
The Multiplicities of Hindustani Music
Re-envisioning a National Tradition
Anna Morcom(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 26. May 2026
Book
Hardback
376 pages
978-0-19-782544-0 (ISBN)
Description
The Multiplicities of Hindustani Music explores the dynamic social and economic world of North Indian raga-based music over the twentieth century and into the present day. By approaching Hindustani music from beyond geographical and social centers, author Anna Morcom challenges the conventional framing of Hindustani music as a singular "classical" tradition, tracing its historical entanglements with popular, devotional, and commercial forms. In doing so, she uncovers new dimensions of its history, richness, strengths, contradictions, and challenges, and provides insights into future sustainability.
The Multiplicities of Hindustani Music looks at Hindustani music as historically patronized by elites but existing also as a common culture in fairs and festivals in temples, shrines, and the estates of royalty and landowners. Khyal in particular, today's main classical vocal style, flourished not only as court music but in Sufi shrines as the repertoire of qawwals, and lineages of khyal singers encompassed a myriad of genres, including qawwali. The greatest of them mastered a multiplicity of styles and were known as chaumukhi "all-round" artists. From the late nineteenth century, raga-focused Hindustani music was reformed and canonized as "classical music" with a nationalist ethos.
Morcom examines the late colonial and postcolonial reform movements that sought to codify and elevate Hindustani music as a national classical form from new perspectives. These efforts, while aiming to democratize access through music schools and institutions, also reinforced urban, middle-class dominance and marginalized regional and non-elite practices. Morcom pinpoints the paradox of reformist agendas that rejected commercialism yet depended on urban capital and networks. Crucially, she foregrounds the role of "lighter" forms of Hindustani music-often dismissed as peripheral-in sustaining the broader ecosystem. These genres, with greater national reach and accessibility, have enabled social mobility and educational opportunities, particularly for rural and lower-income students. The Multiplicities of Hindustani Music thus argues for a reconceptualization of the classical tradition as inherently pluralistic, highlighting that its vitality lies not in purity or exclusivity, but in its interdependence with a wider spectrum of musical practices.
The Multiplicities of Hindustani Music looks at Hindustani music as historically patronized by elites but existing also as a common culture in fairs and festivals in temples, shrines, and the estates of royalty and landowners. Khyal in particular, today's main classical vocal style, flourished not only as court music but in Sufi shrines as the repertoire of qawwals, and lineages of khyal singers encompassed a myriad of genres, including qawwali. The greatest of them mastered a multiplicity of styles and were known as chaumukhi "all-round" artists. From the late nineteenth century, raga-focused Hindustani music was reformed and canonized as "classical music" with a nationalist ethos.
Morcom examines the late colonial and postcolonial reform movements that sought to codify and elevate Hindustani music as a national classical form from new perspectives. These efforts, while aiming to democratize access through music schools and institutions, also reinforced urban, middle-class dominance and marginalized regional and non-elite practices. Morcom pinpoints the paradox of reformist agendas that rejected commercialism yet depended on urban capital and networks. Crucially, she foregrounds the role of "lighter" forms of Hindustani music-often dismissed as peripheral-in sustaining the broader ecosystem. These genres, with greater national reach and accessibility, have enabled social mobility and educational opportunities, particularly for rural and lower-income students. The Multiplicities of Hindustani Music thus argues for a reconceptualization of the classical tradition as inherently pluralistic, highlighting that its vitality lies not in purity or exclusivity, but in its interdependence with a wider spectrum of musical practices.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
21 b&w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
708 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-782544-0 (9780197825440)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
approx. 08/2026
Oxford University Press Inc
€51.00
Not yet published
Person
Anna Morcom is the Mohindar Brar Sambhi Chair of Indian Music at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her books include Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance: Cultures of Exclusion, awarded the Alan Merriam prize of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Creative Economies of Culture in South Asia: Craftspeople and Performers (co-edited with Neelam Raina), and Hindi Film Songs and the Cinema.
Author
Mohindar Brar Sambhi Chair of Indian MusicMohindar Brar Sambhi Chair of Indian Music, University of California, Los Angeles
Content
Introduction Chapter 1: Following the People: Refracting Hindustani Music through Lineage Chapter 2: Khyal, Qawwals, and the Court of the Saints Chapter 3: Fairs and Festivals: Hindustani Music as Common Culture Chapter 4: Following the Money: The Economic Landscape of Hindustani Classical Music over the Long Twentieth Century Chapter 5: Hindustani Classical Music in Small Towns and Cities: A Parallel History Chapter 6: Music Schools, Mobility, and the (Dis)connected Strata of Hindustani Music Chapter 7: Fixing Problems in the World of Hindustani Classical Music Chapter 8: Making It as a Hindustani Classical Musician Today: Careers, Options, and Boundaries Conclusion