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Literary Review
Short notes
ANURADHA ROY
DESPITE the dog days a few titles have quietly slid in, gladdening hearts all around. D.P. Mukerji's Indian Music: An Introduction, a slim volume fat with knowledge, first published in 1945, is back in print. A pioneer at Lucknow University, he was a sociologist revered by his students. And unlike most academics he could hear the sound not just of his own voice but also of others: he was an unusually gifted and learned listener of music.
The prose in Indian Music is compressed enough to satisfy a Bacon. Ideas are sketched in and elaborated with breathtaking, sometimes mind-boggling brevity. Why does Indian music sound dull to untrained ears? How is music changing in an evolving society? How is Carnatic music different from Hindustani? All this and more in 54 insightful pages. Including a tip about listening to music unhurriedly. To this end, he advises: "It is better to attend an Indian music soirée after dinner, and without the wife" (italics mine).
Be forgiving, it is a very old book.
Indian Music: An Introduction, Rupa, Rs. 60.
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