An European musicologist analyses the Indian Music Experience

When seasoned German ethnomusicologist Andreas Meyer archetypal visited the Indian Music Experience (IME) depository successful Bengaluru, precocious past year, his archetypal absorption was 1 of familiarity.

The plan aesthetic reminded him of museums crossed Europe and America, but arsenic helium spent clip studying the museum’s exhibitions and engaging with visitors, Meyer discovered it was rather antithetic from galore European euphony museums helium had analysed during his career.

“Indian euphony is presented arsenic a treasure present and Indians should beryllium arrogant of it,” Andreas says. This favoritism marks a cardinal departure from European euphony museums, wherever the absorption typically falls connected composers’ biographies, the past of philharmonic instruments oregon societal issues surrounding fashionable music.

Andreas’ travel to Bengaluru is an hold of his research. Until his status from the Folkwang University of the Arts successful Essen, Germany, 2 years ago, helium was portion of a task funded by the German Research Foundation, travelling crossed Europe to analyse however euphony is presented successful museums. After visiting respective European institutions, helium felt compelled to look beyond Western horizons and IME was among those that caught his attention.

What sets the IME apart, according to him, is its ambitious didactic approach. The depository educates visitors astir nuances down Indian philharmonic concepts, helium notes. In the assemblage devoted to Indian classical music, visitors brushwood playful interactive stations that explicate intricate systems specified arsenic the raga and tala, arsenic good arsenic antithetic compositional forms.

“There is simply a accidental for visitors to larn something, a take-away from their clip spent here. That is simply a large quality erstwhile compared to European museums.” In Europe, euphony museums usually travel predictable patterns: instrumentality museums absorption connected humanities evolution, composer museums emphasise connected biography, and fashionable euphony exhibitions centre connected societal context.

The exertion supporting this acquisition ngo impressed Andreas considerably, peculiarly the high-quality videos accompanying the philharmonic instrumentality gallery. “You larn truthful overmuch astir the dependable of an instrument, however it is played, and adjacent its societal background.” While akin concepts beryllium successful European museums, Meyer recovered them, “not truthful convincingly designed”.

However, helium besides identified a acquainted challenge: visitors thin to determination from 1 interactive physics presumption to the next, perchance ignoring different invaluable content. “It is simply a pity arsenic truthful galore absorbing things get near out,” helium observes, suggesting that amended strategies for guiding visitors to antithetic sections mightiness heighten the experience. Many visitors helium interviewed mentioned the museum’s richness arsenic a highlight, with immoderate expressing astonishment astatine discovering however divers Indian euphony is.

An affectional transportation to taste practice successful India differs markedly from emblematic European depository visits, wherever audiences thin to beryllium musically educated individuals seeking circumstantial cognition astatine classical euphony museums, oregon those seeking amusement astatine fashionable euphony exhibitions.

The IME’s ambition to encompass classical, folk, and fashionable euphony of India besides distinguishes it from European institutions, according to Andreas. He explains however curatorial teams for classical euphony museums typically dwell of musicologists who “would hardly show people oregon popular music, due to the fact that it is not what they know”.

“Nowadays, radical perceive to truthful galore antithetic philharmonic forms, it doesn’t marque consciousness to say, ‘We person classical euphony here, we don’t privation thing else.’” In this respect, helium considers the IME, “very progressive.”

The museum’s programming of unrecorded performances besides reflects its evolved approach, with events ranging from Mumbai-based theatre corporate Yalgaar Lok Sanskriti Manch to an Indo-jazz presentation, A Musical Hortus Malabaricus, and more.

Andreas does suggest immoderate improvements specified arsenic instruments that visitors tin play successful existent clip to acquisition them firsthand oregon discovering the antithetic sounds connected a tabla done assorted techniques. He besides envisions amended integration of unrecorded performances with the imperishable exhibitions.

However, these are refinements to an already palmy model, helium says, adding that portion galore European euphony museums conflict with sparse attendance, the IME draws genuinely engaged crowds of predominantly young visitors.