Entries by Rajeswari Satish

Our Entire Body is Our Instrument, and We Don’t Talk About It Enough!

Singing may seem like a laid-back activity, but if you think it’s all about relaxation, you might not be fully aware of the intense physical and mental effort it demands. This post is especially for Carnatic vocalists—those who truly understand the intricate dance of body and mind required in this art form. If you’re not […]

New Epicenters for Carnatic Music

Whenever I get an email about an upcoming concert series from an Indian Classical music organization here in USA, I open it eagerly hoping to see a local musician’s name. Not in auxiliary, subsidiary or substitute slots, but as main concert performers in a ticketed slot. Still waiting for it. India produces a ton of […]

Tyagaraja The Activist

A preponderance of lyrics praising the glory of Rama reveals the peerless RAma bhakti of TyAgarAja. Did you also know that his activist mentality shines through in many of his compositions? As I was looking up some of the kritis I have learned…

Two weeks in a pentatonic milieu

Spending two weeks in Indonesia as a cultural tourist entails repeated exposure to Balinese music, especially gamelan. Gamelan music is played at museums, restaurants, hotel lobbies and airports, either live or recorded.

Computational Carnatic Music

IBM’s Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1996, and Watson handily won Jeopardy in 2011. Watson BEAT, their newest machine, generates Western music scores and inspires musicians with creative ideas. Can the days of auto generation of Carnatic Music (hereafter referred to as CM) be far away?

A compelling personality

A successful concert artist with nuanced knowledge, a busy globe trotter, a devoted family man, an avant-garde teacher, a musician who seamlessly weaves novelty into tradition, and above all, a human being with admirable genuineness.