Sangitacandrika of Krsnacandra: A Critical Study (2 Vols-Set)

Contents: A Note by Dr Deepti Omchery Bhalla. Preface. Acknowledgements. Transliteration Table. 1. Krsnacandra and His Works. 2. Sangitacandrika of Krsnacandra. 3. Other Sangitacandrikas. 4. Detailed Contents of Sangitacandrika. 5. Nada Prakasa. 6. Sruti Prakasa. 7. Svara Prakasa. 8. Vina Prakasa. 9. Grama Murcchanadi Prakasa. 10. Mela Prakasa. 11. Tala Prakasa. 12. Figures. 13. Varnalaṁkara Prakasa. 14. Gamaka Sthayadi Prakasa. 15. Prabandha Prakasa. 16. Raga Prakasa. 17. Gita Prakasa. Conclusion. Appendix 1: Suddha Mela Ragas. Appendix 2: Sankirna Mela Ragas. Bibliography. Index.

Sangitacandrika, authored by Sri Krsna Chandra Pisaroti, is a mammoth treatise on music written in Sanskrit with Malayalam commentary. Foremost among his original works, Sangitacandrika was written after Krsna Candra returned to his native place in Trissur. It was the culmination of a lifelong intellectual activity, based on practical experience. As he himself states in his introduction, the book was written after studying and examining every treatise, most of which were palm-leaf collections, acquired after great search and efforts, consulting a number of artistes and scholars and carrying out experiments on his vina, for a number of years.

The main idea behind the work is the concept of twenty-four srutis (twenty-two srutis are currently in vogue in Carnatic music) of equal intervals and the eighty-four melas (Venkatamakhi’s seventy-two melas are currently adopted in Carnatic music). The treatise can be treated as the most outstanding contribution from a south Indian scholar after Tulaja’s Sangita Saramrta. Books on music written after Sangita Saramrta, are in different regional languages, that focus mainly on the typicality’s of the respective regional music. Few other Sanskrit works are minor works which do not provide much inputs on earlier treatises. Krsna Candra’s work is refreshingly original, comprehensive and magnificent. A valuable reading experience