Sonic Performativity: Analysing Gender in North Indian Classical Vocal Music

Abstract

Many aspects of contemporary North Indian classical vocal music are gendered: genres, improvisational techniques and even certain ornaments evoke gendered connotations for musicians and listeners. However, analytical work on this music has failed to take gender into account; as a result, the relationship between gender and musical sound remains unexamined. In this article, I explore how issues of gender might come to bear on the close analysis of North Indian classical vocal music. First, I give an overview of the gendered musical landscape of the tradition. I then draw upon work by Judith Butler in order to theorise this in terms of what I call 'sonic performativity': I argue that North Indian classical musicians perform gender sonically and that this influences the subtlest nuances of musical style. Finally, I demonstrate ways in which considerations of gender inform the stylistic decisions of one singer, detailing how she negotiates gendered musical norms.