Time in Indian Music Rhythm, Metre, and Form in North Indian Rag Performance

Time in Indian Music is the first major study of rhythm, metre, and form in North Indian rag, or classical, music. Martin Clayton presents a theoretical model for the organization of time in this repertory, a model which is related explicitly to other spheres of Indian thought and culture as well as to current ideas on musical time in alternative repertoriesnullincluding that of Western music. This theoretical model is elucidated and illustrated with reference to many musical examples drawn from authentic recorded performances. These examples clarify key Indian musicological concepts such as tal (metre), lay (tempo or rhythm), and laykari (rhythmic variation).
More generally, the volume addresses the implications of performance practice for the organization of rhythm and metre. Written in a clear and accessible style and illustrated with 102 music examples and diagrams, it will appeal to anyone interested in Indian aesthetic forms and the study of musical time.

1 - Introduction
2 - Theoretical perspectives I: musical time in Indian cultural perspective
3 - Theoretical perspectives II: general theories of rhythm and metre
4 - Tal theory as a model of rhythmic organization
5 - Tal as metric structure
6 - Tal in practice: quantitative, qualitative, and cyclic functions
7 - Lay: tempo and rhythmic density
8 - Performance practice and rhythm in Hindustani music
9 - The bandis
10 - Development techniques and practices
11 - Laykari rhythmic variation
12 - A case study in rhythmic analysis: instrumental vilambit and Madhya lay gats in the repertoire of Deepak Choudhury
13 - North Indian rhythmic organization in cross-cultural perspective

Martin Clayton is Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology at the Open University.