Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Music Everywhere



A visit to the Amber Fort high atop a mountainside reveals more than just ancient ramparts and inner rooms for the harem. Music lures us everywhere. As we enter a luxurious and breezy dining room in an inner sanctum away from the hawkers, beggars and cows, we're greeted by a little old man with an ancient, single-stringed instrument from which he elicits haunting phrases of music that could easily blend with the voice of a singer. In fact, he occasionally lends his voice in a startling cry that conjures up dark nights somewhere under an Arabian sky. Inside, we're invited to relax alongside a sitar player and a drum player. These are two young college-aged guys who know the ancient rhythms but can occasionally break into Old McDonald or Alouette - always with that haunting Indian sitar to anchor us to this dusty, rich land.

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