About the
Book
Title: Directory of
Performing Hindustani Musicians
Size: 6.25 x 9.5 inches
(royal 8vo)
Pages: 208
plus 2 pp. addenda
In India,
available from:
Mukul Dube
D-504 Purvasha · Mayur Vihar 1 · Delhi 110091
In the Americas,
communicate with:
[email protected]
Miscellany
A form asking for personal
information was sent to nearly 2,500 musicians. In all 784 filled-in forms were received,
that is, just
over 25 per cent of 3,087. The number is considerable even if the percentage
seems not so impressive. If enough musicians now send in information about
themselves, the next edition could be close to definitive.
Women musicians make up less than
a fourth of the total. Most of them are vocalists, though the instrumentalists
among them are not restricted to sitar and violin artistes: there are even tabla, pakhavaj and sarangi
players (curiously, there is no woman bansuri player).
Names are listed alphabetically
though not in "bibliography" form. They appear as they are
ordinarily written. Thus we have "Sumati Mutatkar", alphabetised on "Mutat...",
and not "Mutatkar, Sumati". This may take a minute or two to get
used to. It was done because many Indian
names do not follow the Western pattern, for example Ram Kumar or Mohammed
Iqbal. Variant spellings of one name are listed
together. Thus Amalendu Chowdhury precedes Amjad Chaudhari.
Only those addresses have been published which are known to be correct. There are
nearly 1,750 others present
in the data base. The compiler will gladly supply these, within reason, by e-mail or on a postcard, though there
can be no assurance of
correctness.
There are several instances of
women who have changed their names upon marriage. They have been alphabetised
on their maiden names where these were given and it seemed that they
would be the better known ones.
The compiler had hoped to provide
details of the published recordings of the musicians listed. This scheme had
to be abandoned because little information came in. It may be possible to
build up such a list for the next edition, which might even try to cover all
recordings of Hindustani music ever published commercially.
To save key-strokes and printer's ink,
gharana and academic qualifications are given as three-letter codes. What these codes
mean is explained in the "Compiler's Note",
which also contains a demonstration of how not to abuse those jokers who promised
all manner of help and then turned elegantly into wisps of smoke.
