Tejaswini Niranjana's book departs from other critical accounts of Hindustani music history and performance practice in its attention to space, intersections between aural and visual aspects of musical expression, and the urban setting of Mumbai as a site of encounter. The diverse religious, linguistic, and class identities of Niranjana's historical and contemporary interlocutors expand the discussion of Hindustani music beyond the great master performers to focus on communities of devoted listeners. Niranjana demonstrates how these listeners played an important role in shaping the course of Hindustani music after the decline of Mughal patronage structures that previously had supported the performing arts. Niranjana opens the book by narrating her own struggle to embody aspects of Hindustani performance that prove elusive to beginners. Her inability to “jump off the precipice” in her practice led her to an analysis of the “excessive subject” of what she calls “musicophilia” (p. 6). We learn about...

You do not currently have access to this content.