Ragamala: Music, Painting, and Manuscripts in Courtly India

Thursday, November 3, 2016 at 6:30PM
Pruyne Lecture Hall, Fayerweather Hall, Amherst


Kedar Ragini Folio (Garland of Musical Modes)Ruknuddin (active late 17th century) (2)Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, ragamalas (sets of paintings related to musical modes) were produced in great abundance at the major and minor courts of South Asia. The widespread patronage of these vividly illustrated manuscripts speaks to the prominent place of music and musical performance in the royal sphere, but it also points to the perceived mutuality between sound and image. This talk will offer an introduction to ragamalas, focusing in particular on their use for connoisseurial and courtly ends. 
  • A recommended talk for those attending the concert In the Footsteps of the Master .
Co-sponsored with History of Art & Asian Languages and Civilizations at Amherst College




FREE

 The Presenter

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Yael Rice is Assistant Professor of the History of Art & Asian Languages and Civilizations at Amherst College. She specializes in the manuscript and other portable arts of early modern Iran and South Asia.

 Recommendation

In the Footsteps of the Master - Alam Khan on Sarode
In the Footsteps of the Master
Alam Khan, Sarode, Nitin Mitta, Tabla

Saturday, November 5 at 8 p.m.
Bowker Auditorium

Alam Khan, son of the legendary Sarode Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, continues the purity of his father's musical style while adding his own individual touch as a 21st century musician. Alam maintains the reverence given to playing classical ragas in his solo concerts around the world, but also jams occasionally with musicians in diverse genres. One of the most sought after tabla players in the world today, master percussionist Nitin Mitta boasts the rare ability to combine technical virtuosity, spontaneity, clarity of tone and sensitivity to melodic nuances.

Audience members are invited to a pre-concert talk by Alam Khan at 7p.m. in Bowker Auditorium.