Subject: Music in the Kathakaḷi Theater
Supervisor: Prof. David Shulman, Prof. Yigal Bronner
Abstract: In my doctoral thesis, I intend to examine the musical aspect of the Kathakaḷi theater, a distinctive tradition of South Indian dance-drama that developed during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in the Malabar coastal region, known today as the state of Kerala. The captivating and highly emotive visual aspect of the performance has received a great deal of attention from scholars and theater enthusiasts worldwide. However, surprisingly, the musical aspect of Kathakaḷi has yet to be fully explored. The essential role of the Kathakaḷi theatre and the central place it inhabits in Kerala's cultural identity cannot be underestimated; it may well be the case that the most poignant expression of such cultural sensibilities can be found in its music.
Bio: I am a musician and a research student in the India-Indonesia section of the Asian Studies department, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In my research I focus on South Indian music, ranging between classical Carnatic music, folk traditions, and contemporary popular music. I wrote my MA thesis on the Kamalāmbā Navāvaraṇa Kritis, a monumental set of 11 compositions by the Tamil composer Muttusvāmi Dīkṣitar, considered to be one of the great masterpieces of Carnatic music.
President Stipend 2022/23
MA Honors Program Alumni 2019/20