The Hindu Business Line : Indian music to lend more charm to Paris spring

FOR Parisians, the Spring of 2003 is going to be an Indian Spring. With the Cite de la Musique, the largest musical complex in France, all set to organise `The Music of North India' — the glory of princes, a tribute to the Gods', India will be the essence of the season.

The festival, which showcases the musical traditions of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, is based on the Indo-Persian confluence from the 14th century to the present day.

"With this festival, we want to bring to the knowledge of the public how great has been the history of the unique musical encounter that became Hindustani music, from the time of Amir Khusrau in the 13th and 14th centuries to the end of the 19th century," says Philippe Bruguiere, Curator of the Musee de la Musique at the Cite de la Musique and the curator of this festival.

The impetus for the project also came from his two-decade long love affair with Indian music and his fascination with the hidden stories musical instruments tell, he adds.

Scheduled to start on Holi day (March 19) next year, the festival will run till the end of June, with three weekends of multidisciplinary arts being the chief attraction. Also expected to be a major draw is an exhibition of rare musical instruments, paintings, drawings and manuscripts.

"We have chosen to display about 90 exquisite musical instruments, some of them dating from the 17th century, and sixty paintings, drawings and manuscripts to evoke the evolution of this court-based musical tradition, says Bruguiere. The instruments and paintings will complement each other and help visitors grasp the essence of this wonderful tradition, he believes.

The music and dance performance that are part of the festival will showcase art forms including Kathak, the music of the Manganiars of Rajasthan and the music of the Indian diaspora from Surinam that has its origins in the baitak gana of Uttar Pradesh.

Other major attractions will be an all-night musical concert featuring nine musicians from two generations, performances by `contemporary' musicians such as Sushila Raman and Trilok Gurtu and homage to tabla maestro Alla Rakha by his three sons.

Also included in the festival is an evening dedicated to Indian film music, a one-day forum on the manufacture of Indian musical instruments and other lecture demonstrations, says Bruguiere.

The decision to adopt a multidisciplinary approach has its genesis in the traditional concept of Indian art and aesthetic theory where music has always been closely linked to other arts forms, he explains.

While a major chunk of the funding for the festival comes from the Cite itself, the project is part of the Indo-French Cultural Exchange Programme. The Government of India has made it possible for the organisers to interact with Indian experts in the field, says Bruguiere.

In addition, Indian museums and several private collectors are lending some of the instruments for the exhibition, he adds.

Similarly, the Indian Council of Cultural Relations is sponsoring the international travel of the 80-odd artists from India who are participating in the festival, explains Bruguiere.

Corporate India has not yet evinced much interest in supporting the project, says Bruguiere, but adds that the European division of Infosys had shown some interest. However, he adds that nothing further has happened in this regard.

The organisers of the festival have also approached the Department of Tourism of the Government of India for further support, he reveals.

The advantage for corporates supporting the project is the high visibility the festival will enjoy in Europe, claims Bruguiere.

"A good majority of the audiences that frequent the Cite are young, upwardly mobile and highly educated — the very segment the travel and tourism industry in India is trying to reach out to," he declares. Besides, the festival will help to promote India's musical heritage, he points out.

A public institution set up to protect, promote and diffuse music, the Cite de la Musique operates under the patronage of the French Ministries of Culture and Finance.

Located on the Park de al Vilette in Paris, the institution is arguably the largest of its kind in Europe.

Collections of rare musical instruments

INAUGURATED in January 1997, the Musee de la Musique (Museum of Music) is part of the Cite de la Musique. It has a collection of some 4,500 musical instruments of which about 950 are permanently on display. Its collection includes rare Venetian lutes from the 16th century and Flemish and Italian harpsichords from the 17th century.

The museum also has a conservation laboratory with state-of-the art technology and a documentation centre with a collection of books on music that are accessible to the general public.

The museum is also launching a programme to use technologies such as x-ray photography and endoscopy to study rare musical instruments, including instruments from India, says Philippe Bruguiere, the curator of the museum. This exercise will enable researchers to understand the structure of these instruments, analyse their composition of metallic alloys and the pigments used in the past, he adds.

The results of these studies will be shared with Indian museums that are devoted to musical instruments or exhibit such instruments, he says. Long-term collaborations with Indian institutions in the same field are part of the museum's plans, he adds.

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