This book looks at the life of Veena Dhanammal (1866-1938), considered the embodiment of 'classicism' in Karnatik music. It locates her art within the cultural, social and intellectual milieu she inhabited, allowing readers to track the changing musical landscape of southern India

Lakshmi Subramanian Department of History Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

This book looks at the life and music of Veena Dhanammal (1866-1938), considered the embodiment of 'classicism' in Karnatik music. It locates her art within the cultural, social and intellectual milieu she inhabited, allowing readers to track the changing musical landscape of southern India, as a process of urbanisation - beginning in the late nineteenth century - resulted in Karnatik music's movement from a ritual and courtly location to a modern, secular form of entertainment in the city space.

List of Illustrations -- Glossary of Words -- Glossary of Performers -- Preface and Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- 1. Modernity, Classicism and the Construction of a Karnatik Tradition -- 2. New Patrons and New Tastes: Music in a Changing Milieu -- 3. The Voice and the Vina: Understanding Dhanam's Music -- 4. Representing Dhanam: The Making of a Legend -- Bibliography -- Index.