At the intersection of music, philosophy, and religion, Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable explores intimate collaborations between rhythm and body, showing how they engender deep devotional experiences and ethical sensations. The focus of ethnomusicologist Inderjit N. Kaur's study is Sabad Kirtan--the congregational singing of Sikh scriptural verses--integral to Sikh worship and everyday life in South Asia and its diaspora. Building on her lifelong practice of Sabad Kirtan as a singer, composer, and listener, Kaur implements a decolonial approach to research, theorizing, and writing, and the translation of Sikh sacred song-texts. Drawing on the Sikh metaphysics of Anhad Nad--the common vibration of all existence--Kaur uncovers the intertwining of scriptural philosophy, musical practice, and everyday living--what she names a "Sikh theory of lived rhythm." Engaging the ethnographic method of participant-sensation and an interdisciplinary phenomenological approach, her investigations elucidate musical rhythm as a process that amplifies the ineffable vibrations of the inherently rhythmic vital body, interweaving the rhythmicities of sound and lived life.
The first book on Sikh devotional experience to combine new insights from scriptural songs with in-depth analyses of all three major styles of Sabad Kirtan, Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable argues that diverse musical styles of Sabad Kirtan are but various means of intensifying the sensation of ethical interconnectedness. Offering unique perspectives on both Sikh Kirtan and Sikh philosophy, Kaur's study illuminates how Sikh musical worship is a practice of the embodiment of a relational oneness--a foundational ethical principle in Sikh philosophy and beyond.
The first study of Sikh devotional experience to combine new insights from scriptural songs with in-depth musical analyses of all three major styles of Sabad Kirtan, Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable offers unique perspectives on both Sikh Kirtan and Sikh philosophy. Building on the Sikh metaphysics of Anhad Nad--the common ineffable vibration of all existence--Inderjit N. Kaur explores intimate collaborations between rhythms of music, body, and lived life, to illuminate how Sikh musical worship functions as a site of ethical sensations and a practice of the embodiment of a relational oneness-a foundational ethical principle in Sikh philosophy and beyond.
Arvustused
Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable is rooted in Inderjit Kaur's open-hearted, sensory ethnographic research and a lifetime of participation in Sikh kirtan. Drawing on this deep well, the book presents nothing less than a new way of understanding the relationship between sound, rhythm, and being. Kaur's mind-expanding approach traces profound connections between the rhythmicity of sound and embodied, collective modes of practicing Sikhi. Foregrounding Sikh epistemologies of vibration and subjectivity, Kaur models a decolonial approach to theory and method. Her arguments are not purely academic; they are grounded in a sincere investment in the goodness that sonic relationality can engender. * Anna C. Schultz, University of Chicago * Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable is a compelling argument for the somatic power of Sabad Krtan. From a wide-angle philosophical lens, rhythm is explored as a catalyst for cultivating a relationship with the self, the world, and the Divine. This insightful and engaging study brings much-needed attention to the body as a living expression of theological and ethical teachings rooted in Sikh scriptural values. A fabulous contribution! A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the transformative power of music, rhythm, and spirituality in the Sikh tradition and beyond. * Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, Colby College * More than just a welcome addition to the literature on Sikh devotional practice or on religion and the senses, this book shows how essential the experience of Sikh krtan is to a complete understanding of either field. In proposing a 'Sikh theory of lived rhythm' to demonstrate how the body and its senses are attuned through krtan to metaphysics and practical ethics, Inderjit Kaur invites her readers into the experience of cultivating Sikh sensibilities. This book also demonstrates how Sikh philosophy and teachings permeate krtan-not just through the discursive meanings of the songs but also via the performance which is activated by the musical structures, instruments, styles, and especially the congregants whose participation is essential to achieve 'time vistas of awe' and to sense the Ineffable. * Anna Bigelow, Stanford University *
Acknowledgments
Note on citation of the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib
Notes on orthography, capitalization, and pluralization
Introduction: Decolonial Framing, Participant Sensation, and Translation
Part I: Sikh Wisdom, Lived Rhythm, and Sabad Kirtan
Chapter
1. Sabad Kirtan and its Intersensorial Ecology of Rhythms
Chapter
2. Gurmat: The Philosophical Foundation of Embodied
Interrelationality in Sabad Kirtan
Chapter
3. Theory in Song: Anhad Nad and a Tripartite Sikh Model of Lived
Rhythm
Part II: Musical Rhythms and Ethical Affects in Diverse Styles of Sabad
Kirtan
Chapter
4. Flowing Flexible Rhythms: Time Vistas of Awe in "Light-Style"
Sabad Kirtan
Chapter
5. Cyclical Granular Rhythms: Shapely Timbres, Shapely Affects, in
"AKJ-Style" (Akhand Kirtani Jattha) Sabad Kirtan
Chapter
6. Recurring Gravitational Rhythms: Embodiment in the Time of Aura in
"Classical-Style" Sabad Kirtan
Part III: Concluding Thoughts: In the Realm of Unboundedness
Chapter
7. The Work of Rhythm in Music and Beyond: Sensationalizing
Ineffabilities and the Ethics of Interconnectedness
Appendix A. The Place of Rag in Sikh Scripture and Kirtan Practice
Appendix B. Interpreting "Ghar" in Scriptural Song Titles
References
Glossary of Sikh and Punjabi Terms
Index
Inderjit N. Kaur is a scholar of Sikh sacred music, with expertise spanning the classical, popular, folk, and devotional musical cultures of South Asia, and the analytical lenses and methodological approaches of phenomenology, and sound, sensory, and affect studies. She has been particularly interested in issues of the intertwining of aesthetics and ethics, representation of native epistemologies, and decolonial modes of academic research, writing, and teaching. Kaur has shared her work on Sikh Krtan in numerous published articles and conference presentations. She currently serves as co-editor of the journal Music & Politics, and is Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
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