The Tabla of Lucknow

Contents List of plates, charts and maps ix Preface to the second printing xi Preface xiii Terminology, transliteration and translation xv The organology and nomenclature of the tabla xvi An explanation of the notational system used for tabla xviii 1 An introduction to Lucknow 1 The history of the city 1 The culture of the city 11 The history of music in Lucknow 16 2 Musical life in present-day Lucknow 27 All India Radio and the Doordarshan Kendra 27 Public teaching institutions 33 Public concerts 36 Private lessons 40 Tawa' ifs 42 3 The social relationships of musicians 46 Living and meeting in Lucknow 46 The variables that influence social rank 49 'Politics': competition and conflict among musicians 54 4 Tabla gharanas in Lucknow 63 Tabla gharanas 63 Origins of the Lucknow gharana 66 The genealogy and history of the Lucknow gharana 69 Kothiwal: a separate gharana? 81 Assessing genealogical and historical data 84 5 Musical change as a result of perceptions and attitudes 86 Perceptions of, and attitudes towards, tabla players 87 Perceptions of, and attitudes towards, the listeners 90 Changes in performance 96 Trends in education as precipitants of musical change 104 6 Learning the table 112 The gharana system of training 112 The college system of training 136 7 Lucknow tabla technique 143 The placement of instruments and playing posture 143 Strokes 145 Further aspects of technique 155 8 The repertoire 160 Theme and variations 161 Endings 179 Fixed compositions 185 Conclusion 203 Glossary 206 Select bibliography 212 Appendix: items on the cassette 215 Index 217