Resources on Himalayan Music and Dance

The following bibliography provide resources on Ethnomusicology, Theatre and Dance, Oral literature and Anthropology related to Himalayan Music and Dance. It  includes works in western languages as well as resources in Nepali, Newari, Pahari dialects, Tibetan, Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali and Urdu.. This bibliography concerns  musicians, music and musical language, performing arts (theater and dance) as well as studies made by sanskritists, linguists, historians, anthropologists, folklorist and specialists of oral literature. 

Ethnomusicology | Theatre and Dance | Oral literature | Anthropology | Discography |

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Oral Literature / Folklore

Lienhard, S.

• 1984, Songs of Nepal. An Anthology of Nevar Folksongs and Hymns. Hawaii, Asian Studies at Hawaii, n°30 (Revised edition of Lienhard 1974, Nevârîgîtimañjari: Religious and Secular Poetry of the Kathmandu Valley, Stockholm).

Meissner, K.

• 1985, Mâlushâhî and Râjulâ. A ballad from Kumâûn (India) as sung by Gopî Dâs. (Part I : Kumâûnî text, translation and appendices ; Part II : Commentary ; Part III : Glossary ; 1 sound Cassette), Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz [Neuindische Studien 10]. Review by R. Kimmig in Internationales Asienforum ; International Quaterly for Asian Studies, 18 (3-4), 1987, pp. 367-369.

Shakspo, N. T.

• 1985, "Ladakhi Folk Songs", in B.N. Aziz and M.Kapstein eds., Soundings in Tibetan Civilization [Proceedings of the 1982 Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies held at Columbia University], pp.97-106, New Delhi, Manohar Publications.

Geoffrey, S.

• 1992, “Gesar of Ling: the Origins and Meaning of the East Tibetan Epic.” In S. Ihara and Z. Yamaguchi (ed) Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the 5th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Narita, 1989, Narita: Naritasan Shinshoji, pp.711-722.

• 1994, “Ge sar of gLing: Shamanic Power and Popular Religion.” In Tantra and Everyday Religion, pp.53-78

• 1995, “Performance, Vision and Transformation in Shamanic Ritual: Healers, Clients and Societies.” In Tae-gon Kim and Mihály Hoppál (ed.) Shamanism in Performing Arts. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó. (Bibliotheca Shamanistica, vol.1.), pp.253-62

• 1996,“The Gesar Epic of East Tibet.” In J. I. Cabezon and R. Jackson (ed), Tibetan Literature: Studies in Genre. Essays in Honor of Geshe Lhundup Sopa. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion, pp. 358-67.

Stein, R.A.

• 1956, L'épopée tibétaine de la vie de Gésar dans la version lamaique de Ling ( Annales du Musée Guimet, vol. 61) Paris.

• 1957, Le linga les danses masques lamaiques et la théorie des âmes in: Sino-Indian Studies vol. 5 , 3-4.
• 1959, Recherche sur l´épopée et le barde au Tibet (Institut des Hautes Etudes Chinoises. vol.13) Paris.
• 1970, Un document ancien relatif aux rites funéraires des Bon-po tibétains, Journal Asiatique Vol. 263 / 1-2

Strickland, S.

• 1982, Beliefs, Practices and Legends. A study of the Narrative Poetry of the Gurungs of Nepal. Ph.D. dissertation, Jesus College, Cambridge University.

Templeman, D.

• 1994, "Doha, vajragiti and carya songs". In G.Samuel and coll. eds., Tantra and popular religion in Tibet, pp. 15-38, New Delhi, International Academy of Indian Culture.

G. Tucci,

• 1966, Tibetan Folk Songs from Gyantse and Western Tibet (with two Appendices by Namkhai Norbu) n: Artibus Asiae, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.

Zoller, C.P.

• 1995, "Oral Epic in the Central Himalayas (Garhwal and Kumaon)", EBHR N°9, pp. 1-7.  

Singhini Research Centre

Lalitpur, Nepal

Email : singhini@mail.com