The Music of Hindostan

A H Fox-Strangways, The Music of Hindostan, Oxford: At The Clarendon Press, 1914, first edition

xii + 364 pages, index, 14 plates and 2 folding scores; original cloth with blind stamped decoration.
9 x 6 in (23.2 x 15.4 cm)

The book is a scholarly treatise on the basic features, principles, and systems of Hindustani music. For the preparation of the book, the author has culled together the varied information on this vast subject from his own field-work and first-hand sources and has handled this difficult subject with rare acumen. He has described and discussed in great detail the Hindustani classical music and Indian folk music including its lesser-known aspects like bardic songs, lullabies, devotional songs and the like. In his view, in Indian music the element of melody is dominant as opposed to the element of harmony in the European.

Strangways' work is not merely an adumbration of the theoretical aspects of Indian music but is an in-depth study illustrated by examples. He has very successfully been able to explain the nuances typical of Indian music.

In the twelve chapters the author has, besides dealing with the scale, mode, raga, grace, tala, drumming, the saman chant, form and melody, also given introductory remarks describing the milieu of Indian music and the legendary and historical background of Indian music.

This book will serve as an invaluable introductory work for those interested in Indian music. Along with the wide range of examples in each category of Indian music, the author has also explained and illustrated the material intelligible to the Western scholars. The book should prove to be of sustained interest both to experts and those interested in music.

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