A Meta-Mathematical Framework for Integrating Indian Classical and Western Music

This is a joint talk given by Purnaprajna Bangere and David Balakrishnan, director of the Turtle Island String Quartet. The second part will be delivered by David Balakrishnan. The talk will feature music that will include recordings and a short live performance to illustrate the theoretical basis developed in the talk.

Part One: It is well known that one can obtain deep insights about algebraic varieties defined over a field K by working in a more general setting where varieties are defined over rings containing K. In particular, the behavior of a variety as it moves in a family is of deep interest, and plays a vital role in algebraic geometry. This viewpoint has yielded many interesting results. Inspired by these viewpoints and by Grothendieck's writing on nilpotents in algebraic geometry, we develop a Meta geometric framework for a music that integrates elements of Indian and western classical music, Jazz and the Blues.

Part Two: Also, well known is the study of the overtone series as a foundational point of origin among western musicians who are drawn to explore the cross-civilizational integration of Indian classical music. It is based on the work of Herman Helmholtz in the 1850's and further elucidated for the modern era with specific application for musicians by W.A. Mathieu's book, Harmonic Experience. This has been a fundamental theoretical basis that led to the creation of the group, the Turtle Island String Quartet, in 1985. Purnaprajna Bangere approached David Balakrishnan with the idea of working together on his Meta Raga system, leading to the exploration of congruities in this theoretical framework with the approach taken in W.A. Mathieu's book, as well as with work of western music giants such as Arnold Schoenberg and John Coltrane. The collaboration has yielded a finished composition, as well as others in progress.

Light refreshments will be served before the talk at 3:00 p.m.