Musica Medicina
Music
Musica Medicina
Grandfather Mountains
Minak Jingo
Song of the Reindeer
Lucid Hunter
Karinding
Musica Medicina is a free form exploration bringing together sounds from classical, folk and nature traditions from around Asia and presenting them in a contemporary form.
A concert for them is much more than a mere performance, it is more of a ritual, a journey to the unknown, or even story telling without knowing what’s going to happen next.

Their current theme is deconstructing traditional music of Asia



Instruments
Played by Vishesh Kalimero
Along with Throat singing from Tuva(Siberia), and Dhrupad singing from North India.
Yayli Tanbur (Turkey)
Erhu (China)
It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. As a very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock and jazz.
Tar (Persia)
Tar (Persian: تار) is an Iranian long-necked, waisted instrument, shared by many cultures and countries including Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and others near the Caucasus region.
It was invented in the 18th century and has since become one of the most important musical instruments in Iran and the Caucasus, particularly in Persian classical music, and the favoured instrument for radifs.
The older and more complete name of the tār is čāhārtār or čārtār, meaning in Persian “four string”, (čāhār frequently being shorted to čār).
Igil (Tuva Siberia)
The neck and lute-shaped sound box are usually made of a solid piece of pine or larch. The top of the sound box may be covered with skin or a thin wooden plate.
The strings, and those of the bow, are traditionally made of hair from a horse’s tail (strung parallel), but may also be made of nylon.
Like the morin khuur of Mongolia, the igil typically features a carved horse‘s head at the top of the neck above the tuning pegs, and both instruments are known as the horsehead fiddle.
The igil formerly had an entire genre dedicated to it, with a repertoire of songs meant to be performed only on the igil. During the communist period in Tuva attempts were made to “modernize” the igil.
This was nothing more than an attempt to westernize the instrument making it more like the European cello. However the instruments and playing style used by most Tuvan musicians today are largely the same as the original form of the igil.
Lyra with Sympathetic strings (Crete, Greece)
Seni Rabab (Afghanistan-India)
This instrument comes in several forms and variations.
It becomes almost impossible to tell where the seni rabab, ends and other rababs begin.
Some of the other instruments in the rabab family include the kabuli rabab, the swarabat of south India, and the dotora of Bengal. Even the kamancha of Rajasthan appears to be nothing more than a bowed version of the seni rabab.
The name “seni rabab” is an Indian interpretation of the Persian “Sen-e-Rabab” which means “the rabab of Tansen“. Tansen was a great musician in the court of Akbar who is credited with the popularisation of this instrument.
The seni rabab is also referred to as the “Indian rabab”, to distinguish it from the kabuli rabab.
The kabuli rabab is originally from Afghanistan, but today commonly found in Pakistan and Kashmir.
Dotara (Bengal, India)
The dotara is one of the most important instruments used in various genres of folk music in Bengal and Assam.
It is commonly used in the Indian states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, as well as Bangladesh, and is first mentioned in a 14th-century Saptakanda Ramayana.
Later, it was adopted by the ascetic cults of Bauls and Fakirs.
Setar (Persia)
At some point in the 18th Century, musicians added a fourth string, which most of the time is tune to the same pitch as the bass string.
The setar has 25–28 moveable frets. Frets are usually made of animal intestines (“gut”), although in the past strings were made of silk. Some modern commercial models feature frets made of nylon.
The setar originated in Persia before the spread of Islam,[1] and is related to the Tanbur. However, in recent centuries, the setar has evolved into something more closely resembling the Taar, both in tuning and playing style.
Rudra Vina (India)
As Rudra is a name for the Hindu god Shiva, rudra vina literally means “the veena dear to Shiva“.
Shiva is also said to have created the Rudraveena, inspired by his wife, Parvati.
It is an ancient instrument rarely played today.




Instruments
Played by Rahul Jigyasu
Pakhawaj (India)
It is the standard percussion instrument in the dhrupad style and is used as an accompaniment for various forms of music and dance performances.
The pakhavaj has a low, mellow tone, very rich in harmonics. Set horizontally on a cushion in front of the drummer’s crossed leg, the larger bass-skin is played with the left hand, the treble skin by the right hand.
The Pakhawaj is tuned like the tabla, with wooden wedges that are placed under the tautening straps.
It is said that, during the 14th century, the great mridangists experimented with the materials used in mridang construction, and finally started using wood for the main body as opposed to the original clay. Thus, a new name pakhawaj emerged, whilst the older name, mridang was still used.
Tabla (India)
It has been a particularly important instrument in Hindustani classical music since the 18th century, and remains in use in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
The name tabla likely comes from tabl, the Persian and Arabic word for drum. However, the ultimate origin of the musical instrument is contested by scholars, some tracing it to West Asia, others tracing the evolution of indigenous musical instruments of the Indian subcontinent.
Kacapi (Indonesia)
The word kacapi in Sundanese also refers to santol tree, from which initially the wood is believed to be used for building the instrument.
According to its functions in a musical accompaniment, the kacapi is played as:
- Kacapi Indung (=mother kacapi); and
- Kacapi Anak (=child kacapi) or Kacapi Rincik
The Kacapi indung (mother) leads the accompaniment by providing intros, bridges, and interludes, as well as determining the tempo. For this purpose, a large kacapi with 18 or 20 strings is used.
The Kacapi rincik (child) enriches the accompaniment by filling in inter-note spaces with higher frequencies, especially in fixed metered songs as in the kacapi suling or Sekar Panambih. For this purpose, a smaller kacapi with ~15 strings is used.
Didgeridoo (Australia)
The didgeridoo was developed by indigenous peoples of northern Australia, likely within the last 1,500 years and is now in use around the world. It is a wooden trumpet.
A didgeridoo is usually cylindrical or conical, and can measure anywhere from 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 ft) long. Most are around 1.2 m (4 ft) long.
Generally, the longer the instrument, the lower its pitch or key. However, flared instruments play a higher pitch than unflared instruments of the same length.
Traditionally, the didgeridoo was played as an accompaniment to ceremonial dancing and singing and for solo or recreational purposes.
For Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia, the didgeridoo is still used to accompany singers and dancers in cultural ceremonies.
Kendang (Indonesia)
It’s constructed in a variety of ways by different ethnic groups.
Rahul playes a five-headed version.
Kendang is one of the primary instruments used in the Gamelan ensembles of Java, Bali and Terengganu, the Malay Kendang ensemble as well as various Kulintang ensembles in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and the Philippines.
In dance or wayang, the kendhang player will follow the movements of the dancer, and communicate them to the other players in the ensemble.
Gambang (Indonesia)
The gambang is used in a number of gamelan ensembles. It is most notable in the Balinese gamelan Gambang. In Javanese wayang, it is used by itself to accompany the dalang in certain chants.
Within a full gamelan, it stands out somewhat because of the high speed of playing, and contrasting timbre because of its materials and more because it has a wider melodic range than the other instruments.
Jal Tarang (India)
The bowls are played by striking the edge with beaters, one in each hand.
In modern days, it has fallen into obscurity.
Literally, jal tarang means ‘waves in water’, but it indicates motion of sound created or modified with the aid of water.
Among wave-instruments, it is the most prominent and ancient.
This traditional instrument is used in Indian classical music.




Albums
Notable Performances
Yaga festival(as ‘Reaching the Roots’) – Lithuania, 2013
Cosmic Convergence(as ‘Reaching the Roots’) – Guatemala, 2014
Ozora festival(as ‘Reaching the Roots’) – Hungary, 2014
Korean Culture Center – New Delhi ,2015
Ozora festival – Hungary, 2016
Sufi Saarc Festival – Jaipur, 2016
Midnight Sun Festival – Norway, 2016
Alliance Francaise – Kolkata, 2017
Twice in Nature – Goa, 2017
Emmanuel Vigelands Mausoleum – Oslo, 2017
Indian Habitat Center- New Delhi, 2018
Sufi Inayat Khan Dargah – New Delhi, 2019
India International Center – New Delhi, 2019
Indian Habitat Center – New Delhi, 2019
Emmanuel Vigelands Mausoleum – Oslo, 2020
