Classicalness to Massicalness - The Hindustani Classical Music

  

 This blog post is a continuation of the thought process that was initiated in Dec 2018 through the blog : Classicalness Vs Massicalness - A story of Hindustani Classical Music 

 

The Hindustani classical music is like a flowing river, constantly changing its form from the Dhrupad ,to Khayal of Amir Khusroo to Modern day Khayal of Gharanas to Current mix of Khayal and light classical blend. This transformation is ongoing for ages and the audience is the determining factor that decides the further growth and transformation !
We all connoisseurs are just spectators and unbiased witness to this change and transformation ! 

The transformation of classicalness to massicalness was a forced transformation necessitated by the loss patronage by princely states of India, due to their fall after Indian Independence. In order to popularize music among larger population and gain patronage, festivals like Sawai Gandharva Mahotsav in 1950s , musicians  initiated  "marketing" tricks to attract more audience and patrons for the Hindustani Classical Music ! Most of these Classical Music festivals in India were started by musicians themselves to make Classical Music more "accessible" and "popular" among general masses. This was the first step in diluting or transforming the Classical form to a form that would be more appealing to mass audience. My earlier post on Classicalness to Massicalness in this regard is here.

The real problem is that .. classical music is not for masses , it is for chosen few. One cannot make it "popular" .. people (audience) have to get mature , learned , patient and experience life as such (hence even get older) to appreciate the "Bhaav" or "Ras" aspect of it. The technicalities are taught in schools and gurukuls by teachers and gurus simply to make the student / disciple , attain the ability to learn classical music in his/her own way. It will and has never made a true performer. A classical music performer truly starts "performing" at age of around 35-40 if he has had good training for previous 10-20 years !

The patronage to true Classical music is by a select class ; mature and rich enough to appreciate the depth, dedication, nuance and philosophy of the performing artist. The "Classical Music Festival" music is one where a performer tries to gain popularity among "masses" , many a times by diluting the classicalness with light music , bhajans , songs etc .. This marketing has definitely helped in gaining popularity ,patronage and  acceptance of the "classical" music among masses. In due course of time , this "popularization" might help in making certain percentage of these masses being attracted to the true classical form of music. 

The true classical music form is now performed more in the  "Chamber music" or "Chote-khani mahfils", where a classical performer presents more of the classical side than the massical side of his / her talim. I compare this to the two forms of cricket "Test Match Cricket" and the 20-20 version of the game. Both with their own forms and even complementing to the game as a whole. The "Classical Music Festival" type music could be compared to the ODI form of cricket ! A compromise between the two extremes ! 

Classical music is like a river that transforms every decade and generation over years. We are in a delicate phase of time where we are fortunate to enjoy the true maestros, the budding new talent, rebels as well as true traditionalists.

Vibhaas : The enlightenment, an appeal to Mind and Soul !

                  

तारवा गिनत- गिनत मै को रैन गवाई
ऐसी प्रीत तुम कब हूँ  ना किन्ही
सुरजनवा बलमा प्यारे ...
सदारंग कल ना परत मोहे तोरे बिना
भई हूँ मैं दीवानी

Vid Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande sings extended , but crisp vilambit "hey narhar narayan" followed by "Taarvaa ginat-ginat mai ko raien gavaai".

My morning starts frequently with this "नरहर नारायण" and "तारवा गिनत-गिनत" Vibhaas of Bhairav thaat by Vid Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande and then by Pt Madhup Mudgal , especially during these lock-downs due to Corona virus pandemic. Many a times these days, when the situation of "kal naa parat" is readily experienced,  the drut bandish lingers in mind all day long !
Vibhaas of Bhairav thaat has been the "Raag of Lockdown" for me ... It has that mix of solitude, one-ness, depth, sorrow, longing and hope that characterizes my experience during these challenging times.

अरुपास पाहे रूपी
तोच भाग्यवंत
निसर्गात भरून राहे
अनादी अनंत

To me , Raag Vibhaas has always appealed as a deep morning thought , an enlightenment that makes one explore and persist in spite of all the tribulations.. it has that perfect blend of grandiose, poise and thoughtfulness of primordial Bhairav along with the pensive touch of Marwa. The Yang and Yin of life !
The picture that comes to mind while listening  to Raag Vibhaas (Bhairav thaat) is that of the horizon on a seashore just before the sunrise..early morning golden hour just before the dawn !

This post could be labeled as continuation of the post from May 2018, Vibhaas .. a melody signifying pervasiveness of the Almighty Creator  


















I like to listen to Bhairav thaat Vibhaas early in the morning, around 4am and sometimes the Marwa Thaat Vibhaas very late at night in solitude
( Pt Madhup Moudgal - Bhairav Thaat Vibhaas : Taarwa Ginat Ginat mai to raein  )

 ( Kishori Amonkar - Marwa Thaat Vibhaas : Hey Narahari Narayan and Meet Piharava Mora re )

Here is my complete playlist of Raag Vibhaas ( with both Marwa and Bhairav thaat ) 
Vibhaas Playlist 

In my musings on music, I realize that the haunting melodies of Vibhaas are the worldly equivalent of the "Universal Bhairav".. appeals emotionally to human mind and soul more than the Brain !

Vibhaas : Here again is the link to my previous blogpost on Vibhaas with some fine songs with haunting melodies.

Raag Jog : Hindustani Classical Music in a nut shell !

This blog post is an extension of the post that I started in July 2018 , titled  Raag Jog - the crux of Khayaal 

 Jog and Multani are two of my favorites of Raags of Hindustani Classical Music / Indian Classical Music. I have a special predilection to Raag Jog. To me , raag Jog represents perfectly, what a Khayal is supposed to be ... Raag Jog is a perfect blend of raags ( Khamaj and Kafi ) that creates a "bhaav and ras" conducive to meditative , soulful and entertaining tunes ... it fits well to the definition of a raag as described in scriptures and literature .. रञ्जयति इति रागः .. an entertainment to mind and soul !
Raag Jog , may have initially meant Yog or union , when it was created and envisioned. The one reasoning to it could be that it is a classic mix of Khamaj and Kafi. A pentatonic tune attributed to Kafi thaat in Bhatkande's classification.
The credit for Raag Jog is attributed to Haji Sujan Khan ( Sujan Singh of Akbar Darbar ). This raag is a specialty of Agra Gharana but is in vogue and popularity with almost all gharanas including the Dhrupadiyas, vocalists and instrumentalists alike.
It provides a perfect "union" of entertainment and philosophy , a union of two raags (khamaj and kafi) , that are supposed to be part of semi-classical or light classical music, to produce a brilliant pentatonic serious but pleasant , soulful and meditative melody of Jog.
Here , Pt Jasraj takes us through the journey of Raag Jog .. from Dhrupad Style rendition to Khayaal with "murchanaa" giving a feel of Raag Vrindavani Sarang , Kedar and Gujari Todi ! This shows the versatility of the pentatonic raag Jog that brings into it all eight "Prahars" encapsulating raags associated with morning to midnight !
Here is my playlist of Raag Jog on Youtube that has most of my favorites 

Pt Ajay Chakravarti's Jog is one of the soulful Jog renditions that I like to listen :
The bandish goes as :
 धन जोबन नहीं नाम संजोग,
 कहत मुनि ज्ञानी करत सब
अपनी - अपनी करनी का भोग
आये हसे सब जाये तो रोये
यूँ ही भुगत सब लोग .. धन जोबन नहीं नाम संजोग  

Pt Madhup Moudgal's short rendition of Raag Jog too is my favorite : the bandish goes as
बनरा बनी आयो , ब्याह बनरी को
शुभ घडी ,शुभ दिन , शुभ महूरत मनाओ

I am guessing that this old bandish might have given inspiration to Ut Fayyaj Hussain Khan (प्रेम पिया ) to compose an impromptu bandish in Raag Jog, on occasion of his daughter's marriage ( or it may be even other way around, but both bandishes have than common theme of marriage, union , yog/jog and of happiness of it ) ... now kind of a signature of Raag Jog :  "Saajan more ghar aaye "
साजन मोरे घर आये
मन अतिसुख पावे
मंगल गावो शौक पुरावो
प्रेम पिया हम पाए

Raag Jog is my favorite and the joy it gives my soul is immense. The bandishes mentioned above are some of my favorites. I would say that I fell in love with Hindustani Classical Music after listening to Raag Purvi ( Thaat Purvi) and gradually moved from Multani to Bhairav to other raags eventually reaching Raag Jog..
Raag Jog has given me that "ठेहराव"  "Theharaav" (pause) .. It has everything that pleases my soul and my mind through music.

Here is a recent addition to my favorite playlist .. a poignant rendition of  raag Jog by the Ustad-Shagird duo from Lahore (Pakistan) .. through two beautiful bandishes !

ओ बलमा ..  कब घर आओगे , मध जोबत मोरा बीता जाए .. बेगर दरस दिखा जा 

साजन कासे कहूँ ..  अपने मन के बतियाँ ..  बिन तुम्हरे जागी मैं  !

- राग जोग 

Here again is link to my playlist on youtube for Raag Jog.

From Classicalness to Massicalness : Productization of Indian Classical Music

Change is a constant phenomenon and Hindustani Classical Music is a living example of how the "classicalness" of music has changed over centuries .. initially from Dhrupad to Khayal , imbibing the folk tunes into the classicalness, new rhythms and thekas , newer forms of "light classical music" in the form of thumris , tappas , gazals and bhajans into the concerts of Indian ( Hindustani ) Classical Music.
As a "Punekar" , every December, over last 20 plus years ,I have witnessed this changing form and face in Pune's very own , the world famous festival of classical music , popularly known as "Sawai". The change is pronounced in last 4-5 years. With the advent of social media , penetration of mobile internet to every nook and corner, cheap internet access and more so , WhatsApp which had immense effect on music / music industry and especially Hindustani Classical Music

This blog post is a continuation of the thought process that was initiated in Dec 2018 through the blog : Classicalness Vs Massicalness - A story of Hindustani Classical Music
  
As I ponder over the basic idea behind starting such festivals like Sawai Gandharva Mahotsav in 1950s , I realize a grim fact that forced musicians to initiate such "marketing" tricks to attract more audience and patrons for the Hindustani Classical Music ! Most of these Classical Music festivals in India were started by musicians themselves to make Classical Music more "accessible" and "popular" among general masses. The gharana gayaki of classical music was limited to "Darbars" and concerts of Princely states until the freedom of India around 1950. Infact , these princely states were instrumental in the growth of gharana gayaki and were the main patrons of all the classical musicians. The rebirth of Jaipur and Kirana gayaki could be attributed to the patronage of princely states of Kolhapur and Mysore respectively.
With the fall of princely states the patronage was lost and these musicians , had to find newer audience to appreciate and pay for their art. Their livelihood was at stake. The emergence of "Natya Sangit" in Maharashtra could be attributed to this initiative to bring classical music near the masses through light classical compositions in dramas ( Natya). The emergence of Gandharva Sangit Mahavidyala to promote classical music was one such step. Active initiatives were taken by various Pandits and Ustads to make classical music appealing to masses , by sometimes diluting it. Pure form of Classical music concerts became rare and each classical music concert was inter-spread with some light classical compositions like thumris , tappas , natya sangit , gazals , qawwalis etc , for commercial reasons.
This lead to disappearance of pure classical genre like the old Jaipur gayaki ( based on three schools of Dhrupad ) and the Dhrupad itself from the concert scene.

The Hindustani classical music is like a flowing river, constantly changing its form from the Dhrupad ,to Khayal of Amir Khusroo to Modern day Khayal of Gharanas to Current mix of Khayal and light classical blend. This transformation is ongoing for ages and the audience is the determining factor that decides the further growth and transformation !
We all connoisseurs are just spectators and unbiased witness to this change and transformation !
 

Bageshree encroachment

Raag Bageshree is a very pleasing raag of Kafi thaat, very popular among almost all gharanas and maesteros. This raag , however has extended its limits over period of time , trespassing , encroaching upon the territory of others.  It is a classic example of how the artistic freedom of performing a raag has gone too far, stretching the limits of a raag ... "rules of a raag" are amended over a period of time to accomodate almost everything that is sung in that matrix or around !
So much so that when one starts  looking at raags like Gorakh Kalyan , Narayani, Nayaki Kanada , some versions of Durga and Malgunji , one is struck at the fact that Bageshree has almost overshadowed these distinct raags by including their kernel into itself over a period of time !

Looking at Raag Bageshree, one is amazed at the way "rules" of Raagdaari sangeet are so twisted and turned in order to accomodate everything that maestroes do or simply to include every modification under one popular umbrella !!
Officially and originally , Raag Bageshree was supposed to be Audav-Shadav raag ( 5 notes in ascending and 6 in descending ). However , due to artistic freedom of maesteros, over period of time, it  was upgraded to two more versions
Version 1 ( Standard Original ) : Audav-Shadav - R and P are varjit in ascending, P in descending
Version 2 Audav-Sampoorn: R and P are varjit in ascending
Version 3 Sampoorn-Sampoorn:  All the swaras are present

The problem is clearly noticed when labeling a rendion to Gorakh Kalyan , Bageshree or Narayani. This is especially true when one hears younger singers who are performing one without the knowledge of other two! More so in case of Instrumentalists than the vocalists (where bandishes almost define raag)

I would not be surprised if someone starts calling this matrix as "Bageshree ragaang" or "Bageshree Thaat" in future ! Popularity among connoisseurs and performers could be the reason for this unhindered Bageshree encroachment !

Sawai Gandharva who ? : The Story of Sawai Gandharva

While I await and "prepare" myself for the almost weeklong "Sawai sojorn" ( like every year ! ) starting December 13th Wednesday morning at 10am for five days till Sunday December 17th 10pm , I ponder on the evolution of the name  "Sawai Gandharva" and the history of "Sawai". 

( Sawai is a title of honor used in India, the word having its root in Sanskrit language. Sawai literally means a quarter over one (1+1/4) in strength and / or intelligence. In other words it means - one and a quarter of an average man in worth. 
 Gandharva is a name used for distinct heavenly beings in Hinduism and Buddhism; it is also a term for skilled singers in Indian classical music. )
 
Who was Sawai Gandharva ? 
There are a good many connoisseurs of Hindustani music of the younger generation who are likely to ask this question. The more knowledgeable among them pretend to know of him, rather ironically, simply as the guru of today’s musical stalwarts like Gangubai Hangal, or Bhimsen Joshi. Sawai Gandharva ,whose real name was Ramachandra Kundgolkar Saunshi,(January 19, 1886 – September 12, 1952), was a popular Hindustani Classical vocalist and Marathi stage actor of the Kirana Gharana. Also known as Rambhau ,he was the first and foremost disciple of Ut Abdul Karim Khan and was the guru of Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Sawai Gandharva is most well known for popularizing the styling of the Kirana Gharana through his accomplished disciples, including Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Dr. Gangubai Hangal, Firoz Dastur, and Pt. Basavaraj Rajguru.
Sawai Gandharva was rightly acclaimed the ‘king of mehfil’. His preeminence as an actor-singer and as a classical maestro on the mehfil platform, was hailed as a double distinction. 

How Rambhau Kundgolkar came to be known as ‘Sawai Gandharva’ ?
Rambhau made his mark on the Marathi stage as an actor-singer when the great thespian, Bal Gandharva, ruled supreme. His raga-based Marathi pads(पद) had become the rage of the ‘20s, when Marathi musical drama was at the height of its popularity. His preeminence as an actor-singer and as a classical maestro on the mehfil platform, was hailed as a double distinction.
He charmed his audience by singing his Ustad's ( Khan Saheb Abdul Karim Khan) well known Thumries and Bhajans with that typically emotional fervor. He had thus popularized the “Highbrow” music through his stage -songs and cajoled his “lesser” audience into cultivating better tastes with regard to music.  It was on account of this double achievement that this actor-musician became known as Sawai Gandharva which honorific title was conferred on him by the late Dadasaheb Khaparde, the famed political leader of Berar.
And that was how Rambhau Kundgolkar came to be known as ‘Sawai Gandharva’ !

How did the Sawai Gandharva Sangit Mahotsav start ?

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi started the annual Sawai Gandharva Music Festival in Pune, in memory of his guru Sawai Gandharva, in 1953. The festival was held on a modest scale for first two decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, its popularity of "Sawai" sky-rocketed and today it is one of the most popular and largest Indian Classical Music festivals of world.
The festival is hosted by the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal (ASPM) ,an off-shoot of the Arya Sangeet Vidyalaya founded by Abdul Karim Khan ,the doyen of Kirana gharana and guru of Sawai Gandharva in 1918. The name of the festival was eventually changed by ASPM after the death of Pt Bhimsen Joshi in 2011 to Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav.

This year marks the 65th year of "Sawai" and 6th year of "Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav".


If this information interests you, here are two articles for a good read about Sawai Gandharva :

Guru Pt Sawai Gandharva

A Great Exponent of Khayal - Sawai Gandharva 

Hope to see you all at Sawai in Pune !