An absolutely extraordinary record. At first listening it seemed astonishingly similar to some of the sonatas of Scarlatti, which I greatly love and prize, but as I listened more the Indian origin came through more and more strongly and it is uncanny how the closely the harpsichord can echo the sound of the sitar or tanpura. The melodics appear to be entirely western, in the chromatic scale, which would, of course, be the medium through which the western listeners "heard" the music, as through a kind of unconscious filter. Yet several of these tunes end as much Indian music does, without a return to the tonic -- disturbing to western ears. But the attention and delight with which Margaret Fowke listened to the music, and the extraordinary effort and attention to detail in her transcriptions is carried strongly to us, here, now, at this great remove of time and space and style I would have loved a great deal more in the notes about the original music -- for instance the difference between a "gat" and a "rekhtah", a "tuppah" and a "terana". And they are transcriptions, presumably, of vocal works with instrumental accompaniment and introduction: I wasn't able to make out the transition between voice and instrument: the vocal lines would have been long and lingering, I would think -- what a challenge for a plucked instrument! I would dearly love to hear the original tunes played in the original way (if they have survived -- which, as improvisations presumably, they probably have not ). I think I can hear what has influenced a great deal of "Bollywood" music and would love to know how close these European imitations and the later Bollywood versions are to the classical and courtly originals, a blend of Hindu and Persian influences, I wish we could hear them side by side. I did not know of the existence of this early "crossover" music -- is there any more? It is infinitely fascinating.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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