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Voice of the Veena S Balachander

A Biography

Parametri

  • 446pagine
  • 16 ore di lettura

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From the 1930s to the 1980s, one figure in Carnatic music stood out: S Balachander. Born in 1927 in Madras, he was a child prodigy and self-taught musician who began performing at age 5 on the kanjira. He mastered various instruments, including the tabla and sitar, and was the first to play Carnatic music on the sitar, even giving concerts and radio shows. Balachander also had a brief career as a child actor and was an exceptional chess player. His fascination with the majestic veena led him to focus solely on it, and within two years, he became a highly respected veena player. At a time when vocalists dominated, Balachander carved out a unique niche as a veena soloist, transforming the traditional approach to instrumental music and establishing the Balachander bani, or style. Despite his achievements, his iconoclastic nature often put him at odds with the Carnatic music community, as he pursued perfection and truth. The narrative explores whether Balachander was a beloved genius or a misunderstood maverick through extensive research, personal diaries, and interviews with contemporaries and family. His passing in 1990 left a significant void, yet his legacy endures among music lovers, encapsulated in his own words: "Veena is Balachander, Balachander is Veena."

Acquisto del libro

Voice of the Veena S Balachander, Vikram Sampath

Lingua
Pubblicato
2012
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(Copertina rigida),
Condizioni del libro
Danneggiato
Prezzo
24,33 €

Metodi di pagamento

Sottotitolo
A Biography
Lingua
Inglese
Editore
Rain Tree
Pubblicato
2012
Formato
Copertina rigida
Pagine
446
ISBN10
8129119366
ISBN13
9788129119360
Serie
Descrizione
From the 1930s to the 1980s, one figure in Carnatic music stood out: S Balachander. Born in 1927 in Madras, he was a child prodigy and self-taught musician who began performing at age 5 on the kanjira. He mastered various instruments, including the tabla and sitar, and was the first to play Carnatic music on the sitar, even giving concerts and radio shows. Balachander also had a brief career as a child actor and was an exceptional chess player. His fascination with the majestic veena led him to focus solely on it, and within two years, he became a highly respected veena player. At a time when vocalists dominated, Balachander carved out a unique niche as a veena soloist, transforming the traditional approach to instrumental music and establishing the Balachander bani, or style. Despite his achievements, his iconoclastic nature often put him at odds with the Carnatic music community, as he pursued perfection and truth. The narrative explores whether Balachander was a beloved genius or a misunderstood maverick through extensive research, personal diaries, and interviews with contemporaries and family. His passing in 1990 left a significant void, yet his legacy endures among music lovers, encapsulated in his own words: "Veena is Balachander, Balachander is Veena."