Music of the Nations (A Rare Book)

Swami Prajnanananda; President, Ramakrishna Vedanta Math, Calcutta; and President, Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashrams, l3arjeeling, Kurseong & Siliguri ; born in 1907, at Procedure, Hooghly Dist. (West Bengal); monk of Ramakrishna Vedanta Math; Educated: Calcutta University; initiated in ‘Sannyasa’ by Swami Abbedananda, a direct disciple of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna in 1932; Awards: Sassier Memorial Prize for the research book San gee: 0 Sanslcriti (Bengali) 1958, Rabindra Memorial Prize for his book Historical Development of Indian Music (1960); D. Mus. by Education Circle, Jhankar, Calcutta, 1950 ; D. Litt. by Rabindra Bharati University, 1970; Sarojini Gold Medal by Calcutta University, 1972; Fellow, Sangeet Natak Academy, since l963 Publications: Bhàratiya San geeter Jtihäs, Raga-0-Rupa, Bängla Dhrupadwnälã, Sangeete Rabindra Prathibhâr Dan, Abhedananda Darshana, Tirtharenu, Padäbali-Kirtaner itihäs, Nätyasangeeter Rupäyan, MantrasJdhanã-O-Sangen, Mahishasurmardinee Durga, Mana-O-Mänush, Väni-O-Vichär A History of Indian Music, Historical Study of Indian Music, Music of the Nations, ‘Philosophy of Progress and Perfection, Schools of Indian Philosophical Thoughts, Philosophical Ideas of Swami Abhedananda, Christ the Savior and Christ Myth, Thoughts on Yoga Upanishad and Gita, An Enquiry into Psychology Soul and Absolute, Historical Development of Indian Music, Sangitasarasamgraha, Music: its Form Function and Value, Music of the South Asian Peoples, Cultural Heritage of Indian Fine Arts, The Form and Function of Music in Ancient India, The Social and Historical values of Ragas and Raginis, Edited: The Complete Works of Swami Abhedananda (in 10 Volumes), and The Works of Swami Abhedananda (Abridged Edition.)

The Music of the Nations is a comparative study of music and musical systems of the civilized nations of the world. The book deals with music of India, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Arabia, Persia, China, Japan, Korea, Siam, Burma, Central Asia, England and Russia.

The chapter on Musical Instruments in Vedic arid Ancient India gives descriptions of different kinds of Veena, Venu and Drum used in Primitive, pre-historic and Vedic India; Instrument from Egypt; origin and development of the Tumbura. The Appendix to this Chapter, Entitled History of the Harp’ is an article by John Thomas, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.

The learned author has approached with a new hope and attempt to represent many new materials for research work and also for Knowledge of the inquisitive readers. He states in conclusion that Architecture, Music, Sculpture and Painting are the four forms of Fine Arts And the Sweet tunes of the tones of music bring concentration and meditation bestowing us peace and everlasting bliss.

This second revised edition of the book Music of the Nations by the renowned writer Swami Prajnanananda is being published for the first time by this Math with the financial help kindly rendered by the writer himself. The first edition of this valuable book published by Messers Munshirain Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. in the year 1973 having been sold out; the vacuum is being replenished by this revised second edition with more materials of Music including Musical Instruments. As no music is complete without the details of the musical instruments, in this edition of his book the learned author has added one chapter on Musical Instruments, in Vedic and Ancient India, along with an Appendix to the same chapter being the famous article by John Thomas giving the history of the harp and its development throughout Europe through the ages up to the present day. In this respect we remain indebted to the publisher of the said article.

The Music of The Nations is a comparative study of music and musical systems of the civilized nations of the world. The book deals with music of India, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Arabia, Persia, China, Japan, Korea, Siam, Burma, Central Asia, England and Russia. There was a close contact by land and sea between India and other Western countries, Middle East, and Central Asia, and India supplied various materials of art, culture and civilization to those countries. Besides, music of India was not limited within the corners of India, but. it crossed the borders of India, and contributed her art and culture to other countries. The Buddhist age was a golden one, and in this age, India had a contact with Mesopotamia, Chaldia, Assyria, Greece, Babylon, Arabia, Persia and other countries. Both the Eastern and the Western historians unanimously are of the opinion that as India borrowed many things from other countries, so she also contributed many things to those ancient countries through the medium of trade, commerce and religious mission.

This book has been written for comparative as well as comprehensive knowledge of music. There runs a proverb that comparison makes a man perfect in his knowledge and experience. It is true that a comparative knowledge is a best and surest means for getting wide and perfect knowledge of everything.

Swami Abhedananda said that one must know everything of something and something of everything, and it means that one should acquire deep knowledge in one of the subjects and shall acquire knowledge in various branches. Art and science of music should be approached from all sources possible. Sir S. M. Tagore of Calcutta published Universal History of Music in 1896, and gave some comparative ideas of music and musical systems of different ancient nations of the world. It might be recognized as a source book of information on music of the world nations.

But fresh researches have been made upon the subject, and many of the source books have been published which were not available in Sir S. M. Tagore’s time. Historians and musicologists like Curt Sachs, Smith, Carl Engle, Scholes, Dr. Farmer, MacDowell, Chapell and others have made fresh research work on music, and have contributed many materials of music and musical instruments of different nations. So the field of research works on music and musical systems of different nations has been wide open at present. Further researches should be made, and new books should be written with new vision and new materials so as to help the teachers and the students of music. It is true that this book is not sufficient to meet the greater requirement and demand of the research students of music, but yet I venture to approach with a new hope and inspiration, and so I hope that the inquisitive readers will find some clues and materials to equip their knowledge in the field of research on music.

I offer my thanks to Shri Durga Pada Bhattacharyya for typing the manuscripts of the book and also for corrections where necessary. I also offer my thanks to Sarvashri Surbsh Chandra Cadbury, Brahma Chari Pranabesh Chaitanya, Devashis Hore, Ashutosh Gosh, Hem Chandra Ghose, and Manicklal Dutt, for encouraging me to write and publish this book. I offer my thanks to Shri Devendra Jam, the Editorial Director, for carefully publishing the book on behalf of Messrs. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.

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