Alain Daniélou
Encyclopedia
Alain Daniélou was a French
historian
, intellectual
, musicologist, Indologist, and a noted Western convert to and expert on Shaivite
Hinduism
.
, she founded a religious order for women teachers in civilian costume under the patronage of St. François-Xavier
. His father, Charles Daniélou, was an anticlerical Breton
politician who held numerous national ministerial posts. One of his brothers was Roman Catholic prelate and Académie française
member, Jean Daniélou.
The young Daniélou studied singing under the famous Charles Panzéra
, as well as classical dancing with Nicholas Legat
(teacher of Vaslav Nijinsky
), and composition with Max d'Ollone
.
He and his partner, Swiss photographer Raymond Burnier, first went to India as part of an adventure trip, and they were fascinated with the art and culture of the nation. Daniélou was one of the first Westerners to visit India's famed erotic temples in the village of Khajuraho
. His stunning photographs of the ancient temple complex launched the site internationally. The first-ever photo exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum
were those of Khajuraho
taken by Daniélou.
But his more important contribution to Indology
is his writings on the ancient wisdom of the Veda
, Hindu philosophy, and Shaivism
.
In 1949, Daniélou was appointed professor at the Hindu University of Benares and director of the College of Indian Music.
He is the author of over thirty books on Indian music and culture. He received several awards for his work on music. He was also a photographer and painter. He studied Indian classical music in Varanasi
with Shivendranath Basu and played the veena
. He also translated some of the works of Swami Karpatri
by whom he was initiated into Shaivism
under the name Shiva Sharan (Protected by Shiva). He is perhaps best remembered for his important work on classical Indian music
.
He was an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur
, an Officer of the Ordre National du Mérite
, and Commander of Arts and Letters. He was the director of the UNESCO Collection
series, a series of recordings of traditional world music
. In 1981, he received the UNESCO/CIM prize for music, and, in 1987 the Kathmandu Medal from UNESCO
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
, musicologist, Indologist, and a noted Western convert to and expert on Shaivite
Shaivism
Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,...
Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
.
Life
His mother, Madeleine Clamorgan, was from an old family of the Norman nobility; a fervent CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, she founded a religious order for women teachers in civilian costume under the patronage of St. François-Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
. His father, Charles Daniélou, was an anticlerical Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
politician who held numerous national ministerial posts. One of his brothers was Roman Catholic prelate and Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
member, Jean Daniélou.
The young Daniélou studied singing under the famous Charles Panzéra
Charles Panzéra
Charles [Auguste Louis] Panzéra was a Swiss operatic and concert baritone.-Overview:Panzéra's studies at the Paris Conservatory under the tuition of Amédée-Louis Hettich were interrupted by his volunteering into the French Army during World War I...
, as well as classical dancing with Nicholas Legat
Nicholas Legat
Nikolai Gustavovich Legat , was a dancer with the Russian Imperial Ballet from 1888 to 1914 and was the main successor to the rôles of the great ballet dancer, Pavel Gerdt....
(teacher of Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations...
), and composition with Max d'Ollone
Max d'Ollone
Maximilien-Paul-Marie-Félix d'Ollone was a French composer, born 13 June 1875 at Besançon and died in Paris 1959.He started composing very early, entering the Paris Conservatoire at 6, winning many prizes, receiving the encouragement of Gounod, Saint-Saens, Massenet, Thomas and Delibes...
.
He and his partner, Swiss photographer Raymond Burnier, first went to India as part of an adventure trip, and they were fascinated with the art and culture of the nation. Daniélou was one of the first Westerners to visit India's famed erotic temples in the village of Khajuraho
Khajuraho
The Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho , a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about southeast of New Delhi, are one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for...
. His stunning photographs of the ancient temple complex launched the site internationally. The first-ever photo exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
were those of Khajuraho
Khajuraho
The Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho , a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about southeast of New Delhi, are one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for...
taken by Daniélou.
But his more important contribution to Indology
Indology
Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
is his writings on the ancient wisdom of the Veda
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
, Hindu philosophy, and Shaivism
Shaivism
Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,...
.
In 1949, Daniélou was appointed professor at the Hindu University of Benares and director of the College of Indian Music.
He is the author of over thirty books on Indian music and culture. He received several awards for his work on music. He was also a photographer and painter. He studied Indian classical music in Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
with Shivendranath Basu and played the veena
Veena
Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
. He also translated some of the works of Swami Karpatri
Swami Karpatri
Swami Karpatri was a monk in the Hindu dashanami monastic tradition. His ordained name as a monk was Hariharananda Saraswati, but he was popularly known by the name Karpatri Swami. He was married and the father of a baby daughter when he left home at age 17 to seek ordination as a sannyasi...
by whom he was initiated into Shaivism
Shaivism
Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,...
under the name Shiva Sharan (Protected by Shiva). He is perhaps best remembered for his important work on classical Indian music
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
.
He was an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, an Officer of the Ordre National du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
, and Commander of Arts and Letters. He was the director of the UNESCO Collection
UNESCO Collection
UNESCO Collection is a world music record label, under the aegis of UNESCO.The full title of the series was UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music of the World....
series, a series of recordings of traditional world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. In 1981, he received the UNESCO/CIM prize for music, and, in 1987 the Kathmandu Medal from UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
Works
- While the Gods play, Shaiva Oracles and Predictions on the Cycles of History and Destiny of Mankind
- Gods of Love and Ecstasy, The Tradition of Shiva & Dionysus, Omnipresent Gods of Transcendence
- The Hindu Temple; Deification of Eroticism
- Music and the Power of Sound
- A Brief History of India (Inner Traditions, 2003)
- The first unabridged translation of the Kama Sutra
- Virtue, success, pleasure & liberation: the four aims of life in the tradition of ancient India
- Ragas of North Indian Classical Music
- The Way to the Labyrinth: An Autobiography published by New Directions.
- The Myths and Gods of India, Hindu Polytheism
- Yoga, The Method of Re-Integration
- Yoga, Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe
- Fools of God
- Song-poems - Rabindranath Tagore, Texts in English, French and Bengali & Melodies
- The Congress of the World With miniatures of tantric cosmology
- Sacred Music, its Origins, Powers and Future, Traditional Music in Today's World
- The situation of Music and Musicians in the countries of the Orient
- Introduction to The Study of Musical Scales
- Northern Indian Music: Vol. One, Theory, History and Technique
- Northern Indian Music: Vol. Two, The Main Ragas
- The Phallus, Sacred Symbol of Male Creative Power
- India, a civilization of differences: the ancient tradition of universal tolerance
Discography
- Unesco Collection: A Musical Anthology of the OrientUnesco Collection: A Musical Anthology of the OrientUnesco Collection: A Musical Anthology of the Orient is a series of recordings of traditional music that was made for the International Music Council by the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation and released on the Musicaphon label by Bärenreiter...
- Anthology of Indian Classical Music - A Tribute to Alain DaniélouAnthology of Indian Classical Music - A Tribute to Alain DaniélouThe Anthology of Indian Classical Music - A Tribute to Alain Daniélou is a new edition of Alain Danielou's Anthology of Indian Classical Music. The series received the "Diapason d'Or" award and the "Grand Prix du Disque" in 1998....
- Musiciens et Danseurs de la caste des Ahirs (1951)
- Religious Music of India (1952)
- Musical Sources (Philips, Holland)
- Anthology of North Indian Classical Music - (Bärenreiter-Musicaphon, Kassel)
External links
- alaindanielou.org (English version of the website)
- A Biography
- Article on Daniélou