Home > World and traditional music > Music from India

The recordings featured in this collection were made by Rolf Killius as part of a collaborative project between Rolf, The British Library and the Horniman Museum. More.

These recordings can be played by anyone.

All recordings on this site are governed by licence agreements.

Browse this collection

Browse by location

Your location:

United States

Popular plays

• Sora Cuckoo song with two-stringed fiddle

  Sora Cuckoo song with two-stringed fiddle: The itinerant Sora singer, Sunna Saora sings a song dedicated to the Indian cuckoo and accompanies himself on the two-stringed Sora fiddle called gogoray. The recordist met Sunna in a Sora village, where he...

• Bumwa, the Assamese woodworm

  Bumwa, the Assamese woodworm: This sound of the Assamese woodworm called bumwa was recorded at 4am, where it was already at work in the window frame of an Assamese house. Crickets add more atmosphere to this recording.

• Bobbili ballad

  Bobbili ballad: The semi-professional male singers from the Daasari musician community perform the historical Bobbili ballad, which recounts the fight between two small Indian chiefdoms, each trying to get the Muslim emperor and French colonial officer...

• Kodungallur Devi, Bharani song

  Kodungallur Devi, Bharani song: This piece belongs to the Bharani vocal genre, which is sung during the annual temple festival in Kodungallur (central Kerala). Here the story of the resident deity, Kodungallur Devi, is recounted. The rhythmic phrase...

• Mango Song, Sora song by two sisters

  Mango Song, Sora song by two sisters: The two Sora singers and priestesses Lakkama and Masalamma present a song celebrating the green (unripe) mango festival. Both singers belong to the Sora tribe and sing in the Austro-Asiatic language Sora. The...