Singing between Two Worlds: Learning Traditional Music in the Heart of Modern India 2001
Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016; 202-808-4980
Produced by Ian Hardy
Directed by Ian Hardy
VHS, color, 26 min.
College
Music, Multicultural Studies
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Bonnie Jo Dopp, Performing Arts Library, University of MarylandHow can musical tradition live in a world where commerce rewards only the new? By Devotion, which, as far as music is concerned, seems to be the flip side of Market. The two adult brothers depicted in this film are devotees of “dhrupad,” an ancient Indian vocal music (with accompaniment by strings and percussion) they learn orally from their guru, who is also their father, Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar. Given the microphones present in the public performance to an appreciative audience shown in this film, they may be the very people who will manage the transition of this tradition through the plug-into-the-wall technology of the 20th century and into the wireless world of the future. And their own children? The question of Dagar progeny is addressed obliquely: dhrupad is a family tradition, and the brothers ritually renew their vows to remain faithful to their father’s teaching every few years. They will not speak of “dates” and “girlfriends” on the record. One says he relies on his mother eventually to choose his wife. Daughters have not traditionally been taught this music, but the film shows a young girl at a lesson, and also the acceptance of an American as a student. Perhaps in transmitting this tradition, the more things stay the same, the more they will change. A slice of life in the vastly diverse world of Indian music.
The subtitles make sense (even some heavily accented English is subtitled); sound is fine; editing is poetic in places, resulting in truly moving scenes.
Highly recommended for academic libraries supporting ethnomusicology programs.