British Forum for Ethnomusicology

Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Mark Trewin
Reviewed work(s):
Mchod-rol: les instruments de la musique tibtaine by Mireille Helffer
Source: British Journal of Ethnomusicology, Vol. 5 (1996), pp. 163-165
Published by: British Forum for Ethnomusicology
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3060875
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British Journal
of Ethnomusicology,
vol. 5
(1996)
British Journal
of Ethnomusicology,
vol. 5
(1996)
the
presence
of
Myoon-Benzaiten was
hardly
central to the activities of
any
of these
organizations. Religion,
it seems to me, was
merely
a
handy expedient
for various secular
ends, of which we learn little in this volume
(accurate
records
probably
do not exist, and
Fritsch
usually
refuses to
guess).
To
my mind,
the t6do-za was
fundamentally
an economic
association, not a
religious one;
the
g6ze
and
moso, on the other hand, were
mainly
interested
in
retaining
a
monopoly
on their
respective
performing
arts. Fritsch does outline these
functions of each
organization,
but in such
sections-the most
interesting
of the book-
My6on-Benzaiten becomes as
peripheral
as I
believe she was in
reality.
I could
spot only
few minor errors. The
explanation
on
p.
20 is
misleading,
since not
only
recent biwa contain five
strings (rarely),
but also one
type
of ancient one, of which a
famous
example
is in the Sh6soin. The
illustration on
p.
74 is from a volume entitled
Shiji
no
yukikai (misread
as Shiji
koka;
cf.
p.
304).
In some
instances, macrons are
misplaced,
or characters are misread:
p. 41,
shugy6;
p. 42, ktaishi; p. 76, Kant6; p. 95,
Oita; p. 140, Chugoku; p. 205, furoshiki; p.
237, hosomichi;
pp.
237, 276,
hogo-bu;
p. 291,
Yizankaku; p. 298, shaiky6
hojin.
Other more
common
readin,g
include
p.
75 and elsewhere,
jijin-gyo/jijin-kyo;
p. 141, Tsukushi-goto; p.
211,
kan-geiko.
Rinsen shoten
(p.
269)
is in
Kyoto; references to
Ohnuki-Tierney
1989 on
pp. 61, 62, and 89 should
presumably
read
1987. And I am not sure
why my translation of
Takahashi Chikuzan's
autobiography
is in the
bibliography.
I could not find mention of it
anywhere, though
I
may
have missed it in the
jungle
of over 1100 footnotes.
GERALD GROEMER
Earlham
College
/ Yamanashi Univ.
groemge@earlham.edu
the
presence
of
Myoon-Benzaiten was
hardly
central to the activities of
any
of these
organizations. Religion,
it seems to me, was
merely
a
handy expedient
for various secular
ends, of which we learn little in this volume
(accurate
records
probably
do not exist, and
Fritsch
usually
refuses to
guess).
To
my mind,
the t6do-za was
fundamentally
an economic
association, not a
religious one;
the
g6ze
and
moso, on the other hand, were
mainly
interested
in
retaining
a
monopoly
on their
respective
performing
arts. Fritsch does outline these
functions of each
organization,
but in such
sections-the most
interesting
of the book-
My6on-Benzaiten becomes as
peripheral
as I
believe she was in
reality.
I could
spot only
few minor errors. The
explanation
on
p.
20 is
misleading,
since not
only
recent biwa contain five
strings (rarely),
but also one
type
of ancient one, of which a
famous
example
is in the Sh6soin. The
illustration on
p.
74 is from a volume entitled
Shiji
no
yukikai (misread
as Shiji
koka;
cf.
p.
304).
In some
instances, macrons are
misplaced,
or characters are misread:
p. 41,
shugy6;
p. 42, ktaishi; p. 76, Kant6; p. 95,
Oita; p. 140, Chugoku; p. 205, furoshiki; p.
237, hosomichi;
pp.
237, 276,
hogo-bu;
p. 291,
Yizankaku; p. 298, shaiky6
hojin.
Other more
common
readin,g
include
p.
75 and elsewhere,
jijin-gyo/jijin-kyo;
p. 141, Tsukushi-goto; p.
211,
kan-geiko.
Rinsen shoten
(p.
269)
is in
Kyoto; references to
Ohnuki-Tierney
1989 on
pp. 61, 62, and 89 should
presumably
read
1987. And I am not sure
why my translation of
Takahashi Chikuzan's
autobiography
is in the
bibliography.
I could not find mention of it
anywhere, though
I
may
have missed it in the
jungle
of over 1100 footnotes.
GERALD GROEMER
Earlham
College
/ Yamanashi Univ.
groemge@earlham.edu
MIREILLE HELFFER, Mchod-rol: les
instruments de la musi9ue tib6taine.
Paris: CNRS Editions, Editions de la
Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, 1994.
401pp.,
33 b&w
photos, 8 colour
plates,
30
tables, 57
figures,
appendices, bibliog.,
indices, CD. ISBN 2-7351-0643-8
(CNRS),
2-271-05224-6 (MSH) (pb).
In
French.
MIREILLE HELFFER, Mchod-rol: les
instruments de la musi9ue tib6taine.
Paris: CNRS Editions, Editions de la
Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, 1994.
401pp.,
33 b&w
photos, 8 colour
plates,
30
tables, 57
figures,
appendices, bibliog.,
indices, CD. ISBN 2-7351-0643-8
(CNRS),
2-271-05224-6 (MSH) (pb).
In
French.
Historically,
the state of research in Tibetan
music has suffered from a lack of definition
Historically,
the state of research in Tibetan
music has suffered from a lack of definition
of the "field", in both the
physical
and
scholarly
sense. Political conditions have
made the collection of materials
difficult,
and even where these existed
(and there are
important
collections of Tibetan instruments,
at
least,
in the
West),
few scholars were able
to
experience directly
the
"living
trad-
itions" in order to
interpret
them
adequately. Equally,
the material and textual
bias of Western
Tibetology presents
particular challenges
for the ethnomusic-
ologist seeking
to
equip
herself or himself
with a
knowledge of Tibetan
language
and
culture. As a result, the
published
literature
in this area has been uneven in its
scope
and
quality.
Helffer's recent book, however, is
representative
of the considerable advances
which she has led since the
early
1970s. It is
the fruit of more than
twenty years
of
meticulous research undertaken
by
one of a
small number of scholars
who, through
their
intimate
knowledge
of Tibetan
language
and
culture, have
brought
a new
ethnographic
depth
to the field. Given that
many
of their
important writings
in this
specialized
field
remain
unpublished (e.g.
Canzio 1978,
Ellingson 1979), Dr Helffer and her
publishers
are to be
thoroughly congrat-
ulated for
making
this
ground-breaking
work available to us.
At first
glance,
the title
(being perhaps
enigmatic
to the
non-specialist) might
suggest
that here is a book which is more
Tibetological
than
ethnomusicological
in
orientation and content. Indeed, it was
originally conceived as a
simple inventory
of
Tibetan musical instruments, and it remains
confined to the contexts of Tibetan
institutional
religion (Buddhist and
Bonpo),
Actually, however, the title mchod-rol
("musical offering",
pronounced
approximately
as
"ch6r6") points
to the
emic
perspective arising
from Helffer's
fieldwork in India and
Nepal,
which
permeates
the work and
gives
it substantial
interest and value for
ethnomusicologists
irrespective
of their
regional interests: for the
wider reader, it
gives
a
fascinating
and
informative
insight
into the
way
in which a
culture's aesthetic
concepts
and values are
organized
in terms of actual sound; for the
Tibet-oriented scholar, it consolidates two
decades of research
by
Helffer and others
which has
gradually
met the
challenge
presented by
the
discovery
of a wider
range
of the "field", in both the
physical
and
scholarly
sense. Political conditions have
made the collection of materials
difficult,
and even where these existed
(and there are
important
collections of Tibetan instruments,
at
least,
in the
West),
few scholars were able
to
experience directly
the
"living
trad-
itions" in order to
interpret
them
adequately. Equally,
the material and textual
bias of Western
Tibetology presents
particular challenges
for the ethnomusic-
ologist seeking
to
equip
herself or himself
with a
knowledge of Tibetan
language
and
culture. As a result, the
published
literature
in this area has been uneven in its
scope
and
quality.
Helffer's recent book, however, is
representative
of the considerable advances
which she has led since the
early
1970s. It is
the fruit of more than
twenty years
of
meticulous research undertaken
by
one of a
small number of scholars
who, through
their
intimate
knowledge
of Tibetan
language
and
culture, have
brought
a new
ethnographic
depth
to the field. Given that
many
of their
important writings
in this
specialized
field
remain
unpublished (e.g.
Canzio 1978,
Ellingson 1979), Dr Helffer and her
publishers
are to be
thoroughly congrat-
ulated for
making
this
ground-breaking
work available to us.
At first
glance,
the title
(being perhaps
enigmatic
to the
non-specialist) might
suggest
that here is a book which is more
Tibetological
than
ethnomusicological
in
orientation and content. Indeed, it was
originally conceived as a
simple inventory
of
Tibetan musical instruments, and it remains
confined to the contexts of Tibetan
institutional
religion (Buddhist and
Bonpo),
Actually, however, the title mchod-rol
("musical offering",
pronounced
approximately
as
"ch6r6") points
to the
emic
perspective arising
from Helffer's
fieldwork in India and
Nepal,
which
permeates
the work and
gives
it substantial
interest and value for
ethnomusicologists
irrespective
of their
regional interests: for the
wider reader, it
gives
a
fascinating
and
informative
insight
into the
way
in which a
culture's aesthetic
concepts
and values are
organized
in terms of actual sound; for the
Tibet-oriented scholar, it consolidates two
decades of research
by
Helffer and others
which has
gradually
met the
challenge
presented by
the
discovery
of a wider
range
163 163
164 British Journal of
Ethnomusicology,
vol. 5 (1996)
and use of musical notations than
previously
realized.
Just as this book is not
simply
an
inventory,
neither is it
merely
a
compilation
arising
from the numerous contributions on
individual instruments
published
as articles
over the last
twenty years
or so. If in
places
it
balances out some of the unevenness of the
extant literature, it also fills in some
important gaps.
For
example,
the
chapter
on
the
gandi (semanterion) is
largely
an
updated
revision of Helffer's earlier article
(1983), with some understandable excision
of finer detail
(making
it
necessary
for the
specialist
to consult the
original),
while the
rgya-gling
is treated with the benefit of the
significant
advances made since earlier
studies
(e.g. Crossley-Holland 1970). Other
chapters,
on the other hand, represent
entirely original
contributions and
provide
important
new information, notably
concerning
the
dung-chen trumpets (one of
the foci of Helffer's most recent research,
and
fittingly
situated at the
beginning
of the
book), together
with some of the less well-
known instruments such as the
dung-dkar
(conch-shell trumpet),
the
rkang-gling
(thighbone trumpet)
and the
'khar-rnga
(gong).
In these cases, Helffer shows us that
the
apparent
musical
simplicity
of these
instruments
(especially
those used
mainly
for
signalling purposes) may
have led to
these
interesting
instruments
being
dismissed
all too
easily.
The heart of the book is
clearly
and
systematically organized
around five
organological
categories
whose criteria
reflect the emic
perspective: (1) instruments
of
ceremony (dung-chen
and
rgya-gling);
(2) instruments for
summoning
the monastic
assembly (gandi, 'khar-rnga
and
dung-
dkar); (3) instruments for the
structuring
of
time
(the
drum
rnga
and the three
types
of
cymbals:
sbub-chal / rol-mo, sil-snyan,
and
ting-shags);
(4) ritual objects
which have a
sonorous function, or are attributes of deities
(the bells dril-bu and
gshang,
the
hourglass-
drum damaru /
cang-te'u
and the
rkang-
gling)
and
(5) "emblematic" instruments
(the lute
pi-wang
/
sgra-snyan
and the flute
gling-bu).
As Helffer
justifies
in her introduction,
this scheme avoids both the material- and
action-based Tibetan classification systems.
This
might
seem to be a curious
decision,
but her
categories thoughtfully
extend the
action-based
principle
into the broader
functional domain, thereby placing
the
instruments in a more meaningful
context
for the Western reader without
having
recourse to the etic confines of the Sachs-
Hombostel
system.
The interconnectedness
of these categories
is also
apparent
from the
systematic
sub-divisions given
to the
description
of each instrument, which beside
use and function include historical data
(based on textual and
iconographic sources),
morphological characteristics, acoustic
properties,
notation
systems (including
graphic
conventions used in different
traditions) and
repertory.
These data, rich
and diverse as
they are,
are
concisely
and
meticulously presented
with extensive use of
figures,
tables and illustrations (including
sonograms), rendering
the book as visually
stimulating
as it is
easy
to use.
Inevitably,
some instruments receive less
attention than others, and the format is
modified
accordingly.
The "emblematic"
instruments, for
example,
are
essentially
"folk" instruments whose use in the
monastic context does not extend to actual
musical
practice;
the
descriptions, therefore,
are restricted to the historical, conceptual
and aesthetic dimensions. Also, some
organological
areas do not feature as
prominently
as
they might,
and it is here
where we await the outcome of further
research: there is not much information, for
example,
on actual construction
techniques,
while the
kinesic-choreographic
dimensions
of
performance practice
remain to be
explored
more
fully.
On the whole, though,
the
consistency
of the scheme allows the
possibility
of
directly comparing aspects
(such as the
logic
of notation
systems
in the
different monastic traditions)
of the various
instruments.
A
synthesis
is also made
explicit
in the
concluding group
of
chapters examining
the
musical and
ideological
bases of the
monastic ensemble as a whole. Here the
acoustic
possibilities
of the instruments are
linked with the aesthetic dimension
through
a discussion of timbre, native musical
terminology
and
concepts
of sound.
One of the
major strengths
of the book
must be the richness of detail which is
conveniently
and
readily
accessible in a
single
volume. Another substantial asset
must be the CD, which is not
merely
a
condiment for the
descriptive
feast: these are
carefully
selected sound illustrations which
are
fully
documented and
integrated
into the
British Journal of Ethnomusicology,
vol. 5
(1996) British Journal of Ethnomusicology,
vol. 5
(1996)
text In
quantity
we are treated to about an
hour's worth of field
recordings,
all but one
taped
by
Helffer herself, and the
quality
is of
the
high
standard we have come to
expect
from her (Helffer 1978).
In sum, this is a rich, detailed and useful
book which will inform
specialists
and non-
specialists
alike. For
specialists,
the extensive
reference materials which make
up
the final
quarter
of the book will
by
themselves make
this an essential aid. The introduction,
meanwhile, orients the more
general
reader
with a concise, stylish description
of the
ritual and cultural contexts in which the
instruments are
played. Overall, this work
provides
an
outstanding
model for
organological
studies with
ethnographic
depth,
and it should
inspire
future studies
by
ethnomusicologists
with other
regional
specialisms (nothwithstanding
the
hope
that
we
might expect
a further volume on
Tibetan folk instruments from Helffer
herself?) .
My only
reservation is that I
suspect
it will not acheive the distribution it
deserves unless or until it
appears
in
English
translation at a more affordable
price.
REFERENCES
Canzio, Ricardo (1978) "Saskya
Pandita's
Treatise on Music and its relevance to
present day liturgy."
PhD thesis, Univ. of
London, School of Oriental and African
Studies.
Crossley-Holland,
Peter (1970)
"rGya-gling
hymns
of the
Karma-Kagyu:
the
rhythmitonal
architecture of some
Tibetan instrumental airs."Selected
Reports
in
Ethnomusicology
1.3: 80-114.
Ellingson,
Ter (1979) "The mandala of
sound:
concepts
and sound structures in
Tibetan ritual music." PhD thesis, Univ.
of Wisconsin-Madison.
Helffer, Mireille (1978) 1Sdakh: musique
de
monastere et de
village. LP,
Chant du
Monde LDX 74662; reissued on CD,
LDX 274662-CM 251.
(1983)
"Le
gandi,
un simandre
tibdtain
d'origine
indienne." Yearbook
for
Traditional Music 15: 112-25.
MARK TREWIN
Faculty of
Music
University of Edinburgh
m.trewin@music.ed.ac.uk
text In
quantity
we are treated to about an
hour's worth of field
recordings,
all but one
taped
by
Helffer herself, and the
quality
is of
the
high
standard we have come to
expect
from her (Helffer 1978).
In sum, this is a rich, detailed and useful
book which will inform
specialists
and non-
specialists
alike. For
specialists,
the extensive
reference materials which make
up
the final
quarter
of the book will
by
themselves make
this an essential aid. The introduction,
meanwhile, orients the more
general
reader
with a concise, stylish description
of the
ritual and cultural contexts in which the
instruments are
played. Overall, this work
provides
an
outstanding
model for
organological
studies with
ethnographic
depth,
and it should
inspire
future studies
by
ethnomusicologists
with other
regional
specialisms (nothwithstanding
the
hope
that
we
might expect
a further volume on
Tibetan folk instruments from Helffer
herself?) .
My only
reservation is that I
suspect
it will not acheive the distribution it
deserves unless or until it
appears
in
English
translation at a more affordable
price.
REFERENCES
Canzio, Ricardo (1978) "Saskya
Pandita's
Treatise on Music and its relevance to
present day liturgy."
PhD thesis, Univ. of
London, School of Oriental and African
Studies.
Crossley-Holland,
Peter (1970)
"rGya-gling
hymns
of the
Karma-Kagyu:
the
rhythmitonal
architecture of some
Tibetan instrumental airs."Selected
Reports
in
Ethnomusicology
1.3: 80-114.
Ellingson,
Ter (1979) "The mandala of
sound:
concepts
and sound structures in
Tibetan ritual music." PhD thesis, Univ.
of Wisconsin-Madison.
Helffer, Mireille (1978) 1Sdakh: musique
de
monastere et de
village. LP,
Chant du
Monde LDX 74662; reissued on CD,
LDX 274662-CM 251.
(1983)
"Le
gandi,
un simandre
tibdtain
d'origine
indienne." Yearbook
for
Traditional Music 15: 112-25.
MARK TREWIN
Faculty of
Music
University of Edinburgh
m.trewin@music.ed.ac.uk
NAZIR A. JAIRAZBHOY, The
rigs of North
Indian music: their structure and
evolution, 2nd ed. Bombay: Popular
Prakashan, 1995.
222pp.,
mus. exx.,
bibliog., index, cassette. Distributed
by
Apsara
Media, Van
Nuys,
CA: book $25,
tape $10. ISBN 81-7154-395-2.
The first edition of Nazir
Jairazbhoy's
The
rags
of North Indian music, published
in 1971
by
Wesleyan University Press,
made a
unique
contribution to the
study
of Hindustani classical
music. Although
its
subject
matter was
technical if not esoteric, the book rewarded the
informed and determined reader with a
remarkably original perspective
on the
develop-
ment and formal structure of the North Indian
rig
system. Unfortunately,
this edition was
prohibitively expensive
both for the Indian
market and for
many
individual readers in the
West, and it was not
reprinted
after the
exhaustion of the first edition in 1975. The
publication
of an
expanded
and
moderately
priced
second edition is thus a welcome event,
which merits review in this
journal,
and
may
also
provide
occasion for a brief
retrospective
consideration of the first edition's
reception.
Although my
own extended
discipular
relation-
ship
with
Jairazbhoy might
be taken to
impair
my objectivity
as a reviewer,
I should like to
think that such substantive
points
as I make
here should stand or fail on their own merit.
The
primary
revision in the new edition is
the insertion of a
chapter
which introduces
technical terms used in the book, relevant
principles
of basic acoustics, and other matters
dealing
with modal
analysis,
while also
making
certain
insightful
observations about the nature
of
theory
in Hindustani music. This
chapter,
like the
following
one summarising
historical
background
and that
outlining present-day
Hindustani music, stands well on its own and
could
provide
useful
introductory reading
for
general
students of Indian music. The recorded
examples played by
sitarist
Vilayat
Khan
included in an EP disc in the first edition are
here
presented
on an
accompanying cassette,
along
with vocal and
sarangi
demonstrations
by
Umrao Bundu Khan.
The formalistic approach
of
Jairazbhoy's
book itself raises certain issues
regarding
the
definition of the field and
scope
of ethnomusic-
ology, admittedly
an issue of more concern to
some than to others.
Ethnomusicologists
have
tended to
habitually
invoke the mantra of "the
study
of music in culture", and, indeed, the
work of most of us, including
other
publi-
NAZIR A. JAIRAZBHOY, The
rigs of North
Indian music: their structure and
evolution, 2nd ed. Bombay: Popular
Prakashan, 1995.
222pp.,
mus. exx.,
bibliog., index, cassette. Distributed
by
Apsara
Media, Van
Nuys,
CA: book $25,
tape $10. ISBN 81-7154-395-2.
The first edition of Nazir
Jairazbhoy's
The
rags
of North Indian music, published
in 1971
by
Wesleyan University Press,
made a
unique
contribution to the
study
of Hindustani classical
music. Although
its
subject
matter was
technical if not esoteric, the book rewarded the
informed and determined reader with a
remarkably original perspective
on the
develop-
ment and formal structure of the North Indian
rig
system. Unfortunately,
this edition was
prohibitively expensive
both for the Indian
market and for
many
individual readers in the
West, and it was not
reprinted
after the
exhaustion of the first edition in 1975. The
publication
of an
expanded
and
moderately
priced
second edition is thus a welcome event,
which merits review in this
journal,
and
may
also
provide
occasion for a brief
retrospective
consideration of the first edition's
reception.
Although my
own extended
discipular
relation-
ship
with
Jairazbhoy might
be taken to
impair
my objectivity
as a reviewer,
I should like to
think that such substantive
points
as I make
here should stand or fail on their own merit.
The
primary
revision in the new edition is
the insertion of a
chapter
which introduces
technical terms used in the book, relevant
principles
of basic acoustics, and other matters
dealing
with modal
analysis,
while also
making
certain
insightful
observations about the nature
of
theory
in Hindustani music. This
chapter,
like the
following
one summarising
historical
background
and that
outlining present-day
Hindustani music, stands well on its own and
could
provide
useful
introductory reading
for
general
students of Indian music. The recorded
examples played by
sitarist
Vilayat
Khan
included in an EP disc in the first edition are
here
presented
on an
accompanying cassette,
along
with vocal and
sarangi
demonstrations
by
Umrao Bundu Khan.
The formalistic approach
of
Jairazbhoy's
book itself raises certain issues
regarding
the
definition of the field and
scope
of ethnomusic-
ology, admittedly
an issue of more concern to
some than to others.
Ethnomusicologists
have
tended to
habitually
invoke the mantra of "the
study
of music in culture", and, indeed, the
work of most of us, including
other
publi-
165 165