Did you know that two nuns — teachers at the Good Shepherd Convent in Mysuru — were responsible for initiating interest in western classical music on the piano to members of the then Mysusu royal family? Did you know that Carnatic music crossed the Vindhyas and made its impact in the Vijayanagar Empire in the early 14th century before taking route to Mysuru and Thanjavur?
All such trivia and much more are part of Music and Musicians of Bangalore and Mysore – A Rhapsody , a book written by octogenarian Anand Sirur after eight years of research. Covering 30 musicians in western, Carnatic and Hindustani genres, the book brings out the history and culture of music, touching upon matters such as the origin of music from the Sama Veda, analysing Sanskrit texts and treatises on Indian classical music such as the Natya Shastra , Brihaddeshi , Sangeeta Ratnakara and Sangeeta Saara , according to the author Mr. Sirur.
“Thanks to our saint-musicologists such as Sangeeta Pitamaha Purandara Dasa, Indian music, dating back to 2,000 years, is retained even today, albeit in different forms,” the author said.
Mr. Sirur has the music scene mirrored with respect to the three genres, complete with details about each of them and musicians who represent them in Mysuru and Bengaluru. While Mysureans were steeped in western classical with Krishnaraja Wadiyar forming a Palace Band in the early 1900s, the scene in Bengaluru blossomed from 1930 to 1950 thanks to star pianist Raja Ramanna and violinist Philomena Thambuchetty.
Mr. Sirur’s book also records Vijaya Devi Kotda Sangani’s western music lessons under Otto Schmidt, a German and the Palace Band master. “The Carnatic and Hindustani genres too got a stimulus with the contribution of the then Mysuru rulers from the early 17th century,” said Mr. Sirur.
The book will be released on Monday at Alliance française de Bangalore.
