R: Musical trees and rivers?

Daniela Rossella ghezziem at TIN.IT
Fri Dec 8 20:22:55 UTC 2000


Dearest Colleague, it is a very interesting query. I am not expert in Indian
music (I study and translate Classical kavya, alamkarasastra and so on), but
I have discussed the problem with my husband, who teaches "musical
composition" in the Musical Academy of Parma (Italy).
Taking apart the possibility that nadi and vanaspati (wooden drum?) can be
only a poetical allusion to the "songs" of a grove with a river (many, many
times I have read that this "natural music" accompany - for example - a
woman in love and god Kama), You can think about an instrument similar to
the Western glasharmonika or aeliphon.
> From which text come this stanza?
Finally, if You want I can - by means of my husband - contact the most
important Italian teachers of ethnomusicology.
All the best,
Yours faithfully,
Daniela
(excuse me, it is a very little help!)

*****************************************************
Ph.D. Dr. Daniela Rossella
Piazza Buzzati, 5
43100 PARMA (Italy)
tel. & fax +39.0521.773854
cell. +39.0338 3198904
ghezziem at tin.it
*****************************************************

----------
>Da: "Christian K. Wedemeyer" <wedemeyer at HUM.KU.DK>
>A: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
>Oggetto: Musical trees and rivers?
>Data: Ven, 8 dic 2000 13:51
>

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> Can anyone help me with the following words?   I am struggling to interpret a
> list of what ought to be various types of instrumental music (vaadya). The
> begins with two items which do not fit in an obvious manner.  The phrase
> runs: vanaspati-nady-ucchaTaa-taala-murajaadi-vaadya-zabda.h.  I take this to
> mean (roughly) "sounds of instrumental music such as vanaspati, nadi(i),
> snapping of fingers, clapping of hands, [and] drums."
>
> The problem is how to render vanaspati and nadi(i).  The first could be read
> as "wooden instruments" (though any other suggestions would be welcome).  I
> am, however, completely at a loss as to how I might interpret the latter as a
> type of instrumental music.  The Tibetan translation is of little help, as it
> does not interpret these terms, reading "groves" (nags tshal) and "streams"
> (chu bo).  Musical as the sounds of groves and streams may be, given that the
> text specifies vaadya, I figure I need to find *instruments* that would
> correspond to these terms.
>
> Thank you in advance for any assistance.
>
> Best,
>
> Christian Wedemeyer
> University of Copenhagen





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