Question

According to Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, which is the most authentic book on music?
A.Sangeet Ratnakar
B.Sangeet Makarand
C.Sangeet Parijat
D.Rigveda

Answer 1

Hint:The music of India is unique in the world which encompasses multiple varieties, numerous genres, and forms. It is entirely different from the music of other countries of the world due to the several elements such as tune, rhythm and harmony.

Complete answer:
During the ancient period, many influential texts were written on music in India. Some of the most prominent books on music are as follows:

Sangeet Ratnakar:
This book is one of the most important and influential musicological Sanskrit texts which literally mean, “Ocean of Music and Dance”. This work was done by Pandit Sarangdev in the 13th century which deals with the Indian classical music traditions and aesthetic frameworks of Hindustani and Carnatic music. Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande considers ‘Sangeet Ratnakar’ as the most authentic book on music as this text is believed to be unique in understanding all the aspects of music history in India.

Sangeet Makarand:
Sangeet Makarand is an ancient musicological work which is composed by a god-sage who is famous in Hindu traditions called Narada in about 900 BC. This work on classical music deals with the descriptions, comments and definitions of 19 veenas and 101 rhythm which are useful even today.

Sangeet Parijat:
‘Sangeet Parijat’ is a very important manuscript on Classical Hindustani music written by Pandit Ahobale in 1665 AD. This book is noted for its important characteristic features of all the ragas and gave descriptions for about 29 types of tunes. Later, this work was translated into Hindi by Shri Kalinga in 1941.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note:Indian music became an integral part of socio-religious life in Indian culture and it is classified into two major parts: classical music and folk music. The five main ragas in Indian classical music are Shree, Deepak, Hindol, Megh, and Bhairavi.