The guru recontextualised? Perspectives on learning North Indian classical music in shifting environments for professional training

Abstract

In the literature on Indian music and 'world music education,' the time-honoured system of guru-sisya-parampara is often quoted as the perfect example of a close relationship between master and pupil to perpetuate a predominantly oral musical tradition. There is some justification for this: North Indian classical music has been successfully passed down as an oral tradition through guru-sisya-parampara for many centuries, and has remained a vibrant and living tradition to this day. However, with drastic changes in economic and social conditions in India (e.g. Jain, 2005), the spread and increased uptake of Indian classical music in the West for over half a century (Farrell, 1997), and emerging critical voices amongst contemporary Indian students, new conditions and contexts have arisen that challenge a system essentially based on a court patronage environment.