Pandit Amarnath was regarded as a musicians' musician and the foremost interpreter of the Indore Gharana. In this book, he demystifies the many terms associated with Hindustani classical music for the common man interested in this art form. From crucial terms such as avaart and kharaj bharna to musicological terminology like moorchhana and shrutee to short profiles of stalwarts in the field and telling musical 'proverbs' and sayings of the great masters, this is a pathfinder to the otherwise closed traditions of Hindustani classical music whose secrets and philosophies have been restricted to masters and connoisseurs. Pandit Amarnath reveals the terms in both their etymology as well as their implications in musical practice and listening.
First published twenty-five years ago to great critical acclaim and now being updated by Rekha and Vishal Bhardwaj, this will be a must-read for music lovers and musicologists, musicians and students, linguists and historians alike.