ICTM Workshop #6 – Introduction to Karnatak music (NL/EN)

The classical music tradition of South India

This session is an introduction to Karnatak music, the classical music tradition of South India. The audience will first become familiar with the sounds and concepts of Karnatak music, introducing the melodic and rhythmic frameworks (rāga and tala), as well as current performance practices and its musical instruments. The second half of the session will focus on one of the most important instruments of Karnatak music today: perhaps unexpectedly, the western violin. Although the violin was introduced to India by European colonists, Indian musicians have reinvented the instrument for their purpose. By changing the tuning, playing posture, and playing techniques, they fully adapted the violin for the Karnatak musical system.

Dr Anaïs Verhulst is an ethnomusicologist and intangible heritage professional. She completed her PhD in Ethnomusicology at University College Dublin with a research on the violin in Karnatak music, Norwegian folk, and heavy metal. She now works for CEMPER, Centre for Music and Performing Arts Heritage. As a musician, she plays the fiddle, bagpipe and tin whistle with the duo Féileacán.

Price for the complete six-session cycle: 40€ (or 25€ for Muziekpublique members). Price per session: 8€ (or 6€ for members.)

A Muziekpublique & ICTM Belgium initiative