"The 14 essays comprising this book offer an account of the prominent facets of the music of India. They set out the basic concepts of raga and tala, explain particular song-forms, describe the conservation and teaching of music through the gurushisya parampara. Besides, they also discuss the raga-time association, ragamala paintings, and Rabindra-sangeet--the songs of Rabindranath Tagore.

This wide-ranging survey of Indian music would be of interest to general readers and listeners inquiring into the subject, as well as specialists in music inquiring into specific topics." (jacket)