Page:The Music and Musical Instruments of Southern India and the Deccan.djvu/22

xvi PREFACE. research, a catalogue of various works dealing with the subject has been added, together with a carefully prepared list of various Sanskrit authorities. Notice has been taken of the legendary origin of music among the Aryans, and of its principles as understood in Modern India; the peculiar scales and rhythms employed have been described in detail; and examples of various airs are given in notation. In order to show the principles of form upon which the Indian musicians construct their melodies an analysis of some of the examples has been attempted.

The subject of Temperament, concerning which so many theories have been propounded, has been treated of. The thanks of the author are due to the late Dr. A. J. Ellis, F.R.S., for his great kindness in working out many special experiments concerning the temperament of the Indian scale, and for his permission to publish them here ; also for his exhaustive account of the S'ruti vina, given in the Appendix.

The author takes this opportunity of acknowledging his thanks to his friend, Mr. A. J. Hipkins, F.S.A., both for his great help and sympathy, without which this work would never have been published; also for his learned Introduction. The author begs also to thank Mr. Cecil Bendall, of the British Museum, and Professor T. V. Rhys Davids, for much valuable help and information.

The Illustrations have been confided to the hands of Mr. William Gibb, and form seventeen plates, all of them admirable representations of Indian musical instruments. The author is indebted to the kindness of Miss Edith Hipkins for her very beautiful drawings, which are reproduced in Plates II., III., and IV.

Many thanks are due to H.H. the late Maharajah of Travancore and to H.H. the Maharajah of Mysore for their kindness in affording facilities for enquiry, and for allowing access to valuable manuscripts; and to the Rajah Sir Sourendro Mohun Tagore for permission to quote from his various works. Acknowledgment is also due to Messrs. Balwant Trimback Sahasrabadhe, and T. M. Venkatasesha S'astri, of the Poona Gayana Samaj; M. Narasimhayya, of the London Mission High School, Bangalore; Maula Bux of Baroda; and to many other native gentlemen too numerous, unfortunately, to mention by name.


 * April, 1891.