The Classic Sounds of India

February 6, 2013 Concert # 508 ~ Since Nov. 13, 2002 “Where friendship & music intersect” …a lways free! Wednesdays, 12-1 p.m. th 1856 2013 13 & N Streets, Sacramento, CA 95814 157 years of service Fine musical talent - serving the local community - supported by the local community “Rest here, weary mind, feel the soft harmonies for my hidden anguish. Heal me, I implore Thee.” (Bach Cantata 210) The Classic Sounds ooofofff India Steve Oda, sarode Pushpa Oda, tanpura Mike Lewis, tabla See videos of selected M.A.N. concerts, and see upcoming concert info/photos: www.MusicAtNoon.org Please share information about these admission-free concerts with your community. Feb 13 Pianist Hitomi De La Fuente presents a Valentine’s recital Feb 20 Lorna Peters’ Camerata Capistrano Feb 27 Guitarist Gabe Becker and Friends Mar 06 Theresa Keene, piano; Sheryl Counter, dramatic soprano; Leslie Sandefur, lyric soprano Mar 13 Jazz Guitarist Jon Spivack and Friends Mar 20 The Vocal Art Ensemble; Tracia Barbieri, director Mar 27 Kathryn Canon’s Recorder Ensemble joins composer Glen Shannon Apr 03 Guitarist Gordon Rowland and Friends Apr 10 Cathedral Organist Rex Rallanka Apr 17 The Albany Consort: Music from 1550 to 1750 with period instruments Apr 24 Camellia City Flute Choir; Marty Melicharek, director May 01 Flutist Sue Sheya and Friends May 08 Jazz guitarist Doug Pauly, vocalist Meleva Steiert, trumpeter Steve Roach, bassist Matt Robinson May 15 Violinist Mika Wang; Pianist David Thomsen Westminster Presbyterian Church funds the administrative costs of M.A.N. 100% of your contributions supports M.A.N. (with more than 90% going to our artists). Tax-deductible SPONSORSHIPS start at $35. Please make checks payable to Westminster Presbyterian Church (memo “MAN”). For audition information or program suggestions, please contact Program Director Brad Slocum: 916.442.8939 x315. Westminster Presbyterian Church is a welcoming, inclusive, and diverse community. PROGRAM In Indian classical music, ragas are performed according to the time of day, the season and the mood of the occasion. We will perform ragas especially suited for noon-time. Indian classical music is more than 90% improvised, but it must follow a very strict set of rules. We have selected two Indian melodies (called ragas ) from the over 75,000 available. 1. The first traditional classical piece is called raga Zilla Kafi and has moods of love and playfulness. This piece is typically rendered at the noon hour. The raga will start with the sarode performing a short alap (without drums) which is like a meditation or prayer then be joined by the Indian classical percussion instrument known as tabla . We will perform in a rhythm cycle of sixteen beats, called tintal in slow, medium and fast tempi. We will then describe the instruments that you are hearing today and have a brief question and answer period. 2. We will conclude our recital with a second raga: a light classical piece composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar called Bangla dhun and include a variety of different folk melodies. We will perform it in a rhythm cycle of 6 beats called dadra and end with a faster rhythm of 16 beats called tintal . Steve Oda , a Canadian of Japanese ancestry, began his musical education at the age of seven, learning to play slide guitar and then jazz guitar. His love of jazz eventually led him to the classical music of North India and the sarode. He began learning first with Aashish Khan and then in 1973, with Aashish's father, the late Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, one of the world's greatest musicians. In 1996, he received a prestigious Canada Council Artist's Grant and moved to the Bay area to pursue intensive studies directly with Khansahib. Steve has been blessed with many opportunities to perform internationally as well as record extensively with some of the world's outstanding Indian classical musicians. He currently resides in San Rafael actively teaching and performing the beautiful music of North India. Pushpa Oda , who is playing the tanpura today, is also an accomplished dancer of the Indian classical form known as Kathak. She first started with Pandit Chitresh Das in 1982, later in 1986 with Padma Sri Sitara Devi; and now with a senior disciple of Sitara-ji's, Antonia Minnecola. Pushpa has accompanied Steve through numerous classical concerts playing the vitally important role of drone (tanpura) player. Michael Lewis is one of the finest American tabla players today. A disciple of the late Ustad Allah Rakha and long time student of Zakir Hussain. He has accompanied many Indian classical artists, including Zakir Hussain (The Rhythm Experience), Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Krishna Bhatt and Partho Chatterjee. Michael is appreciated by many artists for his lyrical style and sensitive accompaniment. In addition to his pursuit of music, he is a full-time family physician. The sarode has been popularised by my guru Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, one of the world's greatest musicians. The sarode is carved from a block of wood and has a bridge that sits on a goat skin belly. A fretless instrument, the notes on the sarode are produced by the fingernails on a polished steel plate fingerboard. Long, sustained slide notes are characteristic. The right-hand plectrum is called a " jaba " and is made from a piece of coconut shell. Of the 25 strings, 4 are melody strings and the rest are rhythm and sympathetic strings. The tabla is the most popular Indian percussion instrument used in both classical music as well as popular and devotional music. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl , which simply means "drum." Playing technique involves extensive use of the fingers and palms in various configurations to create a wide variety of different sounds, reflected in the mnemonic syllables (called bols ). The heel of the hand is used to apply pressure or in a sliding motion on the larger drum ( bayan ) so that the pitch is changed during the sound's decay. The Tanpura (called "tamboura" or "tambura" in South India) is the drone instrument that provides the characteristic background for most Indian Classical Music. Like a sitar, a tanpura has a curved bridge, which produces the buzzy sound known as "jawari". Most tanpuras have only 4 or 5 strings, and are tuned to 2 or 3 different notes, but they can make a lovely bouquet of overtones. The classical music of Northern India is said to be one of the oldest unbroken musical traditions in the world. It is said that the origins of this system go back to the Vedas (ancient scripts of the Hindus). In Indian music, melodies or ragas are performed at specific times of the day. Those selected today are particularly suited for the noon-hour. .

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