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Sourindro Mohun Tagore, Hindu Music from Various Authors, Calcutta: Babu Punchanun Mukherjea, Calcutta, 1875, Part 1 (all published)

pp. (12), ix (1) 315 pages with 8 (2 folded) plates and some music notes in the text. 6 sheets; beautifully bound in full green morocco, with elaborate gilt borders on the front and back boards, inner dentelles gilt, all edges gilt
8 x 5.5 in (20.5 x 14 cm)

Author's signed copy to Werner van den Steen in 1880. Sourindro Mohun Tagore's signed presentation inscription to front free endpaper. "To / His Excellency Count / Werner van den Steen/ With S.M. Tagore's / highest esteem / and most distinguish / consideration / Calcutta / 10/1/80"

This book is the Part 1 (All published) which was for private Circulation only. Although Volume I, it is complete with 15 essays on Hindu music by Captain N. Augustus Willard, Sir William Jones, W. Ouseley, J. D. Paterson, Francis Fowke, Francis Gladwin, Lt-Col James Tod and others. The author states in the introduction that he would publish Part II if the first part is a success. Part 2 was only published together with the 2nd edition in 1882.

The book is a accumulation of essays and articles by various authors on the topic of Hindu music compiled by Sourindro Mohun Tagore. It covers a range of topics including the history of Indian music, the various ragas and talas used in Indian classical music, and the different instruments used in Indian music.

Sourindro Mohun Tagore (1840-1914) was a prominent figure in the cultural and intellectual life of 19th-century Bengal. He was the leading specialist of his time in Indian music, and studied his native Indian musical tradition with the latest theoretical knowledge. He was a scholar of music and a patron of the arts, and was instrumental in the revival of Indian classical music during this period. He founded the Bengal Music School and Bengal Academy of Music that operated under the Western standard. Hindu Music from Various Authors reflects his interest in promoting and preserving the traditions of Indian music, and his desire to educate a wider audience about its history and significance.

The book was published at a time of great change and upheaval in India, as the country was in the midst of colonial rule by the British. The publication of Hindu Music from Various Authors was part of a broader movement to assert Indian cultural identity and resist the cultural imperialism of the British.

In general, Hindu Music from Various Authors is an important document in the history of Indian music and the intellectual history of 19th-century Bengal. It reflects the efforts of Sourindro Mohun Tagore and others to preserve and promote the traditions of Indian music, and their desire to assert a distinct cultural identity in the face of colonialism.

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