From the sacred Vedic hymns to contemporary analyses, books on Indian Classical Music (ICM) serve as gateways to its soul-stirring essence. Given the vast ocean of literature—this blog highlights important works in chronological order, focusing on foundational treatises and influential modern texts.
Lets embark on this journey together!
Ancient Foundations: The Roots Of Melody (Pre-common Era To Early Centuries CE
Indian Classical Music’s origins trace back to spiritual and ritualistic practices, where sound was seen as a bridge to the divine.
These early texts laid the groundwork for concepts like swara (notes), shruti (microtones), and raga (melodic frameworks).
1. Samaveda
Origin: One of the four mouths of Brahma
Key Teachings: As one of the four Vedas, the Samaveda emphasizes musical chanting of hymns.
It introduces the concept of saman (melodic chants) derived from Rigveda verses, focusing on intonation, rhythm, and phonetic precision.
Teachings highlight how music elevates spiritual consciousness, with early notions of seven swaras (notes) and their emotional evocation.
2. Natyashastra
Author: Sage Bharata Muni
Publication Year: Circa 200 BCE–200 CE
Key Teachings: This comprehensive treatise on performing arts dedicates chapters to music, detailing 22 srutis (microtonal intervals), seven swaras, and early raga prototypes called jatis.
It teaches the integration of music with drama and dance, emphasizing rasa (emotional flavors) like shringara (love) and veera (heroism).
Practical guidance includes vocal techniques, instrument classifications (string, wind, percussion), and tala (rhythmic cycles).
It posits music as a tool for evoking bhava (emotions), forming the bedrock of both Hindustani and Carnatic traditions.
3. Dattilam
Author: Dattila Muni
Publication Year: Circa 4th century BCE–2nd century CE
Key Teachings: Building on Natyashastra, this text refines music theory with detailed discussions on grama (scales), murchanas (modal shifts), and 18 jatis (precursors to ragas).
It teaches acoustic principles, such as how srutis create melodic variety, and stresses ornamentation (gamakas) for expressiveness.
Dattilam views music as a scientific art, linking it to mathematics and psychology for emotional impact.
4. Brihaddesi
Author: Matanga Muni
Publication Year: Circa 5th–9th century CE
Key Teachings: A pivotal work introducing the term “raga” formally, it classifies ragas based on swaras and emotional qualities.
Teachings cover desi (regional) music styles, tala variations, and the evolution from ancient jatis to ragas.
It emphasizes improvisation and the therapeutic aspects of music, influencing regional divergences in Indian traditions.
Medieval Masterpieces: The Golden Age of Synthesis (13th-17th Centuries)
During this era, texts synthesized Vedic roots with Persian influences, enriching raga and tala systems amid cultural exchanges.
5. Sangita Ratnakara
Author: Sarangadeva
Publication Year: Circa 1230 CE
Key Teachings: Known as the “Ocean of Music,” this encyclopedia spans seven chapters on swaras, ragas (enumerating 264), talas (120), instruments, dance, and aesthetics.
It teaches the nadabrahma (sound as divine) philosophy, detailing prabandha (compositions) and gamaka techniques.
Emphasizing rasa theory, it bridges Hindustani and Carnatic by classifying ragas into families and exploring rhythmic complexities like layakari (tempo variations).
6. Sangeeta Sudha
Author: Sudhakalasa (or Govinda Dikshita in some attributions)
Publication Year: 1350 CE (or later medieval period)
Key Teachings: This rare Jain-influenced treatise on music and dance explores raga lakshanas (characteristics) and tala structures.
It teaches integration of bhakti (devotion) with technical precision, detailing vocal exercises and instrument tuning for spiritual upliftment.
Modern Explorations: Colonial & Contemporary Insights (19th Century to 2026)
The modern period saw western notations, historical analyses, and global fusions, with books documenting gharanas (schools) and personal journeys.
7. A Treatise on the Music of Hindoostan
Author: Captain N. Augustus Willard
Publication Year: 1834
Key Teachings: An early colonial perspective on Hindustani music, it describes ragas, talas, and performance practices.
Teachings focus on the 22 srutis system, raga-time associations (e.g., morning ragas), and critiques cultural adaptations, offering a bridge between Eastern traditions and Western understanding.
8. The Music and Musical Instruments of Southern India and the Deccan
Author: Charles Russell Day
Publication Year: 1891
Key Teachings: Centered on Carnatic music, it catalogs instruments like veena and mridangam, with notations for ragas and compositions.
Teachings emphasize kritis (devotional songs), tala intricacies, and regional variations, highlighting music’s role in temples and courts.
9. My Music, My Life
Author: Pandit Ravi Shankar
Publication Year: 1968
Key Teachings: A memoir-cum-guide, it teaches Hindustani basics like raga elaboration (alap, jor, jhala) and guru-shishya parampara (teacher-disciple tradition).
It discusses fusion with Western music, emphasizing improvisation and emotional depth in performances.
10. The Ragas of North India
Author: Walter Kaufmann
Publication Year: 1968
Key Teachings: A detailed catalog of Hindustani ragas, teaching their scales, ascent-descent (arohana-avarohana), and characteristic phrases (pakad).
It explores thaat (parent scales) and time-theory, aiding learners in composition and analysis.
11. Indian Music: History and Structure
Author: Emmie te Nijenhuis
Publication Year: 1974
Key Teachings: Traces ICM evolution, teaching ancient texts’ influence on modern ragas and talas.
It details grammatical structures like varna (note movements) and alankara (ornaments), with historical context on bifurcation into Hindustani and Carnatic.
12. The Illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music
Author: Ludwig Pesch
Publication Year: 1999
Key Teachings: A visual guide to Carnatic music, teaching 72 melakarta ragas (parent scales), kriti structures, and concert formats.
It emphasizes gamakas, korvai (rhythmic patterns), and cultural symbolism, with diagrams for practical learning.
13. The Dawn of Indian Music in the West
Author: Peter Lavezzoli
Publication Year: 2006
Key Teachings: Explores ICM’s global spread, teaching influences on artists like The Beatles.
It covers raga adaptations, tala in fusion, and philosophical underpinnings like nada yoga (sound meditation).
14. Finding the Raga: An Improvisation on Indian Music
Author: Amit Chaudhuri
Publication Year: 2021
Key Teachings: A personal reflection on Hindustani music, teaching the art of khayal (imaginative elaboration) and the search for “raga-ness” beyond rules.
It discusses modernity’s impact, blending memoir with lessons on subtlety and intuition.
15. The Sixth String of Vilayat Khan
Author: Namita Devidayal
Publication Year: 2021
Key Teachings: Biography of sitarist Vilayat Khan, teaching gharana-specific techniques like gayaki ang (vocal style on instrument).
It explores meend (glides), tanpura tuning, and the spiritual pursuit of sur (perfect pitch).
Closing Notes: The Eternal Symphony
These books capture ICM’s evolution from divine chants to global art form. While not exhaustive, these books offer profound insights. Dive into one, and let the ragas resonate!
For deeper dives, explore libraries or online archives.
What’s your favorite ICM book? Share in the comments.
Keep on playing flute!