Embracing indian and western classical music in the 21st century: Param Vir and Shankar Tucker
Abstract
The first (published) mention of Indian classical music in Western discourse takes us to William Jones’ On the Musical Modes of the Hindus (1784), which ignited a scholarly interest for the Orient in the Western world. Since then, over the years, several researchers in music have been swept along and consumed by the currents of lost, found, translated, (mis-)inter - preted, transliterated and transformed literature on Indian classical music 2. This work delves neither into the labyrinth of the allusive character of Raga, nor the theory, transliteration, and treatises on Indian classical music. Instead, with supporting literature from many diligent scholars, it utilises all the extremely elaborate theories and explanations from the past to initiate a different sort of analysis in this field, one that explores musical material directly in compositions which incorporate both Indian and Western music, using socio-cultural, media studies theories and music analysis theories. The primary intent of this work is to comprehend the creation of a cultural third space brought about by the hybridisation of contemporary Western music and Indian classical music, taking two composers as case studies for this purpose: Param Vir and Shankar Tucker. The parameters of this study centre, in Vir’s case, on Indian classical- and 20 th century Western classical music theories; and, in Tucker’s case, the appropriation of Indian music, using contemporary media studies and popular music the- ories of a globalised world. Such an analysis is customised and therefore is to be considered as an observation of the current scenario within these two systems of music, within these parameters.