Sikh Kirtan and Its Journeys
Instruments, Theories, Technologies
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Sikh Kirtan and Its Journeys
Instruments, Theories, Technologies
An unprecedented portrait of Sikh devotional music demonstrating how musical traditions shift to meet changing needs.
Kirtan—the sung expression of sacred verses—spans the Indian subcontinent, but it plays a unique role in the Sikh faith. In Sikh Kirtan and ItsJourneys, musicologist Gurminder Kaur Bhogal introduces the devotional tradition of kirtan, examining it alongside the writings of holy figures, the Sikh Gurus and Bhagats, and its practice among musicians. The long-established tradition of kirtan originated in a canon of instruments and songs, each of which produces a singular spiritual and worldly effect when kirtan is sung. However, the realities of colonization and migration have necessitated changes to these canonical practices. Bhogal offers a deep exploration of the traditions that gave rise to kirtan and a robust portrait of the many transformations kirtan has undergone, particularly in the wide-ranging Sikh diaspora, dedicating special attention to marginal kirtan players such as women and innovators developing digital techniques and styles. A practicing kirtaniye, Bhogal has spent her life studying and performing this music, steeped in the histories and controversies her book describes.
Through a rigorous explanation of the traditions and evolutions of kirtan, Bhogal ultimately shows that kirtan is fluid, multi-faceted, and ever-changing because it reflects the shifting spiritual needs and musical tastes of devotees and practitioners across the world. Moreover, wherever kirtan is offered and received, it heightens corporeal vibrations between practitioners and devotees to motivate a sense of social purpose, social responsibility, and selfless service.
Kirtan—the sung expression of sacred verses—spans the Indian subcontinent, but it plays a unique role in the Sikh faith. In Sikh Kirtan and ItsJourneys, musicologist Gurminder Kaur Bhogal introduces the devotional tradition of kirtan, examining it alongside the writings of holy figures, the Sikh Gurus and Bhagats, and its practice among musicians. The long-established tradition of kirtan originated in a canon of instruments and songs, each of which produces a singular spiritual and worldly effect when kirtan is sung. However, the realities of colonization and migration have necessitated changes to these canonical practices. Bhogal offers a deep exploration of the traditions that gave rise to kirtan and a robust portrait of the many transformations kirtan has undergone, particularly in the wide-ranging Sikh diaspora, dedicating special attention to marginal kirtan players such as women and innovators developing digital techniques and styles. A practicing kirtaniye, Bhogal has spent her life studying and performing this music, steeped in the histories and controversies her book describes.
Through a rigorous explanation of the traditions and evolutions of kirtan, Bhogal ultimately shows that kirtan is fluid, multi-faceted, and ever-changing because it reflects the shifting spiritual needs and musical tastes of devotees and practitioners across the world. Moreover, wherever kirtan is offered and received, it heightens corporeal vibrations between practitioners and devotees to motivate a sense of social purpose, social responsibility, and selfless service.
328 pages | 36 halftones, 4 tables | 6 x 9
Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology
Asian Studies: South Asia
Music: Ethnomusicology
Religion: South and East Asian Religions
Table of Contents
Notes on Transliteration, Accompanying Website, and Classroom Teaching
Preface: The Vast Ocean of Sikh Kirtan
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Historicizing Kirtan in Punjab and the Diaspora: Case Study—Kenya
Navigating Gender Inequality
Crosscurrents: The Many Tides of Sikh Kirtan
The Journeys of Sikh Kirtan
Why Sikh Musicology?
Chapter 1. The Musical and Sonic Dimensions of Sri Guru Granth Sahib
From Bhakti to Kirtan: Rāg Compilation and Implications for Musical Performance
Other Musical Details in Verse Titles: Partāl and Aasa ki Vār
A Mystery Term: Ghar
How Should Kirtan Be Listened to and What Does Kirtan Do?
Listening Expansively to the Kirtan of the Cosmos
Avian Yearnings for the Divine in Birdsong
Chapter Summary
Chapter 2. Tracking the Harmonium from Christian Missionary Hymns to Sikh Kirtan
Destination Punjab: The Harmonium Arrives in India
“Civilizing the Heathen”: How Female Missionaries Used the Harmonium to Signal Modernity and Spiritual Progress
A Missing Link? Missionary Dependence on Mirasi as an Entryway to Sikh Kirtan
The Issues at Stake
Showcasing the Harmonium in Sikh Kirtan
Pedagogical Reform and the Rise of Female Kirtaniye
Chapter Summary
Chapter 3. Anahad Nād and the Sonic Embodiment of Divinity
Toward a Theory of Anahad Nād: The Case of Bhai Hira Singh (1879–1926)
The Critical Commentaries of Bhai Vir Singh and Bhai Randhir Singh
From Hath Yoga to Raj Yoga: Arrival at the Tenth Door (Dasam Dwar) and Beyond
The Fourth State and Timbral Resonance of Panch Shabad
Chapter Summary
Chapter 4. Hearing (Anahad) Instruments and the Rabab in Sikh Art
Anahad Instruments
The Rabab in Sikh Art
The Rise and Flows of the Rabab
(Anahad) Rabab as Seen Through Sikh Iconography
The Extant Sikh Rabab and Its Stories
The Rabab in the B-40 Janamsakhi Manuscript
Anahad Nād and Pictorial Resonance: The Halo and Sonic Vibration in Sikh Art
Chapter Summary
Chapter 5. Engineering Anahad Nād as Digital Bliss: The Case of Amritvela Trust
Kirtan and Acoustics
Current Mediations of Technology in Sikh Gurudware
Establishing Amritvela Trust in Ulhasnagar (Maharashtra)
Amritvela Trust’s Kirtan: Mediating Darshan Between the Metaphysical and the Digital
Headphones and Absorption
Experiencing Digital Anahad Nād
A Vibratory Feedback Loop Between Kirtan and Seva
Vibrating Bodies of the Twenty-First Century
Chapter Summary
Chapter 6. The Digital Journeys of Kirtan: Pursuing Innovation and Gender Equality
Davwinder (Dindae) Sheena: Crafting a “Sikh Sound”
Taren Kaur: “Integrate Women into Kirtan Darbar”
Jasleen Kaur: “You Can’t Stop the Revolution”
Veer Manpreet Singh: The Innovation of Slow Kirtan and Healing with “Tuhi Tuhi”
Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa (Pipli Wale) and Kirtan Studio: “Kirtan Is Life”
Shivpreet Singh: “Listening to Guru Nanak”
Epilogue
Appendix
Glossary
Notes
Index
Preface: The Vast Ocean of Sikh Kirtan
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Historicizing Kirtan in Punjab and the Diaspora: Case Study—Kenya
Navigating Gender Inequality
Crosscurrents: The Many Tides of Sikh Kirtan
The Journeys of Sikh Kirtan
Why Sikh Musicology?
Chapter 1. The Musical and Sonic Dimensions of Sri Guru Granth Sahib
From Bhakti to Kirtan: Rāg Compilation and Implications for Musical Performance
Other Musical Details in Verse Titles: Partāl and Aasa ki Vār
A Mystery Term: Ghar
How Should Kirtan Be Listened to and What Does Kirtan Do?
Listening Expansively to the Kirtan of the Cosmos
Avian Yearnings for the Divine in Birdsong
Chapter Summary
Chapter 2. Tracking the Harmonium from Christian Missionary Hymns to Sikh Kirtan
Destination Punjab: The Harmonium Arrives in India
“Civilizing the Heathen”: How Female Missionaries Used the Harmonium to Signal Modernity and Spiritual Progress
A Missing Link? Missionary Dependence on Mirasi as an Entryway to Sikh Kirtan
The Issues at Stake
Showcasing the Harmonium in Sikh Kirtan
Pedagogical Reform and the Rise of Female Kirtaniye
Chapter Summary
Chapter 3. Anahad Nād and the Sonic Embodiment of Divinity
Toward a Theory of Anahad Nād: The Case of Bhai Hira Singh (1879–1926)
The Critical Commentaries of Bhai Vir Singh and Bhai Randhir Singh
From Hath Yoga to Raj Yoga: Arrival at the Tenth Door (Dasam Dwar) and Beyond
The Fourth State and Timbral Resonance of Panch Shabad
Chapter Summary
Chapter 4. Hearing (Anahad) Instruments and the Rabab in Sikh Art
Anahad Instruments
The Rabab in Sikh Art
The Rise and Flows of the Rabab
(Anahad) Rabab as Seen Through Sikh Iconography
The Extant Sikh Rabab and Its Stories
The Rabab in the B-40 Janamsakhi Manuscript
Anahad Nād and Pictorial Resonance: The Halo and Sonic Vibration in Sikh Art
Chapter Summary
Chapter 5. Engineering Anahad Nād as Digital Bliss: The Case of Amritvela Trust
Kirtan and Acoustics
Current Mediations of Technology in Sikh Gurudware
Establishing Amritvela Trust in Ulhasnagar (Maharashtra)
Amritvela Trust’s Kirtan: Mediating Darshan Between the Metaphysical and the Digital
Headphones and Absorption
Experiencing Digital Anahad Nād
A Vibratory Feedback Loop Between Kirtan and Seva
Vibrating Bodies of the Twenty-First Century
Chapter Summary
Chapter 6. The Digital Journeys of Kirtan: Pursuing Innovation and Gender Equality
Davwinder (Dindae) Sheena: Crafting a “Sikh Sound”
Taren Kaur: “Integrate Women into Kirtan Darbar”
Jasleen Kaur: “You Can’t Stop the Revolution”
Veer Manpreet Singh: The Innovation of Slow Kirtan and Healing with “Tuhi Tuhi”
Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa (Pipli Wale) and Kirtan Studio: “Kirtan Is Life”
Shivpreet Singh: “Listening to Guru Nanak”
Epilogue
Appendix
Glossary
Notes
Index