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taal
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 Messiahs of music
- Parinaz M. Gandhi
 The Parsis and Indian classical music — an unsung contribution by Dr Aban E. Mistry. Published in 2004 by Swar Sadhna Samiti, C/o Wadia Sangeet Class, Jer Annex, first floor, Jambulwadi, Dhobi Talao, Bombay 400002; e-mail: abanmistry (at) hotmail (dot) com. Promoted by Zaveri Jiten Ramniklal, Oberoi Towers, Shopping Arcade, 2nd floor, Nariman Point, Bombay 400021. Tel: 22023435. Pp: 140. Price: Rs 300.
Many little known nuggets surface in Mistry’s work, a culmination of 10 years’ efforts encapsulating the cultural contribution of the community in the last 250 years. As notes the author, a tabla maestro and author of books on Indian classical music, in her preface, “Other communities as well as fellow Parsis are only too well aware of our contributions in every aspect of Indian life, be it social, political, economic, philanthropic, judicial, sports, education... Unfortunately, virtually unknown are the feats of the many Parsi ladies and gentlemen who played pivotal roles and earned accolades in the rich, cultural world of Indian music and dance. I have done my utmost to bring to light the achievements of these unsung Parsi heroes so that the reader may be stirred with pride and respect.”
In the course of the 14 chapters in this book starting with “Lok Sangeet” we learn of the existence of Dadar Ahura Mazda’s garbo. There were other garbas, garbis and monajats to enlighten and educate the laity on the importance of life’s daily routine, on the cosmic laws of cause and effect, and praises in honor of Zarathushtra and different yazatas.
In the chapters on “Shastriya Gayan,” “Indian Classical Instrumental Music,” “Sugam Sangeet, Thumri, Tappa, Geet, Ghazal and Abhang” we read of the contribution of countless individuals who with their devotion to music have left an imprint that Mistry could record for posterity. Vocalists Pandit Firoz Dastur and Pandit Jal Balaporia continue to be revered names in the Indian classical music circles. Among the ladies committed to musicology were Banubai Bharucha who had started a Sangeet Vidyalaya in Mysore and authored two books on music. Her students included the Maharani of Mysore and Lady Thackersey of Poona. Vocalist Khorshed Mulla had published seven books on music of which Saraswati Sangit Sangrah is deemed the most important. Pandit Firoze Framjee who had created 32 big and small volumes on the science of music is viewed as a stalwart of Indian classical music. |
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taal
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A Mistry story Aban Mistry talks about the trials of being India's first woman tabla player Speak of the tabla, and the mind conjures up images of vigorous beats and ustads playing with enormous energy. Images mostly masculine. And truth is, there are very few women who have mastered the instrument. Meet Dr Aban Mistry. She is India's first woman tabla player. Her book on the tabla and the pakhawaj took her ten years to research, and experts say it will remain an invaluable reference book for generations of students. The first thing Dr Mistry will tell you is that the tabla was not introduced by Amir Khusro in the 17th century, as is popularly believed. She believes it has been around for at least 2,200 years. "I went through hundreds of papers at the Archaeological Survey of India, and even in government offices of small towns all over the country," says Dr Mistry. She also travelled all over the country with guru Pandit Keki Jijina. "There were times I've had to sleep in temples and even on the streets," she says. A 2,200 year-old motif on the stone wall at Bhaja caves in Maharashtra, which shows a woman playing an instrument similar to the tabla, convinced her that the instrument has been around a long time. And that it was not just men who excelled at it. The tabla became popular after the khayal style of singing gained popularity. Khayal is the most popular classical form in Hindustani music today. The tabla replaced the pakhawaj, which was popular with the dhrupad singers; the deep sonorous sound of the pakhawaj gave way to the lighter tone of the tabla. But in a country where women hardly play any drums, taking up the tabla and living by it is quite a feat. "There was a time when people, especially men, came to my concerts to see me rather than listen to me," recollects the 59-year-old musician who began her career in the early 1950s. "Even women singers refused to take me as an accompanist because they would not trust me. No one took me seriously." So she decided to get around the hurdles. "I just had to prove that I was a good musician," she says. And in 1973, she cut her first tabla record, becoming the first woman ever to do so. She has learnt from Pandit Keki Jijina and Ustad Amir Hussain Khan, who heard the 14-year-old playing at a concert and asked her to become his student. The idea of her book, which contains detailed information about all six tabla gharanas, and also their family trees, came up when she decided to write her doctoral thesis. In 1984, she had published Tabla aur phakhawaj ke gharane evam paramparayen in Hindi. Dr Mistry plays the sitar too; she cut a disc in 1973. Dancing the Kathak was her favourite hobby till she had to give it up because of ill health. She has learnt singing from Pandit Laxmanrao Bodas. Today, after performing for nearly five decades, Dr Mistry is busy teaching. Her student Vidya Parab-Sawant has carved her own niche as a tabla player. "Maa Bhagwati chose me," says the musician, "I can only pass on her blessings to the next generation." Archana Chaudhary
Mumbai
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taal
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 Khokar travels through time (three decades of memory) and space (India, America and Europe) to understand the rhythm and soul of music that helps induce harmony and bliss Krishna Nath, a numerologist and tarot card interpreter, was surrounded by a group of curious listeners in downtown Chicago. She was visiting America for her workshops and individual readings. "We are approaching the Age of Neptune with which the next century begins, the century we have lived in belonged to Saturn," observed Nath. "Hence, the 20th century saw destruction and development; wars and peace missions. In fact, the Age of Neptune has already been set in motion by the coming together of various concerns: in the fields of environment, medicine and music. The New Age phenomenon is but a precursor of things to come in making the world a better place to live in. "
As I head for New York, I muse over this. It certainly sounds reassuring. And though purists will argue that New Age music is really Old Age music rechristened, and with a new packaging, the first notes can be conveniently traced to the guitars of the Beatles and the sitar of Ravi Shankar. Although the Beatles became pop icons, they defied many established norms. In doing so, they provided fresh thinking and a new direction.
The music of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez also was a revolt. The mid-sixties, especially the Vietnam War, paved the way for a new movement, a need to prevent rather then cure; a need to think rather than merely act. In the two decades since, a whole new music vocabulary appeared. The spin-off to the Ravi Shankar-George Harrison type of music led to a more serious fusion music between the classicists (Yehudi Menuhin-Ravi Shankar) and between the neoclassicist fusion musicians such as Philip Glass and L. Subramaniam. |
If the sixties were a watershed in changing the course and understanding of music, the seventies ushered in a new sensitivity towards the appreciation of emerging patterns in music. This process culminated in the eclecticism which finally enveloped musicians in the eighties. New Age music cannot, however, be put in any previously existing genre. It is a genre in itself.
How? Take, for example, its structure. Although the same old instruments—from the piano to the cello—are deployed in its creation today, it is in their use that the difference comes through. I asked Gerry, Whitney Houston's manager, who, in his opinion, qualified for the top notch in New Age music today. His answer left me thinking.
On second thoughts, I do not know why it should. For Yanni represents the quintessence of this transformation. His music has melody, it suggests classicism, it has the free will of jazz, includes parts of orchestra music and still retains a newness, a charm, an appeal, an identity. His success from Acropolis to Agra (he is planning a concert in March by the Taj Mahal) speaks for itself.
Artistes such as Yanni also represent New Age music because it can encompass all—cultures, people and places. But the most significant aspect of New Age music is the effect it has on the listener. You have been hearing it in places of worship, in the soulful rendition by the Bauls, even in yoga classes. And in that sense, New Age music is timeless.
It provides a soothing backdrop for therapy sessions and personal growth workshops, for hypnosis and guided meditation. It calms, de-stresses, gently leading you to a world of harmony and bliss. New Age—and here I am almost tempted to call it Age Old—music is used for meditation or for reaching altered states of consciousness.
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 To fit the bill, the music must have a uniform and soothing structure, one that helps induce a freedom of mind and spirit. Any imposition by way of loud notes or heavy orchestration may provide entertainment, but it does not help in attaining tranquility. This music is often repetitive, almost one-track, mantra-like in its composition.
"I suffered from a severe sleep disorder, now I just play a soothing flute score and doze off," says Ambika Paniker, Odissi dancer. Jehangir Palkhivala, a lawyer-turned-yoga teacher, simply defines it as "good, relaxing music". "It is ultimately mind over matter," notes L. Subramaniam, who uses carnatic ragas (classical music tradition of South India) without the crutches of rhythmic support (percussion of any type ) to create canvases for varying levels of consciousness.
His works such as Shanti Priya (1987) represent these traits, where a higher state of music craftsmanship can indeed lead to something extraordinary. Extraordinary it certainly is, that within two decades, New Age music, as we know it, has not only been appreciated, but has also established itself as an important medium of communication.
And while it is yet to break records in India, New Age music has come of age in the West, where it is charting its way to the top. Many professional musicians and composers were instrumental in bringing about this change. Drawn towards the New Age movement in America, they began placing their musical abilities at its service. At first, their efforts received scant attention or interest. So they set up their own recording and distribution networks and started selling their music directly to the public.
Steven Halpern is one such classic case who is, writes The New York Times, ''...as close to being a superstar as anyone in New Age music". According to Halpern, the human body resonates to sound vibrations, and that certain frequencies affect certain parts of the body: "It seemed to me this music could be used as therapy. "
"I knew, in my heart of hearts, that I had no choice but to dedicate my life to researching and composing music for health and healing," Halpern wrote in his book, Sound Health: The Music and Sounds That Make Us Whole (1985). Halpern, who has a doctorate in psychology of music, went on to create several lasting works. In his book, Tuning the Human Instrument, he describes a system of correspondence literally.
A pianist and saxophone player, his stint with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi brought him to India in 1968, when he visited the Taj Mahal, and created his first of the Inside series, recording in the central dome of the monument. He duplicated this feat with Inside the Great Pyramid, in Egypt, Inside the Temple of Heaven, Beijing, and by playing music to killer whales in Canada. As if taking a cue, the Oshoites created their own brand of meditation music when Swami Chaitanya (Georg Deuter) recorded his early albums in Pune and later in Oregon.
His first album, Aum, mixed acoustic instruments with the sounds of the sea. This was followed by Celebration, compiled by Swami Govind Das. Two anonymous releases, Nataraja and Nadabrahma, emerged from the commune in Oregon. In Auroville arose an alternative lifestyle which reflected a spirit of search in all sorts of human endeavor, Straight to Our Heart is what Nadaka and Ganesh offer under the Rain Tree Records label from Pondicherry. |
 This type of Indian-Western fusion is not new, but is part of New Age thinking simply because it follows and flows more from the heart than from the head. There are no compulsions of grammar, technique or classically correct arrangements. And even though instruments such as the carnatic violin (Ganesh) and the ghattam (Vikku Vinayakram) are used, the whole ambiance is almost surreal.
Mohit Satyanand, who has formed the Friends of Music circle in Delhi, doesn't think that India is the right context for New Age music: "In India we live in a different conditioning of the mind. Unlike in the West, where meditation and therapy and such activity perhaps needs the inputs of the right environment, the right setting, the right music, for us these are not altogether necessary or affordable. An atmosphere may help, but that atmosphere can also be created in the mind itself. I think our classical music is perfect relaxation material. Thus we really do not have as much use for New Age stuff as is in the West."
Besides, he asks: "Is New Age really new? Take the case of Jethro Tull: what came out 10 years ago is totally different to what is being attempted today. Just because an artiste progresses in his own artistic pursuits, can his work derive a new label? In India, I feel only Indian Ocean qualifies for that label; their work has integrity, they are honest without jargon or pretense."
At the other end of the spectrum is the avant garde work of a few composers such as Philip Glass and Steve Reich. A sort of minimalism often dominates this style. Glass first achieved recognition in 1974 for his Music in 12 Parts, followed by his operas Einstein on the Beach( 1976) and Satyagraha (1980). His music fitted with the concerns and contexts of the New Age approach, of reliving and revealing higher states of consciousness.
Pink Floyd has devoted an entire side in Meddle ( 1971) to an instrumental evocation of the "textures of crystalline space". Rober L Fripp, formerly of King Crimson, joined Brian Eno to create An Evening Star (1975). Eno produced several other compositions in this mould. New Age music knows no cultural boundaries and in that it is truly representative of world music language today. In fact, in many music stores in India it is sold in the 'world music' section.
European artists such as the German group Tangerine Dream, and Britisher Edgar Froese and Swede Lief Strand have contributed significantly. So have the Japanese Kitaro and the African Shadowfox. Germans Kai Taschner and AI Gromer have used the sitar, Mrican drums and Urdu poetry to create Black Marble and Sweet Fire.
Enya has her own niche and with her latest, The Memory of Trees, brings in vocal notes to New Age music, as does Loreena McKennit in Celtic Twilight by Hearts of Space. The Native American music has a wide range, too, with artistes such as Carlos Nakki, Douglas Spotted Eagle and Perry Silverbird (Narada's Between Father Sky and Mother Earth).
The Native Americans connect to the gods as represented by the elements. There is yet another section pertaining to spirituality with titles such as: The Angels of Venice, Heavenly Relationship, Angelic Meditation and I Cantori: Choir of Angels. The Billboard magazine (the music Bible of sorts) commented in 1987: "New Age music may be the most startlingly successful undefined music ever to hit the public consciousness."
Wesley Van Linda, in New Age Music Comes of Age: "New Age music is defined more by the intention of the artist, rather than the style and range of music." When range, style and intention are combined, it results in a New Age music promotion company such as Narada. How this Wisconsin-based company adopted the name of the maverick Indian saint-cum-troublemaker and musician-of-sorts remains a mystery to me, but what is more mysterious and magical about it is that it represents music cultures as disparate as the Asian, the Latin American, African and the American.
Narada started in 1983 by releasing Pianoscapes by Michael Jones and Heartsounds by David Lanz. Both the musicians continue to be immensely productive and successful, having released many more titles. In 1985, Narada introduced Eric Tingstad, Nancy Rumbel and Spencer Brewer. By 1987, its Natural States had climbed the Billboard Top of the Charts. In 1989, Cristofori's Dream by Lanz achieved a rare distinction of consecutively heading the charts for 30 weeks and selling 500,000 copies. |
Today, however, Celtic music is a bestseller. The Irish landscape and its harps, cellos and strains have captured the imagination of listeners and Michael Barnes, a music lover, says: "It is all post-Braveheart success. The film brought Scotland and Ireland of yore and that has led to spin-offs musically. "
Celtic Legacy, Celtic Odyssey and Celtic Voices have a combined sale of over a million. The owner of the Gem City Records music stores across the USA, John Huffman, gave me a compilation of the tapes of Windham Hill which also ranks among the major producers of New Age music titles. For Huffman, "New Age music represents freedom from form. "
The other top names in the line, according to him: Alcazar, Ancient Future, Canyon Records, Fortuna Records, Serenity, Hearts of Space, New Earth Records and New World Productions of England. In India, the first signs of this Age have appeared in the form of music produced by classical instrumentalists such as L. Subramaniam, Hariprasad Chaurasia (with Oshoite Amareesh Leib ) or L. Shankar with Jan Garbarek and Zakir Hussain who have created musicscapes connected to either their music genres or their instruments.
Experiments such as Elements by Music Today have created a groove for this type of music, but other companies are yet to follow the lead in any conclusive manner. "The whole New Age music is rather syrupy here. The fact that it is being equated with spirituality is a bit of a joke," observes Anu Majumdar who lives in Auroville.
Dr Raghava R. Menon, music critic and author, admits that "audiences are slowly becoming curious about the New Age milieu," but adds that "in its absence and in the presence of such a heavy tradition of classical and popular [read film] music, India has yet to focus itself on this genre. Also, because unlike in the West, we are just entering the TV boom. This has resulted in all kinds of music cultures: pop, Indo, fusion, bhangra, rap, tap and what have you."
Deepak Marwah of The Music Shop in Delhi includes "everything: fusion, jazz, alternative music" in the New Age music label, offering me titles such as Garbage and Babylon Zoo. The label may be undefined; it may even appear new to us, regardless of the fact that we have been unconsciously listening to this kind of music for many years. But when music transcends all barriers, synthesizing with our body and mind to bring us to a feeling of well-being—well, that's what I call New Age music.
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By Ashish Khokar
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taal
Replies: 7
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Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan dead
Special Correspondent
 CHENNAI: Renowned violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, whose majestic bowing widened the circle of rasikas for Carnatic music, passed away here on Monday after a brief illness. He was 73. He is survived by wife V. Bagirathi, sons V.R. Shekar, V. Srinivasan, V. Sridhar, V. Balasubramanian and daughter Bhanumathi Ramakrishnan. Born on March 2, 1935, he trained under his father Ramaswamy Sastry. As a youngster, he accompanied stalwarts, including Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Maharajapuram Santhanam and Chittoor Subramanya Pillai. He also performed with legendary nagaswara vidwans such as T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai and Thiruvenkadu Subramania Pillai. He made a mark in classical music as well as film music, and made conscious attempts to make music more accessible to the common man. His foray into the film industry began with A.P. Nagarajan giving him a break in ‘Vaa Raja Vaa.’ From then, he gave several magical numbers and super hits that are among the eternal melodies in Tamil films. In the film ‘Deivam,’ he had all his playback singers including Madurai Somu appear on screen. His composition ‘Marudamalai mamaniyae murugaiyya...’ in Darbari Kanada made waves in the industry like not many songs have. Several other films such as ‘Agathiyar’ and ‘Raja Raja Chozhan,’ for which he scored music, were also phenomenal hits. His interest in new attempts and innovations led him to work with veteran thavil vidwan Valayapatti Subramanian. They performed over 3,000 shows together which were also very successful. He also made a significant contribution to Tamil devotional music. An able administrator, Mr. Vaidyanathan served as Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nadaga Mandram and also conducted the Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Utsavam for several years. Known for his dexterity and subtlety in handling the violin, he catered not only to the music scholar but also to the layman. His play reflected his own different moods and the demands of his audience with whom he established and enjoyed a good rapport. He stopped accompanying vocal artistes in 1976 to concentrate more on solo concerts and was famous for his experiments on violin, which he referred to as fingering techniques. Vaidyanathan, who had a long association with All India Radio, won several prestigious awards including the Padma Shri, Sangeeth Natak Academy award, Sangeetha Mamani and the Carnataka Isaignani award. He also served as president of the Raga Research Centre. Union Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation G.K. Vasan expressed his deep shock and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family. |
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taal
Replies: 54
Views: 6334
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Ilayaraja's Musical world tour
By MIO Team
May 30, 2008, 23:37
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| Its been ten long years since Ilayaraja called for a press meet. All of a sudden the maestro wanted to interact with the media. Sensing that something very important is about to be announced all scribes rush to Prasad Studio and they were in for a surprise. So far Ilayaraj didn't conduct musical programms anywhere outside except for films. Now for the first time these about to start first time ever musical journey to six foreign countries. This historic event has been made possible by relentless efferts of Mr. Raj of 'Dream makers Events'. Excerepts from Ilayaraja's interview. Hundred strong contingent of musicians will accompany Ilayaraja in this Musical Journey. "All over the world there are many people who loves my music, who will even give their dear lives for the sake of my music. For a long time I wanted to meet them. This journey is about to fulfill that desire. That too connect with a good cause, makes me feel doubly happy. The reporters, then asked him a very pertinent question, "Not only people in other countries but also here in India there are thousands who wanted to enjoy your music in this manner. What do you say about that?. Even in Chennai also my program will be conducted, dates will be announced later. Are your sons Karthik Raja and Yuvan Shankar Raja going to go with you in this tour? I cannot say anything about them now. But my daughter Bhavatharini is coming with me. Would you tell us which of the songs are going to be sung in this tour? I could not sing all my songs, so, only selected few songs will be in the list. What would be the duration of each program? I think it will be for 2 ½ hours. Will you sing? Will people leave me if I refuse? (laughs). I will sing. What happened to your Symphony music for Thiruvasagam? This press meet is not about that. I will announce in another press meet next month about that. After answering this question he sang few lines from Thiruvasagam. This grand Musical tour of Ilayaraja will show cast Tamilian's unique talents to the world. This Press meet is just a beginning to let the whole world know about the fact. Usually press meets will be conducted in star hotels. But for this particular announcement Prasad Studio is turned out to be apt one, because only here the music is created. By saying this he let those who are present there to know about the fact that he has been creating music at Prasad Studio for a long time and also only here the symphony music for Thiruvasagam is being created. The following is the opening remarks of Ilayaraja in this press meet.
"So far I haven't conducted any musical program outside. But 'Dream makers Events' suggested to me that I undertake a program like this. I told them that if the program can be used for any good cause I may think about it. Then they come out with the idea and suggestion that the money generated from this program can be given to Deaf, Destitutes, and Old people's welfare, then I accepted the Idea. This musical Journey of Ilayaraja will cover six countries starting with India, Singapore, Dubai, Malasiya and England. This grand musical tour will be conducted through out the month of coming February 2005. |
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taal
Replies: 38
Views: 5724
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My first break
Bombay Jayashree How it happened My grandfathers were bhagavathars. My parents were Carnatic music teachers. At eight, I started learning Carnatic music. I gave my first concert in 1982 in our own colony on Ganesh Chathurthi day. After that I used to sing jingles and devotional songs. Whenever I listened to the songs of Lata and Rafi, my mother would ask me to memorise them and make me sing them. This became a daily routine. I would sing in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Tamil. Tamil film director Muktha Srinivasan’s daughter lived in our colony. She told her father about me. He asked me to come to Chennai and sing. That was in 1983, and it was the first time I sang two solos and two duets with S.P.Balasubramaniam in the film Thambadhigal. That was my first recording for a film. How it felt I was glad to sing for a feature film and that too in Tamil. Once I met Lalgudi Jayaraman; he asked me to come to Chennai if I was interested in learning more. I jumped at the offer and shifted base to Chennai. A wonderful teacher, he advised us to listen to all kinds of music. When I came to Chennai I started getting offers from some of the best music directors here. I sang for Ilaiyaraja (Vietnam Colony) and A. R. Rahman (Iruvar). One day, music director Harris Jayaraj called me for a recording. It was for his film Minnale. I told him I could sing only in ‘G’ sharp and not at the high pitch in which the song had been composed. He was understanding, and the song was recorded in two hours. It became a hit. After this I sang more songs for him. How life changed My lifestyle did not change much but I became popular. While this was good, I was a little worried it should not spoil my Carnatic music career. But it was the other way round. People who knew me came to my concerts to see how I rendered Carnatic songs. I have till now sung 50 songs in all the South Indian languages and Hindi and Bhojpuri. S.R.ASHOK KUMAR |
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taal
Replies: 38
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The power of music Bombay Jayashri Ramnath The writer is a Carnatic musician based in Chennai. Music has the power to cause emotions to well up within us. These feelings are gripping - often irresistible - and seem to emerge from nowhere. These feelings colour our moods, affect our perceptions and generate a behavioural pattern. The indisputable fact about music is its power to evoke emotions. Is there anyone, for whom, music is completely emotional - neutral? Music has the ability to inevitably tap the still, mysterious deep well of our emotions. Avinash Pasricha
 However, music can produce various emotional responses in different individuals and even different responses in the same person at different times. Music may produce expressions of various emotions - peaceful, relaxing, exciting, festive, boring, unsettling, unstimulating, invigorating ... and so on. Music is an extremely versatile medium of communication. It is capable of exploring all the features that are used in verbal communication. Moreover, it does so in an explicit and structured way, which makes it an interesting and useful window into human communication, in general. The repetition of a line as in a lullaby, the regular beating of a drum - they produce a feeling of physical ease and lull the child to sleep. The rhythmic sound of the train, of waves breaking on the shore, the song of a cricket at night - why, even the electric fan is able to produce a soothing physical quiet. But good music does not stop there. It touches our emotions. True music really far deeper and touches our very soul and leaves its imprint on us. It may not be possible to explain or describe this reaction in ordinary language. It can only be felt. It is one of those mystic experiences, which baffle analytical explanation. Music is known to endow the listener with aesthetic or intellectual pleasure. It can be simple, complex, subtle, overt - and these features may reside in one of the different aspects of the music e.g. rhythm, melody. Some of the greatness of music however, lies in its holistic nature that all the elements form a unique wholeness which may not be understood by studying the parts separately. However complex, music is readily appreciated by the mind without the need for formal knowledge. The lay listener may not be able to hear which instruments are playing, or which pitches are used. Yet, he or she may have no problem appreciating the music as a whole. An experienced listener, on the other hand, may be able to transcribe every note, but might still be at a loss to understand why the music is so pleasing to listen to even for the time! As a performer, I believe that music can recreate emotions and get the listeners involved with my emotions. Any particular music has an inherent emotion. And, there is the emotion that one feels while rendering. Besides, the listener is in an emotional state while listening to that music - which is also important because it could be possible that this will now be linked to the emotional state of the listener. So he or she can use the song to recreate this emotion. Very often we hear people say "This is my song" and feel that special emotion again. Rhythm and melody are two facets of music that lend themselves to enjoyment in their individual capacities. The experience of beat and rhythm has a simple relation with joy, well-being and even excitement. Babies spontaneously start to rock and move when they hear music with a pronounced beat in a medium or fast tempo. By changing rhythm, we can change the aesthetic appeal of a piece of music. Even a change of tempo can cause variations in the aesthetic appeal. Similarly, melody, which is the soul of music, can create different types of feelings in listeners. Some melodies bring soulfulness, some sadness, some bring jubilance or tranquility. Music is created from the heart and moulded by emotion. As musicians, we are inherently creative - so people say - and we have the ability to derive intense pleasure from a particular piece of music, which we listen to or produce. Here, I am referring to an aesthetic experience, which everybody must have felt. Tears of joy, a tug at the heart, goose pimples... True art always comes as an irresistible inner urge. We hear a song of Thyagaraja and are enthralled just as we gaze at a majestic temple or an ancient sculpture with wonder. All such works of art are the result of an inner urge. That is why it is something inherently beautiful. ... And there can be no enjoyment more impersonal and sublimating than what it offers. It prepares the very soul for something higher. |
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taal
Replies: 17
Views: 1031
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Encounter/T P Sreenivasan
March 01, 2005
T P Sreenivasan, among India's most distinguished diplomats, continues his column based on his encounters with some of the world's most famous people.
In Vienna, a conductor is known by the length of the applause he gets.
Maestro Mehta, as Zubin Mehta is known in Vienna, gets a long, long applause whenever he performs there, making him come back to the stage again and again. His faithful Viennese admirers do not seem to be in a hurry to get back home for a delayed meal even after a long concert.
We continued to join the applause for him at the Musicverein, after he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with a gnawing suspicion that he would be too tired to join us for dinner after the concert.
Quite the contrary. He not only offered us a sumptuous meal at the Hotel Imperial, once the headquarters of the occupying Soviet garrison, but both he and his wife stayed on for a couple of hours for a delightful conversation, not just on music, but on politics, economics, peace and war, Iraq and SARS.
A popular line in Indian-American speeches came to mind. You can take Indians out of India, but you cannot take India out of Indians. When the gourmet meal, cooked by Austria's best chefs arrived, Zubin Mehta's hand reached his pocket to pull out a small silver box from his Italian suit. Out came a dozen dried red chillies, crispy and hot. He proceeded to crush a chili into his delicately flavoured grilled salmon, much to the astonishment of us all.
Inevitably, the conversation turned to the joys of hot food and how hot it should be. The fact that he left India a good fifty years ago made no difference to his palate. He explained that he grew these chillies in his garden in Los Angeles, dried them in the sun and carried them everywhere he went to add the Indian touch to his food.
Another guest at the table, Anita Pratap, the celebrated journalist, who had named her son after Zubin, seemed to agree, though she had turned to Norwegian food after she married Norwegian Ambassador Arne Walther. The second time he invited us to dinner, it was to a Thai restaurant in Vienna, which was known for its devastatingly hot food. The Maestro did not need his chillies, but most of his guests, except the Indians, had tears in their eyes.
Mehta told me how his silver box with red chillies helped him to have a conversation with then prime minister Vajpayee. He was seated pretty close to Vajpayee at a banquet in Munich, but Vajpayee took no notice of him as he was not introduced to him.
When the main dish arrived, out came the silver box and Mehta started distributing the red chillies to his neighbours, including Vajpayee. It was only then that Vajpayee noticed that his neighbour was none other than the Maestro himself. Then they had a delightful conversation.
Zubin Mehta's concert at the Musicverein in the heart of Vienna was in preparation for the visit of the Philharmonic Orchestra to Mumbai to participate in a charity show. Mehta was very critical of many minor officials in India, who were giving his friends in Mumbai a hard time in getting the clearances for the concert. He could not understand why the central and state authorities constantly interfered in the arrangements and claimed various amounts as taxes and other charges.
He was critical of my embassy also as he was told that the consular section was difficult in the beginning till I intervened at his instance. |
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Honours and awards
In 2001, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award.
In September, 2006 the Kennedy Center announced Maestro Mehta as one of the receipients of that year's Kennedy Center Honors. These were presented on December 2, 2006.
On February 3, 2007, Zubin Mehta was the recipient of the Second Annual Bridgebuilder Award at Loyola Marymount University
References in popular culture
The Muppet, Zubin Beckmesser, is named after him. The second part of the name (Beckmesser) being a character from Richard Wagner's opera, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg.
The Frank Zappa song Billy the Mountain includes a character of whom it is said "some folks say he looked like Zubin Mehta." This is a reference to a performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1970, in the UCLA basketball arena, of a series of Zappa's orchestral pieces. The performance was prefaced by a short speech from Zappa, who then turned to Mehta and said, "Hit it, Zubin!"
In Sidney Sheldon's novel, Master of the Game, the protagonist mentions Zubin Mehta after watching her great grand son perform a musical piece.
In Michael Moore's film Roger & Me, Zubin Mehta's wife, Nancy Kovack is mentioned as a famous person who grew up in Flint, Michigan.
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Personal life
His first marriage was from 1958-1964 to Canadian soprano Carmen Lasky. They have son Mervon (1959) and daughter Zarina (1961). The divorce was amicable [3]. "We grew apart. It just happened. I never did anything nasty to him, and he never did anything nasty to me" Carmen said in 1968.
Mehta married Nancy Kovack, a former American film and television actress, on 20 July 1969 [4].
Two years after divorcing Zubin, Carmen married Zubin's brother Zarin Mehta. Carmen and Zarin have daughter Rohanna (1967) and son Rustom (1968). In 2000 his brother, Zarin Mehta, was appointed executive director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
His life has been documented in Terry Sanders' film Portrait of Zubin Mehta and in a book by Martin Bookspan and Ross Yockey entitled Zubin: The Zubin Mehta Story. His autobiography, written with Renate von Matuschka is "Die Partitur meines Lebens".
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Zubin Mehta was born in 1936 in Bombay and received his first musical education by his father Mehli Mehta, the founder of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. After a short period of pre-medical studies in Bombay, he left for Vienna in 1954 where he eventually entered the conducting programme under Hans Swarowsky at the Akademie für Musik. Zubin Mehta won the Liverpool International Conducting Competition in 1958 and was also a prize-winner of the summer academy at Tanglewood. By 1961 he had already conducted the Vienna, Berlin and Israel Philharmonic Orchestras and still retains close ties with these orchestras.
Zubin Mehta was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 1961 to 1967 becoming Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 1962, a post he retained until 1978. In 1969 he also became Music Adviser to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and was made Music Director of that orchestra in 1977. In 1981 he was made Music Director for life. Zubin Mehta has conducted over two thousand concerts with this extraordinary ensemble including tours spanning five continents. In 1978 he became Music Director of the New York Philharmonic commencing a tenure lasting 13 years, the longest in the orchestra's history. Since 1985, he has been chief conductor of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence.
Zubin Mehta made his debut as an opera conductor with Tosca in Montreal in 1963. Since then he has conducted at the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, La Scala Milan, and the opera houses of Chicago and Florence as well as at the Salzburg Festival. Between 1998 and 2006 he was Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera where he conducted more that 400 performances.
Zubin Mehta's list of awards and honours is extensive and includes the
"Nikisch-Ring" bequeathed to him by Karl Böhm. He is an honorary citizen of both Florence and Tel Aviv and was made an honorary member of the Vienna State Opera in 1997. In 1999 Zubin Mehta was presented the "Lifetime Achievement Peace and Tolerance Award" of the United Nations. In 2001 he was bestowed the title of “Honorary Conductor” of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and in 2004 the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra awarded him the same title, as did the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 2006. At the end of his tenure with the Bavarian State Opera he was named Honorary Conductor of the Bavarian State Orchestra and Honorary Member of the Bavarian State Opera. In December 2006 he received the “Kennedy Center Honor”. The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien appointed him in November 2007 honorary member.
In October 2006 he opened the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia followed by a three year project of Richard Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen cycle in the production of the Fura del Baus of Barcelona in Valencia and Florence. |
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"No matter how much you do, it's never enough. Music is my only therapy. There're so many awful things happening in the world. I wish I could heal the world. All I can do is use my music, which I do. My peace anthems like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Pray for me, brother' are a small candlelight in the storm. But you never know which candle will light a thousand other candles."
That's a very nice way to look at it. Everyone can only do their share and this is combined effort anyway....I am sure he will find company who's goal is same as his. |
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Writer is probably out of his mind. Comparing Qazi with Himesh  . |
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MAUSAM HAI MUSICANA - ind the scenBehes I magine Bimal Roy being roundly critically for going escapist-populist with Madhumati! Vyjayanthimala ( now Madhumati, now Madhavi, now Radha) became so etched in our viewing imagination as to pass into the realm of legend with Aa jaa re pardesi.
Such was the spell cast by Vyjayanthi lipsynching Aa jaa re that Lata Mangeshkar clinched the Filmfare Best Singer award in its inaugural (1958) year for her will-o'-thewispy rendition of this number. Playing favourites Aa jaa re has the seventh chord as basic melody – the chord of incompletion symptomatic of desire unfulfilled- as Madhumati stands heart-stoppingly on that cliffedge.
Salil Chowdhury becomingly bagged the Filmfare Best Music award for Madhumati. Was Aa jaa re, then, Salil's favourite composition in Madhumati? "No way responded Salil. "My best composition ," for Lata-Vyjayanthimala in Madhumati was Zulmee sang aankh ladee re – so Kumaoni, so sweet, so romantic, so heavenly!"
What if I now tell you that Salil Chowdhury wasn't to compose Madhumati at all? That we wouldn't have got O bichchuaa in the raag Brindabani Sarang format we did if, as scheduled, S D Burman had scored Madhumati. Dada Burman himself told me Bimal Roy was insistent he do Madhumati, noting:
"But I was already working on my set quota of two films a year in Paying Guest and Nau Do Gyarah, while giving the finishing touches to Pyaasa. So it was I who suggested to Bimal that Salil was eminently equipped to tackle Madhumati, side by side urging that composer to give the theme his all." Choices, choices Salil naturally denied any such possibility as I took the point to him. But Bimal Roy then, I know, was under distributor pressure. Salil had already composed tellingly for Bimal's Do Bigha Zamin, Naukri, Amanat and Parivar. But without emerging a brand. So S D Burman was a distinct possibility after Devdas.
How would Dada have scored Madhumati? No less outstandingly I say for Dada's , , grip on the folk forms of India even Salil envied. Forgetting Lata in Madhumati for now, on Dilip Kumar, could any singer have come through with the poignance Mohammed Rafi did in Toote huue khwabon ne?
Yet it was neither Rafi nor Mukesh but Talat Mahmood on Dilip Kumar that Salil considered first- for Suhanaa safar and for the Dil tarap tarap ke duet in Madhumati. While Toote huue khwabon ne, as a ghazal, would've been Talat's preserve, wouldn't it?
Yet, if Dada Burman it had been for Madhumati, rest assured it would've been Rafi all the way on Dilip. Remember, Dada cared for neither Talat nor Mukesh. Possible or not Today we can't envision Madhumati without Salil. But, never forget, Dada refused Madhumati only because he didn't have the time and mental space needed for scoring the complex Ritwik Ghatak theme.
Yet there was a major snag about Dada's doing Madhumati. How could even S D Burman have scored Madhumati with Lata no longer materialising in his recording room by early 1957?
Thanks for the interesting article dada. One good thing around that time is MD's gave respect to each other and treated them as they like to be treated. Same goes with Singers too. Of course when they had differences they just didn't show it to the outside world until one realised and questioned them People found these much later. It coul dbe due to media and Journalism. But my point is Journalists at that time were inclined to publish more of the positive news I guess for whatever reasons as by the end of the day just like we say if it is family matter it will stay inside kind of a thing. |
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Quite a train rog Jerry Pinto takes a rel gaadi ride through the movie songs There's a certain irresistible rhythm to songs on trains. Almost everyone has one.
There's Rajesh Khanna wooing Sharmila Tagore in Mere sapnon ki raani kab aayegi tu from Aradhana, there's Waheeda Rehman giggling and trying to sleep on the upper berth while Dev Anand sings Uparwaala jaankar anjaan hai.
Which is why it was so delightful to have the two young people meet in a train in Jab We Met. The one thing we missed was a nice train song. Rail gaadi howwa howwa.
More train geets OTHER POPULAR TRAIN NUMBERS ¦ Jiya o.. - Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961) ¦ Rail gaadi - Aashirwad (1968) ¦ Gaadi bula rahi hai- Dost (1974) ¦ Zindagi ke safar..- Aap ki Kasam (1974) ¦ Chuk chukh chhak chhak- Rafoo Chakkar (1975) ¦ Humko tumse ho - Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) ¦ O jaana - Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1998) ¦ Kasto mazza hai - Parineeta (2005)
Very Interesting article dada... |
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