tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74216071523452394102012-01-31T08:26:55.473+05:30Enthusiasts of Hindustani (North Indian classical) music are scattered all over the world. This seemed like the best way to connect with likeminded music lovers and to share with them an understanding of the tradition. Comments of visitors can no longer be entered directly into the blog. But, I remain accessible by email.Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comBlogger1101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-46702954303375747622011-12-21T08:44:00.010+05:302012-01-24T16:38:06.603+05:30

Author: Deepak S. Raja Foreword: Pandit Arvind Parikh Publisher: DK Printworld, New Delhi 2011 Paperback: Rs.320.00/ US$ 16.00Hard-cover: Rs. 600.00/ US$ 27.00For orders: Email: indology@dkprintworld.com In HINDUSTANI MUSIC TODAY, the author presents a panoramic view of Hindustani art music as viewed at the dawn of the 21st century.  It addresses educated readers, who may not have been

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-62407962806358594672011-10-21T07:46:00.000+05:302011-10-21T07:46:38.047+05:30

In post-independence India, the Santoor has had the most meteoric rise on the classical music platform. In less than twenty-five years, it rose from near-oblivion to the peak of popularity. Amongst instruments currently in vogue, it is the only instrument played by the hammering action of sticks. Compared to the other vertical impact instruments -- like the Jaltarang, Tabla Tarang and Kashta

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-35872713004502765552011-08-08T07:39:00.004+05:302011-09-02T08:14:39.069+05:30

Ustad Ameer Khan was easily the single most influential Hindustani vocalist of the 20th century. His music deeply influenced his contemporaries and, more than thirty-five years since his demise, continues to shape the dominant tendencies in vocalism, as well as instrumental music. An eclectic, who enriched his basic grooming with several other influences, he set standards of musicianship that

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-26624167900666325112011-07-21T10:01:00.001+05:302011-08-05T07:48:08.651+05:30

Gaud Malhar is an immensely popular compound raga, derived from Gaud, a minor raga most frequently added as a subordinate melodic flavour to major ragas, and Malhar, a major raga associated with the rainy season. The raga was originally conceived as Gaud in the purvanga [lower tetrachord], and Malhar in the uttaranga [upper tetrachord]. Like many compound ragas, Gaud Malhar has defined its

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-81133548073504395162011-07-21T06:59:00.016+05:302011-08-04T21:24:09.972+05:30

Kishori Amonkar (born: 1931) is by far the most influential female Hindustani vocalist to emerge in independent India.  She is the daughter and disciple of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana stalwart, Mogubai Kurdikar, but acquires her stature from her originality as an interpreter of the gharana’s musical wisdom. She jettisoned the classicism of her gharana’s style in favor of a marked romanticism,

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-12958852393657828212011-07-06T07:15:00.007+05:302011-07-08T16:43:28.567+05:30

Raga Bhatiyar, also known as Bhatiyari (not to be confused with Bhatiyali, the folk genre of Bengal), is a popular raga prescribed for performance around dawn.  According to legend, the raga was composed by an ancient king, Raja Bhartruhari [200 AD]. Hence its name. There is, however, little evidence to support this claim to antiquity. The raga belongs to the Marwa parent scale, one of the ten

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-78289688613888933772011-06-29T08:05:00.007+05:302011-07-05T00:17:56.305+05:30

Lalita-Sohini is a recent (early 20th century) raga reportedly created by Agra gharana vocalists. I have heard it only on a recording of the sarodist, Ustad Bahadur Khan of the Maihar-Senia lineage. This solitary recording cannot be construed as being the standard or authorized interpretation of the raga in the Maihar gharana. But, the concept is interesting and deserves attention. By its

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-63114609986866394352011-06-20T11:55:00.003+05:302011-06-20T20:39:39.581+05:30

Multani is amongst the popular afternoon ragas in the Hindustani system. It is classified under the Todi parent scale. The raga is prescribed for performance during the last three- hour period before sunset. The raga is pentatonic in the ascent and heptatonic in the descent. In the tone material, Ni is Shuddha [natural], Re, Ga and Dh are komal [flat], and Ma is tivra [sharp]. Ascent: N. S g M^

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-54141930528373346682011-06-18T07:49:00.004+05:302011-06-21T16:07:18.008+05:30

Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, regal in appearance and bearing, dressed in flowing silken robes, and sporting a leonine mane of shoulder-length white hair, accompanied by four tanpuras, two vocalists, and often two melodic accompaniments, is one of the enduring images of the last century in Hindustani music. On stage, Omkarnath was living theatre. But, he was much more than a musician. He enjoyed a

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-80081395786088716342011-06-11T13:40:00.002+05:302011-06-13T08:28:58.500+05:30

Bahar is amongst the popular seasonal ragas of Hindustani music. The word "Bahar" is of Perso-Arabic origin, and connotes flowering. The raga itself could also be of middle-eastern inspiration. Appropriately, the raga is associated with spring. One view of the time-association is that the raga can be performed at any time of day or night during the spring season. Another view suggests that it is

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-20279801166629066092011-06-06T08:38:00.003+05:302011-06-12T16:29:39.151+05:30

Bihag is a popular late evening raga in Hindustani classical music, but not too common in the semi-classical genres. In classical music, however, it is regarded as a raga of Shringara rasa (romantic sentiment), and early romanticist Khayal singers such as Bade Gulam Ali Khan (Lat uljhi suljha jaa balam) are known to have interpreted the raga liberally in Thumree style renditions, albeit

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-50842592698960124982011-06-06T08:32:00.003+05:302011-06-14T08:28:52.562+05:30

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (1931-1986) was amongst the finest sitarists to emerge on the classical music platform in the post-independence era. He entered the profession at a time when vocal music ruled the scene, and formidable musicians like Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and Pandit Ravi Shankar were shaping a market for instrumental music. Under such daunting conditions, he created a

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-3631191863685712152011-05-30T07:57:00.020+05:302011-06-05T14:35:58.673+05:30

Ustad Bismillah Khan (1916-2006) was easily the single most popular Hindustani musician of the 20th century, while also enjoying stature on par with his greatest contemporaries. After performing for almost seven decades, he breathed his last as one of the most decorated musicians in the country. In 2001 the President of India honoured him with the “Bharat Ratna”, the nation’s highest civilian

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-37803854971530781922011-05-28T08:58:00.003+05:302011-05-28T17:28:44.755+05:30

USTAD ENAYET KHAN Enayet Khani Kanada is Ustad Vilayat Khan's tribute to his legendary father, Ustad Enayet Khan. It is not known whether Ustad Eanyet Khan had anything to do with the creation of this melodic entity. The possibility of this is remote considering that, sometime on 1989-90, this Raga, then called Vilayat Khani Kanada, was described by Ustad Vilayat Khan, to his sitarist son,

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-34572424109070456662011-05-23T07:45:00.006+05:302011-05-23T20:52:47.730+05:30

Pandit Jasraj (Born: 1930) is the most popular male vocalist in Hindustani music today. In a career spanning half a century, he has emerged as a major force in the romanticist movement sweeping khayal vocalism since the 1970s. He also enjoys a substantial international following, having established several teaching establishments in the US, where over 300 students are studying his style of

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-39276577776946286932011-05-19T20:48:00.004+05:302011-05-22T16:27:38.398+05:30

Khambavati causes occasional confusion by its name. In the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana of khayal vocalism, and only in that gharana, the raga commonly recognised as Rageshri is called Khambavati. Khambavati, as documented in authoritative texts, is a rare raga, which bears an affinity to the more popular raga Jhinjhoti. Khambavati belongs to the Khamaj Thaat, one of the parent scales used for the

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-28953579903681010682011-05-18T17:26:00.006+05:302011-05-19T21:16:20.423+05:30

Jaitashree an averagely well-known raga performed around sunset, and popularised primarily by vocalists of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana in the latter half of the 20th century. In pre-20th century texts, it has also been called Jaishree or Jayantashree, and described as a variant of Shree. Authoritative texts on raga grammar differ on whether this raga is an independent primary raga, or a compound

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-91080314079631972022011-05-13T22:18:00.007+05:302011-05-14T08:40:47.617+05:30

Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur was amongst leading Khayal vocalists of the post-independence period, and the only significant male vocalist to have been trained by the founding family of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. THE GHARANA ALLADIYA KHAN The lineage regards Ustad Alladiya Khan, belonging to a family of Dhrupad vocalists practicing the Dagar Bani style, as the founder of its khayal vocalism. He

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-62906238326914783822011-05-07T11:13:00.007+05:302011-05-16T09:33:06.518+05:30

Kedar is amongst the most popular post-sunset ragas. The raga belongs to the Kalyan thaat, and within it, to the sub-group that permits twin-Ma usage - shuddh and tivra (sharp). Other popular ragas in this sub-group are Hameer, Chhayanat, Kamod, Nand and Behag. Although the contemporary raga is relatively non-controversial, it has an interesting history which impinges upon its contemporary

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-28088110717973998902011-05-04T14:04:00.006+05:302011-05-04T16:37:13.905+05:30

How much Dhrupad is there in contemporary Dhrupad? Connoisseurs with a taste for such conundrums will find plenty of grist for their mill in the music of Indra Kishore Mishra. While the established Dhrupad lineages re-engineer the medieval genre as a global brand, Indra Kishore (Born: 1957) struggles for acceptance of a style zealously insulated against change for over three centuries in a

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-61257818166103313302011-05-04T11:55:00.002+05:302011-05-04T11:55:19.427+05:30

Introduction: Manjiri Asnare-Kelkar (born: 1971) was selected by the Sangeet Natak Akademi for the first Bismillah Khan Memorial Award for Young Musicians in early 2007. A few years earlier, India Today hailed hers as the “voice that spans not merely two octaves, but two centuries”. She became a broadcaster on All India Radio at the age of 16, after topping its nationwide talent-search, and

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-48402870606377682332011-04-24T08:29:00.001+05:302011-04-24T08:33:21.445+05:30

Miya-ki Todi, also known as, Todi, Darbari Todi, and sometimes Shuddha Todi, is amongst the more popular morning ragas of Hindustani music. The raga also represents the Todi parent scale of Hindustani music, corresponding to the Shubhapantuvarali Mela of the Carnatic (South Indian) system. The raga derives its name from its association with the legendary musician, Miya Tansen (16th century) It

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-12766866311138987492011-04-21T14:47:00.005+05:302011-04-22T11:01:39.335+05:30

For over a century now, the Benares Hall of Fame has read like the “Who’s who” of Hindustani music. The latest addition to it is Girija Devi. Born in 1929, she is amongst the most distinguished vocalists of our times, and the reigning queen of the Benares tradition of Thumree and allied genres. In a career spanning almost six decades, she has charmed three generations of Indian music lovers. In

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-46344004782925452222011-04-18T07:42:00.004+05:302011-06-13T08:21:48.479+05:30

The creation of Ahir-Lalit is credited to Pandit Ravi Shankar. It was first recorded by him on a 78 RPM record [STCS-850176], probably in the 1950’s, and again -- this time an elaborate presentation – in 1979 [STC-850064]. The raga has been a part of his concert repertoire for several decades, and has been popularised by several younger musicians of the Maihar-Senia gharana. The hyper-hexatonic

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-34512215964444836952011-04-15T22:44:00.004+05:302011-04-19T19:42:06.219+05:30

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan was amongst the handful of musicians to have achieved iconic status in the post-independence era. As the heir to the legacy of his father and Guru, Ustad Allauddin Khan (died:1972), he was at the forefront of the renaissance that enabled instrumental music to match vocal music in terms of maturity and surpass it in popularity. With over a 100 commercial releases, he was

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-64643889099464071632011-04-15T09:58:00.002+05:302011-04-15T17:37:24.021+05:30

Marwa, Puriya, and Sohini are three ragas born from the same scale (S-r-G-M^-D-N). The three are also amongst the most popular ragas in Hindustani music. So, evidently, most musicians believe they know how to handle these ragas. For the discerning listener, however, renditions of these ragas are often uncomfortable  because their skeletal phraseologies alone are not sufficient to differentiate

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-89859625999440864122011-04-13T11:15:00.000+05:302011-04-13T11:15:47.819+05:30

DV Paluskar, through his father, Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, belonged to the Maharashtra stream of the Gwalior gharana, founded by Balkrishna Buwa Ichalkaranjikar. The Gwalior gharana is considered the fountainhead of Khayal vocalism in Hindustani music. It was founded by Natthan Peer Baksh, an eminent vocalist of Lucknow, who migrated to Gwalior in the early 19th century. His grandsons, Haddu

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-82301130101809067942011-04-03T23:10:00.018+05:302011-05-25T08:32:04.845+05:30

BOOK REVIEW Title: Bhairavi Sub-title: The global impact of Indian music Author: Peter Lavezzoli Publishers: Harper Collins Publishers India. (2009) Pgs: 430 (including glossary and bibliography) Paperback: Indian Price: Rs. 450.00 In its obituary for Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, the New York Times quoted Peter Lavezzoli's study on the influence of Indian music in the West. His personal credibility

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-56081275680116756592011-03-27T09:48:00.014+05:302011-12-28T05:44:21.228+05:30

The post-independence era is now acknowledged as the Golden Age of instrumental music in the Hindustani tradition. A large part of the credit for this goes to the Sitar and to sitarists. The instrument entered the mainstream as an heir to the medieval Rudra Veena to later become its rival, and finally, its survivor. Its journey to the pinnacle of Hindustani instrumental music has taken about 300

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-55249366841244294522011-03-15T21:28:00.002+05:302011-03-18T08:49:28.668+05:30

Bihagda is a rare raga of the Bihag family. It is a raga of considerable antiquity, described in several mediaeval texts, and bears a close resemblance to raga Behag/ Byag of the Carnatic (South Indian) tradition. Bihagda is known to have been performed, in recent years, only by vocalists of the Jaipur-Atrauli and Agra gharanas. It is, however, identified more closely with the Jaipur-Atrauli

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-76710655031875459612011-03-09T08:35:00.023+05:302012-01-06T17:20:12.975+05:30

Hirabai Barodekar (1905-1989) was amongst the most distinguished and popular Hindustani vocalists of the 20th century, and almost certainly the most melodious female voice heard in recent times. She was the eldest daughter of the Kairana gharana founder, Ustad Abdul Kareem Khan, but trained primarily by her father’s associate and Kairana co-founder, Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan. She exploded upon the

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-83237732731764159592011-03-05T12:12:00.000+05:302011-03-05T12:12:31.402+05:30

Ustad Zia Fareeduddin Dagar spoke to Deepak Raja about the Dhrupad Kendra, Bhopal, on October 6, 1998  By 1980, I had virtually settled down in Austria. I was running Dhrupad classes in Austria and France. Once, during a visit to India, one of my disciples, the filmmaker, Mani Kaul came to me and pleaded with me to provide the background score for a film he was making on Madhya Pradesh. I was

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-81710238867453342792011-03-01T22:29:00.015+05:302011-03-03T21:39:01.211+05:30

Patadeepak is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. On the only recording available, Sharafat Hussain Khan of Agra gharana introduces it as an “old” raga. However, it remains undocumented by any recent authority, starting from Bhatkhande in the first quarter of the 20th century, upto Manikbuwa Thakurdas in the 1990’s. I have checked with some of the biggest archivists, and find that no other

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-10773726312160610472011-02-22T08:05:00.006+05:302011-02-27T08:49:26.843+05:30

Pandit Kumar Gandharva (1924-1992) was easily the most original, and the most controversial Hindustani vocalist of the 20th century. His music elicited extreme reactions – either fanatical adulation or outright hostility. But, his musicianship was never in doubt. By the time he breathed his last, he had been decorated with the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan, the Kalidas Samman, the Sangeet

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-26601640736382716682011-02-20T09:42:00.005+05:302011-02-21T07:43:49.640+05:30

Shubhendra's e-mail of July 1,2004 to Deepak Raja   SHUBHENDRA & SASKIA RAO My father was a disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar since 1949, much before I was born. He remained one of his closest disciples and in our house in Bangalore where I grew up, Guruji (Pandit Ravi Shankar) was worshipped as God! Even as a very young child, I was supposed to have shown my talent in music and could

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-88893520733210023782011-02-18T09:11:00.007+05:302011-04-03T00:09:19.291+05:30

The creation of Bilaskhani Todi, is attributed to Bilas Khan, one of the four sons  of Mian  Tansen  (1491-1583), the legendary musician  who served  the  Mughal Emperor  Akbar (Reign: 1542-1605), and composed many Ragas, including Mian Ki Todi. Since the present Todi variant is currently the only Raga explicitly attributed to Bilas Khan, it is often referred to as, simply, Bilaskhani. Legend  

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-9614574263104131432011-02-14T07:50:00.011+05:302011-02-17T09:20:46.140+05:30

Nat Kamod belongs to an important segment of the Jaipur-Atrauli repertoire of compound ragas, in which Nat (sometimes called Shuddha Nat) is blended with other ragas. According to Dhondutai Kulkarni, the seniormost Jaipur-Atrauli vocalist, the gharana performs as many as 50 different compounds of Nat. The most frequently heard amongst these have been Savani-Nat, Bhoop-Nat, Nat-Bilawal, Nat

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-10399790740901209752011-02-08T09:23:00.006+05:302011-02-10T09:15:33.734+05:30

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, the pre-eminent Hindustani  vocalist breathed his last in the early hours of January 24 after a prolonged illness. He would have been 89 on February 4. Although the maestro had retired a few years ago, his passing away makes the void palpable. Amongst 20th century giants of vocalism, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi enjoyed a rare combination of popularity and stature. He charmed

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-58606947515344745142011-02-06T08:41:00.000+05:302011-02-06T08:41:56.988+05:30

Reproduced from: “The Wisdom of Confucius” Peter Pauper Press, Mount Vernon, New York.1963. The inner nature of man is the province of music; that of ceremonies is his exterior. The result of music is perfect harmony; that of ceremonies the perfect observance of propriety. When one’s inner man is harmonious, and the outer man thus docile, the people see it in his face and do not quarrel with

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-65454032245167264762011-01-30T22:15:00.001+05:302011-01-30T22:16:39.927+05:30

Jog is an immensely popular and versatile post-sunset raga in contemporary music.. The raga now enjoys considerable popularity also in the semi-classical and light genres. The raga did not merit elaborate discussion in major early 20th century works such as Bhatkhande Sangeet Shastra. It can be assumed, therefore, to have acquired its significance in the latter half of the last century. The raga

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-5389841837091718072011-01-09T22:15:00.002+05:302011-01-09T22:23:48.742+05:30

Mishra spoke to Deepak Raja on December 22, 2002 My gharana traces its origins to two brothers, Jasraj and Yuvraj Mallik, who served the court of the Mughal Emperor, Shahjehan (17th century) as vocalists and Rudra Veena players. When they accepted the patronage of Bettiah rulers, they retained “Mallik”, the title granted to them at the Mughal court. Our family name is Mishra, and family lore

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-49489686907842129802011-01-02T22:10:00.001+05:302011-05-04T16:48:30.102+05:30

Vijaya spoke to Deepak Raja on December 24, 2001 My father, DB Jadhav worked as a clerk in a Bombay textile mill, and was an empanelled vocalist of All India Radio. He had studied primarily with Natthan Khan [died: 1946], the nephew of Alladiya Khan of the Jaipur gharana. However, he had also studied with senior musicians of Agra, and Gwalior gharanas. Despite his diverse training, he

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-54280629971021909082010-12-27T08:25:00.000+05:302010-12-27T08:43:21.260+05:30

Girija Devi spoke to Deepak Raja on February 24, 2004 When I was five or six years old, my father placed me under the tutelage of Sarju Prasad Mishra. In those days, girls from genteel society did not go to the teacher’s house to learn; they were taught music in their own homes. Sarju Prasad Mishra was a very good singer, but performed as a Sarangi accompanist. For the first three years, I was

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-26806887064610509192010-12-26T06:30:00.000+05:302010-12-26T09:05:47.636+05:30

Tejendra Majumdar spoke to Deepak Raja on December 21, 2003 I was 9 years old when I was taken to Bahadur Khan Saheb for training. My uncle had been his disciple; so he knew the family. Until then, I had been playing the mandolin. He kept me on tenterhooks for six months before he agreed to teach me. My parents were relieved when he said yes. But, for a nine-year old mandolin player, the

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-12587041839681807972010-12-04T10:36:00.005+05:302010-12-26T09:07:32.249+05:30

I translate below, as faithfully as possible, an extract from a recorded interview I did with Ustad Vilayat Khan on January 3, 1997. The explicit agenda was to discuss a recording he had done, of Raga Khamaj, for India Archive Music Ltd. The conversation drifted towards the ragas by which each generation of his family is likely to be remembered. Question: Ustad Enayet Khan was known for his

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-12493221319387340362010-12-04T10:12:00.003+05:302010-12-26T09:09:19.684+05:30

As in the case of other ragas named after Hindu deities (Shree, Durga, Saraswati etc.), the genesis of the association between Bhairavi, as a melodic entity and its mythological correlates, is untraceable. However, Raga-Dhyana texts (contemplation of a raga) for many ragas are available in musicological literature. When backed by the power of mythology, these visualizations have a very obvious

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-12736817863268492592010-12-04T10:00:00.002+05:302010-12-26T09:09:52.277+05:30

Bhairavi is one of the most popular ragas in the Hindustani melodic pantheon. In its pure form, its scale represents one of the ten parent scales under which other ragas are classified. But, its concert manifestation is highly malleable, and accommodates a variety of tonal deviations, without losing its essential Bhairavi-ness. The shuddha (pure) Bhairavi is heard only rarely. On the concert

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-64136338084079072082010-08-11T23:00:00.001+05:302010-12-26T09:10:12.234+05:30

Nayan spoke to Deepak Raja on January 28, 2000 My father, Pandit Nikhil Ghosh -- we called him Baba -- was my Guru in all departments of music. He is remembered as a tabla maestro. This, indeed, he was. He was trained by three phenomenal percussionists: Jnana Prokash Ghosh, Ahmedjan Thirakwa, and Ameer Hussein Khan. But, few people know that, until 1944, Baba was a professional vocalist. He

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-36366882550821331552010-07-27T16:40:00.002+05:302010-12-26T09:10:35.962+05:30

Introduction: Prof. Kalyan Mukherjea (1943-2010) was an outstanding sarod player, trained by two eminent Gurus of Bengal -- Radhika Mohan Maitra and Prof. DT Joshi. Prof. Mukherjea also happened to be an eminent Professor of mathematics. He allowed the musician in him to be rediscovered after a chance encounter with Lyle Wachovsky of India Archive Music, New York. Mukherjea's took his basic

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-33385197441202899632010-06-27T10:20:00.002+05:302011-06-17T08:30:18.035+05:30

The raga, Basant Mukhari, is widely acknowledged as the Hindustani adaptation of the Carnatic raga, Vakulabharanam, associated with the eclectic initiatives of the scholar-musician, Acharya SN Ratanjankar [picture on the left]. Notionally, the raga fuses the Bhairav scale in the lower tetrachord with the Bhairavi scale in the upper. Some of the greatest musical minds of the country have, since

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-54141578962143152432010-06-08T02:20:00.002+05:302011-06-16T13:19:07.733+05:30

The Rudra Veena maestro spoke to Deepak Raja on January 11, 2000. I belong to the Jaipur Beenkar gharana, founded by the 18th century beenkar, Shahaji Saheb. Rajasthan has been our home for several centuries even before Shahaji Saheb; but my ancestors had a long sojourn in Golconda-Bijapur in South India, after which we returned to Rajasthan. My father, Sadiq Ali Khan, was a musician at the

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-55765198770955892982010-06-02T07:45:00.001+05:302010-12-26T09:08:56.375+05:30

The Book Review Monthly, New Delhi Volume XXXI, Number 7, July 2007 Hindustani music: a tradition in transition By: Deepak Raja DK Printworld, Delhi, 2006. Pp.432 + xxii. Rs. 490.00 Connoisseur activism? Reviewing an interesting, somewhat idiosyncratic compilation of articles, poses a challenge, as it escapes the usual taxonomic classification for writings on a subject. It is clearly not a

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-71639259841310181992010-05-22T08:20:00.003+05:302010-12-26T09:11:41.536+05:30

Introduction : Sugata Marjit [born: 1959] is an unusual musician. He is an eminent economist, and Director of a research institute in Calcutta. He combines academic activities with a growing presence on the music circuit. His Khayals are a lot like the films of Goddard -- they have a beginning, a middle, and an end; but not in that order. His brand of music qualifies him as the messiah of

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-68998875113645726462010-04-15T20:02:00.011+05:302011-02-28T08:24:40.061+05:30

BOOK REVIEW March 30, 2010 KHAYAL VOCALISM - Continuity Within Change: Deepak Raja DK Printworld (P) Ltd.,F-52 Bali Nagar, New Delhi-110015. Rs. 460. ANJANA RAJANIt is invaluable as a written document and as a book of reference and study for students and others interested in khayal One does not often come across a book on Hindustani music that treats the art with the precision of a science. But

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-55819588442058571972010-04-13T08:47:00.013+05:302010-12-26T09:12:05.945+05:30

When I first heard Kshem Kalyan, I was totally charmed. I looked for authoritative documentation; but I found none. I acquired the few available recordings of the raga from the market and from collectors for a clearer view of its melodic personality. This, too, was not satisfying. I consulted Purnima Sen, the only living vocalist, whose recording I had. Then, I worked on the raga with my Sitar

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-69356812470698728042010-04-05T08:59:00.012+05:302010-12-26T09:12:33.503+05:30

I first heard Shahana from Ustad Vilayat Khan. Must have been in the early 1970s. He drifted into it without announcing the raga. As the raga unfolded, I said to myself -- "How clever! He is playing Darbari with a twist -- replacing the Komal Dh of Darbari with a Shuddha Dh, and delivering an entirely different musical experience!". In those days,Kausi Kanada was the most commonly heard

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-18424915619159331182010-03-31T07:05:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:08:35.727+05:30

Shahid spoke to Deepak Raja on January 8, 2004 Upto the age of 15, I was trained on the sitar by my father, Aziz Khansaheb. My uncle, Hafiz Khan, better known as Khan Mastana, trained me on the sitar as well as the surbahar upto the age of 12. Based on that training, I have evolved my music. Though I do play the surbahar for personal pleasure, I perform only on the sitar. My music is, without

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-52000524975808231292010-03-18T08:40:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:09:01.213+05:30

Indian Horizons The Journal of The Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi Vol. 51, Autumn issue Hindustani Music – A tradition in Transition Author: Deepak Raja Publisher: DK Printworld Pvt. Ltd. pp. 432. Rs. 490, US$ 24.95 Peter Drucker surely did not hint at Hindustani music when he said: “If peanuts is what you pay, monkeys is what you get”; but the fact is that the scales of

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-63132291314836417282010-02-21T10:30:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:09:26.379+05:30

Dhondutai spoke to Deepak Raja on May 4, 2003 My father was a schoolteacher in Kolhapur and trained in the Gwalior style of vocal music. His greatest regret was never becoming a credible performer. The Alladiya Khan family was the most respected clan of teachers in those days. So, he decided to give me – his only surviving child -- their training, whatever the cost. During my childhood, the

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-85464533499928987312010-01-06T21:00:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:09:46.438+05:30

Shujaat Khan spoke to Deepak Raja on July 21, 1996 1960, I was born. I have no idea what was happening until 1966, when I performed for the first time, accompanying Abba (intimate form of address for the father). Then, the wagon began to roll..getting noticed... child prodigy...everything is hunky dory. The turmoil began when my parents were heading for a separation. I was, then, old enough

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-83364912037328290402009-12-29T17:48:00.022+05:302010-12-26T21:10:23.180+05:30

Shree is amongst the oldest raga-s in the Hindustani art music pantheon. But, it is not clear whether the melodic entity currently identified by this name is, indeed, the one that claims considerable antiquity. Quite irrespective of its evolutionary path, the contemporary Shree also commands immense stature amongst raga-s because of its profundity, and its association with a powerful archetypal

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-40327973769197096542009-12-03T08:21:00.007+05:302010-12-26T21:10:46.831+05:30

Megh Malhar, a raga of considerable antiquity, is associated with the rainy season, and is considered a serious and profound raga, prescribed for performance around midnight. In this sense, this raga may be considered to represent the sombre, and even awesome, facet of the advanced monsoon (July-August), in contrast with Miyan ki Malhar and other Malhar variants, which are explicitly euphoric at

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-13521471019041052322009-11-12T10:15:00.021+05:302011-05-01T09:55:53.974+05:30

“The knowledge of music becomes an effective means of attaining one-ness with Lord Shiva; for by the knowledge of music, one attains to a state of absorption and it is by attaining such a state that one-ness with Shiva could be obtained… One ought not to indulge, out of delusion, in worldly songs…” Skanda Purana, Suta Samhita. 4.2.3.114-16 “To the yogin whose spirit attains a unified state in

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-46082060604218916632009-10-27T07:00:00.002+05:302010-12-26T21:11:35.863+05:30

Dasgupta spoke to Deepak Rajaon October 27, 1997 and December 3, 1998. I was born in 1933 at Bhagalpur in Bihar. My father was a government servant on transferable duty. Being a music enthusiast, he made it a point to establish contact with local musicians wherever we moved, and quickly became a part of the local music circle. As a child, I showed no particular inclination towards music. My

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-78118328049758960362009-10-13T21:06:00.005+05:302010-12-26T21:11:55.567+05:30

Madhuvanti is a popular pre-sunset raga. Though it is possibly a raga of considerable antiquityl, its present nomenclature could be of recent origin. The raga is audava (pentatonic) in the ascent and sampoorna (heptatonic) in the descent. Although the raga is not encountered in the Thumree genre, it has a lyrical and poignant mood, which has given it limited entry into other romanticist and even

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-90240962852805621612009-10-13T07:40:00.001+05:302010-12-26T09:08:26.728+05:30

Ashwini spoke to Deepak Raja on September 9, 2000, and August 13, 2001 In my family, we studied music just as we studied mathematics, grammar, science, history and geography. Only the schools were different. Ever since I can recall, Narayanrao Datar, a vocalist of the Vishnu Digambar [Gwalior] tradition came home three times a week. My grandmother would take the first lesson from him; thereafter

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-32875222204050320772009-09-29T08:05:00.004+05:302011-07-07T11:55:15.236+05:30

Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) was a genius who redefined music . He is regarded as the most daringly original (Western music) composer to have emerged in the latter half of the 20th century. He has written an astonishing variety of music, leading the way to the exploration of electronic music, intuitive music, and the synthesis of a wide range of musical cultures. I present below a few

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-57336730319415755042009-09-14T08:45:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:12:46.619+05:30

Yashwant Buwa spoke to Deepak Raja on June 5, 2003 I was born and brought up in Pune. My father operated a couple of cabs in the city. He was untrained in music, but had a lovely voice and sang devotional songs very well. That is all I can claim by way of a family background in music. It was my uncle, Govardhan Buwa Naik, who was responsible for pushing me in this direction. He was an alumnus

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-14064815449166207192009-09-05T09:30:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:13:08.503+05:30

Deepak Raja's second book is a comprehensive study of khayal vocalism through the stylistic analysis of nineteen contemporary vocalists. It is informed by the concept of "continuity within change", an approach which embraces "style" as the confluence of traditional gharana stylistics, contemporary non-gharana based stylistics and each artist's individual stylistic contribution. "Continuity

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-71792383032108070562009-08-27T19:30:00.003+05:302010-12-26T21:13:28.559+05:30

Though there are, indeed, raga-s by this name, Sampoorna Malkauns cannot be considered the name of a specific raga with well-defined melodic contours. It is a concept of tonally enhancing the pentatonic Malkauns into a heptatonic derivative in which the aural experience of Malkauns retains a significant, if not dominant, presence. Sampoorna (lit: complete scale/ comprehensive) Malkauns is,

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-5536133529869560312009-08-08T08:05:00.005+05:302011-05-03T20:54:20.695+05:30

Bahadur Khan (1931-1989) was an outstanding, though inadequately recognised, sarodist, trained by his uncle, the legendary Ustad Alauddin Khan (Baba). By kinship, as well as tutelage, Bahadur Khan was a product of the Maihar-Seniya lineage, a trail-blazer in modern Hindustani instrumental music. Interest in his musicianship has received a fillip in recent years, because of his disciple Tejendra

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-32242599015540067732009-07-30T19:45:00.002+05:302010-12-26T21:14:16.179+05:30

Shujaat spoke to Deepak Raja on September 18, 2002 Surprising as it might seem, I am not a great enthusiast of the duet in Hindustani music. In most cases, it is a gimmick – especially when it is arranged between people who are ill-matched. In 90% of the cases, it turns out to be a farce. The quality of music turns out to be far inferior to what each of the musicians can turn out in a solo

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-5064458974546663852009-07-07T08:30:00.002+05:302010-12-26T21:14:35.345+05:30

Peter Manuel, an authority on the thumree and allied genres, has listed Desh amongst “thumree ragas” – ragas of the Khamaj parent scale, frequently encountered in the semi-classical genres. (Manuel, Peter. Thumri: in historical and stylistic perspectives. 1st edition. 1989, Motilal Banarasidass, New Delhi). As Manuel acknowledges, Desh is also performed in classical music. In classicist treatment

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-59666544116459501852009-05-11T08:30:00.008+05:302011-05-08T15:59:15.172+05:30

Vachaspati is a Carnatic raga, representing the Vachaspati parent-scale (64th Melakarta). In its Hindustani adaptation, it has the tone material of raga Yaman with a flat (komal) Ni replacing the natural (shuddha). Ascent: S R G M^ P D n S' Descent: S' n D P M^ G R S  By Hindustani raga grammar, this has been interpreted as the Kalyan parent-scale in the lower tetrachord and the Kafi

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-25850423125986210762009-04-20T09:40:00.004+05:302011-02-25T07:35:05.716+05:30

Bahauddin spoke to Deepak Raja on 9/11/02 People often introduce me as the 20th generation of the Dagar lineage, referring to Nayak Haridas Dagur of the 16th century. But, we don’t have clear proof of this. I am comfortable with tracing the lineage to eight generations, to Baba Gopal Das, who converted to Islam, and became Baba Imam Baksh in the 18th century. My father, Zia Mohiuddin and uncle,

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-60959546128006196982009-03-30T17:00:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:16:10.602+05:30

Raga Hemant is, without doubt, amongst the most charming melodic entities to have gained currency in the last 50 years. Most of the credit for it goes to Pandit Ravi Shankar, believed by many to be the composer of the raga. Authoritative sources, however, attribute it to his Guru, Ustad Alauddin Khan, the founder of the Maihar-Seniya gharana. [Subbarao, B. Raga Nidhi. Vol II, 4th Impression.

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-81783123385454498882009-02-26T22:15:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:16:32.467+05:30

I have had occasion to study Malti Basant while writing a commentary on a recording of it by Ulhas Kashalkar. Malti Basant is a rare raga of the Marwa parent scale of Hindustani music. Amongst major authoritative sources, the solitary available reference I could find was from the Gwalior maestro, Narayanrao Patwardhan (Raga Vigyan, Vol. VI, 2nd Edition, 1964. Sangeet Gaurav Granthamala, Pune).

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-79072453949256580712009-02-17T12:45:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:16:57.484+05:30

Ramakant and Umakant Gundecha spoke to Deepak Raja on September 2, 1998 In 1981, when we decided to join the Dhrupad Kendra in Bhopal as students, we both had Masters degrees in music, had received several years of training, and had reasonably secure jobs. But, both of us had this longing for music with much greater depth and substance. Joining the Dhrupad Kendra meant relearning everything

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-9830772598060116792009-01-27T07:45:00.000+05:302009-01-27T07:44:10.290+05:30

Gorakh Kalyan is a late-evening raga, which has gained popularity over the last few decades. Its creation is attributed, by some sources, to Sant Gorakhnath, a mystic-musician of the Nath sect with a considerable following in western India. Textual sources and practice exhibit some diversity of grammatical perspectives. But, in performance, the raga has now acquired a distinctive melodic

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-56653410346337265482009-01-04T08:53:00.008+05:302010-12-26T21:17:25.114+05:30

Khayal Vocalism: Continuity within ChangeAuthor: Deepak RajaForeword: Pandit Ulhas KashalkarIntroduction: Lyle WachovskyPublisher: DK Printworld, New DelhiPaperback: Rs. 460.00. Hard-cover: Rs. 760.00 Preview “Deepak Raja’s work is surely the most important contribution to literature on khayal vocal styles to come out in recent times. His minute and colorful analysis is astounding testimony to

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-81858711036450204102008-12-19T10:41:00.006+05:302010-12-26T21:18:09.044+05:30

Until a few years ago, I had not heard Raga Ahiri. The opportunity of studying it came my way when I had to write a commentary on the sarodist, Tejendra Majumdar’s recording of this raga for India Archive Music Ltd., New York. Tejendra claims to have learnt this raga from his Guru, Ustad Bahadur Khan, as Ahiri, and not Ahiri Todi. In addition, he studied, from a private collection, an

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-36575606035499016382008-12-10T09:00:00.004+05:302010-12-26T21:18:33.089+05:30

Purva (also called Purvya) belongs to a cluster of ragas bearing a family resemblance to raga Puriya in terms of swara material, and phraseology, melodic center of gravity, and therefore aural impression. Swara material Puriya: S r G M^ D N Puriya-Dhanashree: S r G M^ P d N Poorvi: S r G M M^ P d N Puriya-Kalyan/Purva: S r G M^ P D N What is common to all of them is komal (flat) Re, shuddha (

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-944548917144645902008-11-23T22:14:00.003+05:302010-12-26T21:19:00.237+05:30

Shuddha Kalyan is a popular, though difficult, raga of the Kalyan parent scale. The raga is pentatonic in the ascent and heptatonic in the descent. Ascent: SRGPDS' Descent: S'NDPM^GRS The ascent is identical to Bhoop/Bhupali, while the descent is identical to Yaman/Kalyan. This is why the raga is also occasionally referred to as Bhoop Kalyan. But, there is more confusion surrounding the raga’s

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-89618507353024587092008-11-11T08:00:00.003+05:302011-04-03T00:08:24.877+05:30

The US-born Dhrupad Cellist, Nancy Kulkarni writes about her journey in Hindustani Music My journey in Indian music started completely by chance. When I first came to India In I982, I had been playing Western cello for 13 years, had played in several symphony orchestras, including Principal Cellist of the Rome Festival Orchestra, and was currently Section Cellist with the Orchestra del Maggio

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-32758593719448441682008-09-27T09:15:00.002+05:302010-12-26T21:19:50.832+05:30

Shujaat spoke to Deepak Raja on January 16, 2004 Success and growth as a musician are different things. But, they are connected. If success is of the right kind, comes in good time, and one has the ability to digest it, it can be a great aid to achieving growth as a musician. On all counts, I cannot complain. I have heard it said that an Indian musician does not achieve any credibility amongst

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-27679255599731174732008-09-11T23:30:00.002+05:302010-12-26T21:20:15.429+05:30

Introduction: Groomed by three Ustads of the Agra tradition, Purnima Sen (born: 1937) is a rare female exponent of the avowedly masculine style. She holds a first degree in Anthropology from Hunter College, New York, occupies the top grade rating on All India Radio, enjoys a respected presence on the concert platform, has released four CDs, and divides her time between music, and caring for a

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-72117369667318233852008-09-02T08:00:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:20:39.637+05:30

An extract from: The Music Room By Namita Devidayal About the book: When Namita is ten, her mother takes her to Kennedy Bridge, a seamy neighbourhood in Mumbai. There, in a cramped one room flat, lives Dhondutai with her bedridden mother and their widowed landlady. Little does Namita know that - despite her squalid surroundings - Dhondutai has inherited riches of a different sort. For, she is

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-52427858931782231592008-08-21T20:52:00.004+05:302010-12-26T21:20:59.752+05:30

Arti spoke to Deepak Raja on December 20, 2003 In the last few years, I find that my definition of the beautiful in music is changing. When I look back on my youth – 20 years ago, when I entered the profession – I realize that I had very strong ideas about what is good music. Everything that did not fit this notion did not seem to even qualify as music. I went through several years of

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-37346795987267711482008-08-05T08:25:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:21:35.777+05:30

The life and times of Abdul Lateef Khan, as narrated to Deepak Raja on March 5, 2000 and March 21, 2001 I was born in a village called Guhad in the Gwalior state either in 1924 or 1925. In our times, people were not very precise about dates of birth. Mine is the fifth consecutive generation of Sarangi players in the family. We have been residents of Gwalior for several generations -- my

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-88056044027402291342008-07-31T08:54:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:21:57.406+05:30

Uday Bhawalkar spoke to Deepak Raja on October 2, 1998 My family hails from Ujjain. In 1981, when I was 15, I read an advertisement in the newspapers inviting applications for Dhrupad training, under the guidance of Ustad Zia Fareeduddin Dagar. I sought the permission of my parents to apply. Since I was the youngest in the family, with no responsibilities, they readily agreed. I also asked my

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-76785572966967932032008-07-12T23:30:00.003+05:302010-12-26T21:22:20.059+05:30

Introduction: Somnath Mardur (born: 1944) is an unassuming musician, whose world has so far been limited to local radio broadcasts, and concert appearances in, and around, his native Dharwad. His musicianship may have remained unnoticed by the world outside, had it not been for his son and disciple, Kumar (born: 1982), who is now rated amongst the most promising vocalists of his generation.

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-50256687067391219982008-07-08T09:50:00.004+05:302011-06-26T14:54:05.211+05:30

Reproduced from: Sadhana, the Realisation of Life, by Rabindranath Tagore 1st edition. 1913, reprinted 1964 Music is the purest form of art, and therefore the most direct expression of beauty, with a form and spirit which is one, and simple, and least encumbered with anything extraneous. We seem to feel that the manifestation of the infinite in the finite forms of creation is music itself,

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-59979009688857549542008-07-01T20:00:00.002+05:302010-12-26T21:23:04.314+05:30

Excerpts from interview with Lyle Wachovsky, April 2004 I was born in 1936. My father, Mohammad Faridi Desai, was a court musician in the princely state of Bhavnagar in Gujarat (Western India), and tutor to the queen. He played the Been and was also adept at playing the violin, the piano, and the sarangi. He had studied with Ustad Waheed Khan of Indore, a disciple of the legendary Beenkar,

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-36188659380862583112008-06-21T22:00:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:23:27.412+05:30

Raga Darbari Kanada has often been described as the Emperor of Ragas and the Raga of Emperors. These descriptions recall the raga’s association with Miya Tansen at Akbar’s court, and the majesty of the Mughal Empire at its zenith. But, such imagery could not have either surfaced, or survived through the centuries, if it had not also been supported by the melodic character of the raga. The key to

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-15480137855812418122008-05-29T10:23:00.010+05:302010-12-26T21:23:49.455+05:30

Hindustani music: A tradition in transition. Deepak Raja. DK Printworld, New Delhi. Rs. 490/- This is a big book of essays and miscellaneous musings on Hindustani classical music, which straddles two worlds, one of pedagogy and the other of criticism. A substantial part of the book is a straightforward introduction to concepts, terms and the performing norm in North Indian classical music as

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-1331867587369907092008-04-28T08:00:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:24:14.783+05:30

Kumar Mukherjee (died: 2007) was, for several decades, one of the most influential members of Calcutta’s music “establishment”. In 2006, Penguin Books published a book titled “The lost world of Hindustani music”, under his authorship. For those interested in Hindustani music, the book is a highly readable cocktail of dramatized history, memoir, musicology, critical writing, known myth, and

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-45294911810792579592008-04-22T07:23:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:24:38.472+05:30

Reproduced from “Hindustani Music – a tradition in transition” Author: Deepak S. RajaForeword: Pandit Shivkumar SharmaIntroduction: Lyle Wachovsky DK Printworld (P) Ltd. New Delhi. 2005 Introduction Swara, Raga, and Rasa, are the fundamental melodic and esthetic concepts in Indian musicology. The three terms are almost impossible to translate, because their lexicographic connotation delivers no

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-32142194881941713672008-04-01T20:40:00.001+05:302010-12-26T21:25:06.046+05:30

It is known of Ustad Vilayat Khan, that he did not particularly care either about adopting new ragas crated by others, or about creating ragas of his own. He spent most of his life performing a select number of mature ragas, attempting to achieve progressively greater levels of depth in their exploration. But, being the creative genius that he was, he did occasionally give an idiosyncratic twist

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-58709161072509530162008-03-16T09:10:00.002+05:302010-12-26T21:25:29.268+05:30

Ulhas Kashalkar spoke to Deepak Raja on January 1, 2000 I have had a variety of influences on my music. Even my Gurus brought a multiplicity of influences with them. I like great music from all gharanas. As a listener, I am also a student. But,my preferences are with individual musicians rather than gharanas. As such, I would be hard put to say which gharana's style dominates my own singing. I

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421607152345239410.post-55785976390863418212008-02-21T08:40:00.004+05:302011-05-23T10:17:39.299+05:30

Gara is a rare raga. But, if you have heard several renditions of it, you could be confused because one Gara often does not sound like others. There is a good reason for this because Gara, is not the exclusive name of a well-defined melodic entity. Gara is, in fact, an independent raga, as well as an additive fragrance to other ragas; and that too, in two variants. If there is confusion about

Deepak Raja's world of Hindustani Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09629729794432211907noreply@blogger.com0