'Ramrang' Compositions - A Preview
Rajan P. Parrikar
We present here a preview of some compositions of Ramashreya
Jha "Ramrang." Inshallah in the weeks and months to come we
shall offer a more comprehensive bonanza.
The opening sequence comprises four compositions in Raga
Bhimpalasi. Jha-sahab opens with his lovely vilambit roopak
based bandish "mandara kaba Avegi" and then quickly sketches
three druta compositions, interjecting the development with
pertinent comments. These Bhimpalasi recordings were made
several years ago at a seminar organized by AIR Lucknow.
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/bhimpalasi_vil.ram
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/bhimpalasi_druta1.ram
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/bhimpalasi_druta2.ram
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/bhimpalasi_tarana.ram
Raga Chhaya Bihag is a hybrid of two rAgas, namely, Chhaya and
Bihag. The primary marker of the Chhaya component is the P-->R
swoop. Ramrang has created two compositions in this rAga. They
speak of the episode of the baby Krishna wanting the moon and
Yashoda's reaction to his intransigence. The sAhitya is as follows:
dheemA teentAl:
bAri nihAri chhAyA chandra ki
dhoodhata puni-puni do'u kara
pAvata nA kheeje Hari
chhina nirakhe nabha chandra ki shobha
chinna kara bAri phirAve
pAve nA urazhe Hari
druta teentAla:
haTh kare kAhe lAla aiso
dharni pe Ave chandra tero kaiso
sura-muni jAke pAra na pAve
tAhi NandrAni tamaki bujhAve
'rAmrang' neha ki reeta hai nyAri
Ramrang explains the purport and bhAva embedded in the sAhitya -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/chhayabihag_sahitya.ram
And now, his rendition of the vilambit composition. The Chhaya
Bihag was recorded 3 weeks ago in Goa. On the tablA is Shri Vamana
Naik, formerly of AIR Panjim -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/chhayabihag_vil.ram
Raga Savani of the kalyAN anga is rarely heard today. Jha-sahab
sings a traditional bandish that has come down to him from his
guru, Bholanath Bhatt - "banata banA'ooN bana nahi Ave." A
point of note is the movement P-->R in the preceding Chhaya
Bihag and in the upcoming clip embodying kalyAN-anga. Note (and
feel) the difference in curvature and punctuation. This
beautiful Savani Kalyan cheez was recorded by Shri Satyasheel
Deshpande at his house in Mumbai several years ago during
Jha-sahab's visit there; the tapes have been made available
to me by Jha-sahab -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/savanikalyan.ram
To conclude, Ramrang's tarAnA in Raga Jaijaivanti set to jhaptAla.
The cross-play with the laya is arresting -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/jaijaivanti_tarana.ram
Warm regards,
r
A.Pavan
the excellent post.
To the others who were also fighting and bickering - if only you could
offset your carping once in a while, with a musical post such as
this ... But then, that perhaps is not your wont ...
Regards.
Pavan
In article <8qadg...@drn.newsguy.com>,
vimal aga
thanx for a great post. look fwd to your next post in the raagaang series
(time and weather permitting :-).
vimal.
Rajan P. Parrikar
Some 35 years ago a disciple of Omkarnath Thakur called
on Ramrang and sang his guru's beautiful composition in
Raga Shyam Kalyan. A couple of days later he dropped by
again and was astonished to find that Jha-sahab had not
only remembered Omkarnath-ji's composition but had produced
a near-identical bandish with matching words and melody.
Nothing ever slips by him; he is perpetually alert for the
slightest scrap of melodic beauty around him. Jha-sahab
himself demonstrates the two compositions in the attached
clip. It is a riot! The words of both the compositions
are also provided.
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/shyamkalyan.ram
Raga: Shyam Kalyan
Composer: Omkarnath Thakur "Pranav"
jhoolata Gopala palanA
ghuNghari alake lalake kapola bhAla
bAla mukund Ananda kanda
puni puni malake kilake 'praNavesha' NandlAla
Raga: Shyam Kalyan
Composer: Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang"
(adaptation of Omkarnath Thakur's bandish)
khelata Angana NandlAla
chanchala chapala charaNa pare
behAla ho lalanA
Yashodananda Ananda sindhu
nita nita bihare hiyare
'rAmrang' nirakhi nehAla ho lalanA
Warm regards,
r
vimal aga
rajanji:
since you are in the process of recording ramrangji in india at the present
time, can you post recordings of his shyaam kalyaan compositions (if the
maestro wishes to have you record them, of course) "hamre piya ri maayi" and
the taraanaa "taare daani deem", as well as his jhaptaal taraanaa in raag
basant mukhaari. as you know, the shyaam kalyaan compositions have been
recorded by shubha mudgal and veena sahasrabuddhe respectively, but hearing
ramrangji's original interpretation of these great bandishes would be simply
great.
warm regards,
vimal.
Rajan P. Parrikar
We have briefly discussed the Karnataka import,
Raga Pratap Varali (pratApavarALi), a couple of
years ago. Bhatkhande's classic exegesis "Hindustani
Sangeet Paddhati" contains a discussion of the rAga
and he may well have been the one to introduce it
in Hindustani music (although, in keeping with his
nature, he doesn't say so himself).
Pratap Varali uses the following A/A set:
S R M P D S"::S" D P M G R S (M=shuddha madhyam)
The movements are vakra, especially the ones around
the gandhAr. Durga (of the bilAwal thAT) is kept at
bay by having different swara emphasis and characteristic
phrases (the alert reader will figure them out from the
sound clips). Other rAgas with allied scale sets are
the Karnataka rAgas Arabhi, Sama/Shyama and Devagandhari
(incorrectly labeled on Abdul Karim Khan's HMV tape as
Devagandhar, a very different puppy).
Ramrang's two compositions in Pratap Varali are quite
simply magnificent. They were both favourites of, and
popularized by, Jitendra Abhisheki.
The vilambit composition is in dheemA teentAla. Jha-sahab
makes the rAga look deceptively easy in rendition. Notice
how the mukhDA captures the essence, a pointer to Jha-sahab's
brilliance as a vAggeyakAra. The text is:
nAma anAmi bahunAmi tuma
Narayana Narasimha Hari
roopa naheeN tero bahuroopee tuma
Rama Krishna Bavana Vapu dharee
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/pratapvarali_vil.ram
The druta ektAla composition sparkles -
mAna manuvA morA re
taja de gumAna jhooThee jaga shAna, samajha nAdAna
Hari soN lagAvo lagana, 'rAmrang' ranga le tana
chhina meN kaTe bhava bandhana
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/pratapvarali_druta.ram
Warm regards,
r
Rajan P. Parrikar
To round off the week's offerings, we bring a fast,
inspirited monologue by Jha-sahab in which he ranges
over rAgas Devgiri Bilawal, Yamani Bilawal and
Sarparda Bilawal. The act concludes with his reciting
a traditional baDA kHayAl in Sarparda.
From the expose' we have isolated a traditional Devgiri
composition for the first clip, "din gina de re bAmanA."
The sAhitya is typical of several old compositions. The
nAyikA, longing for her beloved, asks the 'bAmanA' (brahman -
jyotishi, in this context) to read the charts and foretell
her union. We invite comments from Rajib on what this
all means beyond the immediate textual import (hopefully in
less than ten thousand words or 5 pages, whichever is shorter:-)
What distinguishes an outstanding bandish from the
run-of-the-mill is the extent of capture of rAga lakshaNAs.
A bandish is a precis of the rAga and this composition
an exemplar:
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/devgiribilawal_druta1.ram
Now the rest of the Bilawalspeak, of which the first
clip is part -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/bilawalspeak.ram
The above material will shortly be placed on points
along the Bilawal trail, which the intrepid girls of
Sawf expect to keep open to the public even in winter -
http://www.sawf.org/newedit/edit07102000/musicarts.asp
Mandar Mitra
> Pratap Varali uses the following A/A set:
> S R M P D S"::S" D P M G R S (M=shuddha madhyam)
>
> The movements are vakra, especially the ones around
> the gandhAr. Durga (of the bilAwal thAT) is kept at
> bay by having different swara emphasis and characteristic
> phrases
What are the other kinds of Durga?
Last Sunday, AIR played an archival recording of NA Dagar
from the 70s. The raga was announced as Durga of the Khamaj
Thaat. Can you tell us about this raga?
Mandar.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Rajan P. Parrikar
>Rajan,
>
>> Pratap Varali uses the following A/A set:
>> S R M P D S"::S" D P M G R S (M=shuddha madhyam)
>>
>> The movements are vakra, especially the ones around
>> the gandhAr. Durga (of the bilAwal thAT) is kept at
>> bay by having different swara emphasis and characteristic
>> phrases
>
>What are the other kinds of Durga?
>
>Last Sunday, AIR played an archival recording of NA Dagar
>from the 70s. The raga was announced as Durga of the Khamaj
>Thaat. Can you tell us about this raga?
Briefly:
Durga of the khamAj thAT, like its bilAwal-thAT
counterpart, is an auDav-jAti rAga with the
following scale set: S G M D n (M=shuddha).
The signature khamAj meeND D-->M is highlighted
here. Occasionally the G M S movement (a la
Khambavati) prevails. Bhatkhande has documented
a couple of compositions in this rAga, one of
which, if I correctly recall, contains a smattering
of the shuddha nishAd. Both Ratanjankar and Kaikini
have written bandishes for it.
The khamAj-thAT Durga has fallen on hard times,
with the popular Rageshree overshadowing it.
Another allied rAga is the Karnataka import
Natakuranjika, of which an old 78 rpm recording
of Gangubai Hangal exists.
I have heard that recording of Aminuddin Dagar
but have no active recollection of it. K.G. Ginde
has a small recording; if I can find it I shall
post a clip.
Warm regards,
r
naniwadekar
>
> Durga of the khamAj thAT, like its bilAwal-thAT
> counterpart, is an auDav-jAti rAga with the
> following scale set: S G M D n (M=shuddha).
Is "chandrika hee jaNu" a variant of durga, too ?
I don't know whether it was based on "mandira paatali" cheej. This
cheej is available in Mansur's voice. Alurkar used to record a 90
minute cassette with 20 four-minute pieces (or 26 three-minute pieces)
by Mansur. To cover the remaining space, he had added KG's gaud-malhar
and dhaani. I don't know why he didn't think of adding Mansur's "hee
raat savat baai" instead. This cassette is a must-have for MM fans.
Alurkar lists "madira paatali" as durga. But a friend told
me "chandrika" is not durga. It is a variant. In which case "mandira"
is also not durga, I guess. What is the difference? what is the raag
of "mandira" cheej or "chandrika" song called?
- nani (dhananjay naniwadekar)
sanj...@my-deja.com
Rajan P. Parrikar <parr...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Mandar Mitra <mmi...@my-deja.com> writes:
>
> >> The movements are vakra, especially the ones around
> >> the gandhAr. Durga (of the bilAwal thAT) is kept at
> >> bay by having different swara emphasis and characteristic
> >> phrases
> >
> >What are the other kinds of Durga?
> >
> >Last Sunday, AIR played an archival recording of NA Dagar
> >from the 70s. The raga was announced as Durga of the Khamaj
> >Thaat. Can you tell us about this raga?
>
> Briefly:
>
> Durga of the khamAj thAT, like its bilAwal-thAT
> counterpart, is an auDav-jAti rAga with the
> following scale set: S G M D n (M=shuddha).
> The signature khamAj meeND D-->M is highlighted
> here. Occasionally the G M S movement (a la
> Khambavati) prevails.
What differentiates it from the scalically identical Khambavati? Is
there a conspicuous, prescribed use of shuddh Ni (as in Bhatkhande's
documentation)?
--
Sanjeev Ramabhadran
naniwadekar
Sanjeev : when you use the word "scalically" do you mean aaroh-avaroh?
Or something more? I am assuming that bhoop-deskar are "scalically" the
same. So to what extent does mere scale define a raag? I can make out
that a given piece is bhoop-like, but not bhoop, quite often.
- nani (dhananjay naniwadekar)
Rajan P. Parrikar
The answer to the second question is no.
The principal version of Khambavati is not the pentatonic
one but one that combines elements of rAgas Jhinjhoti
and Khamaj. Basavraj Rajguru and D.V. Paluskar have fine
recordings in it (the latter sings Daras Piya's composition,
if I correctly recall). There is also a recording of Bhimsen
Joshi in the recently released "Swaradhiraaj" set but
I prefer the former two for their superior enunciation
of the rAga lakshaNAs.
The auDav jAti (S G M D n) Khambavati is less heard;
the Atrauli Jaipur people espouse this type. It is
closely allied to the khamAj-thAT Durga but there are
at least two distinguishing features; one is the prominent
use of the G M S movement and the other a use of the
shuddha rishab, albeit grazingly, in the tAr saptaka.
See, for instance, Ashwini Bhide's recording. I recall
she renders the same Daras Piya cheez that Paluskar
sings in the principal version.
Aside: In Vol 2 of Swaradhiraaj, Bhimsen Joshi follows
up Madhuvanti with a druta bandish in Hemavati. The
liner notes by Martin Clayton declare:
"Raga Hemavati is a raga borrowed by Hindustani musicians
from the Carnatic system. It is very similar to Madhuvanti.
but omits Pa(5) and uses both forms of Ni(7)..."
He then spells out the complete scale set without the
pancham. Even a freshly baked Indian baby would be
able to call this booboo. There's a khaTkA involving the
pancham on the very first word "kAhe" of the mukhDA (kAhe
mAna karo). The pancham is audible prominently throughout
the rendition (as it should). Is Clayton an ethnopimp? If so,
no further explanation is necessary.
Warm regards,
r
naniwadekar
Rajan P. Parrikar <parr...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >> Durga of the khamAj thAT, like its bilAwal-thAT
> >> counterpart, is an auDav-jAti rAga with the
> >> following scale set: S G M D n (M=shuddha).
Rajan : your post says khamaj-thaaT durga has scale S G M D n.
But bilawat-thaT durga goes S R M P D . So both these durgas use 2
notes which the other durga does not use. Is there any connection
between these 2 durgas at all, music-wise ? Or do they have just the
name in common , like gauri-marwa thaaT and gauri-bhairav thaaT.
And which raag is "chandrika hee jaNu" based on? Durga or its variant ?
Rajan P. Parrikar
>Rajan : your post says khamaj-thaaT durga has scale S G M D n.
>But bilawat-thaT durga goes S R M P D . So both these durgas use 2
>notes which the other durga does not use. Is there any connection
>between these 2 durgas at all, music-wise ? Or do they have just the
>name in common , like gauri-marwa thaaT and gauri-bhairav thaaT.
I'm sorry I didn't take your earlier popquiz. I hope it
doesn't affect my overall grade.
Regarding your Q1, there is no connection between the two Durgas.
Regarding Q2, they are two different rAgas but they have
a connection. All the Gauri group rAgas share a feature
or two that identifies them with that community.
>And which raag is "chandrika hee jaNu" based on? Durga or its variant ?
It is a variation on Durga, since there is a distinct
shuddha gandhAr prayoga in many avarohi movements. As
mentioned earlier, a few Karnataka rAgas fit the curve
to a first order approximation: Pratap Varali, Arabhi,
Devagandhari and Shyama. Arabhi and Devagandhari take
in the nishAd in descent, so the fit is not that accurate.
My guess is that Abdul Karim Khan himself intended to
label it Devagandhari. Either he didn't get the name right
(he did learn some Karnataka rAgas during his sojourn in
the South; note that he didn't share your view that
Karnataka music is only for south Indians) or some
fella at HMV bungled by mistyping it as Devagandhar.
Nani also writes:
>When NASA launched Voyager, they sent with it to the outer space some
>music, too. Included on the tape (or spool or whatever the medium) was
>Kesarbai's bhairavi cheej. The mukhada is : jaat kahaa ho.
>
>I searched rmic for "Voyager". But found no entry for my search.
Kesarbai and Voyager have been mentioned on rmic a few hundred
times at least in the past. Voyager left the solar system years
ago and is now in the vast expanse of interstellar space. I
believe JPL doesn't even track it anymore.
Warm regards,
r
Rajan P. Parrikar
abpard Voyager see:
http://vraptor.jpl.nasa.gov/voyager/music.html
The project homepage is located at:
Warm regards,
r
Rajan P. Parrikar <parr...@yahoo.com> writes:
naniwadekar
> in > the South; note that he didn't share your view that
> Karnataka music is only for south Indians)
You are quoting me out of context. If I had written that ICM people
have nothing to learn from Karnatak, your retort would be justified.
I was making a point that some communities take to some arts. I had
also talked about Brazilians playing football with a special feel. The
size of the sample for which I have observed lack of interest in
Carnatic may be small. But I have known many ICM fans taking to WCM.
Some friends who never bothered about WCM about 10 years ago tell me
today that they have built a goodish collection of WCM. They preface it
with customary "I don't understand much about it", but they do listen
to it. I have not observed a similar trend for Karnatak among these
fellows. No ICM fan has told me that he has taken to Bal Murali Krishna
or MS S or Lalgudi Jayaraman. I attended Sawai Gandharva Meet twice.
There was one Carnatic performance each over those 2 meets : by
U Srinivas in Feb 1988 and Yesudas in Dec 1988. I don't think there is
a clamour for more Carnatic music by thousands of people who attend
Sawai. (One article in a Pune newsp stated few years ago that Sawai is
treated as a good place where boys can meet girls. Shehnai is played in
marriage halls. But some marriages have been fixed in shehnai hall
hosting Sawai.)
Why this lack of interest for Carnatic among ICM fans? I don't know why
this should be so. But it was this that I was commenting on.
In recent times, Lalgudi and AmAK, BJ + Bal Murali Krishna, Kishoritai
and BMK, and probably some other pairings, too, have performed
together. And some Carnatic raagas have found their way in ICM. So
Abdul Karim Khan not sharing my lack of enthusiasm for Carnatic is not
a surprise to me.
Warren Senders
>have nothing to learn from Karnatak, your retort would be justified.
>Why this lack of interest for Carnatic among ICM fans? I don't know why
>this should be so.
Nani!
Remember, please, that Carnatic music IS Indian classical music
just as much as Hindustani.
WS
devd...@my-deja.com
naniwadekar <nan...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Why this lack of interest for Carnatic among ICM fans? I don't know
why
>
> In recent times, Lalgudi and AmAK, BJ + Bal Murali Krishna, Kishoritai
> and BMK, and probably some other pairings, too, have performed
> together. And some Carnatic raagas have found their way in ICM. So
> Abdul Karim Khan not sharing my lack of enthusiasm for Carnatic is not
> a surprise to me.
>
> - nani (dhananjay naniwadekar)
Interestingly many online music shops (owned by North Indian
merchants) have two categories, classical and Karnatik.
For them classical is Hindustani Sangeeth and Karnatik is
some kind of South Indian music!
Many Hindustani singers from South Indian states were also
trained in the Karnatik system. Gangoobhai's mother was a
Karnatik singer. Mallikarjun Mansur had his initial training
in Karnatik music. So is the case with Pt. Ramrao Naik.
Apart from Abdul Karim Khan, Amanat Ali Khan (Bhendi Bazar)
also adopted many Karnatik ragas to Hindustani. I hope those
sung by Ustad Amir Khan are from Bhendi Bazar. Any comments?
You will notice the clarity of sur in Bhendi Bazar singing
and Kirana singers like Gangoobai. In our times Rashid Khan
sings Karnatik ragas like Saraswati, Charukesi, Hansdhwani etc.
elegantly.
Compositions of Muthuswami Dikhitar are dhrupad oriented.
Infact he learned music in the North. Another interesting
case is that of the Swathi, the king of Travancore. The king
was adept in both systems of ICM.
Though I listen mostly to Hindustani, I do like the music of
singers like KV Narayanaswamy, MD Ramanathan (parallel of
Amir Khan in the South??), Semmangudi and last but not the
least Yesudas. Listening to elaborate "Ragam thanam pallavi"
is the best way to appreciate Karnatik.
Any commonalities between "chaturang" in Hindustani and the
modern Karnatik "Ragam thanam pallavi" format?
d
V N Muthu Kumar
> You are quoting me out of context. If I had written that ICM people
> have nothing to learn from Karnatak, your retort would be justified.
and again,
> Why this lack of interest for Carnatic among ICM fans? I don't know why
> this should be so. But it was this that I was commenting on.
Forgive me for being picayune, but Carnatic music *is* ICM too. We dont
have a DrAvida NAdu. Yet.
muthu
Nur der BvB!
Warren Senders
>also adopted many Karnatik ragas to Hindustani.
That should be Aman Ali Khan. Amanat was representative
of Patiala gharana.
WS
devd...@my-deja.com
V N Muthu Kumar <mu...@feynman.princeton.edu> wrote:
>
> Forgive me for being picayune, but Carnatic music *is* ICM too.
>We dont have a DrAvida NAdu. Yet.
There never will be one!
d
> muthu
> Nur der BvB!
devd...@my-deja.com
naniwadekar
war...@aol.comqwerty (Warren Senders) wrote:
> Nani!
> Remember, please, that Carnatic music IS Indian classical music
> just as much as Hindustani.
> WS
The words India and Hindustan mean the same thing to me. So for me
there is Indian/Hindustani CM. It has 2 branches. North Indian and
Carnatic. I agree with you that CCM IS ICM. I would even argue that CCM
is HCM too. But north Indian music has usurped the word "Hindustani" as
its sole property. So I also allow it to usurp the word "Indian" all
for itself. I don't think there was any mean spirit behind this
usurpation. If there was, that would be an affront to CCM. As it is,
many southies harbour feelings of alienation. I should not wish to add
to that feeling at all.
I have always assumed, probably wrongly, that ICM means north-ICM in
rmic domain. And so far I have been able to read the posts without any
problem while going by that assumption.
- nani (dhananjay naniwadekar)
Warren Senders
>rmic domain. And so far I have been able to read the posts without any
>problem while going by that assumption.
Obviously, you haven't read any posts from the Carnatic rasikas
represented here.
WS
Raghu Seshadri
:
: Why this lack of interest for Carnatic among ICM fans? I don't know why
: this should be so. But it was this that I was commenting on.
What would have been a mildly irritating
post was elevated to heights of absurdity
by something you wrote earlier, but left
out this time - that it possibly has to do
with 'hardwiring' ! Anyone who believes that
humans are hardwired to like/dislike ICM and WCM and
Carnatic and Chinese are fit subjects for
the asylum.
I have not noticed any great interest for
Mongolian music among ICM fans either. Or
arabic. Or Eskimo. Presumably there is a
separate gene hard at work causing all these
things to happen ..
RS
Raghu Seshadri
: Nani!
:
: Remember, please, that Carnatic music IS Indian classical music
: just as much as Hindustani.
Now that you mention it, a good argument
may be made (though I don't favor it) that
Carnatic is even more Indian than Hindustani is,
because the latter has had huge dollops of
Persian and other non-Indian influences,
while Carnatic has not. Therefore ICM, by
default , is Carnatic.
Professor Hart of Berkeley opines that
one of the basic foundations of the Indian
ragas are now-forgotten southern tunes,
called 'pan', developed by the ancient
Tamils, and conveyed north by Maharashtrian
balladeers.
Be that as it may, the utter rot in
Nani's post is not his opinion on such
rarefied topics, but the huge idiocy of
seeking biological reasons for someone's
interest in one kind of music as opposed
to another.
RS
naniwadekar
sesh...@cse.ucsc.edu (Raghu Seshadri) wrote:
> I have not noticed any great interest for
> Mongolian music among ICM fans either. Or
> arabic. Or Eskimo. Presumably there is a
> separate gene hard at work causing all these
> things to happen ..
>
Abdul Karim Khan drawing from Carnatic style did not come as any
surprise to me. It looks as if it would have been no surprise to you
if instead he had learnt from Mongolian or Eskimo music.
Some great gene is surely hard at work in you.
Jason Mainland
> It looks as if it would have been no surprise to you
> if instead he had learnt from Mongolian or Eskimo music.
Nani do you have the contact info for Mongolian Music or Eskimo Music?
I have a number for a "Mr. Music" scratched on a piece of paper
somewhere, but I'm not familiar with these fellows. As an amateur
"gene"ologist, I'm curious about them. Maybe it's time you met some
genies?
Regards,
Jason Mainland
bdixit
Indian classical music. And, although I have received no formal training
in either type, I have always liked to hear both types of music.
In 1985 I had sponsored a concert tour of the Late Maharajpuram
Santhanam. During that tour, Maharajpuram, his son and his two
accompanists were staying with me for five to six days. I was
specifically fond of Maharajpuram's style of Caranatic vocal music. His
voice was magnificent. One evening he asked me where would he get text
of several Marathi stage songs that Balgandharva had made so popular.
When I told him that I have the text of many of those songs from famous
Marathi stage plays he said that he would like to have a copy since he
is planning to record a 90 min cassette of the famous Balgandharva
songs. He then proceeded to sing many of those songs for about an
hour. His pronunciation of Marathi words was flawless and his rendering
of those songs, in his rich voice, was one of the best rendering of
the Balgandharva songs I have heard. He then told me that he learned
those songs from Balgandharva himself. Apparently Balgandharva used to
go to Madras and used to stay with Maharajpuram's father, and during
such stays he learned some Carnatic music, which according to
Maharajpuram, Balgandharva liked very much, since rendering of each
krithi was in a way similar to singing a stage song, composed in a
particular raaga, over a short period of time on the stage, rather than
the long Khyals, typical of Hindusthani music. And I have been told
that several of the Marathi stage songs made use of Carnatic raagas.
The young Maharajpuram got interested in the songs Balgandharva used to
sing at his house and decided to learn them from him. Maharajpuram said
he did not understand the meaning of these songs in detail, and that is
why he wanted to understand the text before he completed the
recording. I then started getting the text ready to send it to him.
But before much work was done in that direction Maharajpuram suddenly
died in a car accident, and the project of releasing that cassette and
my involvement in that project came to an abrupt end. Just an
interesting story. ..... Balwant Dixit
naniwadekar wrote:
--
Balwant N. Dixit
University of Pittsburgh
541-2 Salk Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Tel No:(412) 648-8582
FAX No:(412) 648-8475
naniwadekar
is wrong. If they did use the word ICM in connection with Carnatic, I
must have taken it as an example of nonce usage, and I later forgot
that they did so. As I have already made clear, I don't have any
difficulty in accepting that usage at all.
I exchanged these posts recently :
naniwadekar <nan...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Was Mr Subba Rao discussing (North) Indian CM ? Or was he discussing
>South Indian Music and mentioned kalyani - yaman connection ?
Todd Michel McComb replied :
His raga encyclopedia attempts to detail ragas in both traditions. He
has separate sections for Hindustani and Carnatic descriptions under
each raga name. The facts I mention pertain specifically to the
Hindustani descriptions. The book is a classic, printed first in 1965.
At least in this one instance, I used the words north and south. TMM
has also used the word Carnatic. (As required by the context.)
Raghu Seshadri
: In article <39eb88a0$1...@news.ucsc.edu>,
: sesh...@cse.ucsc.edu (Raghu Seshadri) wrote:
: > I have not noticed any great interest for
: > Mongolian music among ICM fans either. Or
: > arabic. Or Eskimo. Presumably there is a
: > separate gene hard at work causing all these
: > things to happen ..
:
: Abdul Karim Khan drawing from Carnatic style did not come as any
: surprise to me.
So according to you, Abdul Karim Khan is hardwired
to get attracted to Carnatic music ? How come his
genes alone got that way, when his father and mother
were not so hardwired ?
:It looks as if it would have been no surprise to you
: if instead he had learnt from Mongolian or Eskimo music.
Only to the extent that it is statistically
sparse. It is not inherently surprising. There are
no genes telling him not to learn from
the mongols.
: Some great gene is surely hard at work in you.
Ofcourse. But no wcm/icm/ccm gene has been identified
yet, and to believe that one exists is a sure
sign of harebrained thought.
RS
:
: - nani (dhananjay naniwadekar)
Jason Mainland
> : Some great gene is surely hard at work in you.
>
> Ofcourse. But no wcm/icm/ccm gene has been identified
> yet, and to believe that one exists is a sure
> sign of harebrained thought.
Well hey Raghu, you're talking with the master of rabbit pellets,
remember?
Regards,
Jason Mainland
Rajan P. Parrikar
On this week's menu, a course of five delightful compositions,
two in Raga Bhoopali and three in Shuddha Kalyan.
Ramrang sings of Lord Shiva in his composition "Har Har Mahadeva"
in Raga Bhoopali -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/bhoopali_druta1.ram
Another cheez in Bhoopali, set to ektAla: "mAna leeje sundarwA" -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/bhoopali_druta2.ram
Shuddha Kalyan is an allied rAga notewise but there are vital
differences in structure. Jha-sahab first sings a traditional
composition, "mandara bAjo re." The text is:
mandara bAjo re
ata sukha ho jiyaravA
Aja humAre Aye piyaravA
rooma-rooma hulasilA
sarasa bheda paranana upajA'i
yA vidha piyA ko manavA rijhA'i
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/shuddhakalyan_druta1.ram
The next two are Jha-sahab's own compositions in Shuddha
Kalyan. Priceless these! Satyasheel Deshpande provides
both 'daad' and vocal support.
"bairana bha'i ri" -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/shuddhakalyan_druta2.ram
"neeNdariyA tu kAhe nA" -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/shuddhakalyan_druta3.ram
Warm regards,
r
Rajan P. Parrikar <parr...@yahoo.com> writes:
>
>Namashkar.
>
>To round off the week's offerings, we bring a fast,
>inspirited monologue by Jha-sahab in which he ranges
>over rAgas Devgiri Bilawal, Yamani Bilawal and
>Sarparda Bilawal. The act concludes with his reciting
>a traditional baDA kHayAl in Sarparda.
>
>From the expose' we have isolated a traditional Devgiri
>composition for the first clip, "din gina de re bAmanA."
>The sAhitya is typical of several old compositions. The
>nAyikA, longing for her beloved, asks the 'bAmanA' (brahman -
>jyotishi, in this context) to read the charts and foretell
>her union. We invite comments from Rajib on what this
>all means beyond the immediate textual import (hopefully in
>less than ten thousand words or 5 pages, whichever is shorter:-)
>
>What distinguishes an outstanding bandish from the
>run-of-the-mill is the extent of capture of rAga lakshaNAs.
>A bandish is a precis of the rAga and this composition
>an exemplar:
>
>http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/devgiribilawal_druta1.ram
>
>
>Now the rest of the Bilawalspeak, of which the first
>clip is part -
>
>http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/bilawalspeak.ram
>
>
>The above material will shortly be placed on points
>along the Bilawal trail, which the intrepid girls of
>Sawf expect to keep open to the public even in winter -
>
>http://www.sawf.org/newedit/edit07102000/musicarts.asp
>
>
>Warm regards,
>
>
>r
Rajan P. Parrikar
We return to Ramrang's garden for a weekend stroll. The
Yaman flowers are in full bloom. A full suite of four
outstanding compositions in the rAga is ours to 'pluck
and play.' The final clip is of Raga Nat Nagari (naTa nAgari),
a prakAr of Nat.
Ramrang expands on his sublime vilambit composition "devana
deva." The clip is an abbreviated excerpt, but is a telling
demonstration of the procedure known as "asthA'i bharnA" (lit.
filling up of the asthA'i). Jha-sahab's improptu remarks
interject the proceedings.
Raga: Yaman
Tala: dheemA teentAla
Composer: Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang"
devana deva Mahadeva hara kara trishoola Damaru pinAkadhara
garala kanTha dhara jaTA ganga dhara vyAla mAla aradhangi
'rAmrang' tripurAri tanga hara
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/yaman_vil1.ram
***
The druta cheez that follows has been posted before. This
recording quality here is superior. In the final lap Ramrang
talks about some features of the composition and ends with
a dramatic flourish.
Raga: Yaman
Tala: druta teentAla
Composer: Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang"
ranga de ranga de rangarejawA
mori chunariyA ranga saNwariyA
guna mAnoo tore more mitwA
pAyana paruN tore rangarejA
'rAmrang' ranga de hamari angiyA ko more mitwA
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/yaman_druta1.ram
***
Another cheez in Yaman, a different design and flavour.
Ramrang has composed close to 50 bandishes in Yaman/Yaman
Kalyan spread over roughly 5 decades, ploughing through every
conceivable inch of the rAgAnga territory.
Raga: Yaman
Tala: druta ektAla
Composer: Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang"
tumhari Asa lAgi Aja
deenAnAtha dayAnidhi deenana bandhu
Terata nAma tero pata rakha leeje mero
'rAmrang' maiN to taja Aa'i jaga ko neha nAtA
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/yaman_druta2.ram
***
This is a kHayAlnumA, set to teentAla -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/yaman_tarana.ram
***
There was a discussion of Yaman Kalyan recently. The nonchalent
touch and location of the shuddha madhyam in this composition
registers pleasingly on the heart and mind.
Raga: Yaman Kalyan
Tala: druta teentAla
Composer: Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang"
sangata keenhe guniyana ki
guna Ave pAve guniyana meN mAna pAna
woh kahAve guni guniyana meN
bheda pAve so'i jina jAne guniyana ki gurutA
'rAmrang' jo Ave dhyAve charanana meN
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/yamankalyan_druta1.ram
***
The promenade concludes by making a passing acquaintance of
Raga Nat Nagari. It has its moorings in Chhayanat but the
movements in the poorvAnga distinguish it. Notice the Kukubh-like
prayoga of the rishab swara.
The text addresses a prasanga in the life of Bhartrhari.
At the conclusion of his sanyAsa he returns to his unfaithful
wife and asks for alms, as enjoined by his guru. The penitent
wife now responds: "kAhe alakha jagAyo jogi tum mere prANa adhAra."
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/natanagari_vil.ram
Rajan P. Parrikar
The recent mention of thumris reminded me of Ramrang's
outstanding work in that area. While primarily an adherent
of the strictly classical, his spoor in these auxillary
forms points directly to his guru, Bholanath Bhatt, an
expert in the Thumri with a large traditional repertoire
at his disposal (vide B.R. Deodhar - "Pillars of
Hindustani Music"). Of Lucknowi extraction these thumris
fall to the older lot known as 'bandish-ki-thumri.' A
faster laya and a taut wrap around the tAlA characterise them.
Jha-sahab's first clip is a full rendition of a traditional
thumri he received from Bholanath Bhatt. This superb composition,
an objet d'art really, is rendered equally well - the inflections
and enunciation of syllables are points of note. The rAga is
called Tilak Bihari, which, Jha-sahab says, was in those days
specialised to the thumri. It uses Tilak Kamod for its base,
renders its rishab deergha, and borrows from Khamaj: "ho
maharAjA kevaDiyA khole, rasa ki boonda paRe" -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/tilakbihari_thumri.ram
A traditional dAdrA -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/dadra.ram
Ramrang himself has composed several exquisite thumris
and TappAs. Two samplers follow.
A bandish-ki-thumri in Khamaj, set to ektAla -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/khamaj_thumri.ram
Finally, a TappA in Kafi -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/kafi_tappa.ram
All these and more will be placed on the Sawf site next week.
Warm regards,
r
naniwadekar
> called Tilak Bihari, which, Jha-sahab says, was in those days
> specialised to the thumri. It uses Tilak Kamod for its base,
> renders its rishab deergha, and borrows from Khamaj: "ho
> maharAjA kevaDiyA khole, rasa ki boonda paRe" -
>
I found shades of "kashii keliis maazi daina", which is probably
a naTyageet, sung by Faiyyaz (the woman singer) IIRC. It has
some inflections near "bigar karamenaa" which don't fit in with
this Tilak Bihari. For all I know, that naTyageet has kalyaN ang
also. I just wonder whether it could be Jitendra Abhisheki at work
here. Is there any site at which naTyageet lyrics and p-stats can
be accessed? This Tilak Bihari also reminded me of Ashwini Bhide's
"zammaki zuki aayi, badariyaa kaarii".
This also reminds me that many instrumentalist play a form of
TilakKamod which is used in the song "tumhare bin jii na lage
ghar me.n". Budhaditya Mukherjee plays it as TilakKamod. But
Vilayat saab mentioned in one of his concerts that it is a form
of TK, called Bihari Tilak-kamod. Any comments?
And does tilak kamod have kamod ang in it?
- nani
Rajan P. Parrikar
>This also reminds me that many instrumentalist play a form of
>TilakKamod which is used in the song "tumhare bin jii na lage
>ghar me.n". Budhaditya Mukherjee plays it as TilakKamod. But
>Vilayat saab mentioned in one of his concerts that it is a form
>of TK, called Bihari Tilak-kamod. Any comments?
It is likely to be similar. Mallikarjun Mansur also sang
Bihari (I do not remember the details). If I correctly
recall, Subbarao describes Bihari as a nishAdantya rAga
(it ends on the nisdhAd without touching the tAr shaDaj).
>And does tilak kamod have kamod ang in it?
Not in any noticeable degree. A few may make the case
for a Kamod-like R P movement in Tilak Kamod but none
of the other adjoining Kamod phrases presents itself.
Warm regards,
r
naniwadekar
>
> >This also reminds me that many instrumentalist play a form of
> >TilakKamod which is used in the song "tumhare bin jii na lage
> >ghar me.n". Budhaditya Mukherjee plays it as TilakKamod. But
> >Vilayat saab mentioned in one of his concerts that it is a form
> >of TK, called Bihari Tilak-kamod. Any comments?
>
> It is likely to be similar. Mallikarjun Mansur also sang
> Bihari (I do not remember the details). If I correctly
> recall, Subbarao describes Bihari as a nishAdantya rAga
> (it ends on the nisdhAd without touching the tAr shaDaj).
>
available. This Bihari is different from "Bihari Tilak-kamod".
Bihari was a Mansur favourite. He would sing it time and again
in his concerts. Another perennial Mansur favourite, which he
sang more often than not sang, over 5-6 minutes, was
"mai.n saajan boli". (Bageshri-kanada??) This was commercially
released, soon after Mansur's death. I have always found Bihari
boring. Bageshri Kanada, however, was guaranteed to bring cheer
to the concert.
Rajan P. Parrikar
This is the final preview round. All the material posted
thus far in this thread will be apprehended in an upcoming
Sawf feature. The text of some compositions and brief
commentary on the rAgas will be added.
Raga Bhankhari (not to be confused with Raga Bhankar) is
a composite rAga. The reader may have fun figuring out the
constituent elements. Vocal accompaniment is provided by
Satyasheel Deshpande. Ramrang's bandish is a gem: "sanga nA
keejiye manuvA, durjana soN doora haTiye"
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/bhankhari_druta.ram
Three aprachalita malhAr prakArs follow. First, a traditional
composition in Raga Nat Malhar -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/natmalhar_druta.ram
Jhanj Malhar -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/jhanjmalhar_druta.ram
And finally, Raga Chanchalsas Malhar -
http://www.parrikar.prohosting.com/ramrang/chanchalsasmalhar_druta.ram
Warm regards,
r
Rajan P. Parrikar <parr...@yahoo.com> writes:
>
>Namashkar.
>
>The recent mention of thumris reminded me of Ramrang's
>outstanding work in that area. While primarily an adherent
>of the strictly classical, his spoor in these auxillary
>forms points directly to his guru, Bholanath Bhatt, an
>expert in the Thumri with a large traditional repertoire
>at his disposal (vide B.R. Deodhar - "Pillars of
>Hindustani Music"). Of Lucknowi extraction these thumris
>fall to the older lot known as 'bandish-ki-thumri.' A
>faster laya and a taut wrap around the tAlA characterise them.
>
>Jha-sahab's first clip is a full rendition of a traditional
>thumri he received from Bholanath Bhatt. This superb composition,
>an objet d'art really, is rendered equally well - the inflections
>and enunciation of syllables are points of note. The rAga is
>called Tilak Bihari, which, Jha-sahab says, was in those days
>specialised to the thumri. It uses Tilak Kamod for its base,
>renders its rishab deergha, and borrows from Khamaj: "ho
>maharAjA kevaDiyA khole, rasa ki boonda paRe" -
>
sandee...@gmail.com
Now it's taken down from you tube..
Parrikar sir can you please post it..
