Vinayakrao Patwardhan (1898-1975) and Narayanrao Vyas (1902-1984) were among the vocalists who were popular during the Saarvajanik Ganeshotsavs or public celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Both were disciples of vocalist and music educationist Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872-1931). They were among those who trained directly under Paluskar until 1915 at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Bombay. Despite their enrolment as students at this music school set up originally by Paluskar in Lahore in 1901 and later moved to Bombay in 1908, Patwardhan and Vyas along with other disciples during this period learnt from Paluskar in the guru-shishya or the master-disciple tradition. This equipped them to pursue long careers as professional performers and teachers.
After Paluskar’s death in 1931, Patwardhan and a few other disciples, set up the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal in Ahmedabad with its headquarters in Bombay. The Mandal was established to continue Paluskar’s work in the area of music education, by conducting examinations in music schools that were set up along the lines laid down by Paluskar. The Mandal also aimed at holding music conferences.
Patwardhan was also closely associated with Marathi musical theatre.
Several recordings of their solo recitals are available in the public domain, but here are two that feature them in a duet.
Raag Bageshree
Raag Bageshree set to Jhaptaal
The first is a short excerpt of Paluskar's composition in the raag Bageshree set to Jhaptaal, a rhythmic cycle of ten matras. Though a devotional song-text is in praise of the Hindu deity Rama, this excerpt indicates that the composition and its musical treatment by the performers did not follow the conventional path of devotional song-texts that were set to Bhajani theka, a cycle of eight matras or time-units that is integral to bhajan singing. Instead it follows the conventions of khayal rendition that highlight raag vistaar or elaboration of the raag, rather than giving primacy to the song-text.
Raag Malgunji
Raag Malgunji as explained by Jha
Malgunji, a rarely heard raag today, creates its own identity while including traces of raags Bageshree, Khamaj, and to a lesser extent Gara, as explained by scholar-musician Ram Ashreya Jha on Rajan Parrikar’s website.
Raga Malgunji
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Both were disciples of vocalist and music educationist Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872-1931). They were among those who trained directly under Paluskar until 1915 at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Bombay. Despite their enrolment as students at this music school set up originally by Paluskar in Lahore in 1901 and later moved to Bombay in 1908, Patwardhan and Vyas along with other disciples during this period learnt from Paluskar in the guru-shishya or the master-disciple tradition. This equipped them to pursue long careers as professional performers and teachers.
After Paluskar’s death in 1931, Patwardhan and a few other disciples, set up the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal in Ahmedabad with its headquarters in Bombay. The Mandal was established to continue Paluskar’s work in the area of music education, by conducting examinations in music schools that were set up along the lines laid down by Paluskar. The Mandal also aimed at holding music conferences.
Patwardhan was also closely associated with Marathi musical theatre.
Several recordings of their solo recitals are available in the public domain, but here are two that feature them in a duet.
Raag Bageshree
Raag Bageshree set to Jhaptaal
The first is a short excerpt of Paluskar's composition in the raag Bageshree set to Jhaptaal, a rhythmic cycle of ten matras. Though a devotional song-text is in praise of the Hindu deity Rama, this excerpt indicates that the composition and its musical treatment by the performers did not follow the conventional path of devotional song-texts that were set to Bhajani theka, a cycle of eight matras or time-units that is integral to bhajan singing. Instead it follows the conventions of khayal rendition that highlight raag vistaar or elaboration of the raag, rather than giving primacy to the song-text.
Raag Malgunji
Raag Malgunji as explained by Jha
Malgunji, a rarely heard raag today, creates its own identity while including traces of raags Bageshree, Khamaj, and to a lesser extent Gara, as explained by scholar-musician Ram Ashreya Jha on Rajan Parrikar’s website.
Raga Malgunji
The concluding track features Patwardhan and Vyas singing a vilambit or slow composition in raag Malgunji set to the 12 matra Ektaal.