Putting intangible heritage in Place: New Open Access Publication - Drumming in Bhaktapur: Music of the Newar People of Nepal
This publication is an invaluable resource of information about the drum traditions of Bhaktapur in the Kathmandu Valley. The ethnological study describes the town rituals and processions celebrating the presence of the gods, where music and especially drumming was used as a way of communication, creating a bridge between the human world and the realm of the gods. It further serves as a teaching aid including transcribed and commented drumming patterns, a comprehensive dictionary of Newari terms related to musical tradition, along with film and audio examples, photographs and maps. This publication is a remarkable document of musical heritage and its emplacement in the built heritage of Bhaktapur. It is part of the Documenta Nepalica: Book Series by The Heidelberger Academy of Sciences and Humanities published and available as open access resource through the Heidelberg University Publishing ( heiUP ). The author, Gert-Matthias Wegner is a German ethnomusicologist - founder and director of the Kathmandu University's Department of Music. He also taught at the Free University Berlin. Source: Wegner , Gert-Matthias: Drumming in Bhaktapur: Music of the Newar People of Nepal, Heidelberg: Heidelberg University Publishing, 2023 (Documenta Nepalica: Book Series, Volume 4). https://doi.org/10.17885/heiup.1246