Tradiciones musicales presentes en el sur de India: música clásica versus música ritual

Maria González Legido

doi:10.5565/rev/indialogs.365

Musical traditions in South India: classical music versus ritual music

Authors

Maria González Legido Universidad de Valladolid https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7076-5950

PDF (ES)

Abstract

The state of Kerala (located in southwestern India) has a rich and diverse musical tradition that encompasses different musical genres, from ritual music to classical, folk, contemporary, and film music known as ‘Bollywood’. In this article, I will analyse two musical traditions that, although seemingly opposite, enjoy great popularity and which I had the opportunity to study closely: on one hand, the great classical tradition represented by carnatic music, and on the other, ritual/devotional music, which includes mainly instrumental genres. The former is common throughout southern India, while the latter is unique to Kerala. Both share cultural and spiritual roots, but do they have very different contexts, functions, and musical structures or do they have similarities in certain aspects? And what is more important, can ritual music be examined as a regional variant of carnatic music or as an independent musical tradition?

Keywords

Kerala, traditions, classical music, ritual music, context, functions, identity

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Author Biography

Maria González Legido, Universidad de Valladolid

María González Legido has been an associate professor in the Department of History and Musicology at the University of Valladolid since 2024 and a music specialist with the Castile and León Regional Government's teaching staff since 2007. She holds a PhD in Musicology from the University of Valladolid (with international distinction from the "Spanish Music" Program), a degree in History and Musicology, a diploma in Music Education, and a professional piano degree from the Valladolid Conservatory of Music. She has presented at various lecture series on Spanish music, organology, and ritual music of South India, and is co-author of the book Sangita and Natya: Music and Performing Arts of India, published by the University of Valladolid.