Structure of a khyAl performance
Nayakan
Last time, we talked about the structure of a dhrupad performance.
Today, I will, in similar fashion, illustrate the key features of
khyal by comparison with dhrupad. To recap,the dhrupad performance
starts with an AlAp, leading to a nOm-tOm Alap, and then the cIz.
The cIz development consists of, among other things, rhythmic
manipulations using the concepts of vinyAsa (splitting), elongation
and contraction, scale shifts (such as going sA rE ga ... SA RE GA rE sA)
where SA RE GA are the notes sA rE ga for the higher octave), etc.
(For details, see previous post.)
The khyAl AlAp is embedded in the performance of the cIz. (Another
term for cIz is bandish; there may be subtle differences between
the definitions of the two, but we don't need to go into that here.)
The khyAl AlAp, also called the rUpak AlAp, is set to a given
rhythmic cycle.
In the beginning, the performer will sing a "baDA
khyAl" ("big" khyAl), so called because it is to be performed for
a good length of time and in a leisurely fashion, as opposed to
a "chhOTA khyAl," or "small" khyAl, which is only sung after the
baDA khyAl is sung. There may be more than one chhOTA khyAl in
the performance, but there is only one baDA khyal of a given
rAga in a performance. If the performer decides not to sing an
elaborate presentation of a rAga, he/she may omit the baDA khyAl
entirely. The baDA khyAl will be performed slowly and at a
leisurely pace; this is called vilambit laya (BTW, the
interpretation of the term "laya" is different in Hindustani
and Carnatic musics, but we will address that later.)
The chhOTA khyAl will be performed either at a medium pace,
called madhyalaya, or a fast pace, called drut laya.
There is also a pace faster than drut, called atidrut laya.
(The only time I have heard a composition in atidrut is
a performance of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan in rAga darbArI, in
the Music Today "Morning - Night Ragas" series.)
Some performers (e.g., Mallikarjun Mansur) like to sing
compositions in madhyalaya rather than in vilambit to start a
rAga.
What follows is a general description of how a khyal is
performed. There are many variations on the theme,
and different performers from different schools of
khyal-singing choose to do their improvisation
differently.
At the beginning of the rUpak AlAp, the complete words of
the sthAyI are sung once or twice to establish the rhythmic
cycle. This is followed by the gradual development of
the rAga, by using its characteristic phrases in the
lower and middle octaves. (The notes in a performance
are always described in relation to the base pitch (sA)
of the performer. The middle octave, from the base or
tonic sA to its corresponding high note, nI, is
the middle octave, or madhya sthAyI ... note that
there is a double usage of the word sthAyI; the use
of sthAyI to denote the octave is primarily a Carnatic
construct; I am unaware of the Hindustani equivalent.
The context in which the word is used here should
determine the meaning. The octave below the madhya
sthAyI is called the mAndra sthAyI, and the octave
above the madhya sthAyI is called the tAra sthAyI).
This is done by elaborating the words of the sthAyI
that correspond to the mAndra sthAyI. During this
phase, much of the singing is done in AkAra form,
that is, using the syllable "A". Essentially, this
part of the rUpak AlAp is almost identical to the
AlAp of the dhrupad, with two caveats. One is that
the composition is set to a tAla and so at the
end of one or multiple full cycles of the rhythm,
the mukhDA is reproduced in the same manner as
in the full composition. The second is that
certain ornamentations that are forbidden in
dhrupad are allowed in khyAl. To understand
this fully will require listening to both
styles: the difference will be evident quickly.
By the end of this first phase, the performer
will have moved from the mAndra sthAyi to the
madhya sthAyi.
The next stage of the rUpak AlAp is the use of
words in addition to just the mukhDA and AkArs.
At first, the words are sprinkled here and there
among the AkAra notes, at the same relaxed
pace. This is followed by what are called
"bOl-tAns." This allows the performer to
use shorter combinations with more notes bunched
together. So, for example, if the sthAyI
goes like
laT uljhE suljhA jA bAlam
sautan mehndI lagAyE lagAyE
then the improvisations for the bOl-tAns
might go as:
la..a...a...T ul...jhE suljhA aa
..aa..aa...bA..A...A..Alam
lat uljhE suljhA jA bAlam
where the distance from one "laT"
to another is a multiple of the
rhythmic cycle,
or
uljhE ...EE....EEE...EEE..
uljhE suljhA jA.A.A jA.A.A jA.A.A
laT uljhE,
again with the distance from the
first uljhE to the terminal laT is one
cycle of the tAla,
all done within the rhythmic cycle as outlined
above. The use of the three matching patterns
in the second of the above two variations
(jA.A.A, jA.A.A, jA.A.A) is called a
tihAI; this is a very standard technique
to come to the climax of a rhythmic cycle,
employed both in South and North Indian
classical musics.
By end of this exercise, the performer has hit the
tAra sthAyI sA, and even notes above it, i.e.,
notes in the tAra sthAyI.
The next stage of complexity entails dropping
the words completely and using more and more
complex patterns involving more swaras bunched
tightly together. Since the music has now
progressed to all three octaves, typically a
performer will take off directly from the
madhya sthAyI to start performing tAns,
i.e., complex patterns, in AkAr alone.
These are called AkAr tAns, or just tans.
(there is another word, I think, but I
cannot remember now.) The pace of the
tAns, the complexity, and the number of
notes within each tAn all gradually
increase.
The musician decides when he has achieved
enough intensity in the performance in this
gradual increase of tan complexity.
At this point, she switches to a "drut,"
or fast, cIz. If we use the same composition
that we used for illustrating the vilambit
cIz for the drut, we would proceed as
follows. The full cIz is:
sthAyI:
laT uljhE suljhA jA bAlam
sautan mehandI lagAyE lagAyE
antarA:
mAthE ki bindiyA gir gayI sEj pE
apnE hAth sajA jA bAlam
Typically, the entire composition is
sung once, followed by fast AkAr tAns,
all with more and more rhythmic cycles
embedded in them and all of them
ending in "laT uljhE."
The performance is taken to a crescendo,
while the time interval of the rhythmic
cycle keeps getting shorter and shorter.
tihAIs are very common in this elaboration,
and often complex tihAIs are used. For example,
if a tihAI uses a cluster of notes, which
we shall call "A," the simple tihAI would be
(other AkAr tans), A, A, A,
laT uljhE...
whereas a more complex tihAI might involve
a tihAI embedded in another, i.e.,
(other AkAr tAns), B, B, B,
where B = (some other AkAr tAns), A, A, A.
There is no limit to what can be done here;
it depends on the creativity of the musician.
Care must be taken, however, to not let the
technique overshadow the bhAva of the rAga.
Finally, the musician concludes with a complex
tihAI and ends in a flourish.
Different schools of khyAl music are called
gharAnAs, in the same way that different schools
of dhrupad are called vAnIs (bAnIs).
gharAnA means a family, and is used to connote
a musically related family, although in the past,
musical knowledge was confined to members within
the physical family ... children, cousins,
nephews, sons-in-law, etc. With the proliferation
of music since the turn of the 20th century,
musical knowledge gradually became available
to people outside the immediate family.
Each gharAnA has its own style of elaboration,
which are all variations on the general theme
described above.
(As before, I welcome suggestions, additions,
or corrections from fellow-rmicians ...
within reason, of course :-))
Next time, I will go on to recommendations of
choice recordings in khyAl music.
So long,
Kumar
naniwadekar
"Nayakan" <sku...@crsim.utah.edu> wrote -
>
> rAga in a performance. If the performer decides not to sing an
> elaborate presentation of a rAga, he/she may omit the
> baDA khyAl > entirely.
>
You forgot to mention that even chhoTa khayal is often
omitted, esp by Jaipur singers who don't/didn't even have
bandishes for chhota khayal in many of their raags. Mogubai
had composed faster bandishes in some raags (e.g. Jait
Kalyan) but to my mind, they are mostly unimpressive and
were at least partly built (I suspect) to allow her daughter to
suit her recitals more to the dictates of time since it was
felt that modern audiences would much rather a recital
is topped off by a faster composition. I prefer the great
Jaipur raags (Shuddha Nat, Savani, Jait Kalyan) to end
after bada khyal and often they *are* just so ended even
today, thankfully.
>
> of the performer. The middle octave, from the base or
> tonic sA to its corresponding high note, nI, is
> the middle octave ...
>
This is soooo frickin' profound. I'm impressed, Mr Kumar.
> ... note that there is a double usage of the word sthAyI;
> the use of sthAyI to denote the octave is primarily a
> Carnatic construct; I am unaware of the Hindustani equivalent.
>
Yet again, I am impressed you could get to know so much
about Hindustani performance without discovering the word
for sthayi/octave along the way. It is such a joy to learn
from you.
By the way, the word for octave is 'saptak'.
>
> The next stage of the rUpak AlAp is the use of
> words in addition to just the mukhDA and AkArs.
> At first, the words are sprinkled here and there
> among the AkAra notes, at the same relaxed
> pace. This is followed by what are called "bOl-tAns."
>
You are wrong. No more words need to be added to the
words of mukhada, though they often are. A performer
may (m)utter all the words just once for the sake of it. I have
heard long and brilliant Bhimpalas recitals in which only
the words 're birahaa' were repeated. Nothing else was
said more than once in the form of words.
>
> Next time, I will go on to recommendations of
> choice recordings in khyAl music.
>
> So long,
>
> Kumar
>
For someone who has been writing such long(winded)
posts, you are awfully shy about your full name, Mr Kumar.
Is it Seshadri Kumar, by any chance?
- dn
Nayakan
> "Nayakan" <sku...@crsim.utah.edu> wrote -
> >
> > rAga in a performance. If the performer decides not to sing an
> > elaborate presentation of a rAga, he/she may omit the
> > baDA khyAl > entirely.
> >
>
> You forgot to mention that even chhoTa khayal is often
> omitted, esp by Jaipur singers who don't/didn't even have
> bandishes for chhota khayal in many of their raags. Mogubai
> had composed faster bandishes in some raags (e.g. Jait
> Kalyan) but to my mind, they are mostly unimpressive and
> were at least partly built (I suspect) to allow her daughter to
> suit her recitals more to the dictates of time since it was
> felt that modern audiences would much rather a recital
> is topped off by a faster composition. I prefer the great
> Jaipur raags (Shuddha Nat, Savani, Jait Kalyan) to end
> after bada khyal and often they *are* just so ended even
> today, thankfully.
>
Yes, I did forget. Thanks for the addition. BTW, for an
example of Jaipur bandishes in chhoTA khyAl format, you
should listen to a special release that HMV published in
1992, of Mallikarjun Mansur 78 rpm recordings from the 1930s.
He sings stuff at a blistering pace, and his performance
is awe-inspiring. I can never forget his "nAhin bin dEkhE
chain nahI AvE" in alhaiyA bilAval. The tape is
HMV STC 04B 7738, and is called "In Memoriam: Pandit
Mallikarjun Mansur."
>
> By the way, the word for octave is 'saptak'.
>
Thank you.
>
>
> >
> > The next stage of the rUpak AlAp is the use of
> > words in addition to just the mukhDA and AkArs.
> > At first, the words are sprinkled here and there
> > among the AkAra notes, at the same relaxed
> > pace. This is followed by what are called "bOl-tAns."
> >
>
> You are wrong. No more words need to be added to the
> words of mukhada, though they often are. A performer
> may (m)utter all the words just once for the sake of it. I have
> heard long and brilliant Bhimpalas recitals in which only
> the words 're birahaa' were repeated. Nothing else was
> said more than once in the form of words.
>
As I said,
"What follows is a general description of how a khyal is
performed. There are many variations on the theme,
and different performers from different schools of
khyal-singing choose to do their improvisation
differently."
But, again, your addition is appreciated. It was really
hard to know what to put in and what to leave out, since
different gharAnAs (even different performers in a given
gharAnA) like to perform khyAl quite differently. What
I adopted was a sort of middle ground so that a newcomer
would have some clue as to how things might be done.
> >
> > So long,
> >
> > Kumar
> >
>
> For someone who has been writing such long(winded)
> posts, you are awfully shy about your full name, Mr Kumar.
> Is it Seshadri Kumar, by any chance?
Yes.
>
>
> - dn
So long,
Kumar
naniwadekar
"Nayakan" <sku...@crsim.utah.edu> wrote -
>
> BTW, for an example of Jaipur bandishes in chhoTA khyAl format,
> you should listen to a special release that HMV published in
> 1992, of Mallikarjun Mansur 78 rpm recordings from the 1930s.
> He sings stuff at a blistering pace, and his performance
> is awe-inspiring. I can never forget his "nAhin bin dEkhE
> chain nahI AvE" in alhaiyA bilAval. The tape is
> HMV STC 04B 7738, and is called "In Memoriam: Pandit
> Mallikarjun Mansur."
>
I think Mansur recorded that Alhaiya Bilawal (and some other
pieces) in the '30s before he started his Jaipur training under
Manji Khan. Yes, the performance is awesome.
> > >
> > > The next stage of the rUpak AlAp is the use of
> > > words in addition to just the mukhDA and AkArs.
>
By the way, it is possible that there exists this term called
'rupak alap' in Hindustani Music but it is not an expression
used commonly. I had never heard it before. I wonder whether
you picked it from some outdated book or from Carnatic music
or whether it is used in some part of India or among musicians
of some school.
> It was really hard to know what to put in and what to
> leave out, since different gharAnAs (even different performers
> in a given gharAnA) like to perform khyAl quite differently.
> What I adopted was a sort of middle ground so that a newcomer
> would have some clue as to how things might be done.
>
Personally, I have no use for such posts. More still, I doubt
whether they even achieve their stated purpose, viz. help
newbie-s. That doesn't mean you shouldn't make an effort
to help newcomers. It's just that I suspect it amounts to so
much wasted breath. Some people *can* address this area
with skill. Warren Senders is quite good at helping newbies.
> > Is it Seshadri Kumar, by any chance?
>
> Yes.
>
A couple of mouse clicks (after I asked you whether you
were Seshadri Kumar) told me that my guess was correct.
- dn
MAUSAM
> Yes, I did forget. Thanks for the addition. BTW, for an
> example of Jaipur bandishes in chhoTA khyAl format, you
> should listen to a special release that HMV published in
> 1992, of Mallikarjun Mansur 78 rpm recordings from the 1930s.
> He sings stuff at a blistering pace, and his performance
> is awe-inspiring. I can never forget his "nAhin bin dEkhE
> chain nahI AvE" in alhaiyA bilAval. The tape is
> HMV STC 04B 7738, and is called "In Memoriam: Pandit
> Mallikarjun Mansur."
Aren't most of the 78 rpm's from his gwalior training with Nilakanth Buwa
though???
MAUSAM
> > > > words in addition to just the mukhDA and AkArs.
> >
>
> By the way, it is possible that there exists this term called
> 'rupak alap' in Hindustani Music but it is not an expression
> used commonly. I had never heard it before. I wonder whether
> you picked it from some outdated book or from Carnatic music
> or whether it is used in some part of India or among musicians
> of some school.
I remember a distinction told to me by a friend (though I dont know the
authority or source) :
Raag alaap : Note by note development of raag (eg: dhrupad alaap, kirana)
Roopak Alap : Alaap generated more out of spontaneity and not following
the strict note by note regimen. Sort of blending alaap along the contours
of the bandish. (eg jaipur especially Mallikarjun)
Any takers?
Mausam
Nayakan
> "Nayakan" <sku...@crsim.utah.edu> wrote -
> >
> > BTW, for an example of Jaipur bandishes in chhoTA khyAl format,
> > you should listen to a special release that HMV published in
> > 1992, of Mallikarjun Mansur 78 rpm recordings from the 1930s.
> > He sings stuff at a blistering pace, and his performance
> > is awe-inspiring. I can never forget his "nAhin bin dEkhE
> > chain nahI AvE" in alhaiyA bilAval. The tape is
> > HMV STC 04B 7738, and is called "In Memoriam: Pandit
> > Mallikarjun Mansur."
> >
>
> I think Mansur recorded that Alhaiya Bilawal (and some other
> pieces) in the '30s before he started his Jaipur training under
> Manji Khan. Yes, the performance is awesome.
>
Yes, my mistake. Mausam also corrected me on this.
I should have figured it out ... Mansur was only 23
at the time! (and he learned for such a long time
from Manji Khan and Bhurji Khan!)
BTW, has anyone listened to "Echoes of a Soulful Voice" ?
I have not heard it, and am curious to know how it is.
Is it as amazing as the Sawani/Shivmat Bhairav tape?
>
>
> > > >
> > > > The next stage of the rUpak AlAp is the use of
> > > > words in addition to just the mukhDA and AkArs.
> >
>
> By the way, it is possible that there exists this term called
> 'rupak alap' in Hindustani Music but it is not an expression
> used commonly. I had never heard it before. I wonder whether
> you picked it from some outdated book or from Carnatic music
> or whether it is used in some part of India or among musicians
> of some school.
>
I honestly don't remember...it's been a long time. My guess
is that I picked it up from some book, e.g., Kauffman/Wade/
te Nijenhuis. And, as in Mausam's experience, I think I
remember someone else saying the same thing.
>
>
>
> > It was really hard to know what to put in and what to
> > leave out, since different gharAnAs (even different performers
> > in a given gharAnA) like to perform khyAl quite differently.
> > What I adopted was a sort of middle ground so that a newcomer
> > would have some clue as to how things might be done.
> >
>
> Personally, I have no use for such posts. More still, I doubt
> whether they even achieve their stated purpose, viz. help
> newbie-s. That doesn't mean you shouldn't make an effort
> to help newcomers. It's just that I suspect it amounts to so
> much wasted breath. Some people *can* address this area
> with skill. Warren Senders is quite good at helping newbies.
>
The thing that spurred me to write these articles was Ramnath
Prabhu's post. I remember the time when I was starting to
appreciate classical music, both Hindustani and Carnatic, and
was asking the same kinds of questions Ramnath asked.
And at the time, this kind of information, viz., the structure
of khyal/dhrupad/krithis/pallavi/etc., was what I needed most.
So I thought I could perhaps help others who are in the state
that I was in many years ago.
More recently, about eight years ago, I taught an informal
class on Indian classical music appreciation. I went about
it from the ground up, explaining the concepts of rasa,
of rAga, tAla, etc., and finally ended with explaining the
structure of dhrupad/khyal/krithi/pallavi, etc. The feedback
that I got from the class was that I should have explained
it in the reverse order, viz., by explaining the global
structure first, so when they attend a concert they can
at least follow things macroscopically.
I'm willing to take the chance that it is just wasted
breath. At least I'll know I tried. There is also
a selfish motive ... when I try to explain something
to someone, it forces me to think about it, and
I understand it better. I'm no pundit like Rajan
Parrikar or Warren Senders, but hopefully what I write
will be of use to someone.
>
>
> - dn
Sorry, that was another long (winded) response. :-)
Kumar
Havanur
> Khyal Fundamentals
>
> Today, I will, in similar fashion, illustrate the key features of
> khyal by comparison with dhrupad. To recap,the dhrupad performance
> starts with an AlAp, leading to a nOm-tOm Alap, and then the cIz.
Dear Nayagan
Your "structure" unfortunately is so full of holes that it resembles a
Swiss cIz rather than a solidly built khyal!
No, seriously, a write up like this is very useful not just for the
international clientele on this ng but also the desi newbies. These
innocents, eager to soak in their glorious cultural heritage, attend
their first classical program by a well known brand name like BJ, PJ
or KA. And not having the slightest clue to the overall format, come
out wondering why the artist was not "singing" something instead of
going aaa aaa aaall the time. And then it is back to MTV, AR Rahman
and ghazals (yes...yes, I KNOW).
A few holes that I do want to pick in your write up, one is that you
should mention a khyal can be totally in madhyalaya which is a
separate entity from bada and chhota khyals. The bada and chhota
description is not very common these days, they are simply known as
vilambit and drut khyals. About half the ragas in a full length
concert do come in madhaylaya. Sometimes a madhaylaya piece is
embedded between vilambit and drut compositions, more often you get a
combination of madhyalaya followed by a drut. Not all khyal alaaps are
in aakara, Agra gharana employs nom tom alaaps without the
percussion, derived from dhrupad. Though not all Agrawaales do so
today. Many alaaps, taans and other phrases in raga development are
also built around sargams similar to CCM. Personally I am not fond of
sargams in my HCM, the only one who did them in style was Basavraj
Rajguru.
There is an equivalent of the ati drut in khyal singing - taraana! I
know technically taraana is not khyal and all that, but when it comes
after the drut, bursting with a dozen high speed taans, it just
becomes an ultrafast drut. Also in your write up what you refer to as
bol taans are actually bol alaaps, The taans are supposed to come
after the antara has been rendered fully, reaching the highest note in
the course of laying the foundations. Again there is a tendency among
vocalists to indulge in taanbazi much earlier, something that I find
jarring.
There is a book by Wamanrao Deshpande titled Indian Musical
Traditions, where an entire chapter is devoted to this exact topic,
the structure of a khayal. It is much more detailed and accurate than
your effort, if you don't mind my saying so. He also gets into
defining, classifying and comparing gharanas. There is even a bell
shaped curve with different gharanas plotted on it, with Jaipur
gharana at the peak. His conclusion that the Jaipur Atrauli is the
epitome of all that is best and brightest in khyal singing is a little
hard to swallow, even for an unrepenting Mansur nazi like me.
Which brings me to Mansur's style and structure of khyal. There is a
word for the systematic note by note development of a raga that
Mausam has described. This is called baDhat, literally meaning
advancement. The idea is to start lower in the saptak/s, build and
deliver a set of phrases using lower notes and then introduce the next
higher note among them which suddenly alters the complexion of the
phrase. There is also a grandiose name for it - architectonics.
However Mansur did not follow this strategy. He mentions in his bio
that according to Ustad Alladiya Khan, the raga structure must evolve
within the framework of an expanding laya. In his khyals, the entire
mix of notes, tempo and the complexity of phrases (aka phirat) builds
up gradually from beginning to end. There is a sense of continuity and
though he did sing druts in major ragas, he mostly dispensed with the
multi tiered structure of vilambit/drut and used a dynamic madhyalaya
to unfold the ragas. This gives it the distictive flavour of intensity
and unity of form and explains why he sounds so different from others.
While lesser singers struggle to hold their breath while firing away
pointless high pitched taans, he could effortlessly deliver mind
bogglingly complex taans in medium tempo.
I have come across another explanation why Jaipurwallas don't sing
druts very often. Given their penchant for ragas that are either
complex in their structure or derived as combinations of 2,3 or even
six ragas, it is hard to come up with fast paced bandishes that can
truly represent the ragaroopa in a relatively short time.
Does it matter what Echoes of a Soulful Voice contains? It's Mansur
dummy, just buy it! For the record, this is a four cassette collection
released by HMV. Has plenty of the great master, bhairav, bhankar,
gaud sarang, maru bihag, khokar, vihang etc etc, all taken from live
concerts. The first two are simply awesome. I am not very fond of that
other collection of short pieces from earlier days. IMHO he would not
have risen much from there. Thank God for that chance encounter in
Vishnupant Pagnis's shop.
Disclaimers - There is no bell shaped curve in Deshpande's book, it is
a semi circle. Despite the feigned authority in the above paragraphs,
remember that you are dealing with a semi literate but highly
opinionated listener at best. Feel free to correct where necessary.
Havanur
MAUSAM
> Traditions, where an entire chapter is devoted to this exact topic,
> the structure of a khayal. It is much more detailed and accurate than
> your effort, if you don't mind my saying so. He also gets into
> defining, classifying and comparing gharanas. There is even a bell
> shaped curve with different gharanas plotted on it, with Jaipur
> gharana at the peak. His conclusion that the Jaipur Atrauli is the
> epitome of all that is best and brightest in khyal singing is a little
> hard to swallow, even for an unrepenting Mansur nazi like me.
There is another book by the same author called - Gharanedaar
Gayaki which deals with the differences in various gharanas in rather
datail. Though my opinion from the book was that the author is highly
opinionated. Also his views of the singing of a gharana were more
relevant to a main singer of the gharana. I know that it can be argued
that most of the gharanas are one main singer plus their disciples - it is
still important to talk of the commonalities in the disciples as the
characteristics of the gharana rather than all characteristics of the
guru as being the gharana. He draws the same curve in the that book too.
> Which brings me to Mansur's style and structure of khyal. There is a
> word for the systematic note by note development of a raga that
> Mausam has described. This is called baDhat, literally meaning
> advancement. The idea is to start lower in the saptak/s, build and
> deliver a set of phrases using lower notes and then introduce the next
> higher note among them which suddenly alters the complexion of the
> phrase. There is also a grandiose name for it - architectonics.
> However Mansur did not follow this strategy. He mentions in his bio
> that according to Ustad Alladiya Khan, the raga structure must evolve
> within the framework of an expanding laya. In his khyals, the entire
> mix of notes, tempo and the complexity of phrases (aka phirat) builds
> up gradually from beginning to end. There is a sense of continuity
> and...
I am not completely clear about this, but I think that there is a
difference between Raag alaap (refer my previous mail) and badhat.
Although note by note development (Raag alaap) is surely one common form
of badhat, I am not convinced that Mansur's singing (which did not employ
this format) had no badhat. It seems to be that it had another expression
of badhat - which can be related with this sense of continuity, unfoldment
of the raag but still using all notes from the start. It feels like it
is a badhat within the framework of improvising along the bandish - though
it is hard for me articulate its coherent structure.
Mausam
naniwadekar
"MAUSAM" <mau...@cs.washington.edu> wrote -
>
> > There is a book by Wamanrao Deshpande titled Indian Musical
> > Traditions, where an entire chapter is devoted to this exact topic,
>
>
You are referring to the same book which Havanur has
mentioned. It was written in Marathi. The book's title,
I think, is Gharandaaj Gayaki. Its Hindi samskaraN is
titled 'Gharanedaar Gayaki' and English translation 'Indian
Musical Traditions'.
> I am not convinced that Mansur's singing (which did not employ
> this format) had no badhat. It seems to be that it had another
> expression of badhat ...
>
I agree with you.
'Note by note development' and Mansur's style of 'baDhat'
are not mutually exclusive; each partakes of elements of
the other method. To me, the slower, 'note-by-note' method,
adopted by the likes of Bhimsen, Kishori and Abhisheki is
more appealing than Mansur's method of often springing
a raag almost full-blown upon the listener at once. That,
in a way, is as it should be. Bhimsen's generation could stand
upon shoulders of past giants and thus make choices from
a more exalted position. It was Abdul Karim and Abdul
Wahid who made vilambit khayal slower than it used to be.
- dn
Nayakan
spamb...@att.net (Havanur) wrote in message news:<396aa3df.04011...@posting.google.com>...
> sku...@crsim.utah.edu (Nayakan) wrote in message news:<7f5f54f3.04010...@posting.google.com>...
> > Khyal Fundamentals
> >
> > Today, I will, in similar fashion, illustrate the key features of
> > khyal by comparison with dhrupad. To recap,the dhrupad performance
> > starts with an AlAp, leading to a nOm-tOm Alap, and then the cIz.
>
> Dear Nayagan
>
> Your "structure" unfortunately is so full of holes that it resembles a
> Swiss cIz rather than a solidly built khyal!
>
> No, seriously, a write up like this is very useful not just for the
> international clientele on this ng but also the desi newbies. These
> innocents, eager to soak in their glorious cultural heritage, attend
> their first classical program by a well known brand name like BJ, PJ
> or KA. And not having the slightest clue to the overall format, come
> out wondering why the artist was not "singing" something instead of
> going aaa aaa aaall the time. And then it is back to MTV, AR Rahman
> and ghazals (yes...yes, I KNOW).
>
> A few holes that I do want to pick in your write up, one is that you
> should mention a khyal can be totally in madhyalaya which is a
Actually, I did mention that some performers choose to sing
madhyalaya instead of vilambit. I didn't mention, however,
that they might completely omit the drut as well.
> separate entity from bada and chhota khyals. The bada and chhota
> description is not very common these days, they are simply known as
> vilambit and drut khyals. About half the ragas in a full length
> concert do come in madhaylaya. Sometimes a madhaylaya piece is
> embedded between vilambit and drut compositions, more often you get a
> combination of madhyalaya followed by a drut. Not all khyal alaaps are
> in aakara, Agra gharana employs nom tom alaaps without the
> percussion, derived from dhrupad. Though not all Agrawaales do so
> today. Many alaaps, taans and other phrases in raga development are
> also built around sargams similar to CCM. Personally I am not fond of
> sargams in my HCM, the only one who did them in style was Basavraj
> Rajguru.
You are right in all of this. But you must understand my purpose
in writing the article; I did not want to overwhelm the reader with
all the differences in performance...I am planning to discuss
individual differences according to gharAnAs in the posts that I
am planning to make on recommended compositions. For example,
I will discuss Agra's "Nauhar vani" lineage and their "dhrupad-like"
AlAps when I discuss the great Faiyaz Khan's recordings (one of
my all-time favorites). The description I gave is just a rough
template for beginners to get a handle on things immediately.
As they progress through the recommended recordings, I hope they
will be able to refer to my write-up and connect at least some
of the dots.
>
> There is an equivalent of the ati drut in khyal singing - taraana! I
> know technically taraana is not khyal and all that, but when it comes
> after the drut, bursting with a dozen high speed taans, it just
I don't think that is a justifiable generalization. A lot of the
time, a tarAnA is used only for variety; the speed doesn't necessarily
increase in it. But some people make it a habit to increase the
speed tremendously for the tarAnA; an example is Salamat Ali Khan.
> becomes an ultrafast drut. Also in your write up what you refer to as
> bol taans are actually bol alaaps, The taans are supposed to come
> after the antara has been rendered fully, reaching the highest note in
I disagree. I will have to look, but I have heard recordings where
the antarA is even non-existent. I have heard recordings which follow
the order I described, though that is definitely not all-inclusive and
not all performers perform it in that order.
> the course of laying the foundations. Again there is a tendency among
> vocalists to indulge in taanbazi much earlier, something that I find
> jarring.
>
>
> There is a book by Wamanrao Deshpande titled Indian Musical
> Traditions, where an entire chapter is devoted to this exact topic,
> the structure of a khayal. It is much more detailed and accurate than
> your effort, if you don't mind my saying so. He also gets into
> defining, classifying and comparing gharanas. There is even a bell
> shaped curve with different gharanas plotted on it, with Jaipur
> gharana at the peak. His conclusion that the Jaipur Atrauli is the
> epitome of all that is best and brightest in khyal singing is a little
> hard to swallow, even for an unrepenting Mansur nazi like me.
Yes, I have read Vamanrao's book. It is excellent, and of course
more accurate and detailed than what I have written. But I will
tell you this: I read Vamanrao's book early on in my musical
adventures, and I didn't really get it at all ... except for his
statements that Kirana = sur, Agra = tAl, and Jaipur = everything,
and the lovely quotation that he attributes to the Kirana
gharAnA singers:
tAl gayA to bAl gayA, lekin
sur gayA to sir gayA.
("if you miss the tAl, you lose a hair of your head, but
if you miss the sur, you lose your entire head"!!)
>
> Which brings me to Mansur's style and structure of khyal. There is a
> word for the systematic note by note development of a raga that
> Mausam has described. This is called baDhat, literally meaning
> advancement. The idea is to start lower in the saptak/s, build and
> deliver a set of phrases using lower notes and then introduce the next
> higher note among them which suddenly alters the complexion of the
> phrase. There is also a grandiose name for it - architectonics.
Yes, this is the Kirana style. Gangubai has gone on record saying that
her guru taught her to take her time before introducing the next note
... be stingy in giving out the notes...making the audience wait in
expectation for the next note. This is how the Dagars do dhrupad
AlAp. But not all gharAnAs follow this style of baDhat.
> However Mansur did not follow this strategy. He mentions in his bio
> that according to Ustad Alladiya Khan, the raga structure must evolve
> within the framework of an expanding laya. In his khyals, the entire
> mix of notes, tempo and the complexity of phrases (aka phirat) builds
> up gradually from beginning to end. There is a sense of continuity and
> though he did sing druts in major ragas, he mostly dispensed with the
> multi tiered structure of vilambit/drut and used a dynamic madhyalaya
> to unfold the ragas. This gives it the distictive flavour of intensity
> and unity of form and explains why he sounds so different from others.
> While lesser singers struggle to hold their breath while firing away
> pointless high pitched taans, he could effortlessly deliver mind
> bogglingly complex taans in medium tempo.
Yes, you are absolutely right! Again, I was planning to say all this
when I mentioned Mansur's great recordings, but now I will just
quote you! :-) BTW, I am not aware of his biography. Would you
please give me a reference so I can try to get this?
>
> I have come across another explanation why Jaipurwallas don't sing
> druts very often. Given their penchant for ragas that are either
> complex in their structure or derived as combinations of 2,3 or even
> six ragas, it is hard to come up with fast paced bandishes that can
> truly represent the ragaroopa in a relatively short time.
>
> Does it matter what Echoes of a Soulful Voice contains? It's Mansur
> dummy, just buy it! For the record, this is a four cassette collection
I didn't find it when I was looking for it; that's why I asked.
I would have bought it if I could find it at the time and I will
if I ever see it.
> released by HMV. Has plenty of the great master, bhairav, bhankar,
> gaud sarang, maru bihag, khokar, vihang etc etc, all taken from live
> concerts. The first two are simply awesome. I am not very fond of that
> other collection of short pieces from earlier days. IMHO he would not
> have risen much from there. Thank God for that chance encounter in
But look at the brilliance of his tAns! How many people can
do that? Whereas it is true that his technique became more
introspective in later years, he needed that technique to get to
the next level! I absolutely love that tape!
> Vishnupant Pagnis's shop.
>
> Disclaimers - There is no bell shaped curve in Deshpande's book, it is
> a semi circle. Despite the feigned authority in the above paragraphs,
> remember that you are dealing with a semi literate but highly
> opinionated listener at best. Feel free to correct where necessary.
>
> Havanur
Thanks a lot for the input! I truly appreciate it!
Kumar