Author Archives: savethesitar

Once, there was an instrument which though beloved in its native home, the subcontinent, was completely unknown elsewhere. Gifted players would rise to the court scene and be showered with wealth and gifts by the king … if he were musically minded that is. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb completely banned all types of music, forcingContinue reading “The Sitar”

Many will be surprised to learn that the harmonium which we know today has an extremely interesting and intriguing history. The harmonium was invented by the Danish scientist Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein in 1780, a professor of physiology in the University of Copenhagen. Incidentally, his experiments with electricity inspired the famous Gothic horror novel, Mary Shelley’sContinue reading “The Harmonium”

The rubab, also spelled rabab, is a wooden lute originating from Afghanistan, which is mostly played in Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. Its body is traditionally made of a solid block of mulberry wood, with its head being made of goat’s skin and the strings of the intestinal strings of young goats. Its powerfulContinue reading “The Rubab”