I am editor and principal contributor of Imprints of India: A Brief Guide to Indian Music, Dance, and the Visual Arts (published by The Aronoff Center, 1996).

From the Preface
Culture affords us the finest opportunity to travel the globe. In the comfort of our living room or classroom, we can revel in the sights and sounds of far-off peoples. Imprints of India: A Brief Guide to Indian Music, Dance, and the Visual Arts is designed to serve as a guide to a cultural visit to India.

It goes without saying that a volume any less than an inch thick can serve as nothing more than an introduction to the infinite variety that is India. This Guide will serve to inform the beginner in Indian culture, allowing a comfortable first foray into music, dance and the visual arts. At the same time, it will provide those who are fairly fluent in Indian culture with a depth of knowledge in certain essential areas of culture. The four units of this Guide provide increasingly detailed and specific information regarding Indian culture:

Unit I ("West Meets East") tells the story of the Western "discovery" and adoption of Indian culture in the 1960’s. It also supplies descriptions of the diverse peoples, languages, and religions of India.

Unit II ("The Music of India") describes the principal musical instruments and examines in detail the pitch and rhythmic elements (raga and tala) of Indian music.

Unit III ("The Dance of India") first surveys India’s classical dance styles and then studies several regional styles.

Unit IV ("Learning Indian Culture") examines two broad concepts essential to learning and teaching Indian culture: the issue of emotional content (rasa) and the oral tradition.

It is my hope that this Guide is both inviting and engaging. It will serve as a companion to Indian concerts (both music and dance) and museum displays. Its authors–scholars and artists, musicians and dancers, an historian and a linguist–wish you all possible joy in your pursuit of Indian culture.

Daniel Kazez
Professor of Music
Wittenberg University
Springfield, Ohio USA