Joseph J. Palackal

  • President, Christian Musicological Society of India
  • Special Member, Graduate Faculty, Division of Musicology and Ethnomusicology, School of Music, University of Maryland, College Park

  • Wikipaedia: `Joseph J. Palackal'
  • V. Kaladharan: `Demystifying a musical tradition', The Hindu, 3 November 2006.
  • Bonnie Bost: `Joseph J. Palackal: Preserver and Promoter of Christian Music in India', Submitted to Dr. Paul Neeley as a partial fulfilment for the requirements of the course `Anthropology of Music', Department of Ethnomusicology, Bethel University, Ellijay, Georgia, 27 April 2008.

  • Research Papers
  • Films
  • Reviews
  • Speeches
  • Interviews

    Research Papers

    1. Palackal, Joseph J. Music & Colour: Oktoechos of the Orthodox Christians in Kerala. Sponsor: The Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. Work in progress.

    2. Palackal, Joseph J. and Thaila, George. 2007. Solemn High Mass of the Syro-Malabar Church. [Musical setting of the English version of Mass in the Chaldean rite of the Syro-Malabar Church; CD with 16-page booklet, 7 photographs, music example, and bibliography; soloists: Joseph J. Palackal, Feba Thoyalil, and Marianne Thaila; recorded at Martin's Digital, Queens, New York] Chicago: St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago. (SMC 101 - 2007)

    3. Palackal, Joseph J., Thaila, George, and Kurisingal, Dennis. 2007. Qurbana: Solemn High Mass of the Syro-Malabar Church. Music Notation [16 melodies for Mass in Western staff notation with chordal accompaniment; illustrations by Dan Fuller]. Chicago and Aluva: St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago and Christian Musicological Society of India.

    4. Palackal, Joseph J. 2005. Syriac Chant Traditions in South India. A study of the contemporary practice of model melodies of the Chaldean rite in the Syro-Malabar Church, and the oktoechos ("eight voices") of the Antiochene rite in the Orthodox churches. Doctoral thesis. Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Director: Stephen Blum. (ProQuest ID 888835631). Abstract. Proposal.

    5. Palackal, Joseph J. 2005. Kerala, Kochi, Trivandrum. Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, vol. 5: Asia and Oceania, edited by John Shepherd, et al. London and New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, pp. 91-92, 104-105, 117-118.

    6. Palackal, Joseph J. 2004. Oktoechos of the Syrian Orthodox Churches in South India. Ethnomusicology, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 229-250. Abstract.

    7. Palackal, Joseph J. 2004. Interface Between History and Music in the Christian Context of South India. [A survey of the musical history of the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala, India, shows the mutuality of musical and historical inquiries in which musicological discourse assumes a significant role as a tool in historiography] Christianity and Native Cultures: Perspectives From Different Regions of the World. Cyriac Pullapilly, et al., eds. Notre Dame, Indiana: Cross Cultural Publications, pp. 150-161. Booklet: 2002.

    8. Palackal, Joseph J. 2003. Kudumba praarthanayum bhajana gaanangalum [Family Prayer and Bhajan Songs] [Fr. Proksh SVD (1904-1986) was one of the pioneers in adapting the bhajan style of music in Catholic worship in India. In the 1960s, Dharmaram College and the National Biblical Catechetical and Liturgical Center (NBCLC), Bangalore, gave leadership in creating an "Indian liturgy" that adapted Hindu terminologies and Indian classical music. Although Indian liturgy has lost popularity, Christian bhajans continue to have currency among the Catholics in Kerala.] Kudumbadeepam (March 2003), pp. 6-8, 14. Language: Malayalam.

    9. Palackal, Joseph J. 2002. Qambel Maran: Syriac Chants from South India. CD with 29 chants, 16-page booklet in English, map, 7 photographs, and bibliography. Chants in Syriac (Aramaic) from the Chaldean liturgy of the Syro-Malabar Church of the St. Thomas Christians. Includes chants from the liturgy of the Hours, Raza, funeral services, Syriac translation of Latin chants by St.Thomas Aquinas, and chants for special occasions such as wedding and celebration of the feast of the Blessed Virgin and saints. Performers include Fr. Abel Periyappuram, CMI (1920-2001), Fr. Probus Perumalil, CMI, et al. Recorded in Kerala, South India, in 1999 and 2000. (PAN 2085).

    10. Palackal, Joseph J. 2001. India: Christian Music. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2nd edn., vol. 12, edited by Stanley Sadie, John Tyrell. London: Macmillan Publishers, pp. 233-34, 237.

    11. Palackal, Joseph J. 2001. Mando. [A composite genre of poetry, music, and dance, popular among the Catholics of Goa and the neighboring regions of the west coast of India]. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edn., vol. 15, edited by Stanley Sadie, John Tyrell. London: Macmillan Publishers, pp. 736-37.

    12. Palackal, Joseph J. 2000. Kalayum kraisthawa wiswaasawum: oru bhaaratheeya samwaadam [Art and Christian Faith: an Indian Dialogue] [Christianity in India is believed to be as old as Christianity itself. Yet Christian artists in India, by and large, are reluctant to interpret faith through images inspired by their local cultures. Instead, most Christian families and institutions proudly exhibit pictures of blue-eyed, blond-haired Jesus and Mary, painted by European artists. By giving an Indian definition to Christian faith, artists can contribute not only to Catholic Christianity, but also to Indian art.] Sathyadeepam, vol. 74 (November 8, 2000), p. 5. Language: Malayalam.

    13. Palackal, Joseph J. 2000. [Kerala] Christian Musical Traditions. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, vol. 5: South Asia: the Indian Subcontinent, edited by Alison Arnold. New York and London: Garland Publishing, pp. 944-947.

    14. Palackal, Joseph J. 2000. [Kerala] Muslim Music. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, vol. 5: South Asia: the Indian Subcontinent, edited by Alison Arnold. New York and London: Garland Publishing, pp. 947-948.

    15. Palackal, Joseph J. 2000. [Kerala] Jewish Music. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, vol. 5: South Asia: the Indian Subcontinent, edited by Alison Arnold. New York and London: Garland Publishing, pp. 948-949.

    16. Palackal, Joseph J. 2000. [Kerala] Tribal Music. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, vol. 5: South Asia: the Indian Subcontinent, edited by Alison Arnold. New York and London: Garland Publishing, p. 949.

    17. Palackal, Joseph J. 2000. [Kerala] Folk Music. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, vol. 5: South Asia: the Indian Subcontinent, edited by Alison Arnold. New York and London: Garland Publishing, p. 950.

    18. Palackal, Joseph J. 2000. [Kerala] Film Music. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, vol. 5: South Asia: the Indian Subcontinent, edited by Alison Arnold. New York and London: Garland Publishing, p. 951.

      Review: `The articles on Kerala, by Groesbeck and Palackal, and Sri Lanka, by Sheeran, are two of the very best in the entire encyclopedia.'
      -- Wolf, Richard K. 2004. Book Review: Alison Arnold, ed., The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia: the Indian Subcontinent, Ethnomusicology, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 278-283.

    19. Palackal, Joseph J. 1999. Problems and Issues in the Study of the Syriac Chant Traditions in South India. [The St. Thomas Christians in India continue to preserve the Chaldean and Antiochene liturgies and chants in Syriac (Aramaic) that originated in the Middle East. The richness and the diversity in these chant traditions demand more scholarly attention than what they received in the past. A history of Indian music may be incomplete without the history of Syriac chants.] Christian Orient, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 176-81.

    20. Palackal, Joseph J. 1999. Sangeethawum sabhaacharitrawum gaweshana weekshanathil [Music and Church History: Research Perspectives] [Musical memories handed down from generation to generation through oral transmission among Christians in Kerala preserve the stories of cultural and religious interactions between South India, the Middle East, and Europe.] Sathyadeepam, vol. 73 (August 18, 1999), pp. 5, 11. Language: Malayalam.

    21. Palackal, Joseph J. 1995. Puthen paana: A Musical Study. An analysis of the intercultural processes that influenced the singing styles of Puthen paana, an eighteenth-century Malayalam poem by John Earnest Hanxleden, in the historical context of Christianization and religious colonization in South India. Master's thesis. Hunter College-CUNY. Director: Barbara L. Hampton. (ProQuest ID: 740455261). Abstract.

    22. Palackal, Joseph J. and Ephraim, Indumathi. 1985. Kristu Sahasra Naamam [Thousand Names of Christ] [Selections from the Sanskrit poem of the same title by I. C. Chacko, Illiparambil, composed in semi-classical style.] Pre-recorded cassette. FDMIC 210. Deccan Records, Bangalore. Text: I. C. Chacko, Illiparambil. Music: Anto Amarnad, CMI. Lead singers: Joseph Palackal and Indumathi Ephraim. Accompanying booklet with transliteration and English translation of the text by Francis Vineeth, CMI.

    23. Palackal, Joseph J. 1980. Aaraadhanakramatthil sangeethatthinulla sthaanam [The Role of Music in Liturgy] [The ancient Syriac (Aramaic) chant tradition is one of the identity markers of the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala, India. Preservation of these chants should go hand in hand with adaptation of Indian classical and semi-classical styles of music in liturgy.] St. Mary's Forane Church Souvenir, Pallipuram, India, pp. 71-77. Language: Malayalam.

    24. Palackal, Joseph J. 1979. Christian Bhajans. Long Play (LP) Record. LDEC 102. Deccan Records, Bangalore. 12 bhajans in Malayalam. Principal vocalist: Joseph Palackal. Chorus singers: Sunny Mampilly, Molly Madathiparambil, Jacintha Jose. Liner notes: Thomas Aykara, CMI. Cover design: Joy Elamkunnapuzha, CMI. Recorded at HMV Studios, Gemini, Madras, April 12-13, 1978.

    25. Palackal, Joseph J. 1977. Kristeeya gaanangal [Christian Songs]. 45-RPM Extended Play (EP) Record. EDEC 1002. Deccan Records, Bangalore. 3 Christian devotional songs in Malayalam. Solo vocalist: Joseph Palackal. Lyrics: Cherian Kunianthodath CMI. Music: K. J. Joy. Liner notes: A. Mathias Mundadan, CMI. Recorded at HMV Studio, Gemini, Madras.




    Films

    1. Palackal, Joseph J. 2008. Kerala, the Cradle of Christianity in South Asia: The Cultural Interface of Religion and Music (DVD).




    Reviews

    1. Palackal, Joseph J. 2006. Kerala: (Inde de Sud / South India). Le Chant des Pulluvan / Pulluvan Songs. Compact Disc. AMP LXXII, Archives internationales de musique populaire Musée d'ethnographie (Geneva) VDE CD-1147 (2004). Asian Music, vol. 37, no. 2 (Summer/Fall 2006), pp. 161-164.
    2. Palackal, Joseph J. 1999. Shiva Mahadeva. Dagar Brothers. Dhrupad, Classical Vocal Music of North India. Two Compact Discs. Royal Tropical Institute (Amsterdam), PAN 4001/2 (1996). Yearbook for Traditional Music, vol. 31 (1999), pp. 202-203.
    3. Palackal, Joseph J. 1998. Lotus Signatures: Dr. N. Ramani, Flute and Trichy Sankaran, Mrdangam. Annotations by David Nelson. Compact Disc. Music of the World (Chapel Hill, NC, USA), CD T-141 (1997). Yearbook for Traditional Music, vol. 30 (1998), pp. 207.



    Speeches

    1. Speech on the occasion of the first Christmas celebrations at the Indian Consulate, New York, 22 December 2008.
    2. Speech on the occasion of the release of the film `Kerala: The Cradle of Christianity in South Asia' at Kerala House, New Delhi, 2 August 2008, organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala.
    3. Speech on the occasion of the 37th Annual National Catholic Development Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, 4 October 2005.

    Interviews

    1. Interview on Vatican Radio by Fr. William Nellickal, 19 March 2010.