Saraswati's changing sound: an anthropological look at the socio-psychological dynamic Hindustani music

Abstract

In summary then, when we consider the socio-psychological dynamics of a musical system we have to examine two basic problems. The first is what is the relationship between changes in the social organization of musicians and the resultant change in the distribution of personality traits. Contrary to the impression some have, India, especially North India, has been the stage for many cultural changes from pre-historic times on. At the same time, if one reads older works in which the then contemporary music is compared with its past music, the past always seems more authentic, more true than the present.