A contemporary of the legendary Gauhar Jan, prima donna of early recordings of Indian music, Indubala (more famously known as Miss
Indubala) was the daughter of Rajbala, a circus trapeze artiste.
Rajbala married Motilal Bose, owner of The Great Bengal Circus, also
known as Bose’s Circus or Professor Bose’s Circus. The marriage was not
really accepted by Motilal’s family as he was already married to another
woman. Indubala was born in November, 1899 at Amritsar, where the
circus party had gone for performance.
The initial plan was to train
Indubala as a nurse and she was admitted as a trainee in a hospital in
the Pataldanga locality of Calcutta. Indubala did not take fancy to the
job and ran away from the hospital, much to the disappointment of her
mother, who never wanted her only daughter to be forced into a life of
indignity. After this incident Indubala’s musical training started. This
also marked the entry of Indubala into the red light world. Amongst her
trainers was Gauhar Jan. Apart from music, Indubala also learned
etiquette from the elder artiste and developed a close friendship with
her. This association provided Indubala with valuable musical knowledge
and experience.
Zohra Bai (1868-1913) of the Agra Gharana, or Zohra Bai Agrewali as she came to be known as, was easily the best female singer at the turn of the 19th century. Along with Gauhar Jan, she marks the dying phase of the courtesan singing tradition in Indian classical music. She had her talim from Ustad Sher Khan, Ustad Kallan Khan and Mehboob Khan, the great composers of Khayals and .
Thumris
Known equally for Khayal as well as lighter varieties of classical music, she learnt Thumri and Ghazals
from Ahmad Khan of Dacca. Her many records going back to the first 15
years of the last century have not yet been dated, unlike records of
some of her contemporaries. It is said that Faiyaz Khan, the greatest
Ustad of the Agra Gharana, was influenced by Zohra Bai’s style of singing. The famed Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Kasur Gharana also held her in very high esteem. Zohra Bai Agrewali – Basant – Tore Jele Jele Ede Ede :
Moujuddin Khan (1875-1926), known as the ‘emperor’ of thumri and dadra, was born at Nalagarh in Punjab, and died in Benares.thumri singer like him. Nobody knew his gharana, people used to whisper he had no training, but when he would start a thumri,
his superb rendering would sway the entire audience through his singing
of a single line. He learnt music initially from his father Ghulam
Hussain Khan, then from Bade Dunni Khan, Rahimat Khan and Bhaiya Ganpat
Rao. He did not like school and spent more time over music. In 1901 the
family settled in Benares, where his father was given a position in the Durbar.
It is said of Moujuddin Khan that India has not produced another
Moujuddin Khan was proficient in pure and light classical music and
began to sing in concerts from the age of 15. At a very young age he
became addicted to wine and women, and he was also fond of expensive
clothes and perfumes. Moujuddin Khan – Pani Bhareli Kaun Albele Kinare (1908) :
Moujuddin Khan – Piya Pardes Mora Man Hara (1908) :
Moujuddin Khan – Phulava Ginat Dar Dar (1908) :
Moujuddin Khan – Langar Kakariya Jin Maro (1908) :
Dadra In Kaushi Dhwani – Nazariya Laag Rahi : (Download)
Shobha Gurtu :
Very few accomplished women singers have sung together and complimented each other so wonderfully, as Girija Devi and Shobha Gurtu
in the four songs that I am posting today. Girija Devi being from
Varanasi excels in the ‘Purab Ang Gayaki and Tappa’ whereas Shobha Gurtu
has immortalized herself as the ‘Thumri Queen’ of her time. In these
songs notice how each singer gives the other one enough space to present
her own trade mark style and adapt to each other so well. These are
such immortal Jugalbandis which I would always love to hear anyday and
anytime.
November 14,1902 : A very rudimentary and makeshift
recording studio had been set up in two large rooms of a hotel in
Calcutta by the Gramophone Company. Frederick William Gaisberg and his
assistants had arrived just three weeks before from England on their
first Far East recording expedition for the Gramophone Company, which
had been founded in England in 1898. They had appointed a local agent
for selecting and training artists for recording on gramophone discs.
However, the agent selected Anglo-Indian artists and completely ignored
local talent. Gaisberg then sought the help of the local Police
Superintendent, visited several theaters, attended mehfils at wealthy Jamindars’
palaces, and thus found at least one promising artist to begin with.
The artist was a very famous dancing girl, and her voice was very sweet,
although not for European ears. She agreed to a recording session for
the handsome fee of 3,000 rupees. Such an artist was necessary in order
to build a firm business foundation on the Indian scene, especially when
several other German, French and American recording companies were also
planning to capture the Asian market in general and the Indian market
in particular.
At around 9.00 a.m. a young lady entered the studio with all her
paraphernalia, including accompanists and relatives. Loaded fully with
very expensive ornaments and jewelry, this 30 year old, fair,
medium-built lady went onto the stage prepared for the recordings. Sarangi, harmonium, and tabla
players began to tune their instruments. Gaisberg personally checked
the equipment. A thick wax master record was placed on the turntable
rotating at 78 rpm. A huge recording horn was fitted on the wall behind
her and close to her face, and she was asked to sing loudly into the
horn. At the narrow end of the long horn a diaphragm fitted with a
needle was connected to the recording machinery, with a needle placed on
rotating disc for cutting the grooves. Gaisberg requested her to sing
for three minutes and announce her name at the end of the recording. At
the end of the trial recording she announced – ‘My name is Gauhar Jan‘.
This announcement was necessary since the wax masters were sent to
Hanover in Germany for pressing the records and the technicians would
make proper labels and confirm the name by listening to these
announcements at the end of the three minutes performance.
Here is one of those early recordings…listen to her announcing her name in the end…”My name is Gauhar Jan” :
Jaltarang, Jal Yantra, Jalatarangam or Jalatharangam
is a unique instrument in the sense that it is both a percussion as
well as non-percussion instrument. Basically, it is a series of china
clay bowls of descending size laid in a circle, or row or any other
convenient configuration. These bowls are tuned to the notes of the Raga
being played by adjusting the amount of water held in the cups. When
struck with chop-stick like strikers, these bowls produce very sweet
chime or tickle like sound and can be used to play solo as an
accompaniment of Tabla, or as an accompanying percussion instrument, mostly seen with Kathak style dance music.
Jalatarangam in Sanskrit, literally means 'water
waves' ('jala' means water and 'tarangam' means waves). It is an
ancient solo instrument, usually accompanied by the mridangam and is found
mentioned in ancient literature.
Construction:The
Jalatarangam consists of a set of porcelain
bowls of varying sizes that are filled with water according to the pitch / note
required. These bowls are arranged in a semi-circle in front of the performer in
the decreasing order of their size, from left to right. Tuning: Adjusting
the volume of water in the bowl changes the pitch. While
the bigger bowls produce a deeper sound, the smaller ones produce a sound that
resembles the tinkling of tiny bells, giving a very exotic effect. Posture and playing technique: The
bowls are struck with two thin bamboo sticks, one held in each hand. Compositions
of medium and fast tempo can be played most effectively on this instrument
although the very nature of the instrument precludes the execution of certain
gamakas unique to Carnatic music.
Anayampatti Dhandapani & S Ganesan – Vathapi :
Anayampatti Dhandapani & S Ganesan – Sarasa Samadhana :
Anayampatti Dhandapani & S Ganesan – Parathapara :
Born about 90 years back in BIDASAR village of Churu district in
Rajasthan, Baba Bihari Ji Kathak is one of the greatest Folk Artist that
India has borne.
He took his initial classical music training from his mother. Later, he
also got trained in various ‘Gharanas’ of Kanpur, Banaras, Kolkatta.
Apart from Classical Music, he attained great heights in Ghazals and
Rajsthani Folk Music. Sadly, this ‘Gem’ of Hindustani Music left us all
in 1990.
Thank you Krishan Kant Ratawa Ji for sharing these rare audio files with us. Chadi – By Baba Bihari Ji Kathak : Raag Bhervi
Jeev Tu Jayego – By Baba Bihari Ji Kathak : Raag Kalingda
Lat Uljhi Suljha Ja Re – By Baba Bihari Ji Kathak : Raag Marubihag & Raag Adan
Pag Ghunghroo Baandh – By Baba Bihari Ji Kathak : Raag Malkoush
She was the last of an era that was. Zarina Begum was once the star attraction at royal mehfils and marriages, singing thumris, dadras and ghazals. Today, she wonders where her patrons have gone? Khush hoon ki mera husn-e-talab kaam to aaya, Khaali hi sahi meri taraf jaam to aaya…The
sound of her captivating voice draws you up a narrow staircase, wide
enough for just one person, broken at places, to reach her abode. There
is nothing in the impoverished surroundings of that one-room hovel to
indicate that it has ever seen better days. But Zarina Begum, now nearly ninety, has. Among the last of Lucknow’s famous mehfil singers, she retains all the graces of a Lakhnavi courtesan as she sits up with a scowl on her face, straightens her khizab-dyed hair and arches a brow to question you.
“You want to interview me. I hope you will not label me a nautch
girl. Before talking to me you must understand my art. Then I will tell
you all you want. Even today people remember me with respect”, she said.
A sample of her singing talent can be heard in Muzaffar Ali’s album Husn-e-Jaana. Listen to the song ‘Nihure Nihure‘ from the same album :
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan can be described as an
artist who has had the maximum impact on the 20th Century Hindustani
Classical Music scenario. Born in 1902 into a great musical lineage from
Kasur in the Western Punjab, this great savant amalgamated the best of four traditions, his own Patiala – Kasur style, sculpturesque Behram Khani elements of Dhrupad, the intricate gyrations of Jaipur and finally the robust behlavas (embellishments) of Gwalior.
But what actually characterised Bade Ghulam Ali Khan was an
effervescent melodic quality which was concertised in a masterly flow of
ideas which were delivered with a unique sense of alacrity, aided by
one of the most pliable and dextrous voices ever heard in living memory
in this land.
Here is a rare live recording of the maestro in Raga Pahadi :
Blessed by prodigious natural talent and a cool temperament, Kaushiki
has not been distracted for one moment by all the accolades and acclaim
she has justly received at such a young age. Her last Sense World Music
recording ‘Pure’ received worldwide recognition beyond the circles of
traditional classical music listeners and confirmed a level maturity and
depth in her singing which defies her years.
Moumita Mitra, born on 22nd Dec.,1980 is a Hindustani (North Indian)
Classical and Semi-Classical Vocalist. She is a disciple of Lt. Pt.
A.Kannan and Sri Anjan Majumdar. She stood first in Khayal and Thumri in
The DoverLane Music Competition in the years 2001 and 2004
respectively.
Moumita has received the Championship Award from The DoverLane Music
Conference Organization in both the years for being the Highest scorer
and Best Vocalist. She was given the honour to perform at the
inauguration ceremony of DoverLane Music Conference 2002 on its Golden
Jubilee celebration.
Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik, a rising star of
the Hindustani Classical vocal music, was born in Nogaon, Assam. She
started her music lessons at a very early age from Sri Ajit Dutta. Later
she received extensive training in classical vocal music from Pandit
Sri Biren Phukan of Guahati Assam. Mitali then came to Calcutta where
she received lessons from Srimati Meera Banerjee, the renowned vocalist.
Since 1983, Mitali is under the tutelage of Padmabhusan Pandit V.G.
Jog, the famous violin maestro.
