Chapter IV Detailed Study and Analysis of some Gwalior Gharana Vocalists from the 20th Century CHAPTER IV

Detailed Study and Analysis of some Gwalior Gharana Vocalists from the 20th Century

In the previous chapter, I have enumerated the salient features of the Gwalior gharana with

special emphasis on the strong points pertaining to each feature. We will now look into the

gayaki of some Gwalior gharana vocalists. Gwalior gharana practitioners are trained on the

basis of the salient features of their core gharana. There are certain aspects in their gayaki

which accord them the status of being a member of the gharana. But each has interpreted

and evolved an individual gayaki to the best of their ability. It is this individualism that

lends diversity within the gharana. The individual gayaki is due to the difference in the

treatment of the core features of the gharana. The thrust of my work has been to study this

individualism in seven vocalists belonging to the Gwalior gharana.1

Rehmat Khan was the son of Haddu Khan and an illustrious representative of the founding family of the Gwalior gharana. The study of his gayaki also acquires greater significance since after Rehmat Khan’s generation, the Gwalior gayaki was dissipated and propagated principally by the disciples of Haddu Khan, Hassu Khan and Natthu Khan. His influence on other vocalists was felt not only amongst later practitioners of the Gwalior gharana like Omkarnath Thakur, Sharad Chandra Arolkar and Gajananbua Joshi but also on Kirana gharana exponent Abdul Karim Khan and many others.

1 The need to select a finite number of vocalists for analysis purpose is to maintain the focus of this study. Additionally, the observation of considerable diversity in their gayaki has validated the selection of these vocalists.

51 Ramkrishnabua Vaze was a disciple of Nissar Hussain Khan (who was the son of Natthu

Khan) and also someone who had myriad influences from a large number of musicians that

he interacted with. His vast repertoire of bandish-s, command over rare raga-s, penchant

for jhaptala and use of intricate patterning and unpredictable melodic movements are some aspects which contributed to making his performances engaging.

Anant Manohar Joshi staunchly adhered to the general features of his gharana more pronounced in his choice of medium tempo laya for vilambit khayal-s, improvising and unfolding a raga through phrases of the raga and in his preference for sapaat tana-s often rendering straight tana-s even in raga-s involving tonal material which is vakra (non- sequential). Having said this, he created a niche for himself by adopting the vocalization of

Rehmat Khan to some extent.

Krishnarao Pandit was a prolific performer of the Gwalior gharana and also one who enjoyed a long career as a concert artiste. His command over many other forms besides khayal naturally influenced hiskhayal renditions. Gifted with a voice which was cultivated further to perform virtually the way he desired gave his music a high degree of virtuosity and flair.

Omkarnath Thakur was an illustrious representative of the lineage of his guru Vishnu

Digambar Paluskar. He provided a very different dimension to the gharana by exploring the effect of voice modulation and employing it in his khayal gayaki.

Sharad Chandra Arolkar was a perceptive vocalist of the Gwalior gharana. His interpretation

of the khayal form is unique and approach to music was also philosophical. His emphasis

52 on meend as a powerful melodic expression in rendition brought about an expansive interpretation to an otherwise fast-paced Gwalior gayaki.

D.V. Paluskar was one of the most popular vocalists of the Gwalior gharana and is revered for the quality of his voice. He largely confirmed to the basic features of his parentgharana but while doing so, he also had the uncanny ability to seamlessly blend certain features from other gharana-s and vocalists’ styles as well.

Each of the above vocalists enjoyed a wide repertoire in terms of the genres performed.

The focus of this work however has been on the analysis of the khayal gayaki of the chosen artistes. Starting with a brief biography which gives an overview of the music training and influences, a detailed analysis of two raga-s is given, though a larger sample of recordings have been used for study. This is followed by general observations for each vocalist, based on his individual interpretation and treatment of each of the features of the

Gwalior gharana.

53 4.1 Rehmat Khan

Rehmat Khan was a direct descendant of the founding family of the Gwalior gharana and

is the only representative from the family whose music was recorded in the early twentieth

century. Rehmat Khan’s music stood out for its emotive appeal. Sharad Chandra Arolkar, a

veteran vocalist of this gharana, stated that the Gwalior gharana can be distinguished into

two categories; the first that gave an aggressive connotation and the other that is marked

by sweetness in appeal, simplicity and softer approach towards elaboration.1 He associated

Rehmat Khan’s gayaki with the latter quality.

Rehmat Khan was the younger son of Haddu Khan. His uncles Hassu Khan and Natthu

Khan along with his father were the most illustrious musicians in the Gwalior court under the rule of Daulatrao Scindia and later Jankojirao Scindia during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Rehmat Khan was primarily trained in the family by his father and uncles. He began accompanying his father in concerts since a young age. His other major influences were Bande Ali Khan, a beenkaar of the Kirana gharana and Baba Dixit, who was a direct disciple of Haddu Khan. In fact Haddu Khan thought very highly of his disciple

Baba Dixit, so much so that he is even said to have remarked to Rehmat Khan to listen to Baba Dixit in order to have a better understanding of his own (Haddu Khan’s) music

(Arolkar 1995: 86).

Temperamentally, Rehmat Khan was a very sensitive person. Being extremely attached to his family, he could not cope up after the demise of his father Haddu Khan and the

1 Arolkar’s lecture demonstration on khayal, May 16 1972. Sharad Chandra Arolkar, disciple of Krishnarao Pandit and Eknath Pandit, was influenced by Rehmat Khan’s gayaki.

54 untimely death of his brother chote Muhammad Khan. He left Gwalior to lead a

largely reclusive life and was accidently discovered by Vishnupant Chatre in Banaras.

Chatre was one of the main disciples of Haddu Khan. Rehmat Khan, by this time, was an

opium addict. Vishnupant Chatre operated a circus company and while touring Banaras,

he heard of a beggar who could sing very well. Upon examining, he was distressed to see

his own co-disciple and the son of his guru, Rehmat Khan in a pitiable condition. Chatre from

then on, took up the responsibility to take care of Rehmat Khan and invited him to join his

circus company.

It was Chatre who was instrumental in reviving the career of Rehmat Khan and arranged

his soirees throughout the country. This fact is also corroborated by Ramkrishnabua Vaze

in his book ‘Sangeet Kala Prakash’ (1938:164). Vaze writes highly about Rehmat Khan,

having also heard him live on a few occasions. He first saw him in Banaras and was witness

to his rehabilitation process by Chatre in the latter’s circus company. His (Vaze’s) own

guru Nissar Hussain Khan was also a member of the company during this period. He also

mentions that Rehmat Khan was adjudged as the foremost musician in a music contest in

Nepal. According to Vaze, Moijuddin Khan was a disciple of Rehmat Khan, as told to him

by Gauhar Jaan.

After the demise of Chatre in 1905, his younger brother Kashinathpant Chatre took on the

responsibility of taking care of Rehmat Khan.2 He shifted to Kurundawad, a princely state in western Maharashtra. During this time, he was persuaded to record for The Gramophone

2 Deodhar 2007a : 73.

55 Company Limited in Bombay, thanks to which his gayaki is accessible to the present generation. He died in 1922 in Kurundawad.

4.1.1 Analysis of Selected Recordings: Raga Malkauns and Raga Yaman

The recording corpus of Rehmat Khan comprises of short three minute 78 rpm recordings published around 1920. The raga-s reviewed include Malkauns (peera na jaani, vilambit khayal in tilwada); Bhoop (jab se tumisana laagari, drut khayal in teentala); Yaman and

Bhairavi (jamuna ke teer, thumri in deepchandi). Rehmat Khan enjoyed a wide repertoire in terms of forms/genres, a fact corroborated through the discography given above. It must be noted that the available recorded material is not representative entirely of the gayaki of the artiste. However glimpses of the gayaki from the founding family of Gwalior gharana are obtained from these samples of recordings. The detailed analysis of two recordings from this sample is given below.

A: Delineation of Raga Malkauns in Bhatkhande’s and Patwardhan’s texts

The analysis of the two clips will also be supplemented by a description of Raga Malkauns sourced from two authoritative works namely ‘Kramik Pustak Malika’ and ‘Raga Vigyan’ by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan respectively. This would also give a perspective on the raga grammar and deviation, if any, by the vocalist. This selection is justified by the fact that

Bhatkhande’s was one of the earliest comprehensive work on raga-s and also a compilation and study of bandish-s from musicians of different gharana-s and Patwardhan was the earliest amongst the Gwalior gharana musicians to have authored texts on raga grammar and documented many traditional bandish-s in his texts.

56 Bhatkhande describes Raga Malkauns in ‘Kramik Pustak Malika Part 3’, a text comprising

of notated compositions in different raga-s along with musicological details for each

raga (1934: 694-95). Malkauns belongs to the Bhairavi thaat. He documents the raga

as pentatonic (audava) in both the aroha ( ‹Zr >gm, J ‘, Y, Zr gm§ ) and the avaroha

( gm§ Zr Y, ‘, J ‘ J gm ). Bhatkhande designates madhyam as the vadi (primary dominant)

and shadja as the samvadi (secondary dominant) swar. The prescribed time for the raga

is the last quarter of night. He notes that while rishabh is an omitted swar, the tivra form

(which is same as shuddha) can be used as a vivadi note.3

Chalan (skeletal phraseology):

• gm, ‹Zr gm, ‘, ‘ J, ‘ Y, Zr Y, ‘ J, J ‘ J, gm • ‘ Y Zr gm§ @ Zr Y ‘ J, Y ‘ J, J ‘ J gm • J ‘ Y, Zr gm§, gm§, gm§ J§ gm§, J§ ‘§ J§ gm§, J§ gm§, Zr gm§, Zr Y, Zr Y, ‘ J, ‘ Y

Zr gm§ Zr Y, ‘ J, Y, ‘ J, J ‘ J, gm

Details of Raga Malkauns along with notated compositions have been published in

‘Raga Vigyan Part 3’, a text authored by Vinayakbua Patwardhan (1937/1991: 207-208).

He chose to classify raga-s under anga-s rather than thaat-s. Raga Malkauns is said to be derived from the bhairavi anga.4 Patwardhan confirms to the views as stated by

Bhatkhande regarding the swar permitted/omitted and their forms (shuddha and komal)

and also the vadi and samvadi notes of the raga. The ascending (aroha) and descending

3 It is noteworthy that in Rehmat Khan’s rendering of raga Malkauns, one finds frequent use of shuddha rishabh apart from the more common komal rishabh, and Bhatkhande duly acknowledges this liberty of raga chalan in his delineation of the raga. 4 Patwardhan did not prescribe the raga-thaat mode of classification for raga-s. He, instead classified raga-s under anga-s. But he retained the nomenclature of thaat-s for the anga-s.

57 ‘ Zr (avaroha) movement of the raga are given as: ‹Zr gm J ‘ Y Zr gm§ / gm§ Zr Y ‘ J gm.

He proposes that the notes komal gandhar, komal dhaivat and komal nishad are to be rendered with slight oscillation (andolan).

Chalan: ‹Y ‹Zr gm ‘ ‘J ‘ ZrY Zr Y ‘ ‘J, ‹Zr gm J ‘ Y Zr Y ‘ J J ‘ Y Zr gm§

Zr gm§§ Zr ‘ Y Zr gm§, Zr gm§ J§ gm§ Zr Y ‘ Y Zr Y ‘ J , gm J ‘ Y J ‹Zr gm

As we notice, the structure of the raga along with the chalan and some phrases confirm with each other in both the texts, the only difference being that Bhatkhande points out the occasional use of shuddha rishabh.

B: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Malkauns rendered by Rehmat Khan

The recording sample (Clip 1) includes a vilambit khayal in Raga Malkauns (peera na jaani) set to tilwada. The duration of the clip is three minutes. This is a 78 rpm recording first published in Bombay in 1921 by the Gramophone Company. Ltd. (Patke, 2004). Rehmat

Khan liberally renders the note shuddha rishabh in the descending phrase ‘ J ao gm.

1. The voice production is marked by forcefulness and extreme pliability. The vocalist

sings at a high pitch of F# (kali 3) and the vocal range (with respect to this recording)

is about 1 ½ octaves.

2. The clip starts directly without a prelude aalap (could be attributed to the short

duration of the recording).

58 3. The vilambit khayal is set to tilwada. The sthayi mukhada is of two matra-s and the

‘ sam is on the note J gm. The version of the same khayal documented by Bhatkhande,

is set to ektala and the mukhada is of four matra-s and thus differs in the choice

of tala.

4. The laya is considerably fast at a base tempo of 91 beats per minute. Also noticeable

is the theka, which is slightly different from the present day theka of tilwada.

5. The aalap section takes a comprehensive approach spanning a wide range of

notes and phrases thereby bypassing the sequential mode of elaboration. The

pattern is characterized by starting with an ascending phrase till J§ or ‘§,

moving back to madhya shadja and then following this up with another

ascending movement. Shuddha rishabh, an omitted note in Malkauns, is used

in an ascending and descending movement. For example it is sparingly sung

for a very brief period as part of the meend between ‘ and gm towards the end of a phrase

‘ J ao gm. Similarly, shuddha rishabh is also used in the ascending movement in one

instance. The vistaar usually starts from the 8th or 9th matra. Vistaar is also

interspersed with short tana sequences. The use of shuddha rishabh is un-obtrusive

and does not interfere with the overall melodic structure of the raga and can be

considered as a case of artistic liberty that Rehmat Khan took in his rendition.

While Bhatkhande prescribes shuddha rishabh as a vivadi note, Rehmat Khan

has used it prominently at the end of a melodic statement and this could be seen as

a way of asserting his individuality.

59 Phraseology: J ‘ Y Zr gm§ a| @ Zr gm§, Y ‘ Y gm§, J§ gm§ Zr gm§ @ Y @ @ ‘ Y Zr gm§

Y Zr Y, ‘ Y ‘ J gm, ‘ J gm ‹Zr gm, J ‘ Y gm§ @

Y Zr Y ‘ J ‘ J ao gm

6. There is vigour in this rendering especially while commencing a phrase forcefully

for instance vistaar sequence often starts with a fast paced phrase towards the taara

shadja rendered with force ( J ‘ Y Zr gm§ a| @ Zr gm§ Y ‘, Y gm§ @ @,

‹Zr gm J ‘ Y Zr gm§ Y Zr Y gm§ ). Note the presence of shuddha rishabh again in

this phrase.

C: Description of Raga Yaman in texts (Kramik Pustak Malika and Raga Vigyan)

The second raga chosen for analysis is Raga Yaman preceding which I would enumerate the details of the raga as mentioned in the texts.

Bhatkhande has documented Raga Yaman in his text ‘Kramik Pustaka Malika Part 2’ mentioning the details of the raga such as thaat, vadi-samvadi, aroha-avaroha and so on

(1936: 10-11). Yaman belongs to the Kalyan thaat. The raga is designated as heptatonic

(sampoorna) in the aroha ( gm ao J, n, Y, Zr gm§ ) as well as in the avaroha ( gm§ Zr Y, n,

J, ao gm ) with the note madhyam being tivra. He opines that occasionally when shuddha madhyam is used, the raga nomenclature changes to Yamankalyan. Gandhar and nishad are assigned as the vadi (primary dominant) and the samvadi (secondary dominant) swar.

60 Chalan (melodic phraseology):

• ‹Zr ao J, ao gm, ao J, J, n, J, ao J, ao, ‹Zr ao, gm

• gm J, ao J, J, n J, J n Y Zr Y n , Y n J, n J ao,

n J, ao, n, ao, gm

• gm ao J n, J n, n, Y n, Zr Y, n, gm§ / J J, n Y n, gm§

Zr a| J§ a| gm§, a| gm§, Zr Y n, J n J, ao, J, ao, ‹Zr ao, gm

Patwardhan gives a detailed description of Kalyan in his text ‘Raga Vigyan Part 2’5 and

designates the raga as a janak raga (1937/1996:147-148). The raga is documented as

heptatonic (sampoorna) in both the aroha ( ‹Zr ao J Y Zr gm§ ) and in the avaroha

( gm§ Zr Y n J ao gm ). His designation of the vadi, samvadi notes and the notes permitted

in the raga are same as that described by Bhatkhande. Patwardhan acknowledges his

choice to commence aalap and tana with the note nishad ( ‹Zr ao ‹Zr J, J ao J ); In

his scheme of presentation , pancham is avoided in the aroha movements of the raga

phrases. He proposes that when both the forms of madhyam (tivra and shuddha) are

used in a raga, it is known by the name Yamankalyan or Jaiminikalyan. He further adds

that the notes shadja and pancham are sparsely used in the aroha movement of tana-s

( ‹Zr ao J Y Zr Y n J ao gm ).

Chalan:

• ‹Zr ao ‹Zr J, J ao J, ‹Zr ao J @ aoJ ao J, J n,

J n YJ n, J n ZrY Zr, Zr Y n Y Zr a| Y gm§

5 It must be noted here that Patwardhan treats Kalyan and Yaman as the same raga.

61 • gm§ a§o Zr gm§ @ Zr, Y @ Zr Y n, Y n J, J ao J, n ao, J ao, ‹Zr ao, ‹Y gm

• ‹Zr ao J Y Zr gm§ Zr Y n Y n J ao J J ao gm

D: Analysis of Drut Khayal in Raga Yaman sung by Rehmat Khan

The second recording sample of the vocalist is a drut khayal set to drut teentala in Raga

Yaman (Clip 2). The duration of the clip is 2 ½ minutes. This is a 78 rpm recording published by the Gramophone Company Ltd. in 1921 (Patke, 2004).

1. The clip duration is short but the entire bandish (sthayi and antara) is sung once

each. A notable feature of the bandish rendition is that it is loosely bound

rhythmically.

2. Delineation of the raga is clear with phrases like

n Y n n J n n, ao J aogm

3. Tana-s and slower paced phrases alternate in the entire rendition. For instance there

is a two-avartan sequence (within the clip) mainly dominated by tana in one

avartan and slower paced phrase laden with gamak in the second avartan.

n n Zr gm§ J§ a| gm§ Zr Y n n gm§ ao§ a| gm§ Zr Y n n , Zr Y n n J ao gm gm -avartan 1

J J ao gm gm gm ao J Y Zr gm§ Zr Y n n ao J ao gm -avartan 2

4. Bol-bant: A three avartan sequence with each note falling on a single beat, is

executed with gamak.

62 n n Y Zr J§ a| gm§ Zr Y Zr a| gm§ Zr Y n n Zr Y, Y n , J, J ao ao gm gm

gm gm ao J n Y n J ao J Y Zr gm§ Zr @ Y n ao J ao

5. Tana-s: Avarohi tana-s with double notes in aakar are prominent in this clip.

The tana-s are rendered forcefully with stress on the first note.

n n Zr gm§ J§ a| gm§ Zr Y n n, gm§ Zr a| gm§ Zr Y n n , Zr Y n n J ao gm gm

J n n Zr Zr Y n n J ao gm gm , J n n Zr Zr Y n n J ao gm gm

6. The raga structure with reference to the texts has been largely adhered to with the

use of pancham in the ascending movement along with the omission of the note on

a few occasions.

4.1.2 Observations on Rehmat Khan’s Gayaki

1. Swar Lagaav or Voice Production: Rehmat Khan’s voice was unique and he could be

thought of as a pioneer of his time in striving for a sweet intonation and voice

production as against a bias towards an aggressive tonal quality prevalent in the

Gwalior gayaki. As noted earlier, it was this quality that endeared him to vocalists

of the other gharana-s as well. Anant Manohar in his autobiographical account

mentions about the high pitched voice that Rehmat Khan had.6 This is further asserted

through his recordings where he chose to sing in F or F# (kali 3), both slightly higher

than that of an average Gwalior practitioner. The entire collection of his recorded

music belonged to the 1920s and he peaked as a performer in the early years of the

6 A fairly detailed autobiographical article authored by Anant Manohar Joshi originally written in the 1950s and later edited by his grand-daughter was published in a music journal Rudravani in 1995. See Joshi 1995:33.

63 twentieth century, when microphone aided music was just picking up. It is very likely

that the preference for a raised pitch was governed due to this factor. His swar-lagaav

was pin-pointed and extremely tuneful which contributed to the emotional richness of

his gayaki.

2. Introductory Aalap: All the available recording samples of Rehmat Khan start mid-

way; hence no conclusion can be drawn about his preference for prelude introductory

aalap. Nevertheless, from his music it can be conjectured that he most likely resorted

to a free flowing image of the raga prior to rendering the bandish.

3. Bandish Treatment: Rehmat Khan’s bandish renditions while adhering to the basic

melodic structure, are loosely bound. In comparison to later practitioners of the Gwalior

gharana, Rehmat Khan seems to have asserted his individualism more comprehensively.

Adhering to the norm of the Gwalior gharana, the laya of his bandish-s determines the

fast-paced tempo of improvisation.

4. Laya Concept and Choice of Tala: The base tempo in vilambit khayal is relatively

faster than the Gwalior gayaki norm. Arolkar who had extensively studied the gayaki

of old masters notes that the original theka of tilwada that Rehmat Khan used to

sing in, was slower paced than the one heard in the recordings.7 Notwithstanding this,

the tempo of his khayal-s ensured that the melodic idea whether through the bandish

or vistaar, was always often executed in more than two or three avartan-s. His preferred

tala-s were tilwada, ektala and teentala.

7 Arolkar, May 16, 1972, Lecture demonstration on Khayal.

64 5. Aalap / Improvisation: Similar to his treatment of the bandish, Rehmat Khan relied

largely on unstructured aalap. This means that it was neither note by note development

nor was there an inclination for a phrase based sequential aalap. More importantly, his

aalap and tana sections are not discrete but intermingled. There is a strong bias

towards the upper half of the octave as a result of which patterning is characterized with

a fast ascending movement (aroha) and a non-sequential pattern of notes characterized

by descent in steps, in the avaroha. From his recording samples, aakar is the primary

mode of articulation. The most notable feature in Rehmat Khan’s improvisation is the

meend laden and aas-yukta phrases that he employs uplifting and enriching the

emotional quotient of his music. An abundance of such phrases also lent a high degree

of continuity in his gayaki.

6. Types of tana-s: The patterning in tana-s is similar to that in aalap-s. There is a clear

bias towards rendering a sequential and straight phrase in the ascent and the descent

in steps rather than sapaat tana-s. Use of double notes is also frequent in his tana-s.

The intonation in tana-s is marked by forcefulness and vigour.

7. Choice of Raga-s: Review of his recordings and accounts by Arolkar, suggest that

Rehmat Khan chiefly relied on the repertoire of known raga-s such Yaman, Multani,

Malkauns, Bihag, Basant, Pilu, Bhairavi.8

8. Preference for Genre: From his discography which includes khayal, thumri and tappa,

it can be conjectured that Rehmat Khan enjoyed a wide repertoire width.

8 As part of the lecture demonstration series on Khayal by Arolkar, he has mentioned that Bihag and Malkauns were apparently the favourite raga-s of Rehmat Khan. Arolkar’s account can be considered as authentic since he was an ardent admirer of the latter and had studied Rehmat Khan’s gayaki in detail (Arolkar, Lecture Demonstration on Khayal, May 16, 1972).

65 4.2 Ramkrishnabua Vaze

Ramkrishnabua Vaze was a trailblazing vocalist who influenced many musicians not

only from the Gwalior gharana that he primarily belonged to but also many like Hirabai

Barodekar and Vasantrao Deshpande from the other gharana-s as well. Kumar Gandharva,

himself a pioneering vocalist of the 20th century, is understood to have remarked that

Vazebua1 was a role model to many young vocalists like him during their youth. Vaze trained under Nissar Hussain Khan, the son of Natthu Khan and settled down in Maharashtra after his music education in north India.

Early Life and Training2

Vaze showed an interest and aptitude for music since a very young age. He was born in

a village named Ozare situated in the Sawantwadi sansthan in Maharashtra in the year

1871. He lost his father when he was very young, and was subsequently brought up by his

mother, both of them shifting to a nearby place named Kagal. His mother encouraged him

to learn music and thus arranged for his initial training in Kagal from the court musician

Balwantrao Pohare for two years followed by Vithoba Anna Hadap in Malvan. Vithoba

Anna Hadap was a disciple of Balkrishnabua Icchalkaranjikar and Vaze learnt from him for

a period of one year after which he got married at the age of 12. Sensing the need to earn

money and sustain a family, he left home in pursuit of serious music. Although his final

destination was Gwalior, Vaze picked up influences along the way and even later, and all

this subsequently enhanced the individualism of his gayaki.

1 Bua is used as an honorific for respected and senior musicians in Maharashtra. 2 Vaze has documented a brief autobiography in his book ‘Sangeet Kala Prakash Part 1’ acknowledging the hardships that he faced as a student of music. See Vaze 1938: 7-13.

66 For instance he highly appreciated the tunefulness of dhrupadiya-s Vazir Khan and Yusaf

Khan whom he heard in Nagpur and learnt 30 khayal-s from them (Vaze 1938: 158); he observed the influence of tappa anga when he learnt from tantakaar and rabaab player

Inayat Hussain Khan while he was in Gwalior; Vaze also learnt for a brief period from Sadaq

Ali, a thumri exponent. He is understood to have learnt tabla from pakhawaj exponents

Nanasaheb Panse, Kudao Singh and Balwant Bhaiyya. The purpose of mentioning the different influences that Vaze had is that, when one hears his music, the intricacy in laya patterns and the use of short clusters of note phrases in his renditions can be attributed to the eclectic training mentioned above.

After leaving home in the year 1883, Vaze travelled on foot to Mumbai and then to Pune performing occasionally while also getting musical exposure by listening to greats like beenkar Bande Ali Khan and Chunna bai. He interacted with the pakhawaj exponent

Nana Saheb Panse in Indore who advised Vaze to travel to Gwalior in order to find a suitable vocal guru. While in Ujjian, he met one Nana Saheb Ashtekar and went to Banaras with him, where he was to meet his future guru Nissar Hussain Khan for the first time.

He subsequently went to Gwalior along with Rehmat Khan, Nissar Hussain Khan and

Vishnupant Chatre, all of whom he met in Banaras.

In Gwalior, while struggling to eke out a living, he was exposed to exemplary music and even accompanied some of the visiting musicians like Alia Fattu and Balwantrao Bhaiyya.

Nissar Hussian Khan was initially reluctant to teach Vaze but eventually relented after

67 some persuasion. Deodhar recounts in his book ‘Thor Sangeetkar’3 that, only after the intervention of one Dadasaheb Bhuskute, in whose house Vaze resided briefly for a period of two years in Barhanpur, did Nissar Hussain agree to accept Vaze as his disciple.

Thereafter he eagerly learnt close to 350 bandish-s from his guru.

Ramkrishnabua Vaze was a perceptive musician and hence could assimilate myriad influences from musicians that he came in contact with. His adeptness in singing rare raga-s is attributed to this eclectic music education. From his accounts he was a very widely travelled musician, an important feat considering travel was not easy during his era.

He observed the layadaar aspect of Natthan Khan and Ghulam Abbas Khan, exponents of the Agra gharana; While in Calcutta, he is understood to have learnt a few compositions from Daulat Khan who was a relative of Alladiya Khan of Atrauli and adept in singing rare raga-s. He was later employed in a sansthan in Nepal and finally after a gap of 12 years returned to his hometown.

Vaze’s music lived on through his disciples many of whom became illustrious musicians.

Among his prominent students who carry an imprint of his gayaki include Shivrambua

Vaze (his son), Haribhau Ghangrekar, Bapurao Pendharkar, Keshavrao Bhonsle and

Dinanath Mangeshkar (both of whom attained fame as natya-sangeet exponents), Mohan

Karve (Vaze’s only surviving disciple today lives in Pune) and Gajananbua Joshi (who was already an established Gwalior gharana exponent during the time he went to learn

3 Thor Sangeetkar is a book of biographical essays on musicians authored by B.R. Deodhar. This is an important book particularly noteworthy for the insightful articles on the gayaki or musical style of the musicians. See Deodhar, 2007: 110-118 for a detailed chapter on Vaze.

68 from Vaze in Pune). Ramkrishnabua Vaze was essentially a khayal performer but he had a very successful foray in theatre –music or what is better known as natya sangeet.

He was a popular music director and a member of many prestigious music mandali-s like the Lalit Kala Adarsh and Balwant Sangeet Mandali (Bangre 2011:374). This was also his way of contributing to the popularisation of the Hindustani khayal sangeet amongst the masses because many of the pieces that he composed for theatre were essentially based on classical music.

At a time when many of his contemporaries were opposed to the idea of documenting their music, Vaze had agreed to record his music for posterity. This has given us a greater clarity about his style of singing and along with the published material and descriptions from those who heard him live, one can conjecture Vaze’s gayaki with respect to the stylistic features of the Gwalior gharana. What follows is an account of a detailed analysis of a few recordings followed by observations.

4.2.1 Analysis of Selected Recordings: Raga Miyan Malhar, Raga Miyan ki Todi and Raga Tilak-kamod

The recorded music of Vaze is a valuable source of understanding his gayaki. The 78 rpm records comprise of seventeen clips with khayal-s in 15 raga-s, one thumri and a bhajan. The details of the recordings with name of the raga, bandish bol-s and tala are given below. Tilak-kamod (teeratha ko: madhyalaya bandish in jhaptaal), Miyan-Malhar

(karima naam tero, a vilambit khayal set to ektala and bola re papeehara set to madhyalaya teentala); Bhairav Bahar (daara daara paatana para koyaliya in drut ektala), Jaunpuri

69 (hardam maula re set to madhyalaya teentala), Nat-bihag (damaru dama dama baaje in teentala), Barwa (bola radhe aba tu in madhyalaya jhaptala); Khambavati ( sakhi mukha chandra in Jhaptala), Bhajan (udho karamana ki gata nyari in teentala), tilang thumri, Khamaji Bhatiyar (hara hara shankara in jhaptala) and Gara-Bageshri (jobana rasa le gaye ri set to madhyalaya teentala) recorded in the year 1932 (Patke, 2004).

While Todi (masiata punchaniya in teentala), Khat (vidhyadhara guniyan ko in jhaptala), Brindavani Sarang (tarana in teentala), Bhatiyar (bala bala jaiye in ektala),

Kafi Kanada (preeta purani in adachoutala) and Khamaj thumri (piya nahi aye) were recorded in 1939 (Patke, 2004). All the above clips are of three minutes duration.

According to known sources one All India Radio (AIR) recording of thirty minutes duration in Raga Miyan-Malhar (karim naam tero, bola re papihara) is available in the public domain.

The raga-s analysed for the purpose of this study are Miyan-Malhar, Miyan ki Todi and Tilak-kamod. Choice of the recordings is governed by a few factors namely; a)

Relatively longer duration (Miyan-Malhar); b) Common raga sung by some of the other vocalists who are a part of this study (Miyan ki Todi); c) A khayal set to jhaptala which was Vaze’s preferred tala in khayal presentation (Tilak–kamod).

Each will be preceded by the treatment of the raga by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan as given in their texts ‘Kramik Pustak Malika’ and ‘Raga Vigyan’ respectively. Additionally, the description of the raga sourced from Vaze’s book ‘Sangeet Kala Prakash’ is also mentioned.

70 A: Melodic Structure of Raga Miyan-Malhar in texts (Bhatkhande, Patwardhan and Vaze)4

Bhatkhande provides a description of the melodic contours along with the other musicological details of raga Miyan-Malhar in his text ‘Kramik Pustak Malika Part 4’ (1939:

556). He defines the raga as a combination of Kanada and Malhar. The raga is classified under the Kafi thaat. Shadja and pancham are designated as the vadi and samvadi notes

respectively. However some also prescribe madhyam and shadja as the vadi and samvadi

swar-s respectively. Use of both nishad-s is permitted and the successive rendering of the

two forms of nishad-s (one after the other) is also noticeable. Some of the characteristic

phrases of the raga are:

• gm ‹Y‹Zr ‹Y‹Zr ‹Y‹Zr gm, ao ‹Zr gm ‘ ao n, ‘n J ‘ @ aogm, ‘ ao, n, Zr Y, Zr, gm§

• n ‘J ‘J ‘ ao n, Zr n, Zr Y, Zr gm§

• gm§ Zr n ‘J ‘J ‘ ao gm, gm§Y, Zr n, ‘ ‘ n, n J, ‘, ao gm

This raga is especially conducive to elaboration in the mandra saptak and vilambit laya. On the authority of Bhatkhande, the raga’s scale may be defined as follows: ao ‘ ao gm, ‘ ao, n, Zr Y, Zr gm§ / gm§ Zr n, ‘ n, J ‘, ao gm

Patwardhan explains the use of both the nishad-s in this raga in specific phrases in his text

‘Raga Vigyan Part 3’ (1937/1991: 1-2). He prefers to consider the raga as just Malhar instead

of Miyan-Malhar and states the proximity of this raga to Darbari Kanada. Patwardhan

4 The texts used for referencing the musicological details include Bhatkhande’s ‘Kramik Pustak Malika’, Vinayak Patwardhan’s ‘Raga Vigyan’ and ‘Sangeet Kala Prakash’ by Vaze.

71 uses the term anga instead of thaat and describes Miyan-Malhar as a raga derived from

the Kafi anga. The melodic phraseology is dominated by the phrases n Zr Y Zr gm§

in aroha and gm§ Zr Zr ‘ n in avaroha. He further prescribes the sequence of melodic

movement of both the nishad-s with komal nishad preceding shuddha nishad in aroha and the vice versa in avaroha. The raga is most commonly sung during the rainy season with the essential mood being sombre. Additionally the raga is also conducive to karuna rasa.

‘ Y The raga is documented as hexatonic (shadava) in the aroha ( gm ao n, Zr Zr gm§ ) and

gm§ Zr ‘ ‘ ‹Zr heptatonic (sampoorna) in the avaroha ( gm§ Y ‘ n, n Zr ‘ n, J J, ‘ n ‘ ‘ ao gm ).

‘ ‘ ‘ ‹Zr The characteristic phrase follows the melodic movement gm ao n, J J, ‘ n ‘ ‘ ao gm.

Skeletal Phraseology (Chalan):

• gm ao ‘J ‘J, ‘ n‘‘ ‘ ao gm, gm ‘ ao n, n n Zr Zr‘ n, n Zr @ Y Zr gm§

• ‘ n Y Zr gm§, a| Zr gm§ Zr Zr @ Y Zr gm§, gm§ a| a|Y Zr‘ n, gm gm§ gm§Y Zr‘ n

• gm§ a| Zr gm§ gm§Y Zr‘ n, n ‘J ‘J, ‘ n ‘ ‘ ‘ ao gm

‘ n Y Zr gm§ ‘J ‘J, ‘ n ‘ ‘ ‘ ao gm

Ramkrishnabua Vaze in his text ‘Sangeet Kala Prakash Part 1’ gives a thorough description

of raag Miyan Malhar along with the basic chalan (1938:64). He opines that this raga is a combination of the raga-s Kanada and Malhar, affirming to Bhatkhande’s notion about the raga. This is a seasonal raga, sung anytime during the rainy season. The raga is especially conducive to vistaar in the mandra and madhya saptak. Gandhar is komal and andolit

or oscillatory and both the nishad-s are permitted in the raga. Madhyam and shadja are

72 designated as the vadi and samvadi notes respectively. Some musicians also prefer to use pancham as the vadi note.5 Some characteristic phrases of the raga are:

• ao, ‘ ao gm, ‹Zr gm, ‹Zr ‹n, ‹Zr ‹Y, ‹Zr gm, ao gm

• gm, ‹Y ‹Zr gm, ‹‘ ‹n ‹Y ‹Zr gm, ao gm, n ‘ n ‘J ‘J, ‘ ao gm

• ‘ ‘ n, Zr n, Zr Y, Zr gm§, a| Zr gm§, ‘ n Y, Zr gm§, Zr n, ‘ n, ‘J ‘J ‘ ao gm

B: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Miyan-Malhar sung by Vaze

The contents of this recording are two khayal-s, first a traditional composition set to vilambit ektala (karim naam tero) followed by a drut khayal (bola re papeehara) in drut teentala. Vaze has notated the drut khayal in his text ‘Sangeet Kala Prakash Part 1’(1938:

63-64).This is an All India Radio recording with Bundu Khan on the sarangi and Alla

Rakha accompanying on the tabla. The analysis of the vilambit khayal (15minutes) is given below (Clip 3).

1. The vocalization is bold and forceful and there is clarity in rendering. Vaze sings to

the fundamental tonic at G (half a semi-tone below kali 4), a fairly high pitch for a

male vocalist.

2. The recording starts mid-way, hence no prelude aalap is noted in this clip.

3. The bandish sthayi is sung once in one avartan and the antara, sung once in three

avartan-s after five minutes of improvisation. The sthayi mukhada is of 1 ½

matra-s with the sam falling on the note komal nishad in the lower octave ( ‹Zr )

and the aa syllable of the word naama. The same khayal has been documented by

5 A very thorough description of the raga along with the basic chalan is given by Ramkrishnabua Vaze in his book ‘Sangeet Kala Prakash’. See Vaze 1938: 64.

73 both Bhatkhande and Patwardhan. While both prescribe ektala for the vilambit

khayal, in Patwardhan’s version, the mukhada is of two matra-s with the sam on the

syllable te of tero; in Bhatkhande’s version the mukhada is of 2 ½ matra-s and

the sam falls on the syllable naa of naama. Melodically, the mukhada of all the three

versions are similar and the sam also is on the note komal nishad ( ‹Zr ). From the

above account it is clear that the bandish structure confirms to the norm documented

in the authoritative texts. The lyrics of the bandish are: karim naama tero tu saheba

sataara; dukha daridra dura keeje sukha deho sabana ko adarang binati karata

rahe sunale ho karataara. The antara is rendered once in three avartan-s beginning

from the 5th matra. In this clip, the sthayi mukhada is the main mukhada of

melodic improvisation.

4. The laya of the vilambit khayal varies between 35 to 57 beats per minute. This laya

more or less confirms to the madhya laya tempo of Gwalior khayal-s.

5. Aalap/Bol-aalap: Aalap is developed through short note clusters instead of sustained

employment of notes. A few notes are used as resting points around which phrases

are woven to form longer melodic statements. This particular mode of improvisation

is specific to Vaze’s gayaki. For instance, phrases with the focus on the fundamental

tonic shadja ( gm ‹Zr ‹Zr ‹Y ‹Zr gm, ‹Zr @ @ gm, ‹Zr ao gm, ‹‘ ‹n ‹Y ‹Zr gm ); focus on rishabh

ao ‹Zr ‘ ‘ ( gm ao ‹Y ‹Zr ‹Zr ao, ‹‘ ‹n ‹Y ‹Zr @ @ ao ) ; focus on pancham ( ao ao n, gm ao

‘ ‘ Zr Zr n J J ‘aogm, ‘ n Y Y Zr n). As seen from the phrases above, the grammar

of the raga has been strictly adhered to. Andolit gandhar is also a focal point in a

‘ ‘ few phrases ( gm ao J J ‘ n ‘ ‘ ao, J ‘ Zr n n J ). This also confirms to the phraseology

74 of the raga as given by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan.6 Also, with reference to Vaze’s

note on the skeletal phraseology, he largely confirms to the chalan documented in

the texts. However to increase the musicality of his performance Vaze does not

hesitate to use an unconventional phrase like Zr Zr n ‘ ao ‘ n Y Zr @ @ n , while delving

on the phrases around komal nishad. This phrase comes at a later stage of aalap

when the mood of the raga is established, hence it appears unobtrusive. Thus, this is

an illustration of the artistic liberty in terms of raga structure that Vaze takes while

at the same adheres to the overall chalan of the raga. Use of faster note passages

like ao ao gm gm ‹Zr, ‘ ‘ ao ao gm gm in the aalap, is also a common feature and could be

attributed to the influence of tappa anga phrases. The pauses between these phrases

assume significance in Vaze’s gayaki. The bol-s of the bandish are used as the main

articulatory device in aalap. The melodic sequences usually start from the 2nd or

3rd matra after the sam. As mentioned before, Vaze however has inculcated short

pauses within a melodic statement in addition to the pauses just after the sam of

the bandish.

6. Vaze resorts to nom-tom like bol-bant towards the end of the rendition.

7. The usual patterns of tana-s which are sung with force are gamak tana-s, avarohi

patterns and raga-based badhat tana-s. The articulation of tana-s is through aakar.

6 Commonly occurring phrases in raga Miyan Malhar documented by Patwardhan and Bhatkhande are given above.

75 C: Description of Raga Miyan ki Todi in the texts Raga Vigyan and Kramik Pustak Malika

Before delving into the details of analysis, a viewpoint of raga Miyan ki Todi as understood

by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan will give an idea about the widespread nature of the raga.

Bhatkhande in his text ‘Kramik Pustak Malika Part 2’ (1936: 423) classifies the raga as

representing the Todi parent scale (thaat) with the notes rishabh, gandhar and dhaivat as komal, madhyam as tivra and rest of the notes as shuddha swar-s. He prescribes dhaivat as vadi (primary dominant) and gandhar as samvadi (secondary dominant) swar. The raga is documented as heptatonic (sampoorna) in aroha ( gm, ao J, n Y, Zr gm§ ) as well as

avaroha ( gm§ Zr Y n, J , ao gm ); limited usage of pancham is noticed in the melodic movements of the raga. The time allotted for singing the raga is the second quarter of the day. Comparing raga Multani with Todi, he opines that while both the raga-s have identical notes, raga Todi lays emphasis on ao , J, Y and Multani accords prominence to komal gandhar, pancham and nishad.

Chalan :

‹Zr ‹Zr, gm ao J, J, Y J, Y Zr Y n, n Y n J, Y @ J, ao J, ao gm

J, Y Zr gm§ @ gm§/ ‹Zr gm J Y Zr gm§, Y Zr gm§ Zr gm§ Zr Y, ZrY n,

n Y Zr Y n / Y Zr Y n, n Y J, Y, J, ao J, ao, gm

Patwardhan gives a similar account of raga Miyan ki Todi in his text ‘Raga Vigyan Part 2’

(1937/1996:73-75) assigning the raga as hexatonic (shadava) in the aroha ( ‹Zr ao J Y Zr gm§ )

76 and heptatonic (sampoorna) in the avaroha ( gm§ Zr Y n J, ao J ao gm ). He agrees to the sparse use of pancham in the raga and accords gandhar an ati-komal status which implies

that the note is to be sung at a shruti lower than that prescribed for komal gandhar. To avoid confusion with raga Multani which has identical tonal material as Todi, komal gandhar is not preceded by tivra madhyam as a grace note but is rather sung independently. The basic melodic phraseology prescribed by Patwardhan is given below.

Chalan:

• ‹Y ‹Zr gm ao J J ao ao J @, ‹Zr ao J ao J, J ao J, J n Y, n J, ao, J ao ‹Zrgm

• YZrY, ZrY gm§Zr a|Y gm§ / Y Zr gm§, a| gm§ Zr Y, Zr Y n @,

Y, Y J ao J Y J, ao J ao ‹Zrgm

• ‹Zr ao J Y Zr gm§ a| J§ J§ , a| J§ J§ , a| J§ J§ , a| gm§ Zr Y n J ao J J ao gm

Both Bhatkhande and Patwardhan feature the same set of notes as vadi and samvadi. The

point of difference is mainly in the movement of pancham. Pancham is permitted in the

aroha movement as in n Y J ; while Patwardhan omits this note in aroha J Y J.

D: Analysis of Drut Khayal in Raga Miyan ki Todi rendered by Vaze

This recording sample comprises of a drut khayal set to drut teentala. Published in 1939 by

Columbia records, this is part of the 78 rpm recording series (Patke, 2004) and the duration

of the clip is 2.5 minutes (Clip 4). This is an impressive piece as it is marked by crispness

in presentation.

1. Vaze sings with a fundamental/tonic at G# or kali 4; fairly high pitched for a

male vocalist.

77 2. The bandish mood is built up by the initial aalap that is taken up prior to singing

the bandish (starts with a tana phrase ao J Y Zr gm§ a| J§ ).

3. The entire bandish (sthayi and antara) is rendered once in the beginning.

4. Aalap in aakar is evident in one instance as part of antara improvisation.

Meend is employed between the notes a| ao and J§ ao ( Y Zr gm§ a| ao gm,

gm ao J Y Zr gm§ a| J§ ao gm ). Pancham is not rendered in the ascending

movement in the entire rendition. This is consistent with Patwardhan’s

version which omits the note pancham in the ascent but differs from the

heptatonic arrangement in the ascent (aroha) as prescribed by Bhatkhande.

Hence even such subtle differences can bring about change in the outlook of the

raga chalan and thereby contribute to diversity.

5. The base tempo of the drut khayal is 248 beats per minute.

6. Tana-s sung in aakar are predominant in this clip. Ladiguthaava tana-s

with a set of notes rendered in different combinations and alankarik tana-s

involving phrases in clusters of three notes are noticeable. ( centered around Y /

Y Zr Y n J Y @ @ J ao ao , J J , Y Y ). Also sung are arohi and

avarohi sapaat tana-s. A variety of tana which frequently occurs in many of

Vaze’s recordings (including the present one) involves repetition of a set of notes

gm§ a| gm§ , gm§ a| gm§§ , gm§ a| gm§§ Zr Y Zr Y n n J .

78 E: Delineation of Raga Tilak-Kamod in texts (Raga Vigyan and Kramik Pustak

Malika)

Bhatkhande, one of the earliest commentators of the raga-s, documents the raga delineation

of Tilak-kamod in the text ‘Kramik Pustak Malika Part 3’ (1934: 291-92). In his view, the

raga is derived from the parent scale or thaat Khamaj. The raga is assigned a hexatonic

(shadava) movement in the aroha ( gm ao J gm, ao ‘ n Y ‘ n, gm§ ) and a heptatonic

(sampoorna) movement in the avaroha ( gm§ n Y ‘ J, gm ao J, gm ‹Zr ). Rishabh and pancham are prescribed as the vadi and samvadi swar-s respectively. Bhatkhande points

out the similarity in melodic phraseology of this raga with Desh and Sorath. The raga is

also dominated by a zig-zag movement of swar-s (vakra). The prescribed time of singing

is given as the second quarter of night.

Skeletal melodic phraseology (Chalan):

• ‹n ‹Zr gm ao J, gm, ao, n, ‘ J, gm ao J, gm / J ao, n ‘ J, gm ao J, gm

gm, ao J, ‘ n Y, ‘ J, gm, ao ‘ n gm§, ‘ ‘ n n Zr Zr gm§

• gm§ n, Y ‘ J, gm§ a| gm§ n Y, ‘ J ao, n ‘ J ao, gm ao J, gm ‹Zr, ‹n ‹Zr gm ao J, gm

Vinayakbua Patwardhan documents the raga in the text ‘Raga Vigyan Part 2’ (1996: 35-36)

as pentatonic (audava) in the aroha ( gm ao ‘ n gm§ ) and heptatonic (sampoorna)

in the avaroha ( gm§ n Y ‘ J, gm ao J gm ). The raga belongs to the Khamaj anga. Shuddha nishad is prescribed as the preferred swar in the melodic phraseology of the raga that too only in the ascent while proceeding towards the upper tonic (taara shadja); gm ao ‘ n Zr gm§.

79 Chalan: ‹n ‹Zr gm ao, gm ao n n‘ J, gm ao J gm, gm ‘ ao n, ao ‘ n Y ‘ n Y ‘ J, gm ao n ‘ J, gm J ao J aogm, ao ‘ n Y ‘ n Zr gm§ n, n Y ‘ n gm§ n n Y ‘ J, gm ao J gm

F: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Tilak-kamod sung by Vaze

This recording comprises of a madhyalaya composition set to jhaptala. This is part of

the 78 rpm recording series published in 1932 by Columbia records in (the then) Bombay

(Patke, 2004). Duration of the clip is 2.5 minutes (Clip 5). Vaze sings with a fundamental

tonic at F# (kali 3)

1. The clip starts directly without any prelude aalap.

2. The bandish sthayi and antara is rendered once each. It is a traditional composition

and is faithful to the notated version given in the text ‘Sangeet Kala Prakash’ (1938:

31-32). The rendering is also marked by appropriate placement of pauses within the

bandish. The bandish sthayi commences from the sam, the first beat of the theka

and is placed on the upper tonic. The bandish antara also begins from the sam.

The lyrics of the bandish as given in the text are: Teeratha ko saba kare, deva puja

kare, vasanaa na mare, kaise ke bhavatare/ Kaaya dhuve paaka, mana hee nahee

kaba paaka, mana ranga ki aakha, charana pe nita rahe.

3. The tempo of the khayal is fixed at 120 beats per minute. There is no change in laya

in the entire rendition.

80 4. Aalap: The rendition of the entire bandish once (sthayi and antara), is followed by

a brief aalap. The articulation in aalap-s is predominantly through aakar. The

brevity in the vistaar section should be attributed to the short duration of the clip.

The characteristic phrase of the raga gm§ n occurs on one instance. Though minimal

in this clip, aalap is characterized by short note clusters delineating the raga,

interspersed with pauses. Phrases rendered in separate saptak-s, thereby accentuating

the principle of contrast, are noted ( gm§ gm§ Y n ‘ n Zr gm§ ao§ @ @ ‹Zr gm ao ).

5. Bol-bant and bol-tana sequences include all the words of the bandish sthayi.

Bol-tana-s are sung in the chougun laya (four syllables in a matra).

6. Aakar is the predominant articulatory device in tana-s. Tana patterns

where a specific phrase is repeatedly sung, also surface in this clip

( gm ao ‘ n Y n ‘ ‘, ‘ n Y n ‘ n Y n ‘ n Y n ‘ J ao gm ). The types of tana-s

that are predominant in this clip are avarohi tana-s, sapaat tana-s and also use

of tana-s ascending in sets of three notes with emphasis on the first

note ‘ ao ao , ‘ ao ao , n ‘ ‘ Y n n gm§ ( this is also a common feature in his tana-s).

Staccato intonation to display rhythmicity is a common feature in his tana-s.

7. From the analysis of the clip, one notices the adherence (of Vaze) to the raga

structure as prescribed by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan. The differences mainly

occur in the frequent use of contrasting phrases that he resorts to. This is common

in his gayaki and does not apply to one raga alone.

81 4.2.2 Observations on Ramkrishnabua Vaze’s Gayaki

The general observations are largely drawn from a couple of sources: The analysis of the

above raga-s; my conversations with a direct disciple of Vaze; and available study of Vaze’s

gayaki in the public domain in the form of written literature and talks. The observations

which follow are also primarily based on the parameters of the Gwalior gayaki.

1. Swar Lagaav or Voice Production - Like in the Gwalior vocalism, Vaze’s voice

was open throated, had a natural volume and as pointed out by Sangameshwar

Gurav7, an ability to sing in any pitch at any point of time. His choice of pitch in

the range of F (safed 4)8 to F# (kali 3) was higher than the norm in Gwalior gayaki.

The vocalization was aggressive. His recordings also confirm to this fairly high

pitch. The consequences of this pitch are evident in his music making process.

The reason for this choice could be extra musical as the peak performing years of

Vaze preceded the microphone age. The need to be heard by everyone in the

auditorium was the primary concern. A fairly high pitch and loud volume while

singing could ensure this. Vaze’s grand-daughter points out that while he sang in

this high pitched voice, Vaze advised his disciples to sing in their natural pitch.9

This shows that he naturally had the vision to think ahead of his times and the

insight of the possible changes that microphones would bring to the overall music

making process and likewise advised his students.

7 Vaze, Lecture in Pune, May 20, 2012. Ramkrishnabua Vaze’s grand-daughter conducted a programme titled “Pt. Ramkrishnabua Vaze: Gayaki va Parampara” in Pune and spoke in length about his gayaki and influences. 8 Vaze’s direct disciple informed this researcher about Vaze’s preferred pitch being safed 4. (Karve, personal communication, April 1, 2012). 9 Vaze Leenata, Lecture in Pune, May 20, 2012.

82 2. Introductory Aalap: The introductory aalap is usually rendered in the beginning

of a khayal presentation. The significance of a prelude aalap in Gwalior gayaki

is to give a jist of the raga being presented. Vaze largely confirms to this notion as

he also gives brief chalan of the raga-s that he has documented in his text ‘Sangeet

Kala Prakash’. A review of the recorded music of Vaze reveals a short ascending

phrase in raga Todi taken up before rendering the bandish. The absence of a prelude

aalap in rest of the clips is attributed to recording constraints. What is confirmed

is that, the aalap taken before the bandish is short, presenting a characteristic

phrase of the raga.

3. Bandish Treatment: Faithful rendition and reproduction of the bandish sthayi

and antara is an important feature of Vaze’s gayaki. This holds significance in

the Gwalior gayaki that he belonged to. His ability to effectively present the bandish

interspersed with pauses at the appropriate points within the bandish, only enhanced

the presentation. The song text was rendered with clarity. That the song-text/lyrics

were an important aspect of his music making process is revealed by the following

account; apparently he believed that a musician should be well versed in bhasha-

shastra (literature), tala-shastra and raga-shastra because these skills augment

one’s command over pronunciation and intonation.Vaze’s disciple Mohan Karve

points out that Vaze was not particularly in favour of words like tendere,

mendere and accordingly changed the words of the bandish (Karve, personal

communication, April 1, 2012). As for the text of the bandish, Karve observes that

Vaze preferred bandish-s with lyrics pertaining to religious sentiments (ibid.).

83 Like his guru Nissar Hussain Khan, Ramkrishnabua Vaze also had a penchant for

learning bandish-s and was often referred to as a kothiwaale gavaiyye, a connotation

given to those with a vast repertoire of bandish-s.

4. Laya Concept and Choice of Tala: Vaze had a preference for compositions set to

jhaptala and teentala (for drut khayal-s) and also adachautala to some extent,

instead of the more common tala-s of the Gwalior gayaki such as tilwada and

jhoomra for vilambit khayal-s. For the melodic material to be effectively conveyed,

it was important to have a theka which had an inherent flow and swing and was

also not very expansive. Jhaptala fitted these conditions well, hence the preference.

Karve also opines that tala-s like tilwada are more difficult to deal with and thus

as a performing strategy, Vaze chose jhaptala over other tala-s. The laya of the

theka however confirms to the Gwalior norm of madhya laya. Karve also seconded

this notion on laya. The distribution of beats in jhaptala (2,3,2,3) is such that it

is naturally a non-expansive tala and this also had implications in his music making

process in his choice of developing a bandish through short phrases and arriving

at the sam forcefully. Vaze’s choice of tala also conveys the astute minded musician

he was during his era because according to a few accounts Vaze chose to sing in

jhaptala and adachoutala because his contemporaries were mostly singing in

teentala and ektala. He was thus able to carve out a niche for himself as a vocalist.

5. Aalap/ Improvisation: The rendition of the bandish sthayi and antara is

usually followed by vistaar through aalap and behelawa. The Gwalior gharana

84 gayaki emphasizes on phrase based development instead of relying on

note-by-note elaboration. From his recordings it is clear that Vaze confirmed to

this notion. His melodic development was particularly noteworthy due to his

reliance on small clusters of notes and the ability to extract patterns out of

permutations and combinations of a set of notes. Vaze did not particularly adhere

to a sustained employment of a note. In all probability, the reason for this could be

physiological to some extent. He suffered from asthmatic condition and thus

moulded his gayaki accordingly by ensuring non-reliance on longer melodic

passages. Thus short phrases formed the basis for longer melodic statements.

The melodic development however was progressive and systematic as noticed

in the improvisation in the vilambit khayal in raga Miyan-Malhar.10 The melodic

development of the raga is also interspersed with fast passages akin to tappa anga

phrases. Vaze largely adhered to the grammar of the raga but did not hesitate to

introduce unconventional phrases to enhance the performance. Illustrations of this

aspect is found in his recordings in raga- s Miyan-Malhar (vilambit khayal badhat:

karim naam tero) and Jaunpuri ( hardam moula re). The principle of contrast

or sawal jawab within a melodic statement is also commonly employed. The most

common melodic expressions that appear frequently in Vaze’s music are meend

and ghaseet. The fact that his teachers included beenkar-s, tantakaar-s and

dhrupadiya-s11 only meant an assimilation of certain stylistic features of

10 Refer to analysis of Raga Miyan Malhar above. 11 Vaze performed khayal predominantly; he nevertheless was influenced by practitioners of other genres as well. Refer to the note in the first part of this chapter which enumerates vaze’s various guru-s and influences during his training period.

85 his teachers in his gayaki. Conversational utterances or words like arre and haan

that are not part of the original song text, find place in Vaze’ khayal renderings. Pause

was an important feature of his gayaki. Since the aalap was built around short phrases

as mentioned earlier, pause between these phrases assumed a greater significance

and subsequently served the purpose of letting the listener absorb and assimilate a

musical idea effectively.

6. Types of Tana-s: The sapaat (straight) tana-s, arohi and avarohi tana-s and the

ladiguthaava tana-s which are all part of the Gwalior vocalism, find a place in

Vaze’s gayaki as well. A patterning in tana-s that Vaze often resorted to, was to

initiate a short phrase followed by repeatedly singing the phrase a number of times

and rounding it off by a tapered (shorter) version of the same phrase. His tana-s

were not particularly known for speed but as Ranade (2011:54).

points out this aspect was significantly made up by the bewildering

patterning of note clusters that gave an illusion of faster speed in his tana-s.

7. Choice of Raga-s: The large number of guru-s that Vaze trained under enabled

him to acquire a wide repertoire of raga-s which included rare variants of many

raga-s. For instance he has published a bandish in madhyalaya ektala in

Jayant-Kanada which he describes as a combination of Jaijaivanti and Kanada.

He also lists many variants of Kanada that he had heard like Raajshaahi Kanada,

Nauhari Kanada, Jasodi Kanada and Sohani Kanada (1938:59). These compositions

are published in his text ‘Sangeet Kala Prakash’ hence it can safely be conjectured

86 that they were part of his performing repertoire. Additionally, for each raga he had

a significant collection of compositions. This enhanced his perspective of elaboration

in each raga as different bandish-s portray varied nuances of the same raga. While

the Gwalior gharana gayaki is known for dealing extensively with well known

raga-s, Vaze expanded this repertoire by including many rare raga-s as well. His

recorded music reveals this wide repertoire width and his book ‘Sangeet Kala

Prakash’ documents rare raga-s like Tiraban and Pata-manjiri.

8. Preference for Genre: A review of the recorded music and the notated compositions

shows that khayal (vilambit and drut) was the predominant genre that Vaze

performed. He is understood to have learnt thumri. He also had a successful stint

as a natya sangeet vocalist and composer.

87 4.3 Anant Manohar Joshi

A gayaki that steadfastly adhered to the tenets of his parent gharana but was nevertheless presented with fluidity and marked by softness in intonation, is what is striking when one hears Anant Manohar Joshi’s khayal performances. He was a direct disciple of

Balkrishnabua Icchalkaranjikar, one of the pioneers to have established and propagated the

Gwalior gharana style in Maharashtra. He was a representative of his gharana and like his guru, contributed to popularizing the style through his teaching. However, Anant Manohar

Joshi’s music acquired an altogether different dimension due to the influence of Rehmat

Khan’s gayaki and this justifies his inclusion for the purpose of the present study.

Anant Manohar started his training under Balkrishnabua Icchalkaranjikar learning the nuances of the Gwalior gayaki in the traditional guru-shishya parampara. Rehmat Khan was his other major influence from whom he acquired the skills to present what he had learnt, in a more polished manner by bringing in an element of ‘rang’, an important feature that enhances the emotional quotient of music. This is a fact that he mentions in his autobiography that was published at a later period in a periodical named Rudravani.1

He further adds that although he was well versed (from his prior training) with the delineation of many raga- s, from Rehmat Khan’s gayaki, he tried to imbibe the inherent sweetness in the presentation of aalap-s, the effortlessness in reaching the sam point despite complexity, new patterns in tana-palte (tana patterns) and the unique sapaat tana-s that Rehmat Khan excelled in.2

1 An autobiographical article by Anant Manohar Joshi and later edited by his grand-daughter Sucheta Bidkar was published in a periodical named Rudravani. See Joshi 1995: 33. 2 Ibid.: 33

88 Anant Manohar had his music training from two stalwarts as stated above but he also belonged to a family steeped in music. He was born on 8th March 1881 in Kinhai, a village in the erstwhile princely state of Oundh, Satara district of Maharashtra. His father Manoharbua was gifted with a marvelously charming voice coupled with an inborn aptitude for music and was apparently a favourite in the Oundh court because of his sweet renderings of devotional music (Ranade 2011: 104). He had his musical training from Ravjibua Gogte of

Icchalkaranji, who in turn, was a disciple of Devjibua of Dhar, an exponent of the Gwalior gharana (ibid.: 104). The Raja of Sangli palace (in western Maharashtra) upon listening to

Manoharbua’s music, was impressed by his talent and appointed him as a court musician.

The family subsequently shifted to Sangli. During this period Manoharbua also interacted with eminent musicians such as Mahadevbua Gokhale (Miraj), Bhaurao Kagwadkar and Raojibua Gogte. Manoharbua died an untimely death in 1888, when his son Anant

Manohar Joshi was still quite young. His mother was keen to arrange for a sound music education for her son as his initial progress in music was remarkable. Around the same time

Balkrishnabua Icchalkaranjikar had returned to Miraj from Gwalior after completing his training in the Gwalior gharana gayaki.

Anant Manohar was fortunate to have been accepted as his disciple and thus began his rigorous training in this gayaki. Owing to his father’s status as a musician, Anant Manohar’s family had always enjoyed cordial relations with the rulers of the Oundh state. During his training period with Balkrishnabua Icchalkaranjikar, he was financially supported by the

Oundh court. He describes his talim sessions (learning sessions) spread across thrice a day

89 (Joshi 1995:32). His co-disciples during this period were Gundubua Ingle and Vishnu

Digambar Paluskar. They received instructions in the guru-shishya tradition and learnt bandish-s in different raga-s, aalap-tana patterns, acquired command over tala-s like jhoomra, tilwada and adachoutala. Apart from khayal, Anant Manohar also learnt other genres such as tappa and tarana.

After his training in 1896 he embarked on a concert tour along with Vishnu Digambar

Paluskar during the course of which he performed successfully in Baroda, Indore, Ujjain,

Mathura, Gwalior, Delhi, Amritsar, Lahore and Jullandhar. Even after being so well- trained, the quest for knowledge continued. They spent a considerable amount of time in

Mathura apparently to improve their knowledge of hindi and learn dhrupad (Ranade 2011:

111). Anant Manohar Joshi composed many bandish-s. His compositions in raga Ramkali

(tu hi karataara jagata aadhara, chotaa khayal in teentala) or raga Shree (chalo ri mayi ramasiya darasanako in teentala) to name a few, bear testimony to his literary proficiency.

Anant Manohar’s association with Rehmat Khan began when he was employed at the

Oundh state as a court musician. His contemporaries during this time were Gundubua Ingle and Nathbua Pakhwaji. After his sojourns he settled down in Oundh to fulfill the contractual obligation towards the Oundh ruler who had provided financial support during his music training on the condition that he came back and worked for the court. It was during this period that he had an opportunity to accompany Rehmat Khan. An incident during this period proved to be a turning point in his music education. Vishnupant Chatre, who is chiefly credited with having revived the career of Rehmat Khan, the highly creative scion

90 of the Gwalior gharana, had organized his recital in neighbouring Satara, about an hour’s journey from Oundh. Anant Manohar along with his colleague Gundubua Ingle decided to attend the concert and subsequently reached Satara. Upon seeing both the disciples of Balkrishnabua Icchalkaranjikar, Vishnupant Chatre instructed them to provide vocal support in Rehmat Khan’s recital. Though Anant Manohar had some reservations about this, considering that he had never heard Rehmat Khan and was slightly overwhelmed by the situation, he nevertheless ceased the opportunity and came out with flying colours earning immense admiration and praise from the audience and Vishnupant Chatre. On

Chatre’s advice Anant Manohar subsequently travelled with Rehmat Khan and provided him vocal support for a period of four years. During this period he is understood to have gained expertise towards a more refined presentation that eventually enriched his gayaki.

In his autobiographical article Anant Manohar states that “I was already adept in the formal architecture of many raga-s but during my sojourns with Rehmat Khan, I was able to acquire a greater understanding on the subtleties of his aalap-s, new tana patterns and his ability to dexterously arrive at the sam keeping the surprise element intact (Joshi 1995:

33).” There is another incident which Anant Manohar Joshi’s son Gajananbua, himself an eminent musician, recounts (Ranade 2011: 272). Faiyyaz Khan, the stalwart of the Agra gharana heard Gajananbua Joshi’s music once and was surprised to find Rehmat Khan’s musical shades in his singing. Upon enquiry, Gajananbua narrated to him Anant Manohar’s brief association with Rehmat Khan. This again shows that Anant Manohar had internalized

Rehmat Khan’s gayaki to a considerably competent level, to have passed it on successfully to his son.

91 Anant Manohar Joshi shifted to Bombay in search of work and lived there for close to

15 years. He established a music school in 1907 naming it Shri Guru Samartha gayan vadan vidyalaya. He attained considerable success as a teacher and as his school grew in reputation, it started attracting talented students. His disciples during this period included

S.N. Ratanjankar who as Anant Manohar Joshi mentions in his autobiography (1995: 34), first learnt the Gwaliorgayaki and later was trained in the Agra gayaki. Chaugule, Godbole and Gokhale were his other disciples who apparently contributed to the music education in the municipal schools in the early days. Like many of his contemporaries in the Gwalior gharana, Anant Manohar published three volumes of ‘Sangeet Pravesha’ and ‘Harmonium delighter’. Despite a successful stint in Bombay, he had to move because personal tragedy struck with the demise of his wife and three sons. This led him to finally settle down in

Oundh with his only surviving son, Gajananbua Joshi, upon invitation from the then ruling prince Shrimant Balasaheb Pantpratinidhi. Anant Manohar Joshi had virtually retired from an active music career after the demise of his wife and three sons. This was also a period when he had taken to an ascetic way of life accepting the discipleship of Shivanand Swami.

Ranade (2011:108) notes that his career was again revived in 1947 after which he began broadcasting regularly through the All India Radio. As his music grew in reputation, his role as a concert artiste increased. In 1955, he was honoured by the Central Sangeet Natak

Akademy. He expired at the age of 86.

4.3.1 Analysis of Selected Recordings: Raga Chayanat and Raga Gaudmalhar

All the available recordings of Anant Manohar Joshi in the public domain are from the

All India Radio archives. The raga-s that have been reviewed are : Miyan Malhar (sumara

92 naama ko mana hi ke mana mein; self-composed drut khayal in teentala), Malgunji (raina

kari daraavata jaage re, drut khayal in teentala), Alhaiya Bilawal (peevana laago maa, drut

khayal in teentala), Chayanat (karata ho, vilambit khayal in tilwada and yeri maalaniyaa

gunde laavori, drut khayal in teentala), Gaudmalhar (kahe ho; vilambit khayal in tilwada

and balama bahar aayi re, drut khayal in teentala) and Yaman (mora mana baandha

leenho in vilambit ektala; langara tura kachina in drut teentala). The voice quality in all these recordings appears a bit shaky considering that the vocalist was over 65 during the period of the recordings. Nevertheless, they are a valuable source of familiarizing with the gayaki of Anant Manohar Joshi. I have chosen raga-s Gaudmalhar and Chayanat for a detailed analysis. Both are commonly sung raga-s of the Gwalior idiom. Samples of the same bandish in raga Chayanat sung by other musicians (part of this study) are also available and this justifies the selection of raga Chayanat here.

A: Raga Chayanat-Melodic structure in texts (Kramik Pustak Malika and Raga Vigyan)

The detailed analysis of each raga will be preceded by a brief account of the raga-s as given in the texts of Bhatkhande and Patwardhan. This will aid in a comparative analysis of the melodic phraseology of the raga as given by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan (taken as a standard in the Gwalior gharana) and the vocalist in question (in the present case, Anant

Manohar Joshi). However, the general observations with comparison to Gwalior gharana features will be based on all the recordings reviewed and the written literature on his gayaki as already mentioned previously.

93 Bhatkhande provides a detailed account of the raga Chayanat along with many notated

compositions including the vilambit khayal (karata ho) in his text ‘Kramik Pustak Malika

Part 4’ (1939: 108-109). Chayanat is described as heptatonic (sampoorna) both in the

aroha ( gm, ao, J ‘ n, Zr Y, gm§ ) and in the avaroha ( gm§ Zr Y n, n Y n, J ‘ ao gm ).

The raga is classified under the Kalyanthaat with the use of both the madhyam-s shuddha and tivra; however tivra madhyam is permitted only in the ascending movement (aroha) of the raga. Shuddha madhyam is used in both aroha and avaroha. Pancham and rishabh

are designated as the vadi and samvadi notes respectively though rishabh is also noted as

the vadi note according to some. Pancham-rishabh ( n ao ) sangati is an important feature of the raga that is amply explored. The melodic expression of meend is employed between the notes n and ao and is a characteristic feature of the raga. The notes gandhar and nishad

assume vakra (non-sequential) movement in the aroha and avaroha respectively; this rule

is ignored while singing tana-s. Komal nishad is sometimes sung as a vivadi note.

Chalan (melodic phraseology):

• n ao, J ‘ n, ‘ J, ‘ ao gm / gm, ao gm, ao J, aoJ ‘ n, n, Y n, gm§

• nngm§ , gm§, a| gm§, gm§, Y gm§, n Y n gm§

• gm§, Y Zr n, n ao, ao J ‘ n, ‘ J ‘ ao, gm ao, gm

• n gm§ gm§ Y n, n Y n, ao J ‘ n, J ‘ ao gm gm§ Zr Y n ‘ ‘ ao gm, a| a| gm§ Zr Y n

‘ ‘ ao gm, a| a| gm§ gm§ Y n, n gm§ gm§ Y n n Y n, ao J ‘ n, J ‘ ao gm

A detailed account of Raga Chayanat is given in the text ‘Raga Vigyan Part 1’ published

and authored by Vinayakbua Patwardhan (1936/2001: 1-3). Since he did not agree to the

94 theory of thaat-raga classification and preferred to classify raga-s as belonging to specific

anga-s, Raga Chayanat is considered to be a derivative of the Kalyan anga. The raga

is documented as hexatonic (shadava) in the aroha ( gm, ao J J‘n, n Y n gm§ ) and

Zr J J n heptatonic (sampoorna) in the avaroha ( gm§ Y n, Y n, n ao, ao, ao J J ‘ n ao gm ).

This is closer to the contemporary performance practice which avoids nishad in the arohi movement as against Bhatkhande’s prescription of a heptatonic (sampoorna) movement in the ascending phrases. Like Bhatkhande, he emphasizes on the swar sangati between the notes pancham and rishabh. Tivra madhyam is sparsely used with the movement defined

Zr Zr by the phrases Y n, nY n, gm§ Y nn, Zr gm§ a| gm§ Y n. Komal nishad is designated the

role of a vivadi swara in the avaroha or descending movement.

Skeletal Phraseology (Chalan):

• gm gm‹Y ‹n, ‹n ao, J ao J J ‘ ao ‹Zrgm, gm ao J ao J aoJ ‘ n, n Y n n ao,

n Y n gm§, ao J ‘ Y n gm§

• gm§ Y n, Y n n ao, J ao J J ‘ n ‘, ‘ ao gm, n Y n n ao, J ‘ ao gm

• ao J ‘ n ‘ J ao gm, a| a| gm§ gm§ Y n n ao J ‘ n J ‘ ao gm

What follows is the analysis of a khayal in Raga Chayanat performed by Anant Manohar

Joshi. The recording clip has been studied on the basis of the melodic structure of the raga,

the bandish details, tempo of the khayal, improvisation and patterns of tana-s.

B: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Chayanat sung by Anant Manohar Joshi

The duration of the recording is 13 ½ minutes comprising of a vilambit khayal in tilwada

Karata ho which is a popular khayal among Gwalior gharana musicians, followed by a

95 drut khayal in drut teentala composed by Anant Manohar Joshi eri maalaniyaa gunde laavori (Clip 6). Raga Chayanat is one of the patent raga-s performed by Gwalior gharana practitioners. It belongs to the category of raga-s known as chalan raga-s which rely on elaboration through raga phrases rather than note by note development. This feature in itself is conducive to the basic philosophy of vistaar in the Gwalior gharana gayaki and hence validates the popularity of this raga in the Gwalior repertoire.

1. The voice production is marked by clarity, flexibility and effortlessness in rendition.

The vocalist enjoyed a vocal range of about two octaves. The focus in this clip is on

the madhya saptak and upper registers, commensurate with the nature of the raga in

question. Anant Manohar sings at a fundamental pitch of D# or kali 2.

2. Introductory aalap prior to the bandish is not noted in this clip.

3. The clip starts directly with the bandish sthayi being sung once in two avartan-s.

The sthayi is again rendered thrice in one avartan (instead of the original two

avartan-s), each time with a slight variation. The sthayi mukhada is of two matra-s

J and sam is on the note ao. This is followed by the antara which is sung in two

avartan-s. Antara is rendered again once in two avartan-s five minutes into the

clip. Antara mukhada is set to two matra-s and the sam is on the note gm§. The

idea of singing the sthayi repeatedly at the beginning of the rendition is a way of

asserting the mood of the raga and can also be conjectured as a means to warm up

the voice. The lyrics of the bandish are clearly articulated; Karata ho moso neha

ki jhuthi jhuthi batiyan banaye/ ve to hamen jaanata tum ho jaanata sarsa gan

jaanata hiyara so hiyaraa deta jana.

96 4. The vilambit khayal is set to tilwada. The base tempo of the khayal is 53 beats per

minute. The tempo remains constant in the entire rendition with very negligible

increase in laya.

5. Aalap/ Improvisation: The rendition of the bandish sthayi and antara is followed

by the vistaar section. The vocalist does not deem it important to begin the vistaar

from notes in the lower octave. As a result the very first aalap using bol-s of the

bandish sthayi is directed towards the upper tonic ( J ‘ngm§ @ ). This clip has

only a few bol-aalap sequences. This could also be attributed to the short duration

of eight minutes. Some descending patterns of the bol-aalap-s are as follows:

ao Y n ao J J ‘ ao gm, n J ‘ ao gm, gm§ Y n n, n ‘ J ao gm ao gm gm . Vistaar sequences

are typically one avartan each.

6. Bol tana-s/ Bol-bant/ Layakari: Bol tana-s are rendered early on, in this clip. The

common patterns in bol-tana-s are: chut tana-s with bol-tana-s beginning from

the notes ‘, n, gm§ ; sapaat tana-s using bol-s of the bandish is also noticeable.

The distribution of the sthayi bol-s employing tisra jaati is noted in one avartan

sequence of bolbant. Another noticeable feature of the bolbant sequence is that the

entire song text of the bandish sthayi is sung twice within a tala cycle. Tihai using

the words karata ho in one matra is rendered once after a bol-aalap sequence.

7. Tana-s, like bol-tana-s are the predominant feature of this rendering. Avarohi (with

many sequences starting from the taara shadja) and sapaat tana-s are the most

prominent. The notes in sapaat tana-s are rendered as a straight tana instead of the

vakra chalan that the raga demands. A recurring pattern in tana-s involves elongation

97 of the avarohi phrase sung, each time increasing the span of the sequence.eg.

aoJ‘n ‘Jaogmgm, n@‘Jaogmgm, gm§@gm§Ynn ‘J n‘Jaogmgm gm§a|gm§@gm§Ynn, Yn‘J

aogmgm, nnZrgm§ a|J§‘§a| gm§@gm§Yn ‘Jaogmgm

8. This type of tana is akin to badhat tana. The employment of khane puri in both

bol-tana-s and tana-s, is also a notable feature. A particular sequence of notes or

phrases is concentrated within four to six matra-s before moving on to another

segment that emphasizes the middle octave which could also include a phrase

resting on taara shadja. The entire vistaar is then wrapped up through a segment

covering notes in the higher octave and concluded with an avarohi phrase.

‘ n ‘ J ao gm gm, ao gm gm ‹Y ‹n ‹n ‹Zr gm ao ao gm gm /

ao J ‘ Zr Y n n, Y n n ao J ‘ n ‘ J ‘ ao gm gm, n n Zr gm§ a| a| gm§ gm§,

gm§ gm§ a| J§ ‘§ a| gm§ gm§ a| gm§ gm§ Y n n ‘ J

9. Anant Manohar Joshi confirms to the raga chalan as prescribed in the texts

of Bhatkhande and Patwardhan. The subtle use of komal nishad in the avarohi

movements is noticeable.

Drut Bandish

The drut bandish set to teentala, is composed by Anant Manohar Joshi. The duration

of the drut khayal is five minutes. The rendition is marked by the inclusion of all the

components of improvisation. The first part sthayi is sung once with each line of the

song text repeated twice. This is followed by a few sequences of bol-variations of the

98 first line of the sthayi. Antara is rendered twice in the entire clip. The bol-s of sthayi

are particularly utilized for bol-bant with a sprinkling of tihai-s. There are instances

when the bol-s of the entire sthayi are rendered as part of the bol-bant sequence. The

tana patterns executed are similar to that in vilambit with an abundance of sapaat and

avarohi tana-s articulated in aakar.

C: Delineation of Raga Gaudmalhar in texts (Kramik Pustak Malika and Raga Vigyan)

The second raga chosen for analysis is a recording of Raga Gaudmalhar, preceding which the musicological details of the raga as mentioned in the texts, ‘Kramik Pustak Malika’ and

‘Raga Vigyan’ by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan respectively have been documented.

Gaudmalhar is a popular raga sung during the rainy season. Bhatkhande gives a detailed account of the raga illustrating the aroha, avaroha, chalan and also a few aalap and tana patterns depicting the delineation of the raga in his book ‘Kramik Pustak Malika Part 4’

(1939: 521-522). This also comprises a number of notated compositions collected from musicians of different gharana-s. Thus, in some way, Bhatkhande’s text on raga grammar can be considered to be fairly accommodative and liberal. The raga is derived from either the Kafi thaat or Khamaj thaat. While the notes shuddha and komal nishad are permitted, the use of both the gandhar-s is somewhat debatable. Both the versions of Gaudmalhar with shuddha gandhar and komal gandhar are in wide circulation. Bhatkhande documents that in their raga delineation, khayal singers tend to prefer shuddha gandhar, while dhrupad singers have a preference for the komal gandhar. Madhyam and shadja are assigned as the vadi and samvadi notes respectively. The melodic movement in the aroha and the avaroha assume two versions dependent on the type of gandhar used (komal or shuddha).

99 gm ao ‘, n, Y, gm§ / gm§ Zr n, ‘ n, J ‘, ao gm§ or ao J ao ‘ J ao gm, ao n ‘ n, Y gm§ / gm§ Y

Zr n, ‘ J ‘ ao gm.

Basic Phraseology (chalan):

• ‘ J, ao J gm, gm ao J, aoJ ‘, ‘ ao, n, ‘ n gm§Y, gm§

• gm§, Y n, Y n ‘ J, ao J, ‘, Y n, ‘ J, ao J, gm, ao J, ‘

• gm§ a| gm§ Zr Y n ‘ n Y Zr gm§ Zr Y n ‘ J, ao J ‘ n ‘ J ao gm

• gm§ gm§ Y n ‘ J ao gm, J§ J§ a| gm§ gm§ Y n ‘ J ao gm

Patwardhan has given details of Raga Gaudmalhar along with notated compositions in his

text ‘Raga Vigyan Part 3’ (1937/1991: 24-25). Not subscribing to the classification of raga-s

into thaat-s, Patwardhan prescribes the khamaj-anga for Raga Gaudmalhar. Patwardhan

documents the raga as heptatonic (sampoorna) in the aroha ( gm ao J ‘ J ‘, ‘ n Y Zr gm§ )

J as well as in the avaroha ( gm§ Y Zr n ‘, J ao, ao J ao gm ). This raga is understood to be a combination of Dakshinatya Gaud and Malhar. The major point of differentiation is that Gaudmalhar permits only shuddha gandhar as against komal gandhar in other

Malhar variants. This clearly differs from Bhatkhande’s stand of two versions of

Gaudmalhar prevalent in performance practice. The movements of notes is vakra and not sequential. Most aalap sequences begin with the phrase ao J ‘ J ‘ and conclude with

J ao, J ao gm. The sangati of notes madhyam and komal nishad is particularly noteworthy

gm§ Zr Zr n ‘, Zr n ‘, ‘ Zr n ‘, ‘ n Y Zr n ‘ J. According to Patwardhan, a variant of

raga Gaudmalhar omitting the note gandhar is also prevalent. Shringara rasa predominates

and this raga is commonly sung during the rainy season.

100 Melodic phraseology (Chalan):

• gm ao J ‘ J ‘, ‘n‘, ‘nYZrn J‘, ‘ n Y Zr gm§

• gm§ @ Y Zr n J‘, J§ J§ @ a| Zrgm§, gm§ a| a|Y Zr n J‘,

gm§ a§o Zr gm§ gm§Y Zr n J‘, J ao J ao J - ao gm

D: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Gaudmalhar sung by Anant Manohar Joshi

Anant Manohar Joshi renders a vilambit khayal (kahe ho) in tilwada followed by a drut bandish in drut teentala (balama bahar aayi). The clip is an excerpt of an All India Radio recording (duration 33 minutes) and the vocalist is accompanied by his son Gajananbua

Joshi (as vocal support) with Gopal Mishra on the sarangi and Anokhe Lal on the tabla.

The analysis of the vilambit khayal is given below (Clip 7).

1. The clip starts with a short introductory aalap in aakar. The duration of the introductory

aalap is 1 ½ minutes, outlining and introducing the main phrases of the raga. gm ao gm gm ‹Y ‹Y ‹Zr n @ ‹Zr ‹Y‹Zrgm gm ao gm, ‘ n ‘ J aoJ, J @ gm

2. Sthayi is sung in two avartan-s and twice at the beginning of the clip. The antara is

rendered once towards the end of the clip in two avartan-s. Mukhada of the bandish

sthayi is sung in one matra with the sam on the note madhyam.

3. The tempo of the vilambit khayal is 45-54 beats per minute. There is an increase in laya

after 20 minutes.

4. Aalap: Aakar and bol-s of the bandish (sthayi) are frequently used as the primary

articulatory devices in aalap-s. The bandish is the backbone of the rendition; asserted

by the fact that many vistaar sequences comprise of sub-phrases taken from the bandish.

101 The vistaar moves systematically focusing on gm, J, ‘, Y and gm§. While focus on a

particular note is felt, the singer never really delves on any note for too long in order

to maintain the inherent flow in the gayaki. The sthayi mukhada is primary in melodic

improvisation. There is no separate vistaar of the antara section. Phraseology:

• J aogm, gm ao gm @ J @ aoJ n ‘ J aoJ(gm), ‘ @ J ao gm ao gm gm

• gm ‹Y ‹n @ ‹‘ ‹n ‹Y ‹Zr gm @ gm ao gm aoJ, ao J ‘ n ‘ J aoJ ao J ‘ J aoJ gm

• ‘ @ @ ao J J ao J ‘ ‘ n @ n @ ‘ n ‘, ao J ‘ n, ‘ n Y @ n ‘ n ‘ J,

‘ ‘ n Y, Zr Y Zr n, Yn Y Y n ‘

• ‘ J ao gm gm , ao J ‘ , ao gm gm , ao J J ao J ‘ aoJ ao @ gm ao gm gm

n ‘ J, Y n ‘ J, n ‘ J , ao J ‘ n Y n ‘ J aoJ aogm

Upaj anga is also evident in the behelawa and aalap section, where in each

phrase seems to emerge out of the preceding phrase as in the following example: ‘ ‘ n Y Zr gm§ @ Y Zr n‘‘ , ‘ n nY YZr n‘‘ , ‘n‘‘ Zr Y Zr n ‘, n Y gm§

ao ao Zr Zr Y @ Zr @ n @ ‘ n Y n , ‘ n ‘ J J gm. An example of the employment of

ao ao khane puri: ‘ Y Y Y @ Yn‘J aoJ aogmgm, Y Y n ‘ n ‘ J J ao @ ‘ @ J gm gm, gm gm ao J ‘ n, Y Zr gm§ @ Yn‘‘, ‘nY n‘‘, n‘ @ n‘JaoJ

5. Bol-tana-s are prominent after 20 minutes into the clip. The tempo of the tala is slightly

increased at this point. Bol-tana-s are rendered after the completion of aalap. The

principle of khane puri is employed. The patterns of tana- s noticed range from arohi,

avarohi and chut tana-s.

102 6. The common types of tana-s articulated in aakar are avarohi and sapaat tana-s.

gm§ gm§ Y n ‘ J ao gm gm. Chut tana-s are also noted. The patterning in tana-s is similar

to that in bol-tana-s.

Based on the analysis of two raga-s given above and a few other recording samples along with information on the gayaki of Anant Manohar Joshi from other sources like literary

and interview, the similarities and differences of his gayaki relative to the features of the

Gwalior gharana are enumerated below.

4.3.2 Observations on Anant Manohar Joshi’s Gayaki

1. Swar lagaav or voice production is marked by clarity. Anant Manohar’s renditions seem

to suggest that he had total command over his voice which seldom required warming

up and a full throated vocalization was preferred. While this is an accepted feature of

the Gwalior gharana gayaki, Antubua was deeply influenced by the vocalization of

Rehmat Khan’s gayaki. This lent an element of continuity and fluidity, evident from his

recorded music. The range of voice spanned 2 octaves and the pitch was D# or kali 2

which is commensurate with the preference for a high pitched voice in the Gwalior

gayaki.

2. Introductory Aalap: The initial aalap before the commencement of the bandish was

given due emphasis. The aalap was sung to the extent of highlighting the main phrases

of the raga to be performed and occasionally nom-tom aalap as in his rendering of raga

Yaman. The articulation was mainly through aakar occasionally using syllables like ri,

da, na. This again confirms to the Gwalior gayaki norm wherein a short introduction

103 of the raga is the preferred choice. The aalap is also in accordance with the melodic

structure of the succeeding bandish. As an illustration a drut bandish in raga Miyan

Malhar with the mukhada towards the upper tonic is preceded by a prelude aalap that

delineates the raga in this specific region. Likewise in Gaudmalhar, the rendition is

preceded by an introductory aalap (four short aalap-s) spanning phrases of the raga till

the note madhyam.

3. Bandish Treatment: Faithful rendition of bandish is a notable feature of his gayaki.

While rendering vilambit khayal-s, the sthayi was sung twice and the antara once. The

importance accorded to the bandish is also relevant during the vistaar section which

involved unfolding the raga keeping the bandish as the basis. In the Gwalior vocalism,

the usual norm is to render the sthayi and antara at the onset. Anant Manohar chose to

establish the sthayi, rendering it even more than two times but sang the antara after a

few avartan-s of improvisation. The same format is followed in the drut bandish-s. He

utilized the bandish tempo to determine the overall laya of the presentation.

4. Laya Concept and Choice of Tala: The preferred laya of the bandish-s was madhya

laya thereby confirming to the Gwalior norm. His vilambit khayal-s are rendered at a

base tempo ranging from 45-54 beats per minute. A review of his recorded music reveals

that he sang khayal-s in tilwada (mostly), jhoomra and ektala while drut khayal-s are

set to teentala. Choice of tala largely confirms to the Gwaliorgharana repertoire. Anant

Manohar had an acute understanding of the tala and followed the principle of khane-

puri by dividing the tala avartan into specific segments and organizing the melodic

material accordingly.

104 5. Aalap /Improvisation: Anant Manohar adopted a comprehensive approach to vistaar.

The idea was always to present the overall mood of the raga in question and maintain

the inherent flow of the same. Upon listening to his recorded music, a striking quality of

his vistaar is the fluidity that it acquires. The boundaries between vistaar sequences in

aakar, using bol-s of the bandish or even a behelawa are blurred. There is no deliberate

attempt to present these sections exclusively. His primary articulatory devices in this

section were an open aakar and bol-s of the bandish. However, having said this, the

melodic movements in aalap did develop in accordance with the phraseology of the

bandish. This is strictly in accordance to the Gwalior idiom which places importance

to the development of khayal on the basis of the bandish. Keeping the focus on the

permitted nyas swar-s of the raga, phrases are woven around these notes. The principle

of khane puri is frequently employed and forms a major tool of improvisation throughout

the rendition. Upaj-anga aalap sequences where in an initial melodic phrase would be

taken up and expanded subsequently was a noticeable feature of his gayaki. The arrival

of the sam after every melodic development appears to blend seamlessly. In common

musical parlance, the sam should ‘arrive on its own’ and Anant Manohar seems to

have adopted this strategy. In many ways, the vistaar section largely confirms to the

norms of the Gwalior gayaki but possibly due to his influence of Rehmat Khan’s music,

he brought in an element of abandon in his singing which is quite evident in all his

renditions and which also helped him break free from the supposed predictability in the

stylistics of his parent gharana.

105 6. Tana-s were dominated by sapaat varieties characterized by straightening of the tana-s

especially in the avarohi movement even in raga-s which involved vakra placement

of notes as seen in the above examples of raga-s Chayanat and Gaudmalhar. This is a

significant trait of the Gwalior style. Tana-s in Anant Manohar’s renditions maintains

a strong co-relation to the phraseology of the raga and rendered accordingly. The

common types of tana-s employed, all of which are part of the Gwalior idiom are:

arohi and avarohi sapaat tana-s, badhat tana-s highlighted through the principle of

khane-puri and chut tana-s.

7. Choice of Raga-s: The available recording corpus of the vocalist and a review of the

notated compositions in the books authored by him, suggest that he largely confirmed

to the Gwalior gharana repertoire and sang well known raga-s such as Yaman,

Gaudmalhar, Malgunji, Chayanat, Jaijaivanti, Alhaiyya Bilawal and Miyan Malhar.

8. Preference for Genre: The predominant form that he performed was khayal. Ranade

mentions that tarana and an occasional sargamgeet was also part of his repertoire. The

vocalist has also notated a few dhrupad-s in his book ‘Sangeet Pravesh’. In one of his

interactions with Anant Manohar Joshi, Ranade (2011: 111) stumbled upon a notebook

with hand written dhrupad compositions. Antubua mentioned that the dhrupad-s were

part of his collections acquired during the time he spent in Mathura. He is said to have

remarked: “The aim was to improve our Hindi and learn dhrupad. You should always

learn more than what you perform.” As documented by Anant Manohar himself in

106 his autobiography, he is understood to have learnt a few tappa-s and tarana-s from his first guru Balkrishnabua Icchalkaranjikar (Joshi 1995: 32). He authored abook

(‘Natya Sangeet’) comprising of notated natyapada-s popular during his time.

So in principle he did enjoy a wide repertoire width but chose to predominantly perform khayal.

107 4.4 Krishnarao Shankar Pandit

A power packed performance , effortlessly spanning three octaves, technical virtuosity, a

robust gayaki and adhering to the authentic tenets of the Gwalior gharana, is reminiscent

with the music of Krishnarao Shankar Pandit (henceforth will also be addressed as

Krishnarao). He was a proud representative of his gharana and also one who steadfastly

worked for the propagation and popularization of the same.

Krishnarao Shankar Pandit was born on 26th July 1893 in an illustrious family of musicians in Gwalior. His grandfather Vishnu Pandit was a keertankar and a respected Sanskrit Pandit employed in the court of Jiwajirao Scindia to teach Sanskrit shloka-s to the musicians

Haddu Khan, Hassu Khan and Natthu Khan. Subsequently, Vishnu Pandit’s sons Shankar

Pandit and Eknath Pandit trained briefly under Haddu Khan, then Natthu Khan and after their demise from Nissar Hussain Khan. Later, Nissar Hussain Khan, upon losing royal patronage left the court and stayed at Shankar Pandit’s home. Krishnarao thus grew up in a household steeped in the tradition of the authentic Gwalior gharana gayaki.

Understandably, Krishnarao’s first guru was his father Shankar Pandit, who was himself

an eminent vocalist so much so that his guru Nissar Hussain Khan is understood to have

remarked thus “If anyone wants to listen to the singing of my youth then they should hear

Shankar” referring to Shankar Pandit. (Pandit 1996: 21). Krishnarao started his training in

music from a very young age. He learnt from Shankar Pandit and occasionally also from

Nissar Hussain Khan. He was endowed with a good voice which was cultivated further to

sing with ease in three octaves through swar sadhana in the specific mode of the Gwalior

108 gharana. He also acquired a large collection of compositions in different raga-s and genres such as khayal, tappa, tarana and ashtapadi. This again is a highly cherished trait of the

Gwalior idiom.

Krishnarao began his performing career at the age of 14 and also recorded extensively for the All India Radio soon after its inception. He founded the Shankar Gandharva Vidyalaya, a music school named after his father in the year 1914. The primary aim of the school was to propagate the gayaki that was handed over to him by his guru-s. The emphasis was on producing reasonable level of performers and the bandish–oriented teaching system was found to be appropriate to work towards this goal (Bhagwat 1992: 13). Neela

Bhagwat who has written a monograph on Krishnarao Pandit observes that his method of teaching was systematic and graded. The disciple was taught bandish-s, then mastery of the technique and finally the elaboration of the total form of the bandish (ibid.:13). Emphasis was on full throated singing and due attention was paid to cultivating a pliable voice. We can see the strong presence of these aspects in his gayaki upon listening to his recorded music. The establishment of this music school served two purposes; one was to impart the authentic Gwalior gayaki, as stated above, to future generations; the second was to secure a respectable source of income. Krishnarao also enjoyed the patronage of the royal court of

Gwalior from 1912-1918. This was an inevitable consequence of his family’s proximity to the royal family. He left the court for a brief period due to the differences which arose on account of V.N. Bhatkhande’s intervention in the music affairs of the court. The Maharaja of Gwalior appointed the eminent musicologist V.N. Bhatkhande for teaching the shastra

109 to the court musicians. Bhatkhande also wanted to procure traditional bandish-s of the

Gwalior gayaki from the Pandit family and publish the notated versions in his text ‘Kramik

Pustaka Malika’. Krishnarao’s son Laxman Pandit points out that while his father was not opposed to teaching the compositions to Bhatkhande, he was opposed to the idea of the latter wanting to publish the notated versions of the bandish-s as he feared possible loss of authenticity of the traditional bandish-s in doing so (Pandit 1996: 84-86). This apparently created a rift between the two.

Krishnarao believed in imparting his knowledge through the guru shishya parampara and was generous as a guru. Some of the well-known disciples include Sharad Chandra

Arolkar, Sadashivrao Amritphale and Laxman Pandit amongst many others. He was honoured with numerous accolades such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1959 and the Padmabhushan in 1973.

Describing Krishnarao’s gayaki as reflective of his personality, Mohan Nadkarni writes:

Krishnarao Pandit’s gayaki was a rare blend of ingenuity and craftsmanship-the

result of long arduous deliberation. He was endowed with a loud musical voice

and his mode of articulation was massive. His tala and laya was incisive. Be it

khayal, tappa, thumri or ashtapadi, he could depict them all with practiced ease

and originality (2005: 65).

To further augment and understand Krishnarao’s gayaki, analysis of a few recorded clips is given below.

110 4.4.1 Analysis of Selected Recordings: Raga Miyan ki Todi and Raga Hameer

Krishnarao Shankar Pandit had a prolific career as a concert performer spanning about

75 years. His success as a performer is further highlighted by the fact that he was a much recorded artiste of his generation. Neela Bhagwat has given a comprehensive discography of the vocalist that includes both commercial and private collection recording details

(1992:71-74). For the sake of this study I have reviewed the following recordings: Miyan ki Todi (Laala manavana in tilwada and sanch surana gaave in drut ektala), Hameer (mera alabela set to vilambit ektala), Shuddha Dhaivat Lalit (mana sumirana kara in vilambit

ektala and maayi ghungharavaa in drut teentala), Deshkar (kaase kahun; tilwada), Kalyan

(eri lala mile; ektala and tarana; teentala) and Gaudsarang (tarana in teentala). The detailed analysis of two raga-s Miyan ki Todi and Hameer has been documented. Miyan ki Todi is chosen because the same khayal (vilambit) rendered by Krishnarao Pandit’s disciple Sharad Chandra Arolkar, who is a subject of this study, is available. Hence the analysis of the same would assert the diversity within the gharana validating the major premise of this dissertation. Hameer is a commonly sung raga of the Gwalior idiom, hence it has been chosen for a detailed analysis here. Each analysis, as for previous vocalists, will be preceded by an overview of the raga-s by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan, in order to give an idea about the widespread nature of the raga. This will also provide the source for the observations on his gayaki with relation to the basic tenets of the Gwalior gayaki.

Additionally the observations are based on the study of other clips already mentioned

above and the available literature on his gayaki.

111 A: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Miyan ki Todi sung by Krishnarao Shankar Pandit

The melodic structure along with all the musicological details of Raga Miyan ki Todi from

the authoritative texts of Bhatkhande and Patwardhan have been documented earlier in

the chapter on Ramkrishnabua Vaze (refer to pages 76-77 of this thesis). The analysis of a

vilambit khayal in the same raga is documented as follows:

Published by HMV in 1972 (Bhagwat 1992: 71), the content of this recording includes a

vilambit khayal set to tilwada (laala manaavana mai chali). The duration of the clip is 15

minutes (Clip 8).

1. The voice production is clear and he does not seem to need any warming up; swar

lagaav being direct, open throated, confident and with adequate natural volume in the

voice. The vocalist enjoys a wide vocal range spanning 3 octaves with the timbre of

voice remaining constant and clearly audible even while singing lower octave notes

like ati-mandra shadja and ati-taara shadja. Krishnarao sings with a fundamental /

tonic at C# (kali 1).

2. The clip begins without any introductory aalap.

3. The bandish sthayi and antara are rendered successively, each being sung once in

one avartan. The sthayi mukhada is of two matra-s with the sam on the note cluster

Y n J ; Antara starts after the sam. Melodic structure of the bandish confirms to

the version given by bhatkhande; if at all there are changes, they are minor for instance

the mukhada of the sthayi is of three matra-s in Bhatkhande’s version. The tala given

by Bhatkhande is vilambit ektala where as the same khayal sung by Krishnarao is set

to tilwada.

112 4. The laya of the vilambit khayal is noted in the range of 40 -50 beats per minute. The

increase in laya is gradual and there is no specific point where the laya suddenly

changes.

5. Bol-aalap/Behelawa: The vistaar begins with behelawa sequences using bol-s of the

bandish. The overall pace of the aalap is fast in the sense that density of notes in an

avartan is higher right from the beginning. A number of vistaar sequences begin with a

phrase progressing towards taara shadja but the melodic material very often spans the

entire octave or more. Some salient features of this section are: behelawa interspersed

with fast passages akin to tappa anga phrases, use of samvaad-tatva with wide melodic

vocal leaps spanning three octaves ( ao J Y Zr @ ‹Zr , J§ J ‹J ); Conclusion of

the aalap and thereby arrival of sam is dramatic and has variety; for instance a short

tana of two matra-s with rest on pancham is rendered before taking up the mukhada

( Zr Zr Y Y Zr gm§ Zr Y J ao gm @ n @ ). Concluding melodic pattern before the

mukhada is also taken up by phrases employing meend Zr Y n - n.

6. Gamak laden bol-tana-s: Avarohi (descending) passages using the bol-s of the bandish

sthayi and use of gamak as a dominant melodic expression feature in this rendition.

J§ J§ a| , a| a| Zr, Zr Zr Y , Y Y , Zr Zr Y, J, Y Y , J ao , J, J J ao gm gm.

Phrases are woven in sets of three notes and follow an alternating ascending and

descending sequence (as shown in the example) rendered using gamak. The sequence

is concluded with a tihai.

7. Tana-s: Gamak tana-s, sapaat-avarohi tana-s and alankarik tana-s are commonly sung.

Some tana sequences are interspersed with tappa anga phrases. For instance; Starting

113 with a phrase gmaogmgm, followed by avarohi sapaat tana-s , then ascending to ati-taara

shadja and swooping down to mandra swar-s and finally concluding with tappa anga

tana-s ( which are punctuated with very short pauses in between); a patterning which

clearly displays the virtuosity of the artiste. A typical example of this kind of sequence

is shown below: Zr gm§ a| gm§ Y Zr gm§ Zr Y Zr Y , J Y , ao J J , gm ao J ao gm,

followed by tappa anga phrases Y , Y Zr Y Y , Zr gm§ Zr Zr , gm§ a| gm§ gm§;

followed by a long meend phrase before the mukhada from J§ ‹Y maintaining continuity

of intonation between the two notes : J§ a| Zr Y J ao gm ‹Zr ‹Y J ao gm.

8. Vistaar section is marked with avartan-s involving a combination of tana patterns sung

till one half of the avartan and bolbant taken up from the second half ( 9th matra).

9. The raga grammar has been strictly adhered to with no apparent deviation from the

known chalan of the raga.

B: Theoretical basis of Raga Hameer in texts (Kramik Pustak Malika and Raga Vigyan)

Bhatkhande (‘Kramik Pustak Malika Part 3’)1 classifies Raga Hameer under the

Kalyan thaat. The raga is documented as heptatonic (sampoorna) both in the aroha

( gm ao gm , J ‘ Y, Zr Y gm§ ) and the avaroha ( gm§ Zr Y n , n Y n , J ‘ ao gm ). He designates

the notes dhaivat and gandhar as vadi and samvadi respectively. According to Bhatkhande,

the Sanskrit texts have classified raga-s Hameer, Chayanat, Kedar and Kamod under the

bilawal thaat since only shuddha madhyam was permitted. But the more prevalent version of Hameer allows both the madhyam-s, hence the raga is classified under the Kalyanthaat .

1 Bhatkhande 1934: 61-62

114 Komal nishad is used as a vivadi note Y Zr n. While dhaivat is designated as the vadi note,

Bhatkhande states that since the raga is sung in the night and is a purvanga-vadi raga,

pancham as the vadi note is more appropriate. Use of both the madhyam-s is permitted

with the sparse use of tivra madhyam mostly taken up in the descending movement of the

raga. A common rule for raga-s with two madhyam-s, is that the movement of nishad and

gandhar is vakra (non-sequential) in the aroha and avaroha respectively.

Chalan (skeletal phraseology):

• gm , ao gm , J ‘ Y , gm ao J ‘ Y , Zr Y , gm§ , n n gm§

• gm§ Zr Y n, n Zr Y , n , n Y , n J , ‘ ao , gm

• n J , ‘ ao , J ‘ Y , n , J , ‘ ao , gm ao gm

• gm ao J ‘ Y n Zr Y gm§ Zr Y n n J ‘ ao gm , gm§ a| gm§ @ Zr Y n n J ‘ n J ‘ ao gm

Vinayakbua Patwardhan gives the musicological details pertaining to Raga Hameer in his

text ‘Raga Vigyan Part 2’ (1937/1996: 192-93). He designates the raga as either heptatonic

(sampoorna) in both the ascent and descent or hexatonic (shadava) in the ascent, omitting

Zr pancham in aroha ( gm ao J ‘ Y Zr gm§ ) and heptatonic (sampoorna) in the avaroha

( gm§ Zr Y n n J ‘ ao gm ). He further adds that pancham can be sung in the aroha only if the note is preceded by tivra madhyam; n Y Zr gm§. He classifies the raga under the

kalyan anga and prescribes the first quarter of the night as the time for the raga. Dhaivat

and gandhar are designated as the vadi and samvadi swar respectively. The characteristic

Zr Zr phrase (pakad) is given as J ‘ Y, Y n n J ‘ ao gm.

115 Chalan:

• gm ao gm, gm ao J ‘ ‘ ao gm , n nJ ‘n nJ ‘ ao gm , ao J ‘ Y ZrY n

n Y Zr gm§ , gm ao J ‘ ZrY ZrY gm§

• gm§ gm§Y Zr Y n , n Y Zr gm§ J @ ‘, Zr Y n J ‘ Y Y Zr

Y Zr gm§ J ‘ ao , ao J ‘ Y @ n J ‘ Y n J ‘ ao, gm

n Y Zr gm§ Zr Y n n J ‘ ao gm , gm ao J ‘ Y Zr gm§ a| gm§ Zr Y n n J ‘ ao gm

C: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Hameer performed by Krishnarao Shankar Pandit

The current recording comprises of only the vilambit khayal (mera alabelaa) set to ektala

(Clip 9). The duration of the clip is 15 minutes. This is a commercial recording published by HMV in 1972 (Bhagwat 1992:71).

1. Voice production or swar lagaav is direct and full throated. Vocal range is phenomenal

with no distortion or change in volume or timbre of the voice especially while singing

notes in the lower register. This ensures that the singer has a wider canvass to showcase

the melodic material. The vocalist sings at a fundamental pitch of kali 1 or C#.

2. The clip starts directly without any prelude aalap.

3. The sthayi and antara of the bandish are rendered successively at the beginning of the

clip. The sthayi is sung once in one avartan and the antara in two avartan-s. The sthayi

Zr mukhada is of 1 ¼ matra with the sam on the note Y. Antara begins after the sam. The

bandish lyrics are clearly articulated: mera alabela re meeta piyarava mora re; Laada

rahela ata hina sadarang saba khela are are tu to rakho.

116 4. The base tempo of the khayal is 31- 37 beats per minute. The variation in laya is

gradual. The co-relation with the theka is also very strong with pulsation entering quite

early on, in this clip.

5. Aalap/Bol-aalap: The section of aalap mainly through bol-s of the bandish are rendered

after presenting the bandish sthayi and antara. Vistaar sequences usually begin

from the 2nd or the 3rd matra after the sam. The pace of aalap is racy as against slow

development of the melodic ideas. The attempt is to create a definite picture of the raga

from the beginning itself. Supporting this strategy, the upper tonic gm§ is sung at roughly

three minutes into the clip. The tendency to plunge to notes in the lower register is

Zr a common feature. e.g: gm gm Y @ @ ‹Y @ ao gm. There are also instances when the

avartan is concluded with a fast passage spanning notes in different octaves before

taking up the mukhada. gm§ gm§ a| J§ ‘§ n§ , J§ ‘§ a| gm§ gm§ Y n n J @ @ J ‘ n J ‘ ao gm.

Another example of the same feature: Y Zr gm§ a| Zr gm§ , a| J§ ‘§ n§ J§ ‘§ , Zr gm§ a| Zr gm§ ,

n Y n, gm ao ‹Zr gm . Meend and gamak are essential means of expression

in his gayaki. A characteristic feature of his gayaki involves the singing of a

cluster of three notes in the ascending mode reminiscent of tappa anga phrases.

gm J ao ao ‘ J J Zr Y Y gm§ Zr Zr gm§. The phrases used in the vistaar section confirm

to the chalan in the authoritative texts but owing to the emphasis on phrases with wide

vocal leaps in Krishnarao’s gayaki, new combinations of note patterns are executed

which nevertheless keep the basic structure of the raga intact.

6. In this clip, four avartan-s conclude with a tihai. Even tihai-s in the tana form of one

matra is noticed. A common aspect in bol-bant is the use of tisra jati phrases by taking

117 combinations of 3, 3, 2 note clusters in one matra and distributing the bol-s of the

bandish accordingly.

7. Tana patterns are influenced by tappa anga phrases apart from the more common

sapaat- tana-s. gm§ a| gm§ Zr Y n n Y Zr gm§ Zr Y n , n Y Zr gm§ a| J§ ‘§ a| gm§ Zr Y

n J ‘ n J ‘ ao gm. Articulation in tana-s is in aakar.

8. There are no demarcated divisions in the vistaar. Hence a particular avartan has a

combination of a bol-aalap interspersed by tappa anga phrases and gamak phrases

concluded with either a long meend between notes as permitted in the raga or even a

fast passage (illustrations shown above).

The similarities and differences of his gayaki relative to the features of the Gwalior gharana can be conjectured based on the analysis of the two raga-s given above and a few other recording samples along with the information on the gayaki of Krishnarao Pandit from other sources.

4.4.2 Observations on Krishnarao Shankar Pandit’s Gayaki

1. Swar Lagaav or Voice Production: The approach towards swar lagaav in Krishnarao

Pandit’s gayaki was direct. As noticed from his recordings and other sources his

voice did not need warming up and hence attained volume and strength right from

the beginning of a rendition. Adhering to the Gwalior gayaki feature of open and full

throated vocalization and ease within a three octave vocal range, he fully exploited the

potential of his voice. His gayaki was naturally based, to some extent, on the abilities

of his voice and its pliability. The frequency of wide vocal leaps across three octaves

118 in his gayaki could be attributed to this trait. A particularly noteworthy feature is that

the timbre of his voice remains constant and clearly audible even while singing lower

octave notes like ati-mandra shadja and ati- taara shadja. From his recordings it can

be conjectured that kali 1 or C# was his preferred sur.

2. Introductory Aalap: Review of his khayal recordings reveals that he commenced his

presentation directly with the bandish. The prelude aalap sung as part of the Gwalior

gayaki, before the bandish to provide an outline of the raga, is absent in his presentation.

This is confirmed by those who heard him live. Mohan Nadkarni (2005:65), the veteran

critic of Hindustani music recounts a live concert (1949) in Bombay “Krishnarao

started his recital without even the customary preliminary tonal flourishes”. It could

be possible that he did not find a need for this section as his voice had the capability to

directly execute the raga delineation through the bandish. His son Laxman Pandit has

published a brief biography wherein he mentions that Krishnarao began his concerts

with the bandish itself (1996:49). From this it can be conjectured that Krishnarao did

not lay emphasis on a prelude aalap prior to the bandish.

3. Bandish Treatment: Bandish sthayi and antara is sung successively right at the

beginning of the rendition. This adhered to the Gwalior gayaki norm as it is noted

that the lyrical thought or idea started in the sthayi is completed in the antara. This

also shows that he placed adequate importance to the song text going by the clarity in

pronunciation. However it is more likely that the lyrics of the bandish were utilized

more for their phonetic potential (which involves the use of vowels and consonants

119 only to shape and define specific kinds of musical sounds) rather than interpreting the

semantic meaning of the bandish.

4. Laya Concept and Choice of Tala: Krishnarao Pandit adopted the medium laya for his

khayal presentations in tune with the Gwalior gayaki. His vilambit khayal-s in different

tala-s were launched at a tempo of 32-37 beats per minute. Some of his khayal-s were

sung in a slightly raised tempo of 41-50 beats per minute. The change in laya within a

rendition is gradual and not very significant. Krishnarao’s command overtala was well

known and is also evident from a review of his recordings. His khayal-s were mostly

set to ektala and tilwada, while drut khayal-s were sung in teentala and drut ektala. His

wide repertoire width ensured his command over tala-s such as the Punjabi theka (for

tappa) and deepchandi (for thumri). Confirming to the Gwalior gayaki notion, there

was a high degree of correspondence between the melodic and rhythmic contours in

his gayaki.

5. Aalap/ Improvisation: The Gwalior gharana gayaki does not prescribe a step by step

development of the raga. Krishnarao adheres to this strategy in his aalap presentation.

After the bandish sthayi and antara are sung at the beginning, the vistaar of the khayal

commences. In all the raga-s reviewed, the aalap section moves towards the upper tonic

within a few minutes of the rendition. This could perhaps indicate an inclination towards

the latter half of the melodic canvas. However his near perfect command over his voice

and a wide vocal range ensured a frequency in the use of the principle of contrast.

Similar notes or note phrases were rendered in different sections of the melodic canvas.

His arrival on the sam, in every tala cycle, is often dramatic. This is achieved through

120 bringing in variety in singing the mukhada, the refrain which precedes the sam and the

part to which a vocalist comes back to after completing a melodic statement. Rendering

the mukhada in a tana form or as a meend phrase keeping intact the original melodic

and rhythmic structure of the mukhada was one the strategies that he adapted. While he

stressed on an open aakar, the delineation of the raga is mainly through the bol-s of the

bandish. He often elongated the aa syllable within the bol-s of the bandish. His aalap

was often interspersed with tappa anga murki phrases. He employed an assortment of

melodic expressions like lehek (which is similar to oscillation of a swara) and khatka.

6. Types of Tana-s: Krishnarao Pandit’s gayaki was characterized by virtuosity best

displayed through his gamak laden tana-s. The types of tana-s favoured by him

were jabade ki tana ( involving vigourous jaw movement while singing tana-s) and

alankarik tana-s. The articulation in tana-s is mainly through aakar. The inculcation

of tappa anga phrases in tana-s is a major feature in Krishnarao’s gayaki. The other

characteristic feature about his tana-s is that it spanned different octaves often covering

notes in the taar saptak and plunging down to notes in the mandra saptak with ease.

7. Choice of Raga-s: The recorded material of Krishnarao suggests that his performance

repertoire included raga-s common in the Gwalior idiom. Neela Bhagwat in her

book ‘Krishnarao Shankar Pandit-A Doyen of Khayal’ provides a comprehensive

discography including commercial and private recordings of the vocalist (1992: 71-

74). A cursory glance at this reveals that his performance repertoire included raga-s

like Hameer, Miyan Malhar, Malgunji, Bihag, Tilak-kamod, Gaudsarang, Darbari,

Malkauns, Kalyan and Shree.

121 8. Preference for Genre: Krishanrao enjoyed a very large repertoire width and was thus

a true representative of the Gwalior style, a gayaki known for its abundance of forms

as part of the performance repertoire. Though essentially known for khayal gaayan,

he was adept at singing other forms like tappa, tarana, chaturang, trivat, ashtapadi

and to a lesser extent dhrupad , dhamar and thumri. He is also known to have sung

pada-s (verses) in Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit on special social functions. Command

over this wide array of forms had implications in his khayal singing. For instance his

presentations in tappa singing along with associated forms like tap-khayal, tap-tarana

and tap-thumri is well known. The assimilation of tappa anga phrases in his khayal

rendition could be attributed to his command over the tappa genre.

122 4.5 Omkarnath Thakur

Omkarnath Thakur carved a unique place for himself in the world of Hindustani music by

ably executing multiple roles as a successful performing artiste, vageeyakar, musicologist

and that of a pioneering figure in the field of music education. He was primarily trained by

Vishnu Digambar Paluskar of the Gwalior gharana but the reason for his inclusion in this

study is because he is considered to be a major deviationist within the Gwalior gharana.

His music had an emotional richness at a time when virtuoso presentations were the order

of the day.1 This, he achieved through his own research on the inter-relationship between a raga and the rasa it evokes. The ability to use his voice to the maximum and portray different shades of the raga through voice modulation or what in common musical parlance is known as swar kaaku, was an essential feature of his gayaki. Omkarnath Thakur also laid special emphasis on the meaning of the song text which ensured a higher degree of effectiveness in his music. While he was a towering personality in the Hindustani music idiom, Omkarnath Thakur invited a fair amount of criticism, especially towards the latter half of his career, for resorting to melodrama in his presentations. While this is true to some extent, I would concentrate on the stylistic aspects of his gayaki during his peak performing years which defined Omkarnath Thakur as a deviationist from the Gwaliorgharana .

Omkarnath Thakur faced hardships very early in life and had started working for a livelihood when he was only a boy. He was born on 26th June 1897 at Jahaaj in Gujarat. His father

Gaurishankar who is understood to have served in the cavalry of the Baroda state took to

1 This is not to say that he lacked in virtuosity because in most of his earlier recordings, he sings tana-s with incredible speed. But his display of musical skills was not at the cost of the inherent mood of the raga.

123 an ascetic way of life and left his family to live in a hut on the banks of the river Narmada.

He had become a disciple of Aloonibaba and had completely taken to a spiritual way of life, leaving his wife the responsibility of raising their children singlehandedly. This was perhaps the reason Omkarnath started working since a young age to support his family.

As a consequence of this, he was subsequently denied a regular scholastic education. It is significant to note that despite the lack of formal education, Omkarnath made valuable contributions to the theoretical aspects of Hindustani classical music. He was also a linguist as he was proficient in speaking Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi and English. He also had knowledge of Sanskrit, Urdu and Bengali (Bangre 2011: 338). His strong association with the song text of a bandish could be attributed to his linguistic skills. But as Ranade (2011:

174) points out, as a musician he was not merely interested in the meaning of the text but also on how to explore the evocative power of words.

Omkarnath Thakur’s formal training in music began at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Bombay. An acquaintance from his native place Shapoor Mancherji Doongaji, a Parsi gentleman, recognized his talent and arranged for him to be trained under Vishnu Digambar

Paluskar (1910-1916). He was among the first batch of students to be trained by Vishnu

Digambar Paluskar and thus had the opportunity of personalized attention from his guru.

After his training, he served as the principal of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Lahore for a period of three years. That he has been an important ambassador for propagating Hindustani classical music, is evident from his forays into music teaching through establishing several music institutions of repute. After completing his stint in Lahore, he established a

124 music school Gandharva Niketan in Bharuch, Gujarat where he served from 1923-1933

(Bangre 2011: 332). Later, he shifted to Bombay where he founded a music school Shree

Sangeet Niketan. The teaching methodology for a systematic training in Hindustani

music that he developed here, was later documented in his text ‘Sangeetanjali’, of which

six volumes were published (ibid.: 332). Omkarnath Thakur established the faculty of

music in the Benaras Hindu University in 1950 and was the Dean of the Faculty till 1956

(Ranade 2011: 170).

Analyzing his khayal gayaki, Omkarnath for many, is a deviationist because he did not

follow the accepted protocol in presentation. But his writings indicate otherwise; He prided

himself in being a representative of the Gwalior gharana and has also clearly enumerated

the salient features and a sequential protocol of khayal presentation in the Gwalior gharana

in the preface of his book ‘Sangeetanjali’ (Part 3). He advocates sound training in the

Dhrupad-anga gayaki before learning the khayal gayaki. Infact he prescribes this mode

of training in the Gwalior gharana, the essential gains being: Enhanced voice production

acquiring skills such as stability (sthira), oscillation (kampa) and meend so essential for

conveying the bhaava in khayal gayaki.

Commencing with establishing the tonic shadja first, he prescribes the following sequence

in the rendition of a khayal (understandably vilambit khayal here): Rendition of sthayi

and antara in succession is followed by aalap in aakar and also through the words of the

bandish. He uses the term rasaatmak shabda which recognizes the evocative power of

words; a quality that sets Omkarnath apart from other vocalists of his gharana. A separate

125 vistaar for antara is not prescribed. He also strictly prohibits the ornamentations used in the thumri form such as khatka and murki. Curiously though, he is understood to have assimilated the bol-banaao aspect prevalent in thumri in his khayal presentation.2 This is

because he was able to convey different shades of meanings of word units in a bandish and

employ them in varied contexts (Ranade 2011: 178). He opines that bol tana-s are sung

usually after the completion of the antara and it is done with a two pronged approach to

display layakari in varied tempi and the employment of tihai-s. A review of his khayal

recordings has corroborated this aspect of his gayaki. The bol-tana-s are followed by

layabaddha tana-s. So, in principle, a vocalist who has so clearly enumerated the salient

features of a khayal presentation of his gharana (the Gwalior gharana) is bound to have followed what he documented, thereby negating the over-riding criticism which centers on a lack of discipline in his gayaki. Where he differed and thus deviated from his chosen gharana was in his astute understanding of the emotional impact that his music can convey through the employment of kaku bheda and his ability to explore the varied possibilities and usability of the song text and successfully implementing them in his gayaki. Dramatics

was also an essential feature of his presentations whether it meant purely on the basis

of his music through the principle of contrasts or through the display of extra musical

devices in order to establish a greater rapport with the audience. As a musicologist he

contributed significantly to the theory of Indian Music with two significant publications

to his credit ‘Pranav Bharati’ and ‘Sangeetanjali’. Giving a brief overview of this text

2 This is why perhaps he did not include thumri as part of his performance repertoire and instead chose to sing khayal and bhajan primarily.

126 Bangre (2011:336) states that Omkarnath Thakur’s treatise ‘Pranava Bharati’ is based on the theories propounded in Bharata’s ‘Natyashastra’ and he has analyzed the fundamental concepts such as shruti, swar, gram and murcchana. He has given a detailed account of concepts like jaati, varna, alankar and tana in addition to dealing with the shuddha swar saptak in Carnatic and Hindustani music. The text also describes the inter-relationship between swar and the sounds of animals. ‘Sangeetanjali’ is a compilation of notated compositions divided into six volumes, comprising of nine raga-s in each volume; these also include forty seven self-composed compositions (Bangre 2011: 335). Each raga also includes notations of aalap and tana in a bandish. He is credited with the creation of new raga-s such as Pranavendra Madhyam and Pranava-Ranjani.

For his contribution as a versatile and influential Hindustani classical vocalist, Omkarnath

Thakur was bestowed with many awards including the Padma Shree in 1955 and Sangeet

Natak Akademy award in 1956. Being a popular performer he was extensively recorded by the All India Radio which published an unprecedented 17 records in the period spanning from 1924 to 1961. I will now review a few of his khayal recordings in order to have an analytical understanding of his gayaki.

4.5.1 Analysis of Selected Recordings: Raga Bihag and Raga Chayanat

Omkarnath Thakur was a multi-faceted musician and a popular performer. As part of this study, I have examined a few of his khayal recordings. The raga-s include Bihag,

Chayanat. Multani, Malkauns, Deskar and Todi. The detailed analysis of Raga Bihag and

Raga Chayanat has been carried out. Also included is a review of the raga-s by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan.

127 A: Melodic Structure and Phraseology of Raga Bihag in texts (Kramik Pustak Malika and Raga Vigyan)

Bhatkhande in his text ‘Kramik Pustak Malika Part 3’ (1934: 175-176), classifies raga

Bihag under the Bilawal thaat. He pronounces the raga as pentatonic (audava) in the aroha

( gm J ‘ n Zr gm§ ) and heptatonic (sampoorna) in the avaroha ( gm§, Zr Y n, ‘ J, ao gm ); the role of the notes Y and ao in the descent are treated as weak and thus, the movement

between the pairs of notes Zr, n and J, gm should be executed keeping the above point in focus. The prescribed time for the raga is the second three hour slot after sunset. He further adds that tivra madhyam assumes the form of a vivadi swar in this raga. The contemporary version of Bihag permits liberal use of tivra madhyam prominent in the meend between the notes n and J. Bhatkhande designates gandhar as vadi and nishad as samvadi swar.

Chalan (basic phraseology): • ‹Zr gm, J, ‘ J, n, J ‘ J, Zr n, J ‘ J, Zr n, n, J ‘ J, gm J, ‘ n J ‘ J, ao gm • J ‘ n Zr gm§/gm‘ Jn, Zr n gm§/J ‘ n, Zr, Zr, gm§/gm§, Zr n, J, ‘ n, J ‘ J, ao gm

Patwardhan in his text ‘Raga Vigyan Part 2’ (1937/1996: 176) clearly states the use of both the madhyam-s in this raga. The raga is said to be derived from the Kalyan anga.

He prescribes the melodic movement in the aroha as ( ‹Zr gm J ‘ n Zr gm§ ) and that in the

avaroha as ( gm§ Zr Y n @ J ‘ J, ao ‹Zr gm ). He further adds that dhrupad compositions exclude tivra madhyam in this raga while use of both the madhyam-s is common and

appropriate for khayal compositions. He agrees with Bhatkhande on the other details like

the vadi and samvadi swar-s, notes permitted in the ascent and descent and prescribed time

for the raga.

128 Chalan: • ‹Zr gm J, gm J ‘ J, gm J n @ J ‘ J, gm ‘J n YJ ‘ J, J ‘ n Zr @ Zr gm§ • Zr gm§ a| Zr a| Zr gm§ @ Zr Y n @ J ‘ J, gm gmn @ J ‘ J, ao ‹Zr gm

B: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Bihag rendered by Omkarnath Thakur

The contents of the recording include a vilambit khayal in ektala (kaise sukha sove) followed by a drut khayal in teentala published by the Rhythm House Classics in 2005 and originally released in 1988. The entire duration of the clip is 30 minutes (Clip 10).

1. Omkarnath had what can be called a blemish-less voice. The projection is articulate

and clear, marked by sweetness in appeal and melodic. The vocalist chose to sing

at a fundamental pitch of F# (kali 3) which is slightly on the higher side. The vocal

range is 1 ½ octaves from ‹Zr to J§ or ‘§.

2. The recording does not start from the beginning hence the initial prelude aalap is

not noted.

3. The sthayi and antara are sung once in one avartan, at the beginning of the clip

almost successively. The lyrics of the bandish are: Kaise sukha sove neendariyaa

shyam muratachita chadhi/ socha socha sadaarang okulaa yaa vidha gantha pari.

The sthayi mukhada is sung in one matra with the sam on the note J while the

antara mukhada is rendered in two matra-s with the sam on gm§. The vocalist sings a

phrase in sthayi not usually used in the raga ( ao ‹Zr ‹Y ‹n instead of ‹Zr ‹n ). A marked

feature of the rendering of the bandish is that the lyrics have immense clarity and

care is taken to create ample pauses which assist in the degree of clarity.

129 4. The laya of the vilambit khayal is in the range of 15 -25 beats per minute. The laya

increases at two points, once at the commencement of behelawa and tihai-s and

again towards the end.

5. Bol-aalap: The aalap is mainly presented through bol-s of the bandish. The syllables

of the song text are used to create the desired effect. The first fewaalap -s concentrate

on establishing the tonic shadja. Note combinations around gm are woven into aalap

phrases. eg. ‹Zr ‹n ‹Zr gm, ‹ ‹n gm; At the beginning of the vistaar, an unconventional

phrase ao ‹Zr ‹Y ‹n is sung. The conventional trend is to sing the note Y as part of the

meend between Zr and n. The use of the phrase J ao gm is also common. The general

pattern of aalap in this clip is marked by the systematic unfolding of the raga. The

phrase J gm (with meend or J ao gm) is amply explored; using Y J and developing

phrases around this J ‘ n Y J; pancham as focus, ‹ZrgmJ‘n @ Jaogmgm @ gm @

YYnn J @ ‘J n ; using Zr as focus with phrases like Zr ‹Zr , Zr J

@ J ‘ J Zr; the build up to the taara shadja is through phrases focusing on

Zr, Zr n , J ‘ n gm§ @ Zr , Zr n. The syllables of the song text like ekaar, eekaar

and okaar are used frequently rather than aakar. Most aalap-s are of two avartan

duration. Since the antara is rendered in the beginning there is no separate vistaar

of the antara. The tempo increases slightly after the taara shadja is rendered.

a| Phrases with gm§ as the focus include: ‹Zr gm J ‘ n gm§, Zr n gm§ Zr gm§, n Y n n

gm§ Zr a| Zr @ Y n n gm§. While the chalan of the raga is duly followed, one

particular descending phrase is foreign to the raga but since it is not frequently used,

it remains discreet.

130 6. Boltanas are rendered involving three notes followed by rest on gm§

( ‘§ ‘§ J§, J§ J§ a|, a| a| gm§, gm§ gm§ Zr , Zr Zr Y , n n @ J ‘ n Zr gm§ ).

7. Many varieties of tihai-s are effectively executed. The tihai-s are usually of three

matra-s starting from either the 9th or 10th matra using bol-s of the bandish kaise

sukha so or chitachadhi. Total of number of tihai-s are nine.

8. Only two avartan sequences of tana-s are sung. Laya of the tana-s is typically eight

notes in one matra. An example of sapaat tana-s is as follows:

Sapaat tana-s: ‹Zr gm J ‘ n Zr gm§ J§ ‘§ n§ ‘§ J§ a| gm§ Zr Y n ‘ J ao gm ‹Zr gm.

Note the use of shuddha madhyam, a strategy commonly employed by Gwalior

vocalists. A faster tana before taking the mukhada with more than 12 notes in a matra is

also sung.

9. The vocalist adheres to the raga grammar as prescribed in the texts with abundant

use of the prominent swar-s of the raga such as gandhar and nishad. The occasional

rendition of an unconventional phrase ( as mentioned previously) is unobtrusive.

C: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Chayanat sung by Omkarnath Thakur

The second music clip chosen for analysis is Raga Chayanat. I have already given an account

on the musicological details of the raga as documented in the authoritative texts such as

‘Kramik Pustak Malika’ and ‘Raga Vigyan’ by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan respectively,

in a previous chapter.3 Reference to the same can be made on page numbers 93-95.

3 See chapter 4.3 on Anant Manohar Joshi.

131 The contents of the recording sample include a vilambit khayal in Raga Chayanat set to vilambit ektala (karata ho) followed by a bandish in drut teentala. It was published by the Rhythm House Classic in 2005 (originally released in 1987). Analysis of the vilambit khayal of 25 minutes’ duration is given below (Clip 11). The clip starts with no significant prelude aalap; only the note shadja is rendered for a few seconds.

1. The clarity in intonation is striking. The fundamental /tonic (shadja) chosen by the

vocalist is E (safed 3), higher than the norm in the Gwalior gharana gayaki and the

vocal range is roughly two octaves.

2. The rendition commences with a vilambit khayal in vilambit ektala. The bandish

sthayi is sung once in two avartan-s. The song text is very clearly presented and

it is obvious that the singer places a special emphasis on the clarity of the lyrics

rendered. The meaning of the bandish is also given due importance. At one point

the singer points out to the emotive message of the word karata ho and renders

J it accordingly. The sthayi mukhada is of one matra with the sam on the note ao.

Bhatkhande documents the same bandish in the text ‘Kramik Pustak Malika Part

4’. While the melodic structure is more or less similar to the version sung by

Omkarnath Thakur, the sthayi and antara mukhada are set in four matra-s.

3. The avartan duration range of the vilambit khayal is 15-35 beats per minute. The

initial tempo is a notch slower than the average tempo of Gwalior khayal-s.

4. The development of aalap is primarily based on specific phrases of the raga,

commensurate with the inherent nature of Raga Chayanat. The aalap is done

132 using bol-s of the sthayi bandish. Some phrases of the aalap; Focus on gm

( ‹Zr gm, ‹Zr ‹Zr gm, ‹n gm gmaogmgm gmJaoao gm , ‹n ‹Y ‹n ‹n gm ao @ gm ). The characteristic

phrases of the raga are taken up adequately ( JJaoao ‘‘JJ n ao, Zr gm§ a| gm§ Ynn ao,

ao J gm ao J ‘ ao ). Komal nishad, a vivadi note in this raga, is taken up once after 12

minutes in an ascending phrase ( ao J ‘ Zr Y n ). Focus on n ( gmgm J J ao ao ‘ ‘ J J

Y ‘ n, gm ao J ‘ n ‹n , ao J ‘ n gm§ n n ); Focus on gm§ and upper octave swar-s

J§ J§ like ao§ and J§ ( gm§ Y n n gm§, gm n gm§ a| @ @, n n Zr gm§ a| @ a| J§ ‘§ a| gm§ gm§

Y n n , Zr gm§ a| @ gm§ ). The antara is not rendered in this clip. Towards the end of

the vilambit khayal, the words karata ho are sung in varied ways to bring out the

interpretative element of the word.

5. The laya increases after the section of aalap delves on the notes in the upper register

and layakari is mainly demonstrated through employing different types of tihai-s;

melodically identical to the mukhada , tihai uses the word karata three times and

the syllable ho thrice distributed in 3 matra-s before the sam; Tihai of 1 ½ matra-s

using the words karata ho three times/ melodically different from the mukhada,

there is a tihai employing the words karata ho thrice with the corresponding notation

for one segment being ngm§Zra| ao /tihai in boltana-s using the words karata ho

J a| a| gm§ gm§ Y n ‘ J ao gm @ ao.

6. Tana-s are sung in aakar. The sapaat tana-s as well as tana-s employing

double notes are common. Alankarik tana-s are also noted in this rendition. aogmgm Ynn a|gm§gm§ Ynn ‘Jaogmgm, gmaoJao aoJ‘J J‘n‘ Ynn ‘Jaogmgm,

133 gmgm aoJ‘n ‘Jaogmgm, aoJ J‘, ‘n @ Ynn ‘Jaogmgm, nZr , Zrgm§ gm§ a| J§ a| a| , a| gm§ gm§

a|gm§gm§ gm§YY gm§YY Ynn Ynn ‘Jaogmgm

4.5.2 Observations on Omkarnath Thakur’s Gayaki

The salient features of Omkarnath Thakur’s gayaki are given below. The co-relation of these features with the basic tenets of the Gwalior idiom gives a better understanding of

Omkarnath’s gayaki. The recordings are an essential source of this interpretation as is evident from the analysis given above. Hence the observations on his gayaki have been made based on a few available recordings, of which, the detailed analysis of two raga-s have been given above.

1. Swar Lagaav or Voice Production: Omkarnath Thakur’s voice quality is the most

arresting feature of his music. A review of the recordings reveals a timbre of voice

which is naturally sweet and characterized by clarity in intonation and resonance. The

voice moves freely in all the three registers mandra, madhya and taara saptak without

resorting to undue force in voice production in any of the three registers. He had a

fairly high pitched voice singing at a fundamental/tonic at E(safed 3) or F(safed 4).

He adhered to a natural voice production. He was particularly adept at employing

‘kaku-bheda’ which refers to introducing changes in intonation for a more effective

communication of his ideas. A review of his recordings also reveals an impact of

Rehmat Khan’s voice production to some extent.

2. Introductory Aalap: The Gwalior vocalists usually prefer to start the rendition of a

raga with an introductory aalap prior to singing the bandish. A review of Omkarnath’s

134 khayal recordings suggests that, he chose to begin the khayal directly without any

significant preludeaalap . In most cases one phrase of 2-3 notes of the raga is taken up.

3. Bandish Treatment: The bandish is accorded due importance in the Gwalior idiom.

Omkarnath confirms to this notion and sings thesthayi and antara of vilambit khayal-s

successively in the beginning of the clip. The lyrics of the bandish are rendered with

utmost clarity. At the same time, Omkarnath concentrates on conveying the meaning

and different shades of certain chosen words in the bandish. This is a clear departure

from the strategy adopted from his fellow gharana vocalists.

4. Laya Concept and Choice of Tala: Omkarnath adopted a relatively slower laya as

compared to other Gwalior practitioners. There are ample pauses between the phrases

and rest on the (permissible) notes is also considerable. This also meant that melodic

material was organized within one avartan in most cases (in vilambit khayal-s). The

practice of singing the same bandish in two different tala-s in the Gwalior idiom, finds

favour with Omkarnath Thakur. Within a rendition of raga, he employs different tempi

for the various stages of elaboration such as layakari (involving different types of

tihai-s) and tana-s.

5. Aalap/Improvisation: Omkarnath Thakur adopted a systematic approach in raga

development through aalap-s by specifically concentrating on the nyasa swar-s of the

raga and constructing melodic ideas around that but the aalap was not necessarily in

relation to the melodic structure of the bandish as is the norm in the Gwalior gayaki.

Instead he was more interested in portraying the individual bhava associated with the

raga and also the bandish. Infact he used aalap phrases to manifest the rasa and bhava

135 of the raga. Consequently, lyrics of the bandish assumed much greater significance in

his renditions as compared to any other Gwalior gharana practitioner. Clarity in the

pronunciation of the words of the song-text and the use of words in varied contexts by

the display of different meanings evoked by the song-text are some of the highlights

of his gayaki. To illustrate a few examples from his renditions, he could bring out the

melancholy and plaintive sadness in Nilambari and at the same time display the valour

and veera rasa in raga-s like Sugharai. He usually dispensed with a separate aalap for

the antara. Different types of gamak, kampa, and meend were some of the prominent

melodic expressions in his gayaki.

6. Types of Tana-s: He rendered a wide variety of tana-s maintaining the tonal purity

and resonance even while singing tana-s in fast laya. He was adept in alankarik tana-s,

gamak tana-s, tana-s employing khatka reminiscent of the tappa anga.

7. Choice of Raga: Review of his khayal renderings reveals a substantial presence of

common raga-s such as Malkauns, Todi, Chayanat, Bihag, Deshkar, Darbari, Lalit

and Alhaiyya Bilawal. He also had a few rare raga-s as part of his repertoire such as

Devgiri-Bilawal and Sugharai. He adopted some raga-s of Carnatic origin very

effectively so much so that he left his unique imprint on these raga-s. Raga Neelambari

is the best illustration of this phenomenon.

8. Preference for Genre: Omkarnath performed khayal predominantly. He was

equally well known for his bhajan-s and also songs portraying patriotic fervour

(Vande Mataram).

136 4.6 Sharad Chandra Arolkar

Sharad Chandra Arolkar is widely acknowledged as a musician’s musician who had an

introverted approach towards the presentation of khayal and worked towards that. Many who have heard him live have been astounded by the profoundness of his performances.

Arolkar was trained essentially in the Gwalior idiom but being the independent minded personality that he was, he sought to unravel the essence of this gayaki through an expressive interpretation of the bandish. In fact he was of the opinion that the crux of the khayal form was the effortless elaboration of the raga’s sthayi and antara. When one listens to his recordings what comes into prominence is that the expression and the emotional impact of music was an essential element of Arolkar’s gayaki. Of course he achieved this through a predominantly classicist approach towards his music and a faithful interpretation of what he understood to be the salient features of the Gwalior gayaki.

Sharad Chandra Atmaram Arolkar was born in Karachi in 1912. His father was a military

official and though Arolkar’s family was not particularly inclined to music, his father

nevertheless had an interest in reading philosophy. Arolkar’s own inclinations towards

spirituality and a philosophical mindset can be attributed to this background at home.

Sharad Chandra Arolkar did not belong to a family of musicians but he is understood to

have a deep rooted interest in music from an early age. As he himself states in an interview

conducted by P.L. Deshpande that he had a keen sense of retentive power and could

assimilate the nuances of other performing musicians ( even at a young age) after having

137 heard them a couple of times (Arolkar interviewed by Deshpande, March 26, 1980).1

Arolkar had some preliminary training in Hindustani music from Laxman Bodas, who was

a disciple of Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and during the 1920s was appointed as one of the

early teachers at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya branch that was started in Karachi. Arolkar

was thus exposed to the eclectic training at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya and perhaps due

to this association, he became adept at playing even instruments like the Sitar, Harmonium,

Organ and Tabla in addition to his training in vocal music. This expertise came in handy in

his music training at a later period. This was also the time when the 78 rpm recordings of

Rehmat Khan (son of Haddu Khan of the Gwalior gharana) were published. As admitted by Arolkar himself, his special yearning for music developed upon listening to the records of Rehmat Khan. The mellow vocalization that Arolkar projected in his singing seems to be a direct influence of Rehmat Khan’s music on him. Meanwhile he also became a voracious reader of philosophical books so much so that he even sought the refuge of a spiritual leader. Mohan Nadkarni (2005) narrates this incident in his book ‘The Great Masters’:

“His intriguing and inquisitive mind made him a voracious reader of books of

philosophical interest. So much so that he forsook his school and music lessons and

ran away to Lonavla, hills resort in Maharashtra, when he was only 13. There he met

Swami Kuvalayananda, the eminent authority on Yoga and himself a great mystic.

Swamiji asked him to pursue his musical quest which he assured him, would also

bring spiritual fulfillment (2005: 250).”

1 Arolkar’s interview conducted on 26th March 1980 by P.L. Deshpande in a programme held to felicitate Arolkar for receiving the central Sangeet Natak Akademy award. The interview is part of Sharad Sathe’s personal collection of recordings.

138 On the able advice of his well-wishers, Arolkar eventually went to Gwalior and had training

under Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, the well-known exponent of the Gwalior gharana.

Krishnarao readily accepted him as a disciple gauging his innate talent and Arolkar was

under his tutelage for a period of four years from 1932-36. In an interview conducted at the

Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata by K.G. Ginde, Arolkar opines on the traditional

mode of teaching adopted in the Gwalior gharana.2 Accordingly, the first two ragas taught

are Yaman Kalyan and Bhairavi. The idea is that both raga-s being sampoorna (seven

notes), maximizes the possibility of phraseology. In the Gwalior mode not much emphasis

is laid on teaching specific alankar-s (swar patterns). Teaching of bandish is accorded

primary importance. The raga vistar or improvisation is mainly executed through bol-

aalap and behelawa both of which are done in accordance to the bandish anga. Arolkar’s

repertoire included tappa to a large measure. This could perhaps be attributed to his

association with Krishnarao Pandit since the latter also used to sing tappa. The importance

to maintain continuity was foremost in Arolkar’s singing. This naturally led to a thorough

understanding of using meend as a prominent means of expression. His training under two

exponents of the Been also played a vital role in developing this faculty in Arolkar’s music.

Thus apart from his training from Krishnarao Pandit , Arolkar’s two major guru-s and

influences include Eknath Pandit and Krishnarao Mule. After a four year stint of training

with Krishnarao Pandit, Arolkar shifted to Bombay. His tutelage under Krishnarao’s uncle

Eknath Pandit began after this period and is said to have continued till 1950. The vast

2 Arolkar’s views on music and recordings of bandish-s were conducted by the Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata between 24th March to 5th April 1990. Neela Bhagwat has documented excerpts of this interview conducted by K.G. Ginde in her book ‘Sharad Chandra Arolkar: lene Pratibheche’. See Bhagwat (2012: 84-85).

139 repertoire of bandish-s that Arolkar possessed is largely due to his association with Eknath

Pandit. Eknath Pandit himself was a beenkaar and had also taught Bhatkhande more than

350 traditional bandish-s from the Gwalior repertoire. Bhagwat opines that the concept of the form of the khayal compositions and the improvisation of the song form are the two things Arolkar learnt from Eknath Pandit (1992: 32-35). Like his brother, Eknath Pandit also had training in singing tappa from Devjibua of Dhar. Arolkar’s third guru Krishnarao

Mule, although not a performer, was nevertheless a very knowledgeable musician. He was a beenkar, primarily trained by Bande Ali Khan. He also received extensive taalim

(training) in the thumri genre from Ganpatrao Apte.

Arolkar’s gayaki was demanding and required a very high degree of aesthetic sensibilities in order to be appreciated. He was a traditional khayal vocalist but had acquired a vast repertoire in other genres as well such as thumri, tappa, tarana, bhajan and even ghazal.

To each of the genres that he presented, he gave a highly individual interpretation based on the premise that a sound integration of the shabda (poetry), dhun (raga) and theka is the basis of all good music. Arolkar’s gayaki and his insightful thoughts on khayal have been documented in various archives across the country for instance Samvad Foundation,

Mumbai; Sangeet Research Academy , Kolkata; Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi (Bhagwat

2012: 19). He has also been honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademy award in 1979,

Sharangadev Fellowship by Sur Singar Samsad, Tansen Samman by the Govt. of Madhya

Pradesh in 1992 and Sangeet Research Academy award in Kolkata.

140 4.6.1 Analysis of Selected Recordings: Raga Miyan ki Todi and Raga Bhairav

Sharad Chandra Arolkar had a rather subdued career as a concert artiste but nevertheless

was a towering musician of the Gwalior gharana who seemingly had a profound impact

on the aesthetics of the khayal form that he had thoroughly studied. Some of his radio

recordings done by the All India Radio have been published by HMV but a major chunk

of his music remains with private collectors. Based on the material I had collected,3

I have reviewed Miyan ki Todi, Bihag, Bhairav, Lalit and Gaudmalhar. A detailed analysis

of raga-s Miyan ki Todi and Bhairav is given below as both the recordings provide a good

representation of his gayaki; and as for previous artistes, an overview of these raga-s as

mentioned in texts written by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan is also included.

A: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Miyan ki Todi sung by Arolkar

Documentation of Raga Miyan ki Todi in Bhatkhande’s and Patwardhan’s texts have been

provided in an earlier chapter on Ramkrishnabua Vaze, reference to which can be made on

page numbers 76-77.

An expansive rendition in Raga Miyan ki Todi by Arolkar, this clip comprises of a vilambit

khayal in tilwada (laala manaavana) and a drut khayal in teentala (pathakawa gailo).

The duration of the vilambit khayal is 22 minutes (Clip 12). The vocalist accords importance

to the song text and also relies on the elongation of the syllables of the text in his vistaar

later. Since he laid special emphasis on the expression of khayal, it was important for him

to relate to the meaning of the song text as a means of effective communication. What

follows is a detailed analysis of the vilambit khayal.

3 I would particularly like to thank Sharad Sathe, Arolkar’s disciple and (a senior exponent of the Gwalior Gharana) to facilitate access to some of Arolkar’s khayal as well as rarely heard tappa, thumri and dadra renditions from his private collection.

141 1. Vocalization is marked by a soft approach, never rendering phrases aggressively but

full throated and not loud in volume. There is ease and effortlessness in rendition.

Arolkar chooses to sing in a relatively high pitch with the fundamental / tonic at

E (safed 3).

2. The clip starts directly, without a prelude aalap.

3. The bandish sthayi is rendered in two avartan-s twice; the second time with slight

variations than the original version through more pauses in-between. The mukhada

is 1 ¼ matra and commences from the note pancham and sam is on the phrase

Y n J . The antara is taken up after 20 avartan-s at approximately nine minutes

into the clip after the vistaar of the upper register notes, especially taara shadja

( upper tonic gm§ ). Hence sthayi and antara are not presented successively. The

lyrics of the vilambit khayal in tilwada are: laala manaavana chali samajhata nahi

kahun ki baat/ hu tore karana vyakula bhayi pyare chala utha more saath. The

same vilambit khayal has been documented in Bhatkhande’s text ‘Kramik Pustak

Malika Part 2’ set to ektala and the mukhada is of three matra-s.

4. The khayal is rendered at a base tempo range of 38-42 beats per minute. The laya

of the khayal remains more or less constant. The laya is such that the development

or badhat is synchronous to the tempo of the tala at all times.

5. Bol-aalap: The vocalist effectively uses syllables of the song text as the main

articulatory devise instead of aakar. The badhat (improvisation) is in accordance to

the bandish structure but the sequential unfolding is not resorted to. This is evident

142 from the fact that a number of melodic phrases focus on the note pancham, which

commands a strong presence in this bandish; ao J ao , J @ n , n @ n Y @ @ @

Zr Y Zr Y n , Yn J , J Y , J n. In this sense he also deviates from the

relatively less focus given by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan to the note pancham

in their phraseology of the raga. Also noticeable is that a number of aalap-s have

concluded with a common phrase ( Y Y Zr Y , Y Zr gm§ Zr , Zr Zr Y n ) just

before the mukhada. The antara is introduced at nine minutes into the clip. The

development of antara is dominated by rest on the upper tonic gm§ and employing

phrases around the note ( Y Zr gm§ , Y Zr gm§ a| gm§ a| J§ a| gm§ ). The antara

is rendered once in two avartan-s. The syllables of the song text especially aa

and ee are elongated effectively as the principle mode of articulation. The element

of pause is an important feature of Arolkar’s aalap. It appears after sustaining a

particular note for a period of time and then rendering the same note again thereby

creating a lingering effect. Aalap sequences begin from the 4th matra after the sam.

Each sequence is typically of two avartan-s.

6. The sequences that follow antara are dominated by aakar tana-s though the

progression towards tana-s is gradual; as behelawa through sthayi bol-s is also

rendered. Pulsation towards the end of the avartan is marked by bolbant using the

text samajhata nahi kahu ki baata.

7. Most common type of tana-s include ascending sequentially towards gm§ and sapaat

movement in the avaroha often plunging to the mandra notes ‹J before ascending

143 again. Articulation in tana-s is a combination of aakar and bol-s of the bandish

(where in syllables of words are used).

8. The most striking quality of this piece is its unhurried and expansive vistaar which

could be attributed to the skill with which meend as an expression is employed

throughout the rendering.

B: Delineation of Raga Bhairav in texts (Kramik Pustak Malika and Raga Vigyan)

A brief overview of the raga grammar prescribed in the texts ‘Kramik Pustaka Malika’

by Bhatkhande and ‘Raga Vigyan’ by Patwardhan, helps us to assess and compare the

raga chalan maintained by Arolkar in his rendition of a khayal in the raga Bhairav

(analyzed later).

Bhatkhande has documented details of raga Bhairav in his text ‘Kramik Pustak Malika Part 2’

(1936: 157-158). The raga belongs to the Bhairav thaat, one of the parent scales used for

classification of raga-s in the Hindustani tradition. He proposes that the raga is heptatonic

(sampoorna) in both the aroha ( gm ao J ‘, n Y Zr gm§ ) and avaroha ( gm§ Zr Y , n ‘ J , ao , gm ).

Bhatkhande designates komal dhaivat as the vadi and komal rishabh as the samvadi swar.

Bhatkhande emphasizes on the importance of the notes ao and Y which are always rendered

with oscillating movement (andolan). The meend between the notes madhyam ( ‘ ) and

komal rishabh ( ao ) is central to the aesthetic appeal of this raga.

Chalan (Melodic Phraseology):

• gm ao , ao , gm , gm J ‘ n ‘ J ao , J ‘ Y , n , gm J , ‘ n , Y , n , ‹Zr gm J ‘ n J , ‘ , Y , Zr gm§ / gm Y , Y , Zr Y , n , n Y , Zr gm§

• gm§ , Y , n , Zr gm§ a| gm§ Zr gm§ , Y , n , ‘ J , ao , J ‘ n ‘ J , ao , ao , gm

144 Patwardhan confirms to thechalan given by Bhatkhande assigning a heptatonic (sampoorna)

Zr Zr Zr Zr n J J movement in aroha ( gm ao J ‘ n Y Y Zr gm§ ) and avaroha ( gm§ Zr Y Y n , J ‘ ao ao gm ).

This raga is documented in Patwardhan’s text ‘Raga Vigyan Part 3’ (1937/1991: 108-

111). Komal dhaivat and komal rishabh are designated as the vadi and the samvadi swar.

According to Patwardhan, dhaivat ( Y ) and rishabh ( ao ) are andolit swar-s and always sung with a kan of nishad and madhyam/gandhar respectively. This is clearly illustrated

Zr Zr J J through the following phrase: Y Y n , ao ao gm. Patwardhan also opines that undue rest on the notes gandhar and madhyam distorts the chalan of the raga.

Chalan (Skeletal Phraseology):

• gm ao J ‘ ZrY ZrY n , J ‘ ZrY ZrY gm§, Zr gm§ a| a| gm§ Zr gm§ ZrY ZrY n , Y Y n ‘ n

nJ‘n‘J ao J ao gm, J ‘ n ao J ao J ao , ZrY ZrY n

• gm ao J ‘ n Y Zr gm§ gm§ ao J§ ‘§ J§ a| gm§ Zr Y n ‘ J ao gm

C: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Bhairav performed by Arolkar

The recording clip in Raga Bhairav comprises of a traditional khayal baalamava set to

vilambit tilwada followed by a drut bandish in jhaptala (Clip 13). The entire duration of

the clip is 25 minutes. A detailed analysis of the vilambit khayal is given below.

1. The fundamental pitch is D# (kali 2) and the range spans from ‹J to ‘§ ( two octaves).

2. The clip begins with a prelude aalap delineating the primary phrase of the raga.

J n @ @ J ‘ n ‘ ao @ @ ao gm. The phrase spans the notes n to gm of the madhya saptak

with prominence being given to the long meend between ‘ and ao and significant

145 rest on ao at the end. This is commensurate with the accounts of Bhatkhande and

Patwardhan both of whom prescribe an andolit movement for ao (seen also in

Arolkar’s rendition in this clip) and importance of meend between the notes ‘ and ao.

The prelude aalap is very short, not exceeding 25 seconds.

3. The khayal is set to tilwada. Bandish sthayi is sung twice in one avartan each,

the mukhada of the bandish is of 1 3/4 matra and the sam is on the note komal

dhaivat ( Y ). Antara is introduced at 18 minutes into the clip. The mukhada of

antara is of one matra duration with the sam on Y Y gm§. The antara is sung

twice, each time rendered in one avartan. Lyrics of the bandish are: Baalamavaa

re more saiyyan sadaarangeele; hun to tuma bina tarasa rahee, darasa bina bega

bataao leho balaiyya. The versions of the same khayal given by Bhatkhande and

Patwardhan vary slightly on all accounts for instance lyrics, tala chosen, mukhada

duration and placement of the sam. Bhatkhande documents the same bandish in

‘Kramik Pustaka Malika Part 2’ (1936:177-178). The bandish is set to vilambit

teentala with the mukhada of 4 matra-s and the sam on Y. The antara mukhada is

again of 4 matra-s with the sam on ta (of tarasa) and on the note gm§. Patwardhan

documents this bandish in his text ‘Raga Vigyan Part 3’ (1991: 121). The khayal

is set to tilwada (similar to Arolkar’s choice ) and sthayi mukhada is of 2 matra-s

Zr with the sam on the note Y. The antara starts from the sam on the note ‘. (Arolkar

also chooses to start the antara just after the sam). There is overall similarity in the

melodic structure of the bandish in all the three versions; Lyrics of the bandish are

also similar.

146 4. The development of the raga commences after the sthayi is rendered. The emphasis

is clearly on aalap based on the melodic structure of the bandish. This implies that

since the bandish mukhada (sthayi) is on the note komal dhaivat ( Y ), the first few

aalap-s are centered around combinations of the notes Y , n , ‘. A few examples

n of the phraseology: n @ n @ ‘ J ‘ , Y @ Y @ n @ Y ‘, J ‘, n ‘ ao @ gm, Focus

J J J J J on madhyam ( ao @ J ‘ , ao @ ao @ ao @ J @ @ ‘ , n ao J ‘ , ‹Y ‹Zr gm J ‘ );

Focus on komal dhaivat ( J ‘ @ ‘ Y @ Y , ‘ ‘ Y J ‘ , J n , J Y @ Y ). The

phrases in the lower registers are introduced briefly though there is no rest on the

notes in the mandra saptak ( ‹Y ‹n ‹‘ @ @ ‹J ‹‘ ‹Zr ‹Y gm ‹Zr ‹Y gm ). The build up to taara

shadja is noteworthy, with many phrases delving on note combinations such as ‘Zr

YZr YZr Yn‘ before establishing taar shadja. The following melodic statements are

dominated by firmly establishing gm§ and approaching the note in a variety of ways

Zr Zr Zr Y a| Y gm§, ao a| @ @ gm§ , Y Y Y gm§ Y a| @ a| @ @ gm§. The meend between the

notes a| and gm§ is brilliantly executed. Antara is introduced after about 18 minutes.

Although the antara vistaar is less expansive in comparison to the sthayi, a few

phrases in the upper register include: Y Zr gm§ J§ ‘§ @ @ ‘§ a| gm§, Zr gm§ a| gm§ Y,

‘§ @ ‘§ n§ ‘§ @ @ a| @ @ ao gm. The articulation in aalap is mainly through bol-s of

the bandish sthayi and more specifically through the elongation of the syllables of

the bol-s. The melodic statement (aalap) is not confined to one avartan but may

even stretch to more than three avartan-s. The vadi and samvadi swar-s ( ao and Y)

as prescribed in texts of Bhatkhande and Patwardhan, is used abundantly and

147 skillfully by Arolkar in this rendition , thereby confirming to the importance

of the notes.

5. The section after the vistaar of sthayi and antara includes bol-tana-s concluded

with tihai. Two avartan-s are concluded with tihai-s commencing from the 13th

matra.

6. Tana-s are sung in the last two avartan-s of the vilambit khayal rendition.

The emphasis is on gamak and avarohi tana-s and sapaat tana-s.

( Zr Zr Zr Y n ‘ ‘ , J§ J§ J§ a| gm§ Zr Y , Zr Zr Y Y Y n , Y Y n ‘ J ao gm )

4.6.2 Observations on Sharad Chandra Arolkar’s Gayaki

The salient features of Sharad Chandra Arolkar’s gayaki are given below. The co-relation of these features with the basic tenets of the Gwalior idiom gives a better understanding of Arolkar’s gayaki. The recordings are an essential source of this interpretation as is evident from the analysis given above. Additionally I have had access to Arolkar’s lecture demonstration on khayal gayaki (1972), documentation of his interviews conducted by

P. L. Deshpande held in 1980 and 1989 and interaction with his direct disciples Neela

Bhagwat and Sharad Sathe.

1. Swar Lagaav or Voice Production: Arolkar’s voice production had a caressing

approach towards the phrase and song text of the raga. There was an attempt for

effortless rendition which comes across from his recordings. The vocal range was about

two octaves and there was no deliberate attempt to increase the range. His motto was

to produce a natural vocalization. Adhering to the Gwalior norm of open throated voice

148 production, he however mellowed down the aggressiveness that is often associated

with the Gwalior gayaki. Having said this, he used the aakar mode of articulation less

frequently. He sang with a fundamental/tonic at D (safed 2) and also in some cases

(from his recordings in the 60s and 70s) at E (safed 3). This pitch confirms to the

preference for a high pitched voice in Gwalior vocalism. Arolkar opines that in the

Gwalior gharana the emphasis is on effortless voice production and hence the pitch is

determined by designating the tonic shadja ( gm ) which accords the ability to sing with

ease the gandhar of the taara saptak and pancham of the mandra saptak with respect

to the chosen shadja.4

2. Introductory Aalap: Arolkar did sing the prelude or introductory aalap for 2-3 minutes

before the commencement of the bandish. According to his disciple Sharad Sathe

(personal communication, April 12, 2012), this apparently also served as a test of one’s

voice on a particular occasion and subsequently aided in the choice of the bandish to be

presented. However, the review of all his recordings available for this study reveal the

virtual absence of a prelude aalap; If at all there is, it is for a very short duration of less

than a minute, as Arolkar accorded the highest prominence to the bandish, the repeated

rendering of which was, in itself akin to creating the mood of the raga and thus the

function of the introductory aalap was kept at the minimal level. Alternatively, Arolkar

is understood to have sung a short prelude aalap using the words of the bandish or

4 Neela Bhagwat in her book ‘Sharatcchandra Arolkar: lene Pratibheche’, has written as well edited articles by others on Arolkar’s gayaki. For a complete interview of Arolkar by K.G . Ginde see (Bhagwat 2012: 84-88) which also includes Arolkar’s views on swar lagaav and determination of the vocal range and pitch ( p. 84).

149 nom-tom aalap in a few instances.5 Gwalior gharana assumes a subsidiary role to the

prelude aalap, though delineation of the raga through a short phrase prior to singing

the bandish, is customary.

3. Bandish Treatment: Arolkar’s khayal-s are marked by the authenticity in rendition

and he also accorded a very high degree of importance to an apt interpretation of

the bandish. He sang the sthayi usually twice; the antara followed after the sthayi

improvisation reached the upper tonic. The Gwalior gayaki accords importance to

singing the bandish sthayi and antara successively in order to effectively convey the

entire meaning of the bandish. Arolkar achieved this albeit treating both the sthayi and

antara as equally important entities. The meaning of the song text assumed significance

in his gayaki and this is corroborated by the short nuggets of explanations that he often

provides mid-way in his recordings. Arolkar was adept at utilizing the syllables of the

song text (bandish) to achieve an effective impact through the extension of vowels

and consonants. The same vilambit khayal in raga Todi sung by Arolkar and his guru

Krishnarao Pandit shows marked difference in rendition despite keeping intact the

structural homogeneity of the bandish; this is essentially due to the employment of

pauses found in greater abundance in Arolkar’s music.

4. Laya Concept and Choice of Tala: A review of his khayal recordings reveal that

Arolkar used Tilwada frequently for singing vilambit khayal-s, along with vilambit

ektala. The khayal-s were launched at a tempo of 27-40 beats per minute and concluded

5 Bhagwat, personal communication, April 5, 2012; Also see Bhagwat ( 2012:16).

150 with slight variation in tempo at 32-56 beats per minute. This implies that the laya leans

towards a medium tempo. Despite this laya, his gayaki gave the impression of being

unhurried and expansive.

5. Aalap/ Improvisation: Arolkar developed a raga on the basis of the bandish structure;

for instance if the sam of a bandish is on the note pancham as noticed in Raga Miyan ki

Todi, the vistaar commences by taking the note pancham as a starting point. The other

pattern noticed in Arolkar’s badhat or improvisation is that phrases within an aalap

are constructed such that the succeeding melodic phrase begins from a note higher

or lower than the note at which the preceding phrase concludes. This treatment was

employed in the entire saptak till taara shadja after which the improvisation of antara

commenced. Though not as expansive as the sthayi, Arolkar nevertheless explored the

region around taara shadja before completing the antara. Noteworthy aspect of his

treatment of the mukhada of the bandish was that just before the sam he would take

a short pause after the mukhada. This particularly accentuated the effect of the sam

which Arolkar termed as the ‘highest emotional point’ of music.6 Arolkar laid primary

importance to development or improvisation through the bol-s of the bandish hence

bol-aalap took precedence. Aakar articulation was comparatively less and even when

employed, it was an elongation of the aa syllable taken from the bol-s of the bandish.

Arolkar exploited the use of consonants and vowels of the bol-s of the bandish. The

appropriate elongation of the syllables of bol-s resulted in creating the desired emotional

6 This viewpoint of the sam has been mentioned by Suresh Talwalkar, acknowledging Arolkar’s acute understanding of the finer aspects of laya. See Bhagwat 2012: 106

151 expression in his renditions. In the Gwalior gayaki, it is common to keep the mukhada

of bandish constant (melodically and structurally) during the aalap section. Arolkar

however, maintains a co-relation between the mukhada and the preceding aalap design.

This lends a high degree of continuity and flow in hisgayaki .

6. Types of Tana-s: The section towards the end of a khayal rendition is usually dominated

by fast melodic runs known as tana-s. Arolkar preferred to sing sapaat and avarohi

tana-s and thereby largely confirmed to the Gwalior idiom. The use of single notes

(saral tana-s) rather than double notes features more frequently in his tana-s. A review

of his recordings also suggests that Arolkar gives more prominence to unfolding a raga

through bol-aalap and hence does not delve too much in singing tana-s.

7. Choice of Raga-s : Like many practitioners of the Gwalior idiom, Arolkar preferred

to sing siddha ( well-known and established) raga-s which have an inherent scope for

expansive improvisation and hence enjoyed a vast repertoire of bandish-s in raga-s like

Yaman, Bhairav, Bihag, Bhoop, Darbari and Todi to name a few.7 Bhagwat (2012: 40)

points out a few rare raga-s that were a part of Arolkar’s repertoire such as Shankara-

bihag, Bhairav-bahar, Mand-jogiya, Jogiya-asavari.

8. Preference for Genre: Arolkar was adept in genres of music other than khayal,

though the latter was the predominant genre of his performance repertoire. A review

of his recordings indicates that thumri, tappa, tarana, bhajan and ghazal were part of

his repertoire.

7 This preference for siddha raga-s is corroborated by his disciple Sharad Sathe. It is also commensurate with the fact that he laid stress on developing a raga on the basis of a bandish through bol-aalap.

152 4.7 D.V. Paluskar

The Hindustani music world is unanimous in its belief that if D.V. Paluskar had not passed

away at the young age of 34, he would have scaled greater heights as a khayal vocalist, notwithstanding his astounding vocal prowess that he attained in such a short life-span.

D.V. Paluskar had, what one would refer to as an ideal voice for khayal vocalism with the

right blend of vigour, depth and emotional appeal. This coupled with a sound training in the

Gwalior gharana gayaki made him a much recorded Hindustani vocalist of the twentieth

century. His gayaki adhered to the basic tenets of the Gwalior idiom but his ability to

assimilate and appreciate nuances of other musicians of his time led him to have a catholic

approach to music.

Dattatreya Vishnu Paluskar was born in Kurundawad in Maharashtra on 18th May 1921. He

was the son and disciple of Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. Being the son of Vishnu Digambar,

his initial training began at home. Owing to his busy schedule, Vishnu Digambar had

assigned his nephew Chintamanrao Paluskar to give the basic training in music to D.V.

Paluskar, teaching his son occasionally when he went home from his sojourns elsewhere.

He started learning from Chintamanrao Paluskar at the age of five and the training continued

till 1935 in Nashik. He is understood to have learnt 300-350 bandish-s in 40-50 raga-s. Thus

by the time Paluskar entered his teens he was already well-versed in giving short khayal

presentations. Paluskar also recounts having learnt a few compositions from his father such

as dhamar in Gaudsarang (dafa baja na laage), khayal in Bilawal (te harnaam) and bandish

153 in Bageshree (deeje daras).1 His debut performance in 1935 at the prestigious Harvallabh

Sangeet Sammelan in Jalandhar at the age of 14 was very well received. D.V. Paluskar lost his father in 1931when he was only ten. His musical training thus was essentially taken over by the disciples of Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. He was trained by Narayanrao

Vyas for a brief period before shifting to Pune around 1935 where he primarily learnt from

Vinayakbua Patwardhan. This was also a period when he started teaching at the Gandharva

Mahavidyalaya in Pune established by Patwardhan. Both Patwardhan and Vyas were senior disciples of Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. While D.V. Paluskar was essentially moulded in the Gwalior gayaki propagated by his father and his disciples, he created his own niche as a performing artiste. He presented a systematic aalap, bol-anga and forceful tana-s with great alacrity and skill. Another notable feature is that even short 78 rpm recordings comprising of khayal renderings in different raga-s include all the components of improvisation such as aalap, bol-aalap, bol-tana and aakar tana-s. The fast paced badhat (aalap) which is common in the Gwalior gayaki was replaced by a more gradual development of the raga.

It must be noted here that D.V. Paluskar came into limelight when the music scene was dominated by luminaries such as Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Omkarnath Thakur, Kesarbai

Kerkar and Amir Khan. It was natural that his contemporaries had an influence in shaping up his individual gayaki. As Ulhas Kashalkar (2005: 40-41) observed in an SRA publication on ‘ Stylistic Patterns of the Path-finders of Hindustani classical music in the last century’,

D.V. Paluskar appreciated Omkarnathji’s powerful voice, aesthetically appealing bandish-s

1 B.R. Deodhar was a disciple of Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and was the editor of the Sangeet Kala Vihar, a publication of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, from 1948-1958. During this period, he authored more than 80 essays on musicians and their gayaki. See (Deodhar 2007a:92) for a detailed sketch on D.V. Paluskar.

154 of Anant Manohar Joshi and Mirashibua, as also the tunefulness of Bade Ghulam Ali. He was an ardent admirer of Kesarbai Kerkar.

Apart from khayal, D.V. Paluskar was also much sought after for his bhajan renderings.

He was essentially a product of scholastic musical training as he had mainly trained from

Vinayakbua Patwardhan at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Pune. He subsequently worked as a teacher in the same institution till 1943 after which he had to quit due to increasing concert commitments. As Mohan Nadkarni mentions in his book ‘The Great

Masters: Profiles in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music’, “long years of training from three mentors at their music schools did not blunt his (Paluskar’s) creative propensities, nor could it formalize his performing abilities” (2005: 282). Hence while his music was clearly etched in the Gwalior gharana mode, he never became a clone of his guru. The quality of his voice and a very developed and keen aesthetic sense are the major contributing factors.

Paluskar was a much feted vocalist of his time evident from his very busy schedule of concerts all over the country. He even toured China as a member of the official cultural delegation from India (Nadkarni 2005: 277). He contributed to cine music as a playback singer in films like Baiju-Bawra and a Bengali film named Shaapmochan. His fledging career came to an abrupt end with his death in 1955 due to encephalitis.

4.7.1 Analysis of Selected Recordings: Raga Chayanat and Raga Gaudmalhar

As stated earlier, D.V. Paluskar achieved fame very early in his career. He was one of the busiest performers in the 40s and 50s before his untimely death at the age of 34 in

1955. He was also extensively recorded especially by the All India Radio and has many

155 78 rpm recordings to his credit. In the short span of 15 years he had 16 recordings to his

credit (Bangre 2011: 359). The raga-s that I have chosen for analysis are: Chayanat (karata

ho; vilambit teentala) and Gaudmalhar (Kaho ho; vilambit ektala). The details of analysis for both the raga-s are given below. A few other recordings that were reviewed include khayal-s in Shree, Miyan ki Todi, Ramkali, Miyan Malhar, Nand, Bhimpalasi, Kamod,

Tilak-kamod, Kedar, Puriya and Deshkar.

A: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Chayanat sung by D.V. Paluskar

Bhatkhande and Patwardhan have documented the phraseology and raga grammar pertaining to many raga-s including raga Chayanat in their texts ‘Kramik Pustak Malika’ and ‘Raga Vigyan’. The details of raga Chayanat have been provided in a previous chapter on Anant Manohar Joshi. The same may be referred to on page numbers 93-95.

The recording comprises of a vilambit khayal in teentala and the duration of the clip is 20 minutes (Clip 14).

1. Voice is marked by sweetness and is controlled. The vocalization is natural and

clear. Pliability is an essential quality of his voice. Paluskar sings with a fundamental

tonic at E (safed 3).

2. The clip begins with a prelude aalap (duration two minutes) delineating the key

n ‘ ‹Zr phrases of the raga. n ao, ao J ‘ n ‘ J ao gm ao gm gm ‹Y ‹n , ‹n ao gm,

ao n ‘ Ynn ‘ ‹Zr gm ‘ ‘ J J ‘ n ‘ J ao gm ao gm gm ,gm§ @ ‘ J ao gm. There are roughly

7-8 short aalap-s rendered in aakar with each of the phrases returning back to

the fundamental/tonic shadja. From the illustration above, it is evident that all the

156 characteristic phrases are a part of this introductory aalap. The chalan confirms to

that given by Bhatkhande and Patwardhan in their texts on raga grammar.

3. The entire bandish sthayi is sung twice in two avartan-s each. The text of the

bandish is rendered with immense clarity. The mukhada of the bandish sthayi is

J of 1 ¼ matra with the sam on the note ao and syllable ho; melodically there is no

change in the sthayi mukhada throughout the rendition. The antara of the bandish

is rendered almost towards the end of the clip (14 ½ minutes into the recording)

after the sthayi vistaar is completed along with exploration around taara shadja

and rishabh. The antara is sung once in two avartan-s. Antara mukhada confirms

melodically to that given by Bhatkhande; J ‘ n gm§ and sam on gm§. There is no

separate vistaar section for antara. The lyrics of the bandish sung are: karata ho

moso neha jhuthi batiya banaye banaye/ ve to hame hu jaanata tumaho jaanata

sarasa jaga janata hiyara so hiyaraa.

4. The base tempo of the bandish ranges from 32-38 beats per minute. There is an

increase of laya at the introduction of the antara and another slight increase after

the completion of antara, where the bol-bant section begins.

5. Aalap/Bol-aalap: The aalap is sung primarily in aakar with occasional use of bol-s

of the bandish sthayi. The aalap unfolds in a systematic manner developing through

the phrases of the raga and specifically thebandish while also keeping the focus on

the rest notes of the raga gm, n, gm§. Many phrases of the bandish are utilized as raw

J ‘ material for aalap. For instance in the ascent phrases like ‹n gm ao , ‹n gm, ao J ‘ n

157 n ‘ ‹Zr and in the descent phrases like ‘ J ao, gm are common phrases noticed in the

bandish and frequently employed for aalap. The systematic aalap becomes evident

in the sequential build up of the aalap. For instance aalap-s around the note

Y gm gm ( ‹ngm ao aogm , ‹n ao , ‹n gm ), pancham as focus ( ao J ‘ n, n ao , n ao , J J ao ao,

ao ‘ ‘ J J , n Y n n ), taara shadja or upper tonic as focus ( gmgmaoJ‘n , n , gm§ n ao , gm gm§ n ao , aoJ‘n @ n gm§ n ao, ao J ‘ n Zr Zrgm§ n aoo , n n Zr gm§ a| @ @,

n n Zr gm§ J§ ao§ gm§ , ao J ‘ n n gm§ ) .The characteristic meend n ao is amply explored,

as noticed from the above examples. Short meend between gm§ n is also executed. All

aalap sequences are sung in one avartan. The aalap-s are also seen to conclude with a

n ‘ ‹Zr phrase emphasizing slight pulsation before the mukhada ( J @ @ ‘ @ @ n @ @ ‘ J ao gm ) .

It must be noted that komal nishad ( Zr ) which is a vivadi note in this raga and

usually used in a phrase like ao J ‘ Zr Y n , is not present in the entire clip.

6. Bolbant in this clip is not prominent as the emphasis is more on tana-s. Distribution

of the sthayi bol-s in a simple pattern of four syllables in a matra and also sargam

articulation in one instance is noticed.

7. Aakar tana-s with sapaat and avarohi patterns are predominant (11 avartan-s of

tana sequences) and are marked by clarity (daanedaar). The other varieties of

tana-s noted in this clip are phirat tana-s and ragaanga tana-s (the specificchalan

of the raga is clear in this type of tana). Further, the first note of eachtana sequence

is usually emphasized. The speed of tana-s is typically more than 10-14 notes per

matra.

158 Some tana phrases:

ao J ‘ Y n n , ao J ‘ n , J ‘ ao gm ‹Zr gm , ao J ‘ n ‘ J ao gm ‹Zr gm,

‘ J ao gm ‹‹Zr gm , gm§ gm§ Y n n Y n n , ao J ‘ n ‘ J ao gm ‹Zr gm

J§ @ J§ ao gm§, a| gm§ gm§ Y n ‘ J ao gm gm, n ‘ ‘, n ‘ ‘ ao J, ao J ‘ n, ‘ J ao gm gm,

Y n n , Y n n , gm§ Zr , a| gm§ gm§, ao§ gm§ gm§ , Y n n , ‘ J ao J ‘ n ‘ J ao gm gm

8. Gamak is an essential feature in both aalap-s and tana-s.

B: Analysis of Khayal in Raga Gaudmalhar sung by D.V. Paluskar

As for Chayanat, Raga Gaudmalhar has also been documented in an earlier chapter of this

dissertation. Reference to the chapter on Anant Manohar Joshi (pages 99-101) can be duly

made for a detailed account on the raga grammar with respective to raga Gaudmalhar.

The contents of the recording sample include a khayal in vilambit ektala (kahe ho) followed

by a drut composition in drut teentala (Clip 15). The duration of the clip is 20 minutes. The

fundamental pitch is D# or kali 2.

1. The introductory aalap in aakar delineates the main phrases of the raga ‹‘ ‹n ‹Y ‹Zr gm,

ao gm gm ao J ‘ , J ‘ , J J ao (gm). Duration of the prelude aalap is around one

minute. The aalap starts with establishing the base tonic gm firmly by just rendering

the note for a sustained period of time after which key phrases of the raga till the

note madhyam ( ‘ ) are introduced.

2. The bandish sthayi is sung twice, in two avartan-s, both versions being more or less

identical to each other. The sthayi mukhada is of ¾ matra and the sam is on note ‘

159 and syllable ho. The antara is rendered once at the end of the clip, in two avartan-s.

The sam is on taara shadja.

3. The base tempo for the vilambit khayal is 29-35 beats per minute. The laya increases

gradually.

4. Aalap is characterized by a sequential introduction of the notes of the raga and building

up melodic statements in each tala cycle in accordance with the phrases of the raga.

Sustained note production on the nyasa swar-s is noticed while also introducing

swar-s Y and Zr (komal nishad) which always come with associated phrases as

ao they are not the nyasa swar-s of the raga. Focus on shadja ( J gm , gm ao gm gm

‹Zr ‹Y ‹Zr gm , ‹n ‹Zr ‹Y ‹Zr gm ), madhyam ( gmgmaoJ‘ J ‘ , gm J ao ‘ @ @ , (gm) J ao

ao ao ao J, J gm gm ao J ‘ ), pancham ( ‘ n @ @ ‘ , ‘ n Y J n ‘ , ‘ @ ‘n Y ZrYZr n

Y ‘ n Y Zr gm§ Zr Y Zr gm§ , ‘ n Y Zr gm§ J§ a| gm§ gm§ Zr Zr gm§). Execution

‘ of meend in the following phrases noticed: J gm , n ‘, Y J n ‘, ao ao n.

There is no separate aalap for the antara (as it is sung at the end of the clip) nor

are there noticeable aalap phrases in the upper registers. The articulation in aalap

alternates between aakar and bol-s of the bandish. All aalap sequences are sung for

the duration of one avartan each.

5. Bolbant /Tihai: Three avartan-s of bolbant followed by tihai is noted in this clip.

One avartan of bol-tana is also rendered. All the words of the bandish sthayi are

sung in the bolbant sequences. Each is concluded with a tihai using the words kahe

or kahe ho.

160 6. The vocalist has a clear inclination towards aakar tana-s which are introduced right

after the completion of aalap, interspersed with a few sequences of bol-bant and

bol-tana-s. The speed of tana-s varies from 8 notes in one matra to some patterns in

increased laya of 16 notes in one matra. Features of tana-s include: Use of double

notes and avarohi patterns; permutation and combinations of a specific set of notes

eg. JJaon‘J Jaogmgm (here combination between the notes gm and n are explored);

sapaat tana-s gm§ @ gm§ Y n ‘ J ao gm gm. An illustration of a tana in this clip:

J J ao gm gm, ao J J ao gm gm, ao n ‘ J ao gm gm, Y Y n ‘ ‘,

‘ n Y Zr gm§ Zr a| gm§ gm§, J§ J§ a| gm§ gm§, a| J§ ‘§ n§ ‘§ J§ a| gm§ gm§, Y n ‘ ‘,

‘ n Y Zr gm§ Zr a| gm§ gm§ Y n ‘ ‘ , Y n ‘ J , n ‘ J ao gm gm

Drut Bandish

The drut bandish (balama bahar aayi) in teentala is sung after the completion of

the vilambit khayal. The duration of the bandish is five minutes. The base tempo

is 202 beats per minute. The sthayi is sung twice and the laya increases before the

commencement of antara. Improvisation in the antara with rest on taara shadja gm§ is

noticeable. Elaboration of the bandish is mainly through bol-bant using all the sthayi

words and tana patterns similar to the ones used in the vilambit khayal ie. sapaat, and

avarohi tana-s.

4.7.2 Observations on D.V. Paluskar’s Gayaki

From the analysis above and a review of some of his available recordings, it is clear that

D.V. Paluskar followed a disciplined approach in his khayal presentation. Systematic approach to music making was his forte.

161 1. Swar Lagaav or Voice Production: If there is one overpowering quality that gave

Paluskar his iconic status, it was his voice. Natural voice production, innate sweetness

and flexibility and pliability are the essential features of his voice. In this sense he

confirmed to the Gwaliorgayaki norm of a natural voice production. Where he differed

was to avoid the aggressiveness in intonation that the Gwalior gayaki is known for.

Having said this, it should be noted that Paluskar did rely on a forceful vocalization

where it was necessary. His vocal range averaged about 2 octaves. He sang with a

fundamental/tonic at D# or kali 2.

2. Introductory Aalap: The Gwalior gayaki proposes a short outline of the raga before

the commencement of the percussion accompanied bandish. D.V. Paluskar does not

deviate from this notion and presents an introductory aalap articulated in aakar covering

the essential phraseology of the raga. The duration of the aalap is typically one to two

minutes (comprising of an average of 5-6 aalap movements) and mostly precedes his

vilambit khayal renditions. The shorter 78 rpm three minute clips also include a prelude

aalap focusing on the most distinguishing phrase of the raga along with establishing

the tonic/shadja. The range in this phrasing was also dependent on the raga structure.

3. Bandish Treatment: Bandish is accorded the primary role in the Gwalior gayaki.

The usual norm is to sing the entire bandish sthayi and antara at the beginning of

the rendition. Paluskar sings the sthayi twice and presents the antara after melodic

improvisation till taara shadja. The sthayi mukhada is accorded the primary status in

improvisation; the antara mukhada is used mainly for limited improvisation. Immense

clarity in diction and pronunciation of the song text (lyrics of the bandish) is a notable

162 feature of Paluskar’s bandish-s. The placement of the syllables of the song text with

regard to the beats and divisions of the tala, remains unchanged in repeated singing of

the bandish. Paluskar also gave due importance to make sure the lyrics of the bandish

remain unbroken and as a consequence, there was no room for distortion of the song text

in his renderings. Having said this, Paluskar was content to treat the words as primarily

melodic material and did not delve on bringing out the meaning of the bandish lyrics.

4. Laya Concept and Choice of Tala: The Gwalior gayaki khayal-s (vilambit) lean

towards a slow medium tempo. Paluskar relied on this tempo for his vilambit khayal-s.

A review of his recordings reveals preference for ektala in his vilambit khayal-s

and teentala in the drut khayal-s. The more common tala-s of the Gwalior gharana

such as jhoomra and tilwada do not figure in his repertoire. Perhaps his training

under Vinayakrao Patwardhan could have attributed to this preference of the tala-s.

He launched his vilambit khayal-s at 25-32 beats per minute and concluded with

31-38 beats per minute. This confirms to the slow medium tempo preferable in the

Gwalior gharana.

5. Aalap/Improvisation: Paluskar adopts the mode of systematic unfolding of the raga

with the aalap predominantly being articulated in aakar. His improvisation sections

give an impression of an attempt to portray facets of a raga through a balanced

inclusion of aalap (in aakar), bol-aalap (using bol-s of the bandish), limited aalap in

the antara and behelawa in a slightly raised tempo. The nyasa swar-s of the raga are

identified and introduced sequentially and also rendered for a sustained period of time.

163 The aalap-s are woven around these notes and developed according to the phrases of

the raga. The overall mood that he created through his renditions was that of tranquility

and devotional fervour or bhakti bhava. This was effectively portrayed in his aalap

and thereby he avoided the fast paced improvisation more common in the Gwalior

gharana gayaki.

6. Types of Tana-s: The last part of improvisation of a khayal is largely devoted to

tana-s articulated predominantly through the vowel aa or aakar. The types of tana-s

that frequently appear in his renditions include: Sapaat, avarohi, phirat, ragaanga and

gamak tana-s. The tana-s are noticeable for extreme clarity (daanedaar) and rendered

with gamak even at an increased tempo. Another noticeable aspect is the entry of

staccato like intonation in tana-s. There is also a tendency to forcefully sing the first

note of a tana sequence akin to the humphita gamak, which is also a feature of the

Gwalior gayaki.

7. Choice of Raga: D. V. Paluskar’s raga repertoire included commonly heard raga-s of

the Gwalior idiom like Malkauns, Hameer, Kedar, Miyan Malhar, Todi, Lalit, Bhairav,

Ramkali, Tilak-kamod, Bahar, Chayanat, Darbari-kanada, Gaudmalhar, Bhoop and a

few rare raga-s such as Nayaki-kanada, Gandhari, Maluha-kedar, Kukubh-Bilawal and

Bageshree-kanada. His immense popularity as a performer could be attributed in part

to his preferred choice of a more comprehensible raga repertoire thereby reaching out

to a wider audience.

8. Preference for Genre: He performed khayal and tarana predominantly. Bhajan-s were

also an integral part of his recitals. While he was trained in dhrupad and dhamar, he

seldom included them in his concerts.

164