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Rating: 
Summary: A very thorough and very readable book
Review: For someone already familiar with South Indian classical (Carnatic) music, this book will be a wealth of additional historical, technical and biographical information. For someone who doesn't know much about the music, I would recommend reading the book in conjunction with listening to the music (as much of it as possible) and reading other material. This book combines the detailed information of a reference book with the approachability of a popular introduction; it may be heavy reading initially for the newcomer (since the nature of the music is so different from western music), but will be very rewarding.
Rating:
Summary: A very thorough and very readable book
Review: For someone already familiar with South Indian classical (Carnatic) music, this book will be a wealth of additional historical, technical and biographical information. For someone who doesn't know much about the music, I would recommend reading the book in conjunction with listening to the music (as much of it as possible) and reading other material. This book combines the detailed information of a reference book with the approachability of a popular introduction; it may be heavy reading initially for the newcomer (since the nature of the music is so different from western music), but will be very rewarding.
Rating:
Summary: My thoughtson Ludwig Pesch's book,Illustrated companion..
Review: I am a carnatic vocalist,and I found this book extremely valuable for both newcomers and somebody who has knowledge in this art form.Actually I have asked my students in the University to use it as a reference.It is easily readable and written in a way that the author understands the deapth of culture and tradition of South India and its musical tradition, along with many pictures to illustrate the ideas.I personally feel that we really needed this book,since there are not many books written by westerners on carnatic music and will be highly appreciated by anybody who buys this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Reasonable reference book
Review: This book provides an overview of the field of Carnatic music, the classical music of South India. In includes chapters on a wide range of topics, such as variety in Carnatic music, music education for children, instrumental music, voice training traditions, types of audiences, sruti (tones and tunings), gamaka (ornamentations), music education, melakarta (organization of the ragas or modes), classification of the ragas, tala (rhythms), concert music, and dance music. In its scope and details, the book is somewhat reminiscent of Sambamurty's standard music theory series. However, this book is not as repetitive, a little more organized, and a little more clear about terminology than Sambamurty's texts, making the material easier to understand for Western readers. The book includes extensive appendices, including a very informative glossary of musical forms with explanations that often run to 3 or 4 paragraphs or more. There is also an annotated biographical list of composers and musicians, a reference list of mudra (names included in the lyrics of classical compositions that identify the composer, raga, tala, etc.), a bibliography, a discography, and a list of ragas. From the title of the book, one might expect to find the text full of illustrations on every page. Illustrations are indeed used where necessary to explicate a point, but you won't find one on every page- -this is not a coffee table book. In addition to drawn illustrations, there are some black and white photos and 8 color plates of paintings of famous composers. All in all, the book is a good resource for dipping into, but it doesn't provide a sequenced introduction to Carnatic music.
Rating:
Summary: Reasonable reference book
Review: This book provides an overview of the field of Carnatic music, the classical music of South India. In includes chapters on a wide range of topics, such as variety in Carnatic music, music education for children, instrumental music, voice training traditions, types of audiences, sruti (tones and tunings), gamaka (ornamentations), music education, melakarta (organization of the ragas or modes), classification of the ragas, tala (rhythms), concert music, and dance music. In its scope and details, the book is somewhat reminiscent of Sambamurty's standard music theory series. However, this book is not as repetitive, a little more organized, and a little more clear about terminology than Sambamurty's texts, making the material easier to understand for Western readers. The book includes extensive appendices, including a very informative glossary of musical forms with explanations that often run to 3 or 4 paragraphs or more. There is also an annotated biographical list of composers and musicians, a reference list of mudra (names included in the lyrics of classical compositions that identify the composer, raga, tala, etc.), a bibliography, a discography, and a list of ragas. From the title of the book, one might expect to find the text full of illustrations on every page. Illustrations are indeed used where necessary to explicate a point, but you won't find one on every page- -this is not a coffee table book. In addition to drawn illustrations, there are some black and white photos and 8 color plates of paintings of famous composers. All in all, the book is a good resource for dipping into, but it doesn't provide a sequenced introduction to Carnatic music.
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