As the monsoon season approaches, it is time to hear musical responses from practitioners of Hindustani vocal music who have learnt special song forms associated with the season.
Of course, there are many vocalists who have heard such recordings and chosen to interpret them without revealing the original source, but setting aside ethical considerations (as such musicians often do), it is noteworthy that vocalists, despite being located in an urban area, are drawn to these songs because they are essentially evocative of a rural environment.
There may be several reasons for this appeal, but even in today’s rapidly changing world, the need to include this type of work in concert repertoire is very real.
For tabla players who aspire to accompany various forms of vocal music as well as vocal and instrumental music, it is essential to be familiar with seasonal song forms as well as khayal and thumri dadra. We have already discussed song forms and their tabla accompaniment associated with the spring season. Today, we will take a closer look at the role of the tabla player in accompanying musical compositions celebrating the monsoon.
Khajuri, Jhula and Sawan are some of the notable forms heard during the monsoon season. Today, we will focus on the tabla accompaniment of Khajuri compositions performed by Hindustani singers. For those interested in reading about the Khajuri form, here is a link to our previous article.
Kajri are an integral part of the repertoire performed by Thumri pundits. Many are folk songs in origin but are sung in a stylised manner, borrowing various stylistic features of Thumri Dadra. The lyrics contain imagery relating to the monsoon, though some kajri do not contain such metaphors.
The first track of this episode features an extended presentation of one such kajri composition by Siddheshwari Devi, a renowned performer from the Banaras Gharana. The piece is set to a kaherva of eight matras and maintains a steady pace for most of the performance, before shifting into a ragi section towards the end of the track. The recording, made for All India Radio, is accompanied by renowned tabla player Chatur Lal and sarangi player Sabri Khan.
The second track is another kajuri sung by Siddheshwari Devi, however, this one is set to the Rupak taal, which consists of seven matras.Unlike the previous track, there is no traditional ragi section in this recording, as heard in most kajuri performances, but the tabla player shifts from the Rupak theka to a quadruple-speed rhythmic phrase.
It is important to note that Kajri compositions in the Thumri-Dadra repertoire are often drawn from the folk repertoire of the Ganges region. However, the compositions on this album do not follow this trend. They lean towards a more literary variety of poetry that perhaps eschews the typical imagery of the monsoon, and the musical expression is also unusual in that it is rooted in the bol banav of Thumri and Dadra compositions.
One of India’s leading tabla players, Aneesh Pradhan is a recognised performer, teacher, composer and scholar of Hindustani music. See his website here.
This article is based on Pradhan’s book, Tabla: A Performer’s Perspective.
