Rhythmic theology: Khol drumming in Caitanya Vaisnava Kīrtan. Graves, E. Master's thesis, Tufts University, 2009. ![Rhythmic theology: Khol drumming in Caitanya Vaisnava Kīrtan [link]](https://bibbase.org/img/filetypes/link.svg "link")
URL abstract bibtex This thesis studies the khol, a double-headed barrel drum, prominent in the music-culture of Bengal in Eastern India. In contemporary Caitanya Vaisnava worship, the khol occupies a place of unique importance, as its sounds are an essential ingredient in the daily liturgical services in Vaisnava temples throughout South Asia. In this respect, the khol is viewed as the sine qua non form of rhythmic accompaniment in the context of Caitanya Vaisnava kīrtan, the primary form of musical expression for devotees. This thesis investigates the khol from two perspectives. The first studies the influence of Caitanya Vaisnava theology on the conceptual and ritual spheres of khol drumming. Medieval biographies contribute to an understanding of the khol in the present, as the devotees described in these histories are revered for both their theological and musical contributions to contemporary kīrtan. These histories also influence the present-day concepts and rituals that surround the drum as a facet of Caitanya Vaisnava material culture, as the drum's morphology and identity is shaped by conflations with instruments from the past. The second perspective focuses on the musical details of khol repertoire. From the pedagogical exercises that are the beginning of a drummer's education to the time-keeping patterns of kīrtan event, an investigation of the drumming system suggests both similarities and differences with other percussion traditions of the Indian subcontinent. While khol drummers use unique techniques of rhythmic development, other items of repertoire highlight similarities with Hindustani rhythmic theory. This study ends with an ethnographic and musicological analysis of one kīrtan performance in the summer of 2008 in Vrindavan, India. This final analysis attempts to integrate the religious and musical perspectives, by studying how aesthetic principles of Caitanya Vaisnavism become articulated through musical performance. My research is based on fieldwork with the khol drummers Bāblu Dāsa and Lokānanda Dāsa in Vrindavan, India (2002-2003, 2004, 2008).
@mastersthesis{graves_rhythmic_2009,
title = {Rhythmic theology: {Khol} drumming in {Caitanya} {Vaisnava} {Kīrtan}},
shorttitle = {Rhythmic theology},
url = {https://www.proquest.com/pqdtlocal1006853/docview/305004550/abstract/5A8F24B83BF14498PQ/1},
abstract = {This thesis studies the khol, a double-headed barrel drum, prominent in the music-culture of Bengal in Eastern India. In contemporary Caitanya Vaisnava worship, the khol occupies a place of unique importance, as its sounds are an essential ingredient in the daily liturgical services in Vaisnava temples throughout South Asia. In this respect, the khol is viewed as the sine qua non form of rhythmic accompaniment in the context of Caitanya Vaisnava kīrtan, the primary form of musical expression for devotees.
This thesis investigates the khol from two perspectives. The first studies the influence of Caitanya Vaisnava theology on the conceptual and ritual spheres of khol drumming. Medieval biographies contribute to an understanding of the khol in the present, as the devotees described in these histories are revered for both their theological and musical contributions to contemporary kīrtan. These histories also influence the present-day concepts and rituals that surround the drum as a facet of Caitanya Vaisnava material culture, as the drum's morphology and identity is shaped by conflations with instruments from the past.
The second perspective focuses on the musical details of khol repertoire. From the pedagogical exercises that are the beginning of a drummer's education to the time-keeping patterns of kīrtan event, an investigation of the drumming system suggests both similarities and differences with other percussion traditions of the Indian subcontinent. While khol drummers use unique techniques of rhythmic development, other items of repertoire highlight similarities with Hindustani rhythmic theory.
This study ends with an ethnographic and musicological analysis of one kīrtan performance in the summer of 2008 in Vrindavan, India. This final analysis attempts to integrate the religious and musical perspectives, by studying how aesthetic principles of Caitanya Vaisnavism become articulated through musical performance. My research is based on fieldwork with the khol drummers Bāblu Dāsa and Lokānanda Dāsa in Vrindavan, India (2002-2003, 2004, 2008).},
language = {English},
urldate = {2023-07-20},
school = {Tufts University},
author = {Graves, Eben},
year = {2009},
keywords = {Communication and the arts, Ethnomusicology, Historical consciousness, Khol, Kirtan, Mrdanga, Philosophy, Social sciences, Vaishnavism, religion and theology},
}
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The first studies the influence of Caitanya Vaisnava theology on the conceptual and ritual spheres of khol drumming. Medieval biographies contribute to an understanding of the khol in the present, as the devotees described in these histories are revered for both their theological and musical contributions to contemporary kīrtan. These histories also influence the present-day concepts and rituals that surround the drum as a facet of Caitanya Vaisnava material culture, as the drum's morphology and identity is shaped by conflations with instruments from the past. The second perspective focuses on the musical details of khol repertoire. From the pedagogical exercises that are the beginning of a drummer's education to the time-keeping patterns of kīrtan event, an investigation of the drumming system suggests both similarities and differences with other percussion traditions of the Indian subcontinent. 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