Vinay Mishra and the Artistry of the Harmonium

Vinay Mishra is an accomplished Indian solo and accompanying harmonium player born and brought up in Benaras and currently residing in Delhi serving as a faculty member of the Department of Music, Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi. The rigorous training of both vocal and instrumental music under veteran Hindustani Music virtuosos, the academic and scholarly scope built up till the degree of PhD in Music, the realizations, and understandings on music must have conspicuously made an impact of his practice and artistry as a harmonium player. Harmonium was originated in the west and adopted by Indian musicians in the colonial era which was brought up to the present day through many artistic, cultural and political controversies, and obstacles. This work focuses on discovering the insights of the harmonium art of Vinay Mishra. Hence, his academic background, musical training, musical career, his playing style as a soloist, general techniques and techniques of accompaniment, sense of machinery, perspectives on raga Taal, and thoroughly the tuning methods were studied in-depth through personal conversations and literature resources where it was observed that modern Hindustani harmonium artists favor a typical natural tuning method over the 12 equal temperaments of the common keyboard instruments. According to him, the stable sound of the harmonium was the reason to be vocal music- friendly in classical and light vocal music accompaniment which was only interrupted by the equal temperament earlier and was later overcome by the artists and harmonium makers. The idea was also raised that apart from gaining the basic command of an instrument, a Hindustani instrumentalist may learn and practice all other aspects of Hindustani music from the teachers of other forms too. Vinay Mishra’s thoughts of machinery, musical forms, compositions, applying Hindustani vocal, and plucking string instrumental ornamentations on the Harmonium were also reviewed.

Review: The Yandong Grand Singers by Pan Records 2122 CD

This CD album provides an opportunity to hear the range of different forms of Kam songs currently featured in staged Kam singing performances, as well as the acoustic environment of Kam communities. This review offers an analysis of some of the many layers of history, meaning and significance of the songs featured, as well as commentary on the accompanying CD notes.

Hudhud: A Living Oral Tradition of the Ifugao

This study focuses mainly on the oral tradition of Ifugao called Hudhud, its performances, cultural values, and means of pedagogical transmission. It is important to note that this oral tradition is sustaining through the school of living tradition in the place of its origin. Through this study, people will be aware of this unique oral tradition of Ifugao, which is situated in the northern Philippine highlands. This ethnographic study captures the holistic purpose of the study of Hudhud; and thus, immersion, interview, archiving, and observation of the subject were made. Performances of the Hudhud are still popular during the community gathering called Gotad ad Ifugao, death rituals, weddings, and other important gatherings—big or small—in the entire province of Ifugao.

Event Review: The XXXVI European Seminar in Ethnomusicology

This review describes the XXXVI European Seminar in Ethnomusicology as a virtual event organized by colleagues. The event is important to all ethnomusicologists and people interested in the field of ethnomusicology globally. It is mainly to inform about the organization and the way of interactions among its members.

Re-Contemplating the Classification of Multiple Reeds

The 2011 Revision of the Hornbostel-Sachs Classification of Musical Instruments by the MIMO Consortium categorises the “reedpipes with double (or quadruple) reeds” (422.1) according to the number of pipes, bore shapes, and finger holes, as it does to many other instrument groups. However, this scheme rather overlooks the significantly varied features of the multiple reeds themselves – their structural difference that determines their making and functioning, and how they connect to the pipe body – especially considering the vast varieties and distribution of multiple reeds compared with other types of reed pipes. Following the hierarchical classification of reed pipes (422) primarily according to the types of reeds, this paper would propose a further classification based on the “subtypes” of multiple reeds. The first level divides into “idioglot reeds” and “staple-mounted reeds” based on the connection of reeds with the pipe body. Idioglot reeds make one-part and two-part reed pipes, the former “usually a flattened stem” of the upper end of the pipe itself and the latter made from unbroken thick cane that fits inside the pipe bore. In contrast, staple-mounted reeds make three-part reed pipes. Some have fixed sides so that only the tips of reed blades are free to vibrate, while others have detached individual leaves that can vibrate on all sides. Given that reeds, as the primary source of sonic vibration, decide many fundamental features of a reed pipe, this recontemplated classification is likely to provide more distinct insight into their construct, functioning, and historical lineages.

Playing and Fighting as an Electric Violinist

The violin is an instrument used in various musical genres. Besides preserving, elaborating, and valuating, the classical form of the instrument as well as the classical violin repertory, an electronic version of the instrument has entered the music business many decades ago. It allows the musician to produce sounds ranging from classical violin sounds to electric guitar or even electric bass sounds. Nora Kudrjawizki (‘Angelstrings’, “One Violin Orchestra”) is an electric violinist living in Berlin and using the instrument for as many different genres and occasions as possible: playing Nirvana songs or fighting with the violin bow as an improvised sword to “Pirates of the Caribbean” music as part of her performance. Her work will be presented as a case study and will be set into a bigger framework with further electric violinist statements generated from the literature. I focus on the differences in the instrumentalist–instrument relation when playing electric or acoustic. My aim is to prove that the electric violin is mostly used to play public and impress others and that there are also musically interesting aspects and individual experiences that should be valued.

Study on 24 Jieling Drums as Urban Cultural Landscape in Malaysia

The 24 solar terms, a knowledge system incorporated in the East Asian lunisolar calendar, reflect a typical agricultural life shaped by the astronomical and phenological nature in ancient China. The UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage embodies this Chinese tradition and culture. It is also commonly observed among Chinese diasporas in other parts of the world. Since 1988 when Tan Chai Puan and Tan Hooi Song established 24 Jieling Drums (二十四节令鼓) in Johor Bahru, Malaysia by exploring this Chinese traditional heritage, artistic performances of this vibrant music genre have effectively transmitted drumming aesthetics in Malaysian urban landscape into the Chinese cultural sphere for over three decades. This study explores a characterised link between this millennia-old Chinese cultural heritage and 24 Jieling Drums as an urban cultural landscape in Malaysia, and discusses several issues on the cultural elements applied in a diversified land through the narrative.

Kerala´s Ancient Mizhavu Drum: Transformations and Sustainability

The Kerala state in India offers a huge assemblage of various percussion eccentricities. Each percussion instrument sustains and preserves its own attributes: some drums accompany visual arts, others create a vibrant world of percussion music, and a few maintain both attributes. Almost all instruments are related to ceremonial pursuance and worship customs. Mizhavu is a single-headed drum from Kerala that employs these kinds of ceremonial pursuance. The purpose of the instrument, which had also been used in temples in Tamil Nadu, is to accompany the Kūṭiyāṭṭam and Kuttu performances in the great temples (mahakshetras) for the pleasure of God’s souls and the invocation of their powers. Kūṭiyāṭṭam and Kuttu – Kerala’s Sanskrit drama performing art forms – have been recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage due to 2000 years of tradition. As ‘visual sacrifice’ staging scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, they combine dance with theatre performance, Sanskrit verses (slokas), and percussive music in a ritualistic context. The main supporting percussion instrument (mizhavu) serves as deva vādyam – an instrument for the deities. Its classification as a one-headed drum covered with skin (avanaddha vadya of the dardura type) goes back to the Natya Shastra of Bharatamuni – some 2000 years ago. Definitions as kettledrum (bhanda vadya) trace it back to Kautilya’s Arthasastra. The Buddhist Pali Tripitaka refers to pot drums (kumba toonak). Tamil epics mention a muzha or kuta muzha drum. Publications in recent decades nearly mention that drum. Production methods, forms, and material of the drum have changed over the ages. Attached to the artistic heritage of a certain Brahmin caste – the Nampyar – the drum has spent a long period in the environment of temple theatres. Since 1966, it has been taught to pupils of all castes at the Kerala Kalamandalam, Thrissur District. P.K.K. Nambiar worked as the first mizhavu teacher in the later added Kūṭiyāṭṭam department. He was followed by his pupil K. Eswaranunni, the first mizhavu guru from another caste, fighting for acceptance among members of Chakyar and Nampyar families. As a passionate master with numerous awards and performance experience all over the world, K. Eswaranunni has trained most of the contemporary mizhavu percussionists, who are still performing all over India as well as abroad. This paper gives an overview of the instrument and shows how the mizhavu is described by both gurus in their books written in Malayalam and by both authors including their personal relations to the drum.

Event-Review: Chinese Church Music since the Tang Dynasty

This short review is dedicated to the long-awaited event ‘Beijing Symposium of Sinicised Catholic Theology – The Chinese Face of Jesus Christ’ and deals with the historical background of some its events. It is also a personal document filled with statements derived from the given observations.

Revie of ``Storytelling in Siberia: The Olonkho Epic in a Changing World''

This book review highlights the specific features of an important publication about Siberian traditions. The author spent much time and energy in compiling convincing material. The reviewer goes through some details regarding the contents and structure of this publication.