Abstract
Music has existed as a highly sophisticated art form in the Indian subcontinent for at least 2 millennia – as evidenced by manuscripts such as the Nātyashāstra – and continues to be one of the major components of art in the region. It has its own distinct pedagogical system that never managed to effectively integrate itself into the contemporary postcolonial education system. Despite the existence of multiple written treatises over the past many centuries, music education has largely remained an oral tradition, passed on through a unique and intricate relational engagement between teacher and student, one that lasts throughout the lifetime of the individual. One ecosystem of such an engagement is the gurukul, and it is a commonly held notion that every aspiring musician must pass through this system for attainment of any reasonable measure of proficiency. This chapter journeys through the key philosophies and ideas of this system and its application to the various components of music training.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altekar, A. S. (2009). Education in ancient India (reprint). Delhi: Isha Books.
Athawale, A. (2018). Guru Gyaan. In Guru Shishya. Dhrupad Journal. https://www.dhrupadjournal.com/guru-shishya.html. Accessed 25 Mar 2019.
Bagchee, S. (1998). Nād: Understanding Rāga Music. Delhi: BPI.
Bakhle, J. (2005). Two men and music: Nationalism in the making of an Indian classical tradition. New York: Oxford University Press.
Chaudhary, S. (1997). Time measure and compositional types in Indian music: A historical and analytical study of Tāla, Chanda and Nibaddha musical forms. Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.
Clayton, M. (2000). Time in Indian music: Rhythm, metre, and form in north Indian Rāg performance. New York: OUP.
Daniélou, A. (1995). Relations to a tonic: The modal music of India. In Music and the power of sound: The influence of tuning and interval on consciousness (revised edition) (pp. 58–94). Rochester: Inner Traditions.
Dharampal. (2000). The beautiful tree (reprint). Goa: Other India Press.
Gaba, R. (2019). Ek Shagird Ke Bharose Chal Raha Sarkaar Ka Dhrupad Gayaki Kendra. http://epapers.peoplessamachar.in/epaper/m/19014/5c7705b38a705. Accessed 10 Mar 2019.
Grimes, J. (1996). A concise dictionary of Indian philosophy: Sanskrit terms defined in English (p. 133). Albany: SUNY Press.
Gundecha, A. (2017). Guru Shrikant Mishra Ke Saath Bitaaye Wo Saal. Dhrupad Journal (J1), 26–27.
Gundecha, U., & Gundecha, R. (2001). Notation: Where has it led us? Sangeet Natak, 36(1), 41–43.
Gundecha, U., & Gundecha, R. (2018). Body sings. In Inter-actions. https://lilainteractions.in/workshop-gundecha-brothers-sound-body/. Accessed 20 Jan 2019.
Gundecha, U., Gundecha, R., & Gundecha, A. (2015). Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. In Sunta Hai Guru Gyani (pp. 65–96). Bhopal: Dhrupad Sansthan Bhopal Trust.
Hari, D. K., & Hari, H. (2017). Education. In Autobiography of India: Breaking the myths Vol 2 – About society (pp. 277–322). Bangalore: Bharath Gyan.
Hume, R. E. (1921). Kuasitaki Upanishad 3.8. In The thirteen principal Upanishads (p. 327). London: Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford.
Jairazbhoy, N. (2008). What happened to Indian music theory? Indo-Occidentalism? Ethnomusicology, 52(3), 349–377.
Kabir, N. M. (2018). Zakir Hussain: A life in music. Noida: Harper Collins.
Killingsworth, M. (1993). Product and process, literacy and orality: An essay on composition and culture. College Composition and Communication, 44(1), 26–39. https://doi.org/10.2307/358893.
Krishna, T. M. (2013). A southern music: The Karnatic story. Noida: HarperCollins.
Marcotty, T. (1980). On Asian arts. In The way-music: How to conjure with sounds (pp. 20–25). Lugano: Decisio Editrice.
Morris, A. D. (2004). The transmission and performance of Khyal compositions in the Gwalior gharãnã of Indian vocal music (Ph.D. thesis). SOAS University of London.
Nene, A. S. (2015). Sixty four arts of ancient India (translation. Original Hindi article by Pt Durgadutta Tripathi). https://www.slideshare.net/ashoknene/sixty-four-arts-of-ancient-india-45933958. Accessed 23 Dec 2018.
Pandya, P. K. (2005). Beyond Swayambhu Gandhar: An analysis of perceived tanpura notes. Journal of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, 19.
Phansalkar, J. (2017). The resolute thinker. Dhrupad Journal, (J1), 48–49.
Pudaruth, S. K. (2016). A reflection on the aesthetics of Indian music, with special reference to Hindustani raga-Sangita. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016674512.
Raghuram, A. (2017) Interview by Ramkumar R. In The Qs. https://theaalaap.com/site/theqs/AbhishekRaghuram#. Accessed 30 Mar 2019.
Rahaim, M. (2012). Musicking bodies: Gesture and voice in Hindustani music. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.
Raja, D. (1999). The Bhopal initiative. In S. Rao & D. Raja (Eds.), Journal of the Indian Musicological Society (Vol. 30, pp. 66–79). Baroda: Indian Musicological Society.
Raja, D. (2005). Hindustani music: A tradition in transition (reprint). Delhi: D.K. Printworld.
Ranganathan, S. (2013). Compositional models and aesthetic experience in Dhruvapada. The Journal of the Music Academy, 84, 119–141.
Ravi Shankar, S. (2010). Patanjali Yoga Sutras. Bangalore: Sri Sri Publications Trust.
Rowell, L. (1992). Music and musical thought in early India. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Sanyal, R. (1986). The Dagar tradition. Dhrupad Annual 1 (pp. 43–47). Benaras: All India Kashi Raj Trust.
Sanyal, R. (1987). Philosophy of music. Mumbai: Somaiya.
Sanyal, R. (1989). The Dagar Tradition: Voice and Tone. Dhrupad Annual 4 (pp. 91–94). Benaras: All India Kashi Raj Trust.
Shringy, R., & Sharma, P. (2013). Saṅgīta-ratnākara of Śārṅgadeva: Sanskrit text and English translation with comments and notes (5th ed.). Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal.
Schippers, H. (2007). The guru Recontextualized? Perspectives on learning north Indian classical music in shifting environments for professional training. Asian Music, 38(1), 123–138.
Sen, A. K. (1994). Indian concept of rhythm. Delhi: Kanishka.
Shenava, A. (2013). Paramparā, pedagogy and performance: Reading spaces in the ‘Dhrupad Gurukul’. Palaspé, 1(1), 23–53. SubVersions. http://subversions.tiss.edu/vol1-issue1/ajinkya/. Accessed 25 Mar 2019.
Vatsyayan, K. M. (1972). Art academies. In Some aspects of cultural policies in India (pp. 33–51). Paris: UNESCO.
Widdess, R. (1994). Involving the performers in transcription and analysis: A collaborative approach to Dhrupad. Ethnomusicology, 38(1), 59–79. https://doi.org/10.2307/852268.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Sankaran, S. (2020). Practices of Music Education in Gurukul and Related Systems. In: Sarangapani, P.M., Pappu, R. (eds) Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia. Global Education Systems. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3309-5_6-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3309-5_6-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-3309-5
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-3309-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education