). A useful introduction is MUHAMMAD SADIQ, A
History of Urdu Literature (1964). (Tamil ): KAMIL V. ZVELEBIL, Tamil
Literature (1974), is an introduction to and critical study of the
literature. Much useful information is found in XAVIER S. THANI NAYAGAM, A
Reference Guide to Tamil Studies (1966). Fuller treatment is given in C. and
H. JESUDASAN, A History of Tamil Literature (1961). Especially recommended
are also T.P. MEENAKSHISUNDARAM, A History of Tamil Literature (1965); and
J.M. SOMASUNDARAM PILLAI, A History of Tamil Literature with Texts and
Translations from the Earliest Times to 600 A.D. (1968). A good account of
Telugu literature is P. CHENCHAYYA and R.M. BHUJANGA RAO BHADUR, A History
of Telugu Literature (1928). More recent is P.T. RAJU, Telugu Literature
(1944); and GIDUGU VENKAJA SITAPATI, History of Telugu Literature (1968).
Very little has been written on Kannada literature. Mention can be made of
the older EDWARD P. RICE, A History of Kanarese Literature, 2nd ed. rev. and
enl. (1921); and of H. THIPPERUDA SWAMY, The Virashaiva Saints (1968). The
literature in Malayalam is sketched in K.M. GEORGE, A Survey of Malayalam
Literature (1968). Further mention can be made of K.K. NAIR, A History of
Malayalam Literature (1971); and of P.K. PARAMESWARAN NAIR, History of
Malayalam Literature (Eng. trans. 1967). Finally, among the very few books
in English on the literature of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), prominent mention can be
made of CHARLES EDMUND GODAKUMBURA, The Literature of Ceylon (1963).

Music:

ARNOLD A. BAKE, "The Music of India," in The New Oxford History of Music,
vol. 1 (1957), a general chapter on Indian music dealing with the
philosophical background, Vedic chant, the ancient musical system, the
modern classical system, and musical instruments; ELISE B. BARNETT, "Special
Bibliography: The Art Music of India," Ethnomusicology, 14:278-312 (1970), a
listing of books and articles on Indian music, published since 1959, which
includes some publications on folk and religious music, dance, and drama;
SUDHIBHUSHAN BHATTACHARYA, Ethnomusicology and India (1968), a synchronic
approach attempting to relate folk, tribal, religious, and classical music
in terms of the cultural background--includes outline notations in Indian
sargam; ALAIN DANIELOU, The Raga-s of Northern Indian Music (1968), an
individualistic interpretation of modern North Indian ragas, based partly on
ancient theory; B.C. DEVA, Psychoacoustics of Music and Speech (1967), a
collection of articles on various aspects of music and speech, with emphasis
on acoustics and thescientific study of Indian music; ARTHUR H.
FOX-STRANGWAYS, The Music of Hindostan (1914, reprinted 1965), a work of
wide scope including discussion of Vedic chant, folk music, and modern
Indian classical music (includes notations in Western staff and analogies
with Western music); O.C. GANGOLY, Ragas and Raginis, 2 vol. (1934-35,
reprinted 1948), a historical study that traces the systems of classifying
ragas in Indian musical treatises, including a discussion of the time-theory
of ragas as well as their iconography; NAZIR A. JAIRAZBHOY, The Ragas of
North Indian Music (1971), a technical work dealing with the structure and
evolution of North Indian ragas (includes a 45 r.p.m. record of raga
demonstrations performed on the sitar by VILAYAT KHAN, and extensive
notations in Western staff and Indian sargam); BABURAO JOSHI and A. LOBO,
Introducing Indian Music (n.d.), a series of four long-playing records,
including musical examples and commentary, illustrating the main features of
North Indian classical music, with accompanying booklet; WALTER KAUFMANN,
The Ragas of North India (1968), description and notations, in Western
staff, of about 230 ragas of modern North Indian music; ALLEN KEESE, The
Sitar Book (1968), an elementary guide to the sitar, with some description
of playing techniques, musical exercises, and gats in ten ragas; HERBERT A.
POPLEY, The Music of India, 3rd ed. (1970), a general work including
discussion of historical background, scale, raga, tala, musical form, and
instruments, with notations in Western staff and Indian sargam; HAROLD S.
POWERS, "Indian Music and the English Language: A Review Essay,"
Ethnomusicology, 9:1-12 (1965), a survey of the most important literature on
Indian music written in the English language; and "An Historical and
Comparative Approach to the Classification of Ragas (with an Appendix on
Ancient Indian Tunings)," in Selected Reports of the Instiute of
Ethnomusicology, UCLA, 1:1-78 (1970), a scholarly monograph that attempts to
show the relationship between North and South Indian ragas that bear the
same name but now differ in scale--includes material on ancient Indian music
and gives many musical examples in Western staff; SWAMI PRAJNANANDA, A
History of Indian Music, vol. 1 (1963), a technical work dealing with the
origins and the music of the ancient period; P. SAMBAMOORTHY, South Indian
Music, 5 vol. (1958-69), a comprehensive work covering many aspects of South
Indian musical theory, both synchronically and diachronically; RAVI SHANKAR,
My Music, My Life (1969), a general book combining autobiographical and
biographical material with a discussion of Indian music history, theory, and
instruments, including a manual for the sitar. BONNIE C. WADE, Music in
India: The Classical Traditions (1979), a discussion of performance, theory,
and basic instruments of both the North and South; M.R. GUATAM, The Musical
Heritage of India (1981), a history with emphasis on classical traditions of
both the North and South; WIM VAN DER MEER, Hindustan: Music in the
Twentieth Century (1980), an introduction with emphasis on vocal music;
DANIEL M. NEUMAN, The Life of Music in North India (1980), an analysis of
the place in society of the musician.

This abstract and review was obtained from OnLine subscription services -
courtesy of Charles Turley.