Description

Indian and Western Music Traditions Course content:

While Hindu music traditions are diverse, the core of the various traditions originating in India stands out as unique with their emphasis on ‘the raga’ and ‘the tala’ and a core of commonality that is rooted in spirituality.  Our goals are:

1. To provide an overview of the various Art and Folk music traditions and the core of commonality across traditions (especially between the Hindustani and Karnatic traditions)
2. To provide a nuanced understanding of the vocabulary used in Karnatic and Hindustani music traditions
3. To provide a clear contrast between Indian and Western Musical Traditions.

Course Learning Objectives:

After completion of the course, the student should be able to:

1. Discover the antiquity and spiritual basis of Indian music traditions;
2. Articulate the differences between Indian and Western musical traditions;
3. Obtain a clear understanding of the core of commonality across various Indian music traditions and their place in the Hindu way of life;
4. Distinguish the commonalities and differences between Hindustani and Karnatic music;
5. Discuss terminologies used in Karnatic and Hindustani music;

Class Structure

There will be a minimum of 1 contact hour every week. The class is structured in a way that promotes discussion and debate based on listening experiences and reading material. While the content being discussed in each class will be concluded within 60 minutes, the discussion time will be free format and can continue for an additional 30 minutes maximum. During the course, students will be required to submit two short essays. They need not be academic quality papers – but should be based on students’ self-reflection on what they have learned and assimilated so far.

Prerequisites: Enrollment into a Program of study

Faculty / Instructor: Dr. Kanniks Kannikeswaran

Required / Elective: Elective

Area of Study: Texts & Traditions

Start Date: TBD

End Date: TBD

Time: TBD

Day: TBD

Quarter Offered:TBD