Sitar and Sarod in the 18th and 19th Centuries

Sitar and Sarod in the 18th and 19th Centuries. By Allyn Miner. Performing Arts Series, VII. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1997. vi +265 pp. Illus. 16.50 [pounds sterling] (hbk), 9.99 [pounds sterling] (pbk). ISBN 81-208-1299-9 (hbk), ISBN 81-208-1493-2 (pbk)

Allyn Miner's history of the two north Indian musical instruments is a valuable account. It is based on a variety of sources: oral histories, medieval Persian sources, modern archival materials in India and England, to name the important ones. In addition to this, the volume contains a large number of black and white plates of ancient sculptures, miniature paintings, hand drawings, and portraits. Unfortunately, these are not listed in the table of contents and their visibility is limited by this absence. However, the reader will find in these a rich visual history of the two instruments, their players and listeners. They show court, folk, and spiritual musicians playing the instruments or their regional variations, solo or in groups, and in different styles.

Miner's research, collection, and collation of the data are evidence of excellent scholarship. The author obviously had the opportunity to consult materials in different countries and has used it well. Nevertheless, she humbly states that "there are a great many musicians with whom I was unable to meet, and that there is a good deal of material on this period which escaped my attention" (p. 7). Indeed, a subject like this cannot easily be exhausted, but the author juggles with ease the variety of information and shapes it into a lucid narrative. This narrative deals with conflicting theories regarding the origin of the instruments, their development at various historical times, and other related instruments in India and West and Central Asia. This account would interest a wider range of readers than just musicologists. The last part of the book deals with "Techniques and Compositions" and is meant for the musicologists and others familiar with the instruments. The author also clearly demonstrates her own knowledge of the theory and practice of sitar.

Miner follows the subject of her research very closely throughout the book. She is careful and thorough about historical references, but does not attempt any socio-historical analysis of the subject. This is not a weakness of the book, because its focus is clear and unwavering, leaving scope for the readers to draw other conclusions and or follow threads of research.

From documents of Mughal and colonial India emerges a parallel narrative of the political history of the two instruments; that is, how their growth, development, and popularity has been linked to the changing political destinies of India in the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Having received a major boost at the time when the Mughal Empire was at its peak in terms of wealth and glory, the instruments and their players became important members of the royal courts. It is a fascinating account that shows the power of musicians whose musical talents involved them in royal intrigues. Miner's account is full of interesting anecdotes and oral tales about kings, musicians, and the instruments.

During the transition from Mughal rule to British, the two instruments reached the houses of the courtesans and the dancing girls. With the establishment of the British rule after 1857, the former royal patrons disappeared and the instruments survived in regional centres and the courts of the small rajas. In 1871, the first western style music college was established in Calcutta by the English-educated Indian elite. The college became an important promoter of sitar and sarod in modern times. Through the course of the two centuries these instruments faced a variety of attitudes, descriptions, and evaluations that constantly changed their status and place in Indian society. The visual documents in Miner's book will not allow anyone to miss the presence of women musicians throughout the medieval and pre-British period. This contrasts sharply with the fact that sitar and sarod maestros today are male. Since its modern popularisation in the late nineteenth century, and under the influence of British social life, amateur players--mainly women--became common in social circles (p. 148).

Allyn Miner's book is an interesting, educational, and thought-provoking work that will be of interest to musicologists, folklorists, and cultural historians.

Sadhana Naithani, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

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