Raga Gaud Sarang - A Journey
Rajan P. Parrikar
In this note is presented an exegesis of Raga Gaud Sarang;
the development is fortified by a smorgasbord of representative
sound clips. Throughout the discussion, M denotes the shuddha,
and m the teevra, madhyam.
In the taxonomic scheme we may instal Raga Gaud Sarang in
the kalyAN thAT with the proviso that its rAga-swaroop is
indebted in no small measure to the bilAwal-anga. "Gaud Sarang"
is a misnomer because there is no presence of 'sArang' anywhere
within driving distance of its zipcode. The set of notes
comprises all the seven shuddha swaras plus the teevra madhyam.
The komal nishAd occasionally saunters in, in a cameo appearance
as a vivAdi swara. Like the two rAgas discussed recently, viz.,
Hameer and Nand, Raga Gaud Sarang is of a vakra build and in
some sense of 'abstract' character. These considerations
render a quick apprehension of its internals somewhat difficult.
However, like the proximate melodies Hameer and Nand, its
identification is very easy thanks to a distinct signature.
The definitive swara group, central to Gaud Sarang and written
all over it, is: S R S, G R M G. The rest of the rAga is built
entirely around this kernel. In so doing angas of other rAgas
such as Bihag, Bilawal and Kalyan are invoked (thus creating
a tirobhAva). They are then dissipated and Gaud Sarang re-established
(AvirbhAva) through the appropriate vishistha sanchAras. Let us
briefly examine a few of these constructs.
1) S, G R M G...P, [P] M G...
The signature is first enunciated with the movement from
the rishab to madhyam drawn out via a mild meenD, followed
by a characteristic intonation of the pancham (shaken, not
stirred heheheheh) - encapsulated in square brackets to indicate
its Andolita nature. The eventual slide P M G requires a
nyAsa on the gandhAr to conclude the thought. The pancham
swara is strong, a nyAsa location. In the above tonal byte
lies the soul of Gaud Sarang, or if you will, its G-spot
(where G=Gaud).
2) PDmP S", S" D P M G, R G R M G, P (G)R, S
The first quarter of the above sentence shows one possible
approach to the antarA and the tAra shaDja. The decline,
S D P M G, follows a grazing locus and is reminiscent
of Bilawal. A kalyANic P (G)R, S often underscores the conclusion
of an AlAp. This last device is actively relegated or shunned
by certain schools (the Maihar turkeys, for instance).
3) G R M G, P, P m D, P, m [P] M G, m P D N [P] M G
Note the role of the teevra madhyam and some of the
kalyAN-like sanchAris. A judicious brightening of the
dhaivat is important in the elaboration.
4) S M G P, P m [P] M G, G M P N, N S" D [P] M G
Often this Bihag-like tonal sentence is utilized in an
ascending foray.
The foregoing are some of the notable gestures employed in
Gaud Sarang. Variations across ghArAnA and regional borders
exist in the detail but these are primarily differences of
form, not of the core idea and content.
Subbarao observes that there is no Karnataka equivalent of
Gaud Sarang, but that certain sanchAras of Shankarabhanaram
resemble the rAga. As an example he cites the Tamil kriti
"Muddu kumarayyane."
We have stitched together a pastiche of Gaud Sarang servings
for your enjoyment. The first few clips establish the rAga's
close links to the folk music of the land through a series of
film songs based in it. In these, fidelity to the rAga structure
is not the main theme, rather the application of its various
facets, however momentary, in innovative situations.
We kick off with a rendition from the Khandwa gharAnA. It came
into being in 1928 and is represented singly by a certain bong-
speaking mad hatter. Truth be told, he is the only bong musician
to be taken seriously outside Ballygunge and Tollygunge. The film
is Funtoosh (1956), Sahir's lyrics are tuned by S.D. Burman. The
highlight here is the subtle, understated use of Gaud Sarang
mannerisms. Asha Bhonsle joins Kishore Kumar in this soft,
enduring number, "woh dekheiN to unki inAyat nA dekheiN to
ronA kyA" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/funtoosh.ram
The Gaud Sarang number most often charged in the 'light'
brigade is the Lata gem from Pardesi (1957). The composer
is the great maestro of yesteryear, Anil Biswas (bong, alas).
"nA dir deem" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/pardesi.ram
The rAga must have been a continuous presence in Anil Biswas'
mental clothing for he had earlier created another beautiful
composition, a duet by Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar, from
Hamdard, "rtu Aye rtu jAye" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/hamdard.ram
Another charming Lata solo comes from the movie Ekadashi (1955),
music by Avinash Vyas, "jhulo jhulo re" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/ekadashi.ram
The musical culture of Bengal shows a predilection for this
rAga (perhaps the 'Gaud' in the name provides a hint of its
provenance). S.D. Burman this time summons the uncommon
talents of Asha Bhonsle in this 1955 number from Society.
"leheroN meiN jhooluN" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/society.ram
Anil Biswas reappears in Chhoti Chhoti Batein (1965), this
time teaming with his vocalist wife Meena Kapoor, "kuch aur zamAnA" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/batein.ram
The year 1952 saw the advent of highly gifted composer,
O.P. Nayyar, unschooled in classical music but with his
heart and soul drenched in the native melody. He filed
this Geeta Dutt number in his first film Aasman, "dekho jAdu
bhare more naina" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/aasman.ram
That completes the 'light' round. Although we call it
'light' music there is nothing light about it. To do it at
the level of Kishore, Lata and Asha takes very unusual gifts
and skill.
In compiling the foregoing clips I have benefited from the
consultation and advice of my friend Sir Vish Krishnan.
The classical montage begins with D.V. Paluskar's famous
rendition of the highly popular cheez, "piyu palana lAge mori
akhiyAN" (probably a composition of Mehboob Khan "Daras Piya") -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/dvpaluskar.ram
The rAga is a life member of the Gwalior club and C.R. Vyas
gives it the Gwalior treatment in the following clip. We
pick up his vilambit tilwADA bandish ("kajrA re") in its
final moments. He then tears into the very attractive
traditional punjAbi bandish in druta ektAl, "mAnDi khabari
na liti jAni yAr ve" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/vyas.ram
An sprightly tarAnA treat by the Gwalior doyen Krishnarao Shankar
Pandit follows -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/pandit.ram
The Kirana contributor is Bhimsen Joshi. He sings the
bandish stamped as their own by the Atrauli folks - "saiyyoN
mai to rataDi" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/bhimsenjoshi.ram
We have come to expect innovations from Kumar Gandharva. His
Gaud Sarang indeed has an identity all its own. He sings his
own composition "piyA baserA." Note the very explicit use
of the phrase S" D N P (used subtly by other people such as
Mallikarjun Mansur) -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/kg.ram
Switching lanes, we now see what the ding dongers have to
offer. The following passage from Ravi Shankar has been
especially selected for its exhibition of the kharaj meenDs,
executed quite delectably by the master -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/rshankar.ram
Ali Akbar Khan's prefatory AlAp in one of the tracks
on 'Legacy' offers a marvellous view of Gaud Sarang (Asha
Bhonsle's subsequent bandish is ruined by that ass of a
sArangi scratcher Ramesh Mishra) -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/aak.ram
Umrao Khan was the son of the legendary sArangiyA Bundu
Khan of Delhi. Umrao was adept at playing the instrument
and with his voice as well. In the clip he sings a luscious
roopak composition "sundara nAra karata singAra" -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/umrao.ram
It is my considered opinion that of all the Gaud Sarang
renditions extant the most magnificent have got to be those
of Mallikarjun Mansur. He sings the Jaipur-Atrauli favourite
"saiyyoN mai to rataDi," in vilambit teentAla -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/mm.ram
As has become the custom, we rein in these ruminations with
a suite of two compositions of Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang."
The first is in dheemA teentAl, "najarA na lAge," sketched
in Jha-sahab's own voice -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/jha_gaudsarang.ram
Jha-sahab also provides a glimpse of a wonderful old composition
of 'Adarang,' in praise of Lord Shiva, "Bhavani pati Shambho."
The rAga is a small variation on Gaud Sarang and goes by
ChhayaGaud Sarang -
http://home.pacbell.net/parrikar/jha_chhaya_gaud_sarang.ram
And finally, a composition of Ramrang notated for those willing
to invest in a little effort. Here, Ramrang tells Shri Rama,
"you have delivered Shabari ("bheelni si tiriyA"), why this
hesitation to release me?"
*****
Raga: Gaud Sarang
Tala: teentala (madhya laya)
Composer: Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang"
kaun dAni dayA dariyA
tuma sama deenana ko dukha hAri
samarth sAi'yAN
adhama tAre jaga geedha ubAre
bheelni si tiriyA
AnAkAni karata kAhe Prabhu 'rAmrang' beriyA
Notes:
(1) All shuddha notes in caps (M=shuddha madhyam, m=teevra madhyam)
(2) The " and ' following a note denotes its tAr-saptak and mandra-
saptak affiliation, respectively.
(3) The grace note is enclosed in parenthesis of the type () and it
operates on the note immediately following it.
(4) A swara enclosed in square brackets indicates a khaTkA about
that note. For instance, [P] = DPmP intoned in a trice.
Asthaie:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
S R S
kau.......na
G - G M G (R)G M [P] M - G - R S R S
dA........ni da...yA.... da...ri...yA................... kau.......na
S S M G P - P PN DN D P [P] M - G -
tu...ma sa...ma dee.......na...na..... ko du....kha hA........ri....
P S"N R" S" - P m [P] M - G - R
sa...ma...ra...tha... sA'.......i....yAN..................
Antara:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
P P P S" - S" S" S" S" - S" S" S" R" S" -
a....dha..ma tA........re ja...ga gee.......dha u....bA........re....
S" D D D S" - S" R" S" - - - D n P -
bhee......la...ni si.... ti...ri...yA..................................
P - P [P] M - G GM R G M [P] M G R S
A.........nA.... kA........ni ka...ra...ta kA........he.... pra..bhu
P S"N R" S" - S" P [P] M - G - R
rA........ma...ran.......ga be...ri...yA...................
*****
Warm regards,
r
Bill
Dear Rajan,
Is it really necessary to disfigure a pristine, well-thought, and
otherwise dearly appreciated work of research with these ugly
foul-meaning quips?
Sincerely, Bill
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Rajan P. Parrikar
>"...that ass of a sArangi scratcher Ramesh Mishra) - "
>
>Dear Rajan,
> Is it really necessary to disfigure a pristine, well-thought, and
>otherwise dearly appreciated work of research with these ugly
>foul-meaning quips?
>
>Sincerely, Bill
Dear Bill,
The answer to your question is No.
But Mishra it is who has disfigured every performance
which it has been my misfortune to hear. He is not
merely a terrible sArangiyA, he is a bully to boot
as witness the grief he brought to the performances
of three ladies in a recent Bay Area concert. It was
hard to tell who was accompanying whom. This is
deliberate vandalism on stage, exploiting his 'star'
billing (what were the organizers thinking?!) and
knowing fully well that the young ladies were in
no position to clip his wings.
Varanasi has in the past produced outstanding sArangiyAs
from the Mishra clan. Ramesh Mishra ain't one of
them. He is utterly mediocre, at best a noise producer.
His sArangi can be put to better use but that is a
matter strictly for Mishra and his proctologist to
figure out.
Warm regards,
r
Aloke Prasad
"Rajan P. Parrikar" wrote:
>
> Namashkar.
>
> In this note is presented an exegesis of Raga Gaud Sarang;
> the development is fortified by a smorgasbord of representative
> sound clips. Throughout the discussion, M denotes the shuddha,
> and m the teevra, madhyam.
...............................................
> *****
>
> Warm regards,
>
> r
Is anyone archiving these on a web site? Sort of like
http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~boppe/MUSIC/music.html
has archived the artist biographies?
It is a handy reference and easy to refer others to such a resource.
Rajan, have you thought of having a classical music web site yourself?
--
Aloke
Anti-Spam: Please remove 123 from my Reply-to address
to send me e-mail
Chetan Vinchhi
Hi Rajan,
Thanks for the write-up. Apart from the clips you have presented, I
would like to mention Kishori Amonkar's magnificent recording of this
raag.
> We kick off with a rendition from the Khandwa gharAnA. It came
> into being in 1928 and is represented singly by a certain bong-
> speaking mad hatter. Truth be told, he is the only bong musician
> to be taken seriously outside Ballygunge and Tollygunge.
That last sentence directly contradicts the compliment you paid Anil
Biswas below.
> The Gaud Sarang number most often charged in the 'light'
> brigade is the Lata gem from Pardesi (1957). The composer
> is the great maestro of yesteryear, Anil Biswas (bong, alas).
> "nA dir deem" -
In any case, KK's contribution to any music that is even remotely
"classical" is nil. If any song of his has managed to capture a facet of
a raag, it is solely due to the composer. The presence of KK's voice is
incidental.
C
Rajan P. Parrikar
>
>Hi Rajan,
>
>Thanks for the write-up. Apart from the clips you have presented, I
>would like to mention Kishori Amonkar's magnificent recording of this
>raag.
I have heard the recording and it is top notch. Still, in
my opinion, Mallikarjun Mansur's Gaud Sarang is something else.
>> We kick off with a rendition from the Khandwa gharAnA. It came
>> into being in 1928 and is represented singly by a certain bong-
>> speaking mad hatter. Truth be told, he is the only bong musician
>> to be taken seriously outside Ballygunge and Tollygunge.
>
>That last sentence directly contradicts the compliment you paid Anil
>Biswas below.
Please accept my deepest apologies for not throwing in a
truckload of smilies and a disclaimer.
>> The Gaud Sarang number most often charged in the 'light'
>> brigade is the Lata gem from Pardesi (1957). The composer
>> is the great maestro of yesteryear, Anil Biswas (bong, alas).
>> "nA dir deem" -
>
>In any case, KK's contribution to any music that is even remotely
>"classical" is nil. If any song of his has managed to capture a facet of
>a raag, it is solely due to the composer.
In that case, by application of your criterion we have calculated
his contribution, and it comes out to be non-zero. For instance,
in the film Jhumroo, Raga Jhinjhoti has been beautifully depicted
in the song "ko'i humdum na rahA." Kishore Kumar sang it, yes,
he also composed it.
Warm regards,
r
Ashok
>
>That last sentence directly contradicts the compliment you paid Anil
>Biswas below.
Do note that Anil Biswas's bong-hood has been alased away by Rajan. :)
Anyway, he is not a true-blood bong for a number of reasons: His
native place is in Bangladesh. He has a pan-Indian outlook. He is
a connoiseur of Hindi and Urdu poetry (He has written a book on
ghazals in Bengali for the edificatioin of the Bengali; I must say
I am yet to meet a Bengali who has heard of it, leave alone
read it!) He relates well to Karnataka sangeet (remember his
wonderful use of mridanga in the Gaud Sarang piece from 'Pardesi'.)
Bengali? Nah. Let us make him an honorary non-Bengali. He
deserves it. :)
>> The Gaud Sarang number most often charged in the 'light'
>> brigade is the Lata gem from Pardesi (1957). The composer
>> is the great maestro of yesteryear, Anil Biswas (bong, alas).
>> "nA dir deem" -
>
>In any case, KK's contribution to any music that is even remotely
>"classical" is nil. If any song of his has managed to capture a facet of
>a raag, it is solely due to the composer. The presence of KK's voice is
>incidental.
>
>C
Gotcha! You forgot the songs where Kishore is the composer.
. koi hamdam na rahaa
(jhi.njhOTi according to most; shivara.njani according
to Surajit Bose.)
. aa chalke tujhe mai.n le ke chalu.n
(Pilu? Des?)
It is possible to argue that their being raga-based is itself
incidental; that Kishore the composer was just going by his
musical intuition, gut-feeling, etc. If you do take that tack,
for it to be a defensible position, you'll have to address a
few pesky questions regarding the importance of classical
knowledge for composers and singers in the context of serious
compositions in popular music:
. Role of composers' classical knowledge: Where does it come in,
(mind you, beyond a general aesthetic sense)? And let us try
to go beyond the obvious: explicitly classical elements, like
sargams, taraanas, etc.
. Role of singers' classical knowledge: In which aspects does that
come in (again, beyond the obvious elements)? How about
discussing with examples, where the singer's rendition has been
richly informed by his/her understanding of the raag? Again,
it would be better to use songs of professionals playback singers,
not film songs sung by the likes of Bhimsen Joshi or Amir Khan.
Ashok
kanek...@my-deja.com
Rajan P. Parrikar <parr...@colorado.edu> wrote:
> Namashkar.
>
> In this note is presented an exegesis of Raga Gaud Sarang;
> the development is fortified by a smorgasbord of representative
> sound clips. Throughout the discussion, M denotes the shuddha,
thanks for the terrific post. May I request a similar one on
madhmad sarang , its similarities with megh and so on ..? I have in
mind Kumar Gandharva's "ranga rejava ..." bandish. If you have
posted on this rag in the past i would appreciate a copy.
regards,
Shri
Chetan Vinchhi
"Rajan P. Parrikar" wrote:
>
> >In any case, KK's contribution to any music that is even remotely
> >"classical" is nil. If any song of his has managed to capture a facet of
> >a raag, it is solely due to the composer.
>
> his contribution, and it comes out to be non-zero. For instance,
> in the film Jhumroo, Raga Jhinjhoti has been beautifully depicted
> in the song "ko'i humdum na rahA."
Good point, Rajan. And yes, I agree these crumbs are enough to elevate
KK's musicality to the level of a "gharana", thus equating him with the
likes of Alladiya Khan.
C
Keith Erskine
: In article <8ai2co$f...@drn.newsguy.com>,: > Namashkar.
: >
: > In this note is presented an exegesis of Raga Gaud Sarang;
: thanks for the terrific post.
Ditto, thanks Rajan.
And for those interested in the 4-CD & book set "Raga Guide:
A Survey of 74 Hindustani Ragas", on the Nimbus label, here is the
page on Gaud Sarang.
I've found Raga Guide to be very helpful as a supplement to instruction
by my guru. It helps to contrast gharana differences, and to see in
which respects the interpretations I am learning are unique. Usually
they overlap quite a bit, but there is usually a slight difference,
as does this interpretation compare with that by Rajan.
This interpretation shows the Sarang movement P->R, but Rajan
states there are no Sarang movements. Rajan mentions a touch of
komal ni, but Raga Guide does not. Raga Guide lists catch phrase
S G R m G, Rajan slightly differently at S R S G R m G. Both allude
to the difficulty of fast vakra ragas.
(Of course I'm not implying Rajan is wrong, I'm just highlighting the
gharana specific differences Rajan alluded to in his post)
The 4 CD set I enjoy listening to, at first the brevity of the 4-5
minute mini-raga presentations was unfamiliar, but now I really enjoy
it, especially the mix of voice, bansuri, and sarod.
==================== Gaud Sarang =================================
As its name suggests, Gaud Sarang is a combination of raga Gaud (now
obsolete) and raga Sarang, and can be cited as one of the best examples
of a raga with oblique or zig-zag (vakra) melodic movements. Its present
scale is close to the first Sarang types mentioned in music literature of
the 16th and 17th centuries. Therefore it is tempting to assume that
Gaud Sarang has retained some of the original Sarang features, of which the
movement P->R is an example. However, the other typical Sarang movements,
n->P, m->R are absent in this raga. (lower case = komal, except m = shuddha ma,
M = tivra Ma)
The Gaud Sarang ascent usually begins with the distinctive phrase S G R m G,
emphasizing the Ga which functions as the dominant note and the note on which
many phrases end. Pa is often sustained as well, and also appears in the
characteristic descending glide P->R S.
Gaud Sarang evokes a hopeful and energetic mood when it is performed in
medium tempo. The vakra movements can make it a difficult raga to perform
in fast tempo.
Time: early afternoon, 12 - 3 pm
Ascent
S G R m G P M D P S' N R' S'
Descent
S' N D P M P m G, R G R m G P R S
Melodic outline
S - R _N S G R m G, G - m R m G, S G R m G P, P M P MPM - G,
P M D P->S', N R' S' - N D P, P mDPM - G, R G R m G - P R S
(transcription of alap by Shruti Sadolikar Katkar, song text omitted)
Rajan P. Parrikar
>kanek...@my-deja.com wrote:
>: In article <8ai2co$f...@drn.newsguy.com>,
>: Rajan P. Parrikar <parr...@colorado.edu> wrote:
>: >
>: > In this note is presented an exegesis of Raga Gaud Sarang;
>
>
>Ditto, thanks Rajan.
>
>And for those interested in the 4-CD & book set "Raga Guide:
>A Survey of 74 Hindustani Ragas", on the Nimbus label, here is the
>page on Gaud Sarang.
>
>I've found Raga Guide to be very helpful as a supplement to instruction
>by my guru. It helps to contrast gharana differences, and to see in
>which respects the interpretations I am learning are unique. Usually
>they overlap quite a bit, but there is usually a slight difference,
>as does this interpretation compare with that by Rajan.
>
>This interpretation shows the Sarang movement P->R, but Rajan
>states there are no Sarang movements. Rajan mentions a touch of
I have seen this argument elsewhere but it is contrived.
P->R is not the key or definitive sArang-anga indicator.
>komal ni, but Raga Guide does not. Raga Guide lists catch phrase
There are a few old (and new) compositions that handsomely
demonstrate the vivAdi use of the komal nishAd. The one
I posted (of Ramrang) in notation did too. As is the case
with vivAdis, they are optional.
>S G R m G, Rajan slightly differently at S R S G R m G. Both allude
>to the difficulty of fast vakra ragas.
Here, there is no difference at all. I picked up the
extra S R S since that is often used as a handle in
the mukhDAs of many compositions. S, G R M G will do
just fine as a signature.
I realized after I posted (as always) that I could have
inserted some more tonal sentences, especially with the
teevra madhyam and commented on the PNDN P type of recurring
phrases.
Warm regards,
r
Keith Erskine
: k...@fc.hp.com (Keith Erskine) writes:
: >I've found Raga Guide to be very helpful as a supplement to instruction
: >by my guru. It helps to contrast gharana differences, and to see in
: >which respects the interpretations I am learning are unique. Usually
: >they overlap quite a bit, but there is usually a slight difference,
: >as does this interpretation compare with that by Rajan.
: >
: >This interpretation shows the Sarang movement P->R, but Rajan
: >states there are no Sarang movements. Rajan mentions a touch of
: I have seen this argument elsewhere but it is contrived.
: P->R is not the key or definitive sArang-anga indicator.
I agree that it is not the key movement of Sarang, which would be
the distinctive glide m->R (m = shuddha ma). Both my guru and
Raga Guide agree on this, at least for Shuddha Sarang, which probably
represents the original Sarang.
However, the sitar compositions from my guru for Shuddha Sarang
DO feature P->R, in phrases that exploit the parallelism of
m->R, vs. MP->R. In particular, both of these phrases are
played entirely on the Re fret, and m, M, P, are all produced
via meend originating on Re. Importantly, though the meend to
get to ma from Re should NOT be emphasized, instead a quick meend
or pre-meend (meend before note is plucked) is used, I'm assuming
because it detracts from the key glide m->R, or because it improperly
calls up another raga.
: >S G R m G, Rajan slightly differently at S R S G R m G. Both allude
: >to the difficulty of fast vakra ragas.
: Here, there is no difference at all. I picked up the
: extra S R S since that is often used as a handle in
: the mukhDAs of many compositions. S, G R M G will do
: just fine as a signature.
True, but for a practicing student, it is still illuminating to see
the difference and realize the (S R) S prefix is not prerequisite.
Keith Erskine
I don't speak for HP.
Ashok
>
>IMO, a composer has to display deep understanding of many different
>raags consistently in order to prove his/her classical mettle. And by
>deep understanding I mean the ability to distill the essence of a raag
>into "mainstream" melodic structures. It is even better if the composer
>is able to score high on other aspects of popular music (such as mass
>appeal, emotional appeal, simplicity etc.) without compromising the
>classical structure. Composers like Roshan, S.N.Tripathi, Anil Biswas
>etc. have been known to satisfy these conditions. Others like Madan
>Mohan, R.D.Burman, S.D.Burman etc. are at a lower rung on that ladder. I
>think O.P.Nayyar is in a class all by himself :) He has used Pahadi and
>Piloo strains over and over (and over and...) but has shown little
>evidence of raag knowledge in general.
Interesting. Naushad is conspicuous by his absence in your list. Ans
RDB, albeit on a lowre rung, occupies a higher position than SDB!
>Rafi was less aware. In his prime he sang in pitch most of the time. But
>many of his classical songs are a disaster. The classic example is the
>Hameer song 'madhuban me.n raadhikaa naache re'. It has all the right
>ingredients. And by itself, it is a "sweet" song. But it fails to
>capture the soul of the raag.
More interesting. This from a (non-card-carrying) member of the Rafians
club!
>Disaster is a strong word. I think that his "classical" songs are in
>fact melodious, but as you say, his renderings do not necessarily evoke
>some textbook images of ragas, which are more effectively brought out
>in renditions by the Mangeshkar sisters.
And the demurrals of "chhoTa Rafi" actually reinforce Chetan's criticism
of Rafi's classical singing.
Seems to be a reversal of roles. The Rafians are dissing Rafi, while
the President of KKKlanners has this to say about the same song, in a
previous post on Hameer:
>Raga Hameer is represented in popular Indian consciousness by
>the superhit song from the movie "Kohinoor," where the formidable
>trio of master tunesmith Naushad, lyricist Shakeel Badayuni and
>the voice of Mohammad Rafi come together in a celebration of
>Shri Krishna's leelA
I am confused by the following question that Sanjeev ends with:
>......................................................Again, the
>question arises, are you looking to hear (!) heavyweight Malkauns, or
>are you looking for a bhajan with strong ties to Malkauns?
I thought Chetan was discussing the latter and found Lata and Asha
eminently satisfactory, but not Manna Dey or Rafi. Am I wrong?
Ashok
sanj...@my-deja.com
ADhar...@WorldBank.Org (Ashok) wrote:
>
> More interesting. This from a (non-card-carrying) member of the
Rafians
> club!
>
> >Disaster is a strong word. I think that his "classical" songs are in
> >fact melodious, but as you say, his renderings do not necessarily
evoke
> >some textbook images of ragas, which are more effectively brought out
> >in renditions by the Mangeshkar sisters.
>
> And the demurrals of "chhoTa Rafi" actually reinforce Chetan's
criticism
> of Rafi's classical singing.
Please, Ashok - I am not "chhoTa Rafi" (in fact, I think I'm probably 5
to 6 inches taller than he was) - ain't no more Rafis, big or small :-)
It's not that Rafi was badly out of tune or rhythm in any of these
renditions. Even the note combinations are correct, but some of his
contours and punctuation sound distinctly "non-classical" - my question
was, just because you say a song is based on Hameer or any other
"raag", to what extent should/can the contours/punctuation differ from
a classical rendition for the song to be effective?
>
> I am confused by the following question that Sanjeev ends with:
>
> >......................................................Again, the
> >question arises, are you looking to hear (!) heavyweight Malkauns, or
> >are you looking for a bhajan with strong ties to Malkauns?
>
> I thought Chetan was discussing the latter and found Lata and Asha
> eminently satisfactory, but not Manna Dey or Rafi. Am I wrong?
I claim that Lata and Asha's renditions are CLOSER to the "heavyweight"
renditions.
--
Sanjeev Ramabhadran
Alt.language.urdu.poetry
<kanek...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8aoja9$vth$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> >
> > In this note is presented an exegesis of Raga Gaud Sarang;
> > the development is fortified by a smorgasbord of representative
> > sound clips. Throughout the discussion, M denotes the shuddha,
> thanks for the terrific post. May I request a similar one on
> madhmad sarang , its similarities with megh and so on ..? I have in
> mind Kumar Gandharva's "ranga rejava ..." bandish. If you have
> posted on this rag in the past i would appreciate a copy.
> regards,
> Shri
>
>
ChristianAMR
Now , I finally also found a page that subsumes it officially under Bilawal thaat . Normally every raag-index puts it under Kalyan thaat , which is following tradition . However I feel more at ease it being labelled under Bilawal .
https://learnraga.com/ragas/gaud-sarang