Seminars and lectures at Baajaa Gaajaa 2011 will focus on wide-ranging subjects. Workshops have been organized for children and adults. Read more..
Lectures
Well-known scholars will deliver wide-ranging lectures at Baajaa Gaajaa 2011.
From 4 pm to 6 pm. No registration required. Open to all.
February 4, 2011
Singing the bhakti poets: Do words matter?
By Dr. Linda Hess, Department of Religious Studies, Stanford University, USA
We often hear that for a Hindustani classical singer, words are almost incidental. A bandish may include only a line or two of text, and the singer uses these lines as a minimal structure on which to develop musical art. A word explored with repetition becomes pure vowel, consonant, breath, voice quality, elaboration, patterned creativity. It slides into “ah” or sargam, and no one cares. When a singer sings a bhajan—a longer, more connected text usually associated with a great poet—is it different? Are the words and their meanings related to the musician’s art? In what ways might a deep understanding of and feeling for the poetry matter for a singer? This talk is informed by the speaker’s studies of oral traditions of Kabir and nirgun singing, in folk and classical settings. Through examples of text and performance, it will shed light on how words matter, how music and poetry transform each other, how social context affects meaning, and how texts become dynamic in oral environments.
February 5, 2011
Scale, Rhythm and Style of Japanese traditional music
By Hiros Nakagawa, Japan
Why do Indians not have a curiosity about Japanese music? Is it because they are not interested in non-Indian systems of music? Or is it because of the pride and respect that Indians have for their sophisticated and ancient culture? Whatever are the reasons for this lack of curiosity, globalization has made it necessary and possible for understanding other cultures. Perhaps, the mood in India may also be changing among those who have encountered non-Indian musical culture.
This illustrated lecture will look at scales, rhythm, form and instruments employed in Japanese traditional music.
February 6, 2011
The Enigma of Sourendra Mohan Tagore and his Orchestra
By Dr. Adrian McNeil, Department of Media, Music, Communication & Cultural Studies, Macquarie University, Australia
Sourendra Mohan Tagore is a enigmatic character in the musical history of Bengal. There are many things about his life and creativity that can be seen today to be culturally rich, but at times quite controversial. One of his greatest legacies are the more than 40 large collections of traditional and hybrid instruments that he sent around the World in the late nineteenth century. This presentation explores his life through one such collection sent to Melbourne in 1881.
