New Instrumental Compositions for North Indian Music

by Anil Mihiripenna

Although many collections of ragadhari vocal compositions have been published over the years, there is a dearth of instrumental compositions.  Hence, it has been the author's long-felt desire to bring out a collection of Gat o instrumental compositions in the north Indian musical tradition.  This book cannot replace a teacher, and it is from a teacher that students of music must seek instructions and guidance. 

The purpose of this book is to offer some support to both the teacher and the student.  Exercises and compositions should not be forced indiscriminately on students, but the teacher must use his discretion in prescribing appropriate material for individual students.  He must also offer his advise and guidance to students on how to select compositions to suite their needs and abilities. 

In this book, you will find Gat composed for various types of instruments with different techniques of playing.  There are compositions appropriate for stringed instruments (bowed and plucked) and for wind instruments.  Thus, the compositions for sitar and sarod are basically in Mazith Khani and Raza Khani styles, while different Gat styles are employed for violin, esraj and flute.

About the Author:

Anil Mihiripenna is a versatile and internationally recognized musician from Sri Lanka.  He graduated from Vishva Bharati University (Shantiniketan).  He studied under the great esraj maestro Ashish Chandra Benerji, flute from Pt. Gowr Goswami and vocal from Pt. Jamini Kantha Chakrawarti.  He has widely traveled on concert tours in the USA, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and India, and he is regarded as the leading flautist cum esraj player in Sri Lanka.  He has also composed music for several ballets, documentary films and feature films.  He is the founder of Sharada Kala Nikethanaya, an institution that propagates and popularizes Oriental classical music in Sri Lanka.