Among the array of musical styles in South Asia, the notion of “composer,” one who crafts both music and lyrics, is elusive. Since different types of music in the region are mainly orally transmitted, process is emphasized over product, and forms are often open-ended, allowing for improvisation. Thus, stylized, emotive rendering of existing material that includes repeatedly fresh improvisation, embellishments, and abstraction tends to be considered a more accurate reflection of the depth and cre…