Contents: 1. Vedic rituals and dramatic singing. 2. Musical practices in Sanskrit drama. 3. Functions of classical ragas in drama. 4. Music in traditional Indian theatres. 5. The raasleela of Braj. 6. Use of music by western dramatists and directors. 7. Music in Asian theatre. 8. Use of music by Indian directors and playwrights. 9. The summing up.

"Music is the culmination of every art form, an integral part of the total dramatic world of India - an essential element of the traditional theatre forms - that use music - vocal and instrumental - chants, various percussion rhythms, sounds and speech patterns with definite dramatic function. Bharat Muni in Natyashastra in his advice to the theatre practitioners says, "one should first of all bestow care on songs, for songs have been called the bed (base) of drama. The song and the playing of musical instruments being well-executed, the performance of the drama does not encounter any risk. "This book is first of its kind, a study of the dramatic usage of music, folk, classical and various modern permutations. It provides vital information about the importance of music and its functions from the ancient stage to the contemporary directors, writers and actors. Music creates vast possibilities in creative delineations... playwrites like Garcia Lorca and Bertolt Brecht evolved new theatrical forms through the means of music. The modern actor has captured the ineffable emotional nuances in the sounds... music of the rain drops, of birds and thunder have inspired the actors .... classical melodies create different moods and atmospheres... convey time and season." (jacket)