The Bitter-Sweet Melancholy - Räg Madhuwanti

I don’t know why, but I was (kind of) putting off writing on this räg matrix for some time now. One reason, probably, is that the true nature of this räg still eludes me and I am unable to put my finger on the pulse of this matrix. But then I go back to the basic premise which says that a composition that is able to project a picture in the minds of listeners will be celebrated as a ‘räg’ and it solves my conundrum!

Räg Madhuwanti actually derives from Räg Multäni but differs from it where it uses Shuddha Rishabh & Shuddha Dhaivat (flat second & sixth notes, respectively). This brings Madhuwanti in a time-slot that’s a little later than its parent matrix – Madhuwanti is generally sung in the early hours of the fourth (last) quadrant of the day. All phraseology and chalan are similar to that of Multäni but use of Shuddha Rishabh & Dhaivat brings some degree of calm and, at times, melancholy feelings in the matrix. Listen to this very popular ghazal from ‘Dil ki Rähen’ (1973) composed by Late Madan Mohan-ji in the melancholy vibes of Madhuwanti.

But then there are other moods of Madhuwanti that are more subtle and better expressed in the expansive format of classical music. What I have for you is an elaborate and well laid-out Madhuwanti by Vijay Koparkar. This recording is part of a workshop on classical vocal music held in Nashik a few years back and Vijay presents four compositions one after another presenting different shades and moods of the matrix.

But we close this episode with yet another melancholy number composed by Sudheer Phadke, the maestro of Marathi Bhäv-sangeet. All his compositions from ‘Geet-Rämäyan’ are based solidly on various räg-matrices but carry the mood of ‘GaDiMä’ lyrics so well that the listener is completely immersed in the ethos of the totality, not just the composition! So lose yourself in Seetä’s quiet grieving question to Lord Räm as he prepares to leave for vanaväs…

The Last of the Trio!

Alongwith Märwä and Puriyä, Raag Sohni completes the trio that uses the same scale of notes.

Remember ‘Kuhu-kuhu bole koyaliyä’, that immortal melody from ‘Swarna-Sundari’? An unforgettable song composed by Aädi Näräyan Räo, a relatively unknown composer from yesteryears! Really speaking, this song is a medley of raags but the mukhadä (opening lines) and the first antarä (stanza) are composed in Raag Sohni, the focus of this episode.


Having said that Märwä and Puriyä originate from the same scale but differ radically in the ethos they project, we must also take a look at Raag Sohni that shares the same scale and, like these two raags, differs by projecting an intense and aggressive, yet romantic, mood. While Märwä and Puriyä are more inclined to serenity, Sohni tends to be more aggressive. The difference lies in its phrases. Märwä focuses on Komal Rishabh and Dhaivat and Puriyä on Gandhär and Nishäd. Sohni, however, keeps its emphasis firmly on Tär Shadja (the base note Sä in the higher octave). The compositions in this raag, therefore, excel in the upper-half of the octave and create electrifying atmosphere. Moreover, the chalan (phraseology) here is vakra (using notes in a circular, out-of-sequence pattern) giving the entire matrix an interesting twist.

Sohni has been an all-time favourite amongst vocalists and instrument-players of all generations. With the fast-paced compositions excelling in the upper octave, Sohni has been used very effectively to transform ambience in concert after a serious raag like Mälkauns. A number of greats like Ustäd Bade Ghuläm Alikhan, Pt DV Paluskar, ‘Gän-Hirä’ Hiräbäi Barodekar, etc have recorded some fabulous bandishes in Sohni and, fortunately, all this recorded material is easily available to music-lovers today.

Mention must be made here of some delightful compositions that have regaled the audiences. The first and foremost is the renowned thumri sung by Ustäd Bade Ghuläm Alikhän-saheb. The thumri became such a rage in those days that Naushäd (famous composer) had to go to great lengths to have the veteran Ustäd to sing its filmy version for the magnum-opus ‘Mughal-e-Azam’.

Pt Kumär Gandharva immortalized ‘Rang nä dälo shämji’, a traditional bandish that’s both aggressive and romantic at the same time, and set new a benchmark that has been difficult for others to follow. Pt Rämäshray Jhä ‘Rämrang’ has composed a few delightful bandishes in Sohni that paint an aesthetically pleasing picture of this raag. A couple of taränäs composed in Sohni have also been immensely popular with their fast tempo and imaginative presentation.  Here's a selection of some of these compositions for your listening pleasure!

In popular music, Sohni has given us some sparkling moments through various songs that are based on this matrix. Apart from the ‘Swarna-Sundari’ and ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ numbers above, Asha Bhosale’s ‘Jeevan jyot jale’ (Film: Gruhasthi) remains forever favourite with music lovers. Pt Jitendra Abhisheki has also sung ‘Haribhajanä veen käl’, a Maräthi devotional song that has achieved a permanent place in Maräthi-rasik’s heart.

However, we simply cannot conclude the Sohni post without mentioning my personal favorite from the famous Maräthi musical play 'Katyär Kaljät Ghusali'. Late Pt. Vasantrao Deshpande's electrifying 'gäyaki' has made 'Surat piyäki na chhin bisaräyi' a veritable treat for all music-lovers (Maräthi or otherwise) - Enjoy...!

Peace in the eye of the storm!

Raag Puriyä gives a feel of being on an island of peace!

‘Serenity is not freedom from storm, but peace amid storm!’ – So goes a famous quotation. How true, especially when you think of Raag Puriyä! This is one raag-matrix which has a scale identical with Raag Märwä but differs from it radically in nature. While Märwä evokes tension and turmoil, Puriyä is more like an island of peace amidst the storm. The difference lies in its phraseology and emphasis on notes. Where Märwä favours Komal Rishabh (minor second note) and Dhaivat (sixth note), Puriyä relies on Gandhär and Nishäd (third and seventh note, resp). Teevra Madhyam (sharp fourth note) also gets good prominence in the presentation in Puriyä.

Puriyä is an ancient melody and one can find any number of good recordings in vocal and instrumental music. The most prominent that come to mind, from among the old masters, are the three-and-half minute 78-rpm discs of Pt DV Paluskar and Pt Omkarnäth Thäkur. Both have presented the same traditional composition but, in the recent years, Pt Rajan-Sajan Mishra have given us a delightful bandish that’s serenity and romance, at the same time. The lyrics ‘Main to kar äyi piyä sang rang raliyä’ lend it the silken touch of romance and the raag treatment brings out serenity in the matrix. The same bandish has also been recorded by young Ustäd Rashid Khän, but lacks the typical Puriyä touch of serenity.

The instrumental section gives us a variety of options vis-à-vis Puriyä. Ustäd Bismilläh Khän (shehnäi) and Pt Hariprasäd Chauräsiyä (flute) are simply superb while Pt Shivkumär Sharmä (santoor) and Pt Nikhil Bänerjee (sitar) also sketch an enchanting soundscape of this raag. Puriyä also melds well with a couple of other raag-matrices and gives birth to combination raags. Puriyä-Kalyän and Puriyä-Dhanäshri are the most common examples and we find a number of recordings in these.  Here I have a delightful and serene Puriyä-Kalyän rendered in an exclusive concert by Aarti Anklikar-Tikekar a few years back in Nashik.  Enjoy...

Popular music has borrowed a lot on all varieties of Puriyä and given us a number of delightful songs. Compositions like ‘Jai-Jai kartär tori’ (Film: Baiju Bäwrä), ‘Mere säson ko jo mehkä rahi hai’ (Lata-Mahendra Kapoor, Film: Badalte Rishte), ‘Aäke teri bähon mein’ (Film: Vansh) from Hindi film-music take us into the Puriyä territory while Marathi bhäv-sangeet boasts of ‘Jivalagä, rähile re’ (Ashä Bhosale, Composition: Hridaynäth Mangeshkar), an all-time great in Puriyä-Dhanäshri. A few other compositions like ‘Muralidhar shyäm’ (Katyär Käljät Ghusali, Composition: Pt Jitendra Abhisheki) or ‘Harawale te gavasale ka’ (Lata Mangeshkar, Composition: Vasant Prabhu) give us a different flavour of Puriyä and keep us riveted by the magic of its notes.

Yet another raag-matrix also evolves from the scale shared by Märwä and Puriyä, but more about it in the next episode…

Notes from the Twilight Zone...

There’s an inexplicable tension in the skies when day crosses over into the night and Raag Märwä personifies this ambience...

As retreating sun makes way for dark skies, even migratory birds take a break for a while to make sure of their bearings. There is an unmistakable apprehension about the uncertainty that darkness may bring. Added to it are leftover feelings of strain, stress and anxieties from the day that was and then your heart yearns for comfort zone. Even these minor comforts are denied to man at times and your mind goes into a self-denial mode – what we Indians call ‘vairägya’! This, precisely, is the ethos of Raag Märwä!

Technically speaking, Märwä is the main raag of Märwä Thät and also shares the same pentatonic scale with two other raags in its close proximity, namely Puriyä and Sohni. Märwä is typical in its emphasis on Komal Rishabh and Dhaivat (second and sixth notes). With the absence of Pancham, the other stable note in the scale, and base note Sä being used very sparingly, Märwä heightens tension palpably!

An interesting anecdote merits mention here – Late Pt Vasanträo Deshpände learned Bhendibazär Gäyaki from Ustäd Asadali Khänsaheb at Lähore. The reclusive Ustäd, who for six months taught only Märwä to Vasanträo, told him to sing this matrix with base note firmly in mind but employ phrases using all other notes in the scale. Vasanträo’s rendition of Märwä is truly electrifying and an independent interpretation of this matrix. Also memorable is the bandish ‘Piyä more anant des’ sung by Ustäd Amir Khänsäheb, founder of Indore gharänä. This raag has also been rendered magnificently by instrumentalists whose instruments allow meend (unbroken passage from one note to another) and khichäv (progression from one note to another by pulling the string in an instrument), most notable examples being Pt Ravi Shankar, Pt Nikhil Bänerjee (both sitar) and Pt Hariprasäd Chauräsiyä (flute).

Märwä excels in the upper ranges of the octave and compositions from popular music also bear out its potential to build tension. ‘Jo tum todo piyä’ (Film: Silsilä) sung by Lata Mangeshkar under Shiv-Hari’s baton comes to mind as the top recall. The melody-queen has also sung a number of memorable songs such as ‘Känhä re känhä re’ (Film: Taxi Driver), ‘Päyaliyä bäwari’ (Film: Säj Aur Aäwäj) in Märwä. Maräthi bhäv-sangeet also boasts of some sparkling gems in this matrix, the most notable being Arun Däte’s ‘Swar gangechyä käthävarati’, Suman Kalyanpur’s ‘Shabd-shabd japun thev’ and Lata-didi’s ‘Mävalatyä dinakarä’. Märwä never fails to evoke emotions that portray shades of self-denial, disappointment and devotion. The other two sister melodies that share the same scale are, however, entirely different in their nature. But more about them in future episodes of Music-Fundaaz. Right now, dig out a recording of Ustäd Amir Khänsäheb or Vasanträo Deshpande, sit back and let the magic of Märwä wash over you…