The Tamil Padam

The Tamil Padam

A Dance Music Genre of South India

by Matthew Allen

“Matthew Allen has given us a multi-faceted account of the Tamil padam, the predominant genre in early-modern South Indian dance with its accompanying verbal and musical texts. A cultural world of immense creativity and enchantment is revealed in this book; we encounter the great composers, their royal and other wealthy patrons, the historical contexts of performance, the fierce debates sparked by the erotic tones and overtones of the padam texts; best of all, we are given a detailed, sensitive reading and explication of thirty classic padams sung and danced in traditional salon settings and on stage. This book is an invaluable contribution to our knowledge of a major south Indian art form at a moment of dramatic transition to the classical dance and music that we see and hear today.”

Prof. David Shulman, Professor Emeritus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
  • Format: Hardcover
  • ISBN: 9789814968560
  • Subject: Dance
  • Published: January 2023
  • Pages: 350