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Dance Is A Many-Splendoured Thing But… 2

What about its music? Shouldn't it be many-splendoured too?

All the qualities that make vocal music good, rich and pleasing should also be present in the musical accompaniment to dance. The voice should be pleasant, the tone of the individual instruments appropriate, all should be in key and keep impeccable rhythm. Yes, but what else should music for dance have?

Choice of Instruments

Before going into that, a many gullied, wide-channelled river system by itself, let me say a few things that need to be, about the instruments. Mridangam, violin and tambura are indispensable. Flute and veena can be accommodated, particularly when there is a reference in the items to Krishna (which sensible card can do without him?) and the triumvirate of devis—Sri, Sivaa and Vaak (goddesses Lakshmi, Parvati, Saraswathi). All these instruments are present in most performances of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi today.

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