Imaging Sound

Combining ethnomusicological and art historical methods with history and lore, this text examines how musicians of Hindustan encountered and Indianized music from the Persian cultural sphere. Exploring the visual sources available in illustrated manuscripts and paintings of the Mughal Empire (1526-1858), Bonnie Wade focuses first on Akbar, to show how political and cultural agendas intertwined in the portrayal of Mughal court life. Wade then follows the depictions of music-making through paintings for Akbar's successors Jahangir and Shah Jahan to trace the gradual synthesis of Persian and Indian culture. She also provides an explicit and implicit focus on the role of women in Mughal culture and music. Richly illustrated with reproductions of Mughal paintings, this work should appeal to anyone interested in Indian history, art history, and ethnomusicology.