Time in Indian music : rhythm, metre, and form in North Indian rāg performance

Time in Indian Music studies rhythm, metre, and form in North Indian rag, or classical, music. It presents a theoretical model for the organisation of time in this repertory, elucidated and illustrated with reference to many musical examples. Time in Indian Music is the first major study of rhythm, metre, and form in North Indian rag , or classical, music. Martin Clayton presents a theoretical model for the organization of time in this repertory, a model which is related explicitly to other spheres of Indian thought and culture as well as to current ideas on musical time in alternative repertoriesnullincluding that of Western music. This theoretical model is elucidated and illustrated with reference to many musical examples drawn from authentic recorded performances. These examples clarify key Indian musicological concepts such as tal (metre), lay (tempo or rhythm), and laykari (rhythmic variation). More generally, the volume addresses the implications of performance practice for the organization of rhythm and metre. Written in a clear and accessible style and illustrated with 102 music examples and diagrams, it will appeal to anyone interested in Indian aesthetic forms and the study of musical time. This book is a study of rhythm, metre, and form in North Indian rāg , or classical, music. The author presents a theoretical model for the organization of time in this repertory, a model which is related explicitly to other spheres of Indian thought and culture as well as to current ideas on musical time in alternative repertories — including that of Western music. This theoretical model is elucidated and illustrated with reference to many musical examples, drawn from authentic recorded performances. These examples clarify key Indian musicological concepts such as tāl (metre), lay (tempo or rhythm), and laykārī (rhythmic variation). More generally, the volume addresses the implications of performance practice for the organization of rhythm and metre Introduction -- Theoretical perspectives I : musical time in Indian cultural perspective -- Theoretical perspectives II : general theories of rhythm and metre -- Tal theory as a model of rhythmic organization -- Tal in practice : quantitative, qualitative, and cyclic functions -- Lay: tempo and rhythmic density -- Performance practice and rhythm in Hindustani music -- The bandis -- Development techniques and processes -- Laykari: rhythmic variation -- A case study in rhythmic analysis : instrumental vilambit and madhya lay gats in the repertoire of Deepak Choudhury (Maihar Gharana) -- North Indian rhythmic organization in cross-cultural perspective.