Hindustani Music: Ways of Listening

Pradhan

PREFACE

This book is a collection of articles that I wrote for my weekly column Sonic Saturdays in Scroll.in. I am grateful to Naresh Fernandes, editor of Scroll.in, for inviting me to contribute to this digital daily, and for having permitted me to publish the material as an ebook.

I have always found writing about music to be a difficult task, as I feel much is lost in translating the experience into words. Yet, the articles contained in this book are a humble attempt at sharing with readers the many fascinating areas that one encounters while journeying with Hindustani music. The book is not designed to be a step-by-step listeners’ guide to technical aspects associated with Hindustani music, but I hope that individual articles or the entire collection will enthuse readers to delve deeper into this musical universe.

Each of the articles includes links to audio or video tracks featured on Youtube. While these links were live at the time when I wrote the pieces, it is possible that some may not be available now. I crave the indulgence of the readers for this shortcoming, but this was something that I had no control over. I must also add that the tracks discussed here have not been uploaded by me to Youtube, and I am therefore not responsible for any copyright infringement that may have occurred in the process.

Contrary to convention, I have not used any honorific titles like ‘Pandit’ or ‘Ustad’ while referring to maestros. This is not to disrespect their position in the field, but to only maintain a stylistic uniformity through the pieces.

I cannot thank my wife Shubha Mudgal enough for having gone through each of the articles painstakingly and for having shared her comments.

I would like to acknowledge the valuable feedback I received from several readers when the articles first appeared. I am also grateful to my student Siddharth Padiyar, who provided assistance while collating articles for this ebook version.

In all projects that I have undertaken in the past and will continue to in future, I am always reminded of the encouragement that I received from my parents, the training that my Guru and respected tabla maestro Nikhil Ghosh imparted to me, and the insights that eminent scholar-musician Dr. Ashok Da Ranade shared at all times. I will always be indebted to them.

Tabla maestro Ahmed Jan Thirakwa demonstrates the versatility of early 20th century musicians

As a practitioner of Hindustani music, I have always been amazed at how Indian musicians dealt with the new technologies that became an integral part of their profession in the early decades of the twentieth century. The performance context was entirely different from what they were used to in chamber concerts, and yet, after initial reluctance, they adapted wonderfully to their new circumstances. Proof of their musicianship and creativity is to be found on the 78RPM discs they recorded at time.

Even more astounding is the manner in which they embraced the film medium. They not only provided accompaniment to silent movies and talkies, but also faced the camera.

Here’s a classic early clip from the Wadia Movietone series captured on film in the 1930s. It features Ahmed Jan Thirakwa (c.1890-1976), one of the best-known tabla players of all time. A path-breaker and trendsetter, Thirakwa was equally well-known for his solo recitals as he was for his accompaniment to four generations of vocalists, instrumentalists, dancers, and to theatre music.

This clip features him as a soloist. He’s playing a short tabla solo in teentaal, a time-cycle of 16 counts.

https://youtu.be/StWrVL6SHL4

The poignant voice of Begum Akhtar

There was a time when Doordarshan was the only Indian television channel and there was no competition for TRPs. The State-run channel was used for government propaganda, but it also featured some of the country’s best-known Hindustani musicians. We had studio concerts in the presence of an invited audience, maestros were interviewed, and there were also regular studio sessions without an audience that often left performers ill at ease. More importantly, these recordings were made only because knowledgeable producers, who were at times artistes in their right, took the pains to curate innovative programmes. Mercifully, some of these recordings were resurrected and made available to music lovers.

One of my favourites of this early period is Begum Akhtar’s concert in the presence of an invited audience. Known for her exquisite ghazal rendition and her inimitable thumri-dadra style, Begum Akhtar (1914-1974) swayed masses across the country with her poignant voice and emotive performances.

This is Begum Akhtar’s birth centennary and what better way to observe it than to view and listen to her television recordings. The first link features her rendition of a hori and ghazals. The second clip brings together Begum Akhtar and the equally charimastic poet Kaifi Azmi, showcasing in the process an ethos, an informality and a composite creative approach that artistes of the time shared.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLqdzyA1Elw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO9sxuvx-38

Vocalists of Pakistani Punjab demonstrate virtuosity that traverses borders

While music lovers in Pakistan are prevented access to Youtube, we can fortunately view video recordings of renowned Pakistani musicians. Vocalists from Pakistan and from the Indian part of Punjab display a virtuosity that has become an identifying characteristic of their style. Swift turns of melodic phrases, quicksilver taans across the gamut, and mindboggling combinations of swaras, form the mainstay of this style. At times, this approach challenges conventional raag grammar and can become competitive, but the overall musicality is quite extraordinary.

The three clips included here demonstrate overlaps between art or classical music and what is commonly considered as ‘semi-classical’.

The vocalists in the first two clips, recorded in the presence of an invited audience of musicians and connoisseurs, exhibit an ease with Urdu and Punjabi poetry.

The first clip features Amanat Ali and Fateh Ali in an atmosphere that is reminiscent of the jalsas and informal mehfils of the past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4XGbvEo7kk

Salamat Ali Khan presents a Multani Kafi written by the Sufi saint-poet Khwaja Ghulam Farid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fX7X40_y0k

The inimitable Sabri brothers present a detailed qawwali incorporating Persian and Urdu verses, making seamless entries into varied melodic and rhythmic structures. Notice the carefully choreographed musical arrangement and dynamics between the lead voices and the ensemble that consists of supporting voices and several instruments like dholak, tabla, keyboards, and bongo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFMLmCs19Gk

Shobha Gurtu, the thumri singer from Goa

Goa has given to Hindustani music some of its best women performers. This was possible because of the immense talent that these musicians displayed and the training that they received from respected teachers in Bombay, a city to which they migrated in large numbers since the nineteenth century.

Shobha Gurtu, a popular performer with Goan antecedents, created a separate identity for herself as a thumri singer. Taking elements essentially from the Purab style, she went on to evolve a style that was very much her own. Equally at home with thumri-dadra and allied forms like jhoola, chaiti, and kajri, she brought to her recitals an intonation and an expressive quality that made her a much sought-after thumri performer.

I remember watching her recordings during the black and white era of Indian television, and hoping that I would be able to accompany her on the tabla at some point of time. I am happy that this came true and that I had the privilege of accompanying her for a decade or so.

Here’s a hori that she presented as part of a televised thematic programme that featured Pandit Jasraj too. She’s accompanied by Shashikant alias Nana Muley on the tabla, Iqbal Ahmed on the sarangi, and Baburao Neskar on the harmonium.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUCMM_ocHhc

I can’t resist including two more clips of a recording that was done several years later. The first is a dadra ‘Rangi saari gulabi chunariya’ that had become an inseparable part of Shobhatai’s concert repertoire. Purushottam Walawalkar and I provided harmonium and tabla accompaniment, respectively.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOYpBF_UCb0

The last clip is a dadra in Rupak taal, a cycle of seven counts, interspersed with verses in Khemta, a cycle of six counts. The piece ends in yet another rhythmic change to Kaherva, a cycle of eight matras, with a series of laggis or rhythmic variations that were linked to the footwork displayed by the singer-dancers of earlier times. Shobha Gurtu is accompanied here by Purushottam Walawalkar on harmonium, Dhruba Ghosh on sarangi, Indru Atma on swarmandal, and myself on tabla.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fCuDK3fbg0

Nissar Hussain Khan reflects the diversity and eclecticism that underpin Hindustani music

There are some compositions in Hindustani raagdari music that are common to all gharanas. For instance, the khayal creations of the eighteenth century composer Niamat Khan ‘Sadarang’ are a necessary inclusion in any serious vocalist’s repertoire.

There are also those khayals that have crossed gharana boundaries. The innate grandeur of such pieces and the urge to widen artistic horizons, has driven musicians to add them to concert repertoire, despite their obvious association with composers from other gharanas. Clearly, an eclectic approach to music-making has been witnessed through the history of Hindustani music, unlike the common belief that this was an unbending and unchanging tradition. It is this diversity and electicism that needs to be revisited in our times that speak in favour of insularity and homogeneity.

The medium-paced khayal in raag Chhayanat set to a medium-paced sixteen-matra Teentaal is one such composition that has been learnt by virtually all vocalists. Composed by Inayat Hussein Khan of the Sahaswan-Rampur gharana, it is sung in the clip by Nissar Hussein Khan, an important figure in the recent history of the gharana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC3b8eeV4hE

Waiting for the rains: the majesty of Mia ki Malhar

Providing relief from the intense heat of summer, the rains bring hope of rejuvenation and fertility to flora and fauna. Not surprisingly, therefore, the monsoon is celebrated through music in India. For those associated with Hindustani music, the onset of monsoon conjures up aural images of raags from the Malhar family. There are several Malhar varieties, but one of the most recognisable among them is Mia ki Malhar. It is believed to have been composed by Mia Tansen, the sixteenth century court musician from Akbar’s court.

Renowned vocalist Bhimsen Joshi’s dramatic delineation of the raag is recorded in a documentary produced in 1971 with support from the New York State Department of Education. His taans delivered at great speed recreate the sound and fury of torrential rain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6F2cdRrlqU

In a constant search for innovation, musicians have also made some deviations from established raags. Some deviations are subtle, but others are of a more obvious kind, like the bringing together of two raags to form a compound raag. The new creation displays characteristics of the original raags but also has an identity of its own. Here, the scholar-musician Ram Ashreya Jha ‘Ramrang’ presents raag Tilak Malhar that incorporates elements from raags Mia ki Malhar and Tilak Kamod.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afNzrCGxD9Y

The forgotten men of the music business: instrument makers

Come June-July, musicians around India start to worry that their instruments will need repair, thanks to the humidity in the air. Typically, humidity affects skin-top instruments, but climactic excesses equally impact other hand-crafted instruments. Consequently, the significance of instrument-makers cannot be ignored by musicians. Indeed, they form a vital part of a musician’s career. A good musician builds a relationship with a master craftsman, and normally, maintains a strong tie with him.

Sadly, there is no mention of these gifted people in the otherwise detailed bio-sketches of musicians. They often partner with musicians to create a rich tonal quality and to provide instruments with structural cohesiveness for better instrumental technique. Yet, musicians seem to enjoy the limelight for any evolution that instruments may have seen.

Today, let us listen to the voice of Vishnu Sutar, a well-known tabla maker.

https://youtu.be/5EAXDGYK7Yk

On World Music Day, watch Ravi Shankar’s East-West encounter with Yehudi Menuhin

Well before the Western