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Theorizing Trikāla: A Generalized Intervallic Approach To Pulse Transformation In South Indian Carnatic Music, Robert L. Wells

Music

The rich rhythmic/metric construction of South Indian Carnatic music is characterized, in large part, by intricate interplay between an internalized metric cycle called the tāḷa and performed phrases that may generate expressive tension with this tāḷa. Thus, informed listeners, who track the tāḷa using standardized hand gestures (kriyās), may experience substantial internal tension. A common source of such tension is trikāla technique, in which the performed pulse unit expands or contracts over constant tāḷa. While trikāla has been thoroughly described performatively, historically, and culturally, it has received little attention within the music-theoretic realm. Thus, this paper seeks to …