The Indian choir, ensemble and Vedic traditions

Joshi, Rakesh

Abstract

In this commentary, I provide the details of four Indian choir projects: how I planned,
prepared the musical repertoire, compositions, technical plans, and marketing and how I
delivered the high-profile concerts. It was my aspiration to create an Indian choir in the UK
and through this I provided learning and performance opportunities to all ages. The chapters
of this commentary cover discussions on Indian music notations, choir songs, Vedic tradition,
Indian and Western choirs, dictions, Indian ensemble and my future vision for the Indian choir
and ensemble in the UK. I discuss the challenges that I faced as an Indian musician living in
the UK and how I successfully delivered the Indian choir and ensemble concerts in the UK.
The major challenge I faced was transcribing Indian notation to Western staff notation and
writing Indian songs in Sanskrit and English. With the support of Western conductors and
Sanskritscholars, I managed to write notationsfor allsingers and musicians of both traditions.
My goal is to establish, develop and present the finest Indian choir in the country. Another
challenge I discuss in my commentary is the limitations in Indian choral singing while
harmonizing in parts. I gathered valuable feedback and testimonials from the choral
conductors for the development and improvement of the Indian adult and youth choir.

Citation

Joshi, R. (2024). The Indian choir, ensemble and Vedic traditions. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jun 4, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 1, 2024
• Award Date: May 31, 2024