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Reviewed by:
  • Musica y artes escénicas de la India (Music and dramatic arts of India)
  • Peter Manuel (bio)
Musica y artes escénicas de la India (Music and dramatic arts of India). Various artists. Directed by Enrique Cámara de Landa. Valladolid, Spain: Universidad de Valladolid, 2006. Six DVDs (5 hours, 58 minutes). Booklet.

The entity reviewed here is a set of six DVDs and a book on North and South Indian classical music and dance, edited by Enrique Cámara de Landa of the University of Valladolid, Spain. The book and much of the video narration are in Spanish. The primary and intended audience of this set may naturally consist of Spanish-speaking students and scholars in Spain and, depending on availability, Spanish-speaking communities elsewhere. Others—including many readers of this journal—might find some of the videos useful as pedagogical materials. (The videos are in PAL format, which should be playable on most modern computers; however, for some reason, three of them would play only on my PC, not on the three Macs or the video player at my disposal.)

The book, “Sangita” y “natya”, música y artes escénicas de la India (Sangita and natya, music and dramatic arts of India), contains nine chapters by five authors. In three of these, Cámara de Landa presents a brief overview of Indian music history, notes on popular instruments, and an essay on sitar history, construction, and technique. María González Legido offers an introduction to Karnatak music, and a set of beginners’ vocal exercises. Ignacio Corral Bermejo summarizes basic Karnatak composition forms, and describes the constituent parts of a typical kriti, with examples notated in sargam. Mónica de la Fuente García authors concise essays surveying bharat natyam and kathakali theater. Readers familiar with the voluminous English-language literature on Hindustani and Karnatak music may not find much original content here. Most of the material is unobjectionable, though mildly blemished by assorted idiosyncracies and a reliance on rather limited and dated source materials.

The six DVDs, each about 2 hours in length, are diverse not only in subject matter but in format and approach. In the video Sitar, Sanjay Sharma (of the Delhi sitar maker Rikhi Ram & Sons), discusses sitar construction (in English, without Spanish subtitles). Musicologist Bhaskar Chandravarkar then offers a lecture-demonstration (also in English) covering the instrument’s history and playing technique. Sitar student Nirmal Sharma, again using English, further demonstrates basic playing technique. Short performances by Hans Rash and Javardhan Mitta conclude the disc. Portions of these videos might be of use to a beginning sitar student, but are unlikely to hold the attention of an undergraduate class.

The disc Vina commences with a narration, in Spanish, introducing the instrument, segueing to a visit to a dimly lit shop where vinas are being made, [End Page 146] with the narration largely drowned out by loud drumming. Vina student Corral Bermejo then demonstrates and explains (again in Spanish) basic playing techniques and beginners’ exercises. Concert footage of Rugmani Gopalakrishna is followed by an example of “fusion” featuring Geetha Navale, on amplified vina, accompanied by guitar and tabla. The audio quality is not ideal.

Mridangam roughly follows this format, though the English-speaking informants, who cover construction, playing techniques, and pedagogical exercises, are not very voluble or articulate. The disc concludes with concert footage (by an ensemble including an alto saxophone player).

Canto Carnático consists essentially of demonstrations, with short, spoken introductions in Spanish, of elementary exercises in râg Mâyamâlavagaula, by vocalist Gayatry Kesavan, who sings seated before the camera. This sort of footage, like much in this set, could be of interest to a novice student, though unsuitable for classroom presentation. Cámara de Landa then explains sargam and the melâkarta system using a piano keyboard. Next, Kesavan sings a kirtan, without accompaniment, and the disc concludes with concert footage of vocalist Aruna Sairan and accompanists.

The disc Bharat Natyam features Mónica de la Fuente, who, aside from being a skilled performer of that idiom, is an accomplished flamenco dancer, actress, and choreographer of innovative fusion productions. With short, spoken introductions in Spanish, she...

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