Interesting Anecdotes From The World Of Music

By London Swaminathan

The book titled INTERESTING ANECDOTES FROM THE WORLD OF MUSIC has a lot of anecdotes, stories and titbits collected over 11 years from various sources. There is very little matter written by me. It is a book of compiled matter from newspapers, books and lectures. I have anecdotes and stories from Carnatic musicians, Hindustani Musicians and Western Musicians. They are not available elsewhere in one single book. Rare information about music pillars inside the temples, origin of music from the Sama Veda, superstition about music. Origin of certain ragas, Tansen’s famous Tamarind tree, rain by music is all in the book. There are some serious articles about comparison between Western music and Indian music. Though the book is not comprehensive, it will be of interest even to non-musicians. The range of periods covered in the book is also amazing. We cover from the Rig Veda to modern day musicians.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pustaka Digital Media
• Release date: Jul 30, 2022
• ISBN: 6580553508935

Book preview

C:\Users\INTEL\Desktop\Logo New\pustaka_logo-blue_3x.png

https://www.pustaka.co.in

Interesting Anecdotes From The World Of Music

Author:

London Swaminathan

For more books

https://www.pustaka.co.in/home/author/london-swaminathan

Digital/Electronic Copyright © by Pustaka Digital Media Pvt. Ltd.

All other copyright © by Author.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

1.Superstition in World of Music !

2.True Art is Never Made to Order

3.Musician who pledged a Raga!

4. A MUSICAL RAGA IN THE NAME OF TWO FAMOUS GIRLS

5. Interesting Anecdotes from the World of Music

6. Saint who went to Heaven with A Flute in Hand!

7. Ganges and Coovam Rivers in Carnatic Music!

8. How did Rare Indian Animal ‘Asunam’ become extinct?

9.Rain Miracles : Rain by Fire and Music!

10. Mystic No.7 in Music !

11. Acoustic Marvel of Madurai Temple

12. Haha and Huhu: Famous Musicians!

13. Bhumi Dundhubi: Drums in Rig Veda and Sangam Tamil Poems

14.Veena and Tamil Yaaz in the Rig Veda

15. Interesting Story about Music in Purana!

16. Music Wonders: Mozart and Nietzsche

17.Beethoven Decomposing !

18.My Violin Never Fails Me-Paganini

19.Most Famous Violin ‘Thief!’

20.Hindu Music in Panini’s Grammar Book

21.Papanasam Sivan’s Contribution to Sanskrit Lan-guage; London Festival Report

22. Indian Music and Western music

23.‘Vat a devil is dat?’ – Handel Angry!

24. Music will Make You Fat: Rock Music that grows on Plants

25. Musical Pillars in Hindu Temples

26. MORE ABOUT MUSIC PILLARS IN HINDU TEMPLES

27. MUSIC IN SAMA VEDA

FOREWORD

The book titled INTERESTING ANECDOTES FROM THE WORLD OF MUSIC has a lot of anecdotes, stories and titbits collected over 11 years from various sources. There is very little matter written by me. It is a book of compiled matter from newspapers, books and lectures. I have anecdotes and stories from Carnatic musicians, Hindustani Musicians and Western Musicians. They are not available elsewhere in one single book. Rare information about music pillars inside the temples, origin of music from the Sama Veda, superstition about music. Origin of certain ragas, Tansen’s famous Tamarind tree, rain by music is all in the book. There are some serious articles about comparison between Western music and Indian music. Though the book is not comprehensive, it will be of interest even to non- musicians. The range of periods covered in the book is also amazing. We cover from the Rig Veda to modern day musicians.

Each article has the original date of publication in my two blogs. I have given my contact details and welcome your comments. I want to thank all the original contributors. There are over 25 articles covering important musicians and musical instruments. Hope it would create more interest in the traditional music of the land. The stories and anecdotes from the world of dance and Bharata’s Natya Shastra will be published soon.

London Swaminathan

July 2022

1.Superstition in World of Music !

"Superstition is a seasoned sneak who can insidiously worm his way into any field of human thought or activity. There is practically no department of human life where he does not rear his ugly head and music is no exception

"Superstition is generally defined as blind belief or action which has not the support of reason. Superstitious people do a thing simply because other people do it or tradition demands it. The following story gives a striking picture of typical superstition.

STORY 1

" A Guru was living in an Ashrama with his disciples. A sick cat one day strayed into the place and the Guru tended it and brought it back to normal health. The cat became the pet of the hermitage and stayed there. As time went on, it began to take liberties with the Guru and started disturbing him when he was in meditation. So he tied it to his cot before sitting for meditation. All the disciples noticed it. In course, the Guru passed away and the senior disciple took his place as the head of the Ashrama.

As time went by, tying the cat to the cot became an important item in meditation, and accent shifted from meditation proper to tying the cat. The cat died. As meditation cannot begin without the cat-tying item they got hold of another cat for the purpose. After some time, meditation reduced to tying the cat to a cot and nothing more. Every disciple got hold of a cat and meditation started and ended with tying the cat to the cot!!

STORY 2

"I attended a music competition at which there were two judges one of whom was a well known musicologist and so dominated the show. The lady who was to me obviously was the best singer did not get the first prize. I was greatly surprised. The musicologist judge was asked to say a few words at the end. He referred a Ragamalika song sung by the best singer (who did not however get the prize) and said it was not right to have used the raga (tune) Saveri as the last in raga series, it being associated with the sentiment of sorrow, and it was usual to finish with auspicious ragas like Sourashtra or Madhyamavati. I was greatly amused to hear the savant indulging in such a fabric of fanciful assumptions, probably based on hearsay.

STORY 3

Here is again another striking example of superstition. Till a few years ago it was usual to begin a classical concert with the piece Vatapi Ganapatim in raga Hamsadhwani by Dikshitar. It had many advantages and set the right atmosphere at the beginning, and it was in praise of