This week, our series on the harmonium, comes to a close with a focus on musicians from Karnataka and Bengal. Looking back at the tracks featured over the past three weeks, one cannot but be amazed by the diversity of technique and presentation that harmonium players have evolved over the past century and more. Recorded music is evidence enough for those who continue to condemn the instrument for its limitations.
Indeed, performers have candidly accepted these limitations and have continually attempted to overcome them. One of the main criticisms against the instrument has been its inability to produce shrutis or microtones that are integral to raag renditions. The shrutimandalmanjushe, a shruti-harmonium, was especially constructed by GB Achrekar (1885-1939), a musicologist, musician and artisan, to address this issue. Over the years, harmonium players have experimented by introducing new techniques of handling the keyboard and controlling the bellow, and have also made structural changes to the instrument and introduced new methods of tuning the reeds in collaboration with craftsmen.
Pt. Rambhau Bijapure
Raag Bhairavi
The foremost harmonium player from Karnataka was Rambhau Bijapure (1917-2010). He had a performance career spanning several decades, but he was equally a renowned teacher.
This track features a composition in the raag Bhairavi set to Sitarkhani or Addha taal, a time cycle of 16 matras or time units. Tabla accompaniment is provided by Narayan Ganachari. Bijapure was in his 90s when he recorded this piece, but his performance clearly belied his years.
Pandit Vasanth Kanakapur
Raag Charukeshi
Vasant Kanakapur was a well-known performer from Karnataka. On this track, Kanakapur plays raag Charukeshi, a raag that has its origins in Carnatic music but is now also well and truly part of the Hindustani stream. Many harmonium players prefer to follow the format established in other instrumental performances, which does not include very slow elaboration akin to khayal presentations. But Kanakapur plays a composition in vilambit or slow Ektaal, a 12 matra cycle, and interprets it along the lines of a vilambit khayal. He follows this with a madhya laya or medium speed composition in the 16 matra Teentaal.
In Bengal, Montu Banerjee (1915-1980) was highly regarded as a harmonium soloist. Having learnt tabla from several gurus, Banerjee later studied the harmonium under Muneshwar Dayal of Gaya. Listeners can download two tracks featuring short expositions of raag Mia ki Todi and raag Sindhura. The latter is played initially in the thumri style.
Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh and V Balsara
Raag Mishra Pilu
Jnan Prakash Ghosh, an eminent composer and teacher, was also a significant harmonium player in Bengal. The first track here features him in a short duet with well-known pianist V Balsara. They play a melody in raag Mishra Pilu. The word Mishra refers to the deviation from the main melodic structure in order to incorporate phrases that may belong to other raags. This treatment is in keeping with the relative flexibility of the thumri form that this piece follows. It is set to a medium-paced Deepchandi, a taal or time cycle consisting of 14 time units. Listeners will note the staccato phrases that Jnan Prakash Ghosh employs at times, which are not otherwise practised in Hindustani music.
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Indeed, performers have candidly accepted these limitations and have continually attempted to overcome them. One of the main criticisms against the instrument has been its inability to produce shrutis or microtones that are integral to raag renditions. The shrutimandalmanjushe, a shruti-harmonium, was especially constructed by GB Achrekar (1885-1939), a musicologist, musician and artisan, to address this issue. Over the years, harmonium players have experimented by introducing new techniques of handling the keyboard and controlling the bellow, and have also made structural changes to the instrument and introduced new methods of tuning the reeds in collaboration with craftsmen.
Pt. Rambhau Bijapure
Raag Bhairavi
The foremost harmonium player from Karnataka was Rambhau Bijapure (1917-2010). He had a performance career spanning several decades, but he was equally a renowned teacher.
This track features a composition in the raag Bhairavi set to Sitarkhani or Addha taal, a time cycle of 16 matras or time units. Tabla accompaniment is provided by Narayan Ganachari. Bijapure was in his 90s when he recorded this piece, but his performance clearly belied his years.
Pandit Vasanth Kanakapur
Raag Charukeshi
Vasant Kanakapur was a well-known performer from Karnataka. On this track, Kanakapur plays raag Charukeshi, a raag that has its origins in Carnatic music but is now also well and truly part of the Hindustani stream. Many harmonium players prefer to follow the format established in other instrumental performances, which does not include very slow elaboration akin to khayal presentations. But Kanakapur plays a composition in vilambit or slow Ektaal, a 12 matra cycle, and interprets it along the lines of a vilambit khayal. He follows this with a madhya laya or medium speed composition in the 16 matra Teentaal.
In Bengal, Montu Banerjee (1915-1980) was highly regarded as a harmonium soloist. Having learnt tabla from several gurus, Banerjee later studied the harmonium under Muneshwar Dayal of Gaya. Listeners can download two tracks featuring short expositions of raag Mia ki Todi and raag Sindhura. The latter is played initially in the thumri style.
Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh and V Balsara
Raag Mishra Pilu
Jnan Prakash Ghosh, an eminent composer and teacher, was also a significant harmonium player in Bengal. The first track here features him in a short duet with well-known pianist V Balsara. They play a melody in raag Mishra Pilu. The word Mishra refers to the deviation from the main melodic structure in order to incorporate phrases that may belong to other raags. This treatment is in keeping with the relative flexibility of the thumri form that this piece follows. It is set to a medium-paced Deepchandi, a taal or time cycle consisting of 14 time units. Listeners will note the staccato phrases that Jnan Prakash Ghosh employs at times, which are not otherwise practised in Hindustani music.