Karnataka Music As Aesthetic Form (History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization)

Karnataka Music As Aesthetic Form is probably the first serious and systematic attempt to analyse and explain aesthetic experience of Karnataka music in the perspective of its multiple values. It deals with a traditional art form of Indian music which is performed and enjoyed by many millions of music lovers in India and abroad. Its focus is Karnataka music but much of what it says in the first half applies to Indian music in general.

The book develops its ideas and concepts progressively, beginning with an analysis of art experience, set forth against a background of human experience in general and examines some of the prominent Indian and western theoretical models of art experience and beauty. The main thrust of its argument presented with philosophical insights is that experience of pure music is qualitatively different from other forms of aesthetic experience, incomparable and autonomous, and that traditional aesthetic theories of poetry and theatre are inadequate to explain musical experience per se. The author examines, in the process, aesthetic materials and compositional design of Indian music as well as the musical forms and instruments employed in contemporary Karnataka music. Historical continuity and chronology of the musical system are discussed in relation to general and particular historiographical problems and in relation to the historical evolution of the characterizing features of the system viz. raga, tala, vadya and prabandha. It may be mentioned that art historiography with special reference to Indian music is one of the author's major interests.

The book is based on extensive, original sources draw from different areas of study such as aesthetics, Indian music, Vedic and Tantrik literature.

About the Author:

Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. R. Sathyanarayana is one of the foremost thinkers and writers in the field of Art (especially Indian music and Indian dancing) in modern India. He is broad-based in several physical sciences, humanistic and indological disciplines. He has published numerous books including critical editions, translations, commentaries, annotations etc. of original Sanskrit texts on music and dancing, monographs, original creative works, popularizations, research papers etc. on these cognate subjects. He has received numerous academic distinctions (including doctoral degrees, fellowships, honorific titles), awards and honours. He is associated with many learned bodies in India and abroad. He has presented papers at numerous national and international conclaves. Major areas of his interest and activity include systematic textual criticism, textual interpretation with contemporary relevance, interdiscipinal studies, performance-oriented reconstruction and revival of ancient and medieval compositions in music and dance. He is a guide and examiner for doctoral examinations.

Prof. Sathyanarayana belongs to the third generation of the sisya-parampara of the saint-composer Sri Tyagaraja. He is a music composer, teacher, public speaker, broadcaster etc. He travels frequently to both the East and the West to interpret traditional Indian culture love on cultural missions. His life and work are documented in many professional directories and Who's Who-s. He is hailed for his systematic contributions to the intradisciplinal and interdisciplinal bases of modern Indian musicology and danceology.

Sri Sathyanarayana is a noted guru in the srividya tantra of kadimata and anandabhairava sampradaya.