MY MUSIC, MY LIFE

by Ravi Shankar ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1968

Ravi Shankar starts his book like he starts his concerts--with a brief history of Indian music and of his career in it. Currently, the reigning musical mahatma, his performances on the sitar have caused Widespread interest in Indian music and culture and his teachings (star student is Beatle George Harrison) have impregnated pop music with the sound of this instrument. But, if you need an explanation of exactly who Shankar is, you're not a potential reader of this book. It's for the college students and teenyboppers who flock to his concerts and buy his albums, and for the serious musicians who will be interested in what he says here about the theory, history, and instruments of Indian music. The introduction is by Yehudi Menuhin, who sees him as an able colleague and as a guru of sorts: ""To the young people who give their minds and hearts to Ravi Shankar's art, he has made sense and brought order out of chaos, for he has restored the fundamental and supreme value of dedicated work, of self-control, of faith and of the value of living."" It's what Ravi Shankar calls sadhana--the practice and discipline that lead to self-realization. If the philosophy and his biography aren't sufficient inspiration, he tacks on a manual for learning the sitar.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1968

ISBN: 1601090056

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1968

Categories: NONFICTION