The traditional pattern of tabla accompaniment to ghazals was significantly changed after a style popularised by celebrated tabla player Abdul Sattar, better known as Tari Khan, captivated many tabla players. Here was yet another instance of how music transcends political and geographical boundaries, for Tari Khan originally belongs to Pakistan but has influenced several tabla players in India.
Briefly, the main features of this style involve the inclusion of rhythmic phrases that are played in anticipation of the return to the refrain of the ghazal or even at the end of a line in a couplet, laggis that take liberally from vocabulary that is normally heard in certain extendable compositions from tabla solo repertoire, and intricate tihais to end the laggi sections.
The way these elements are blended in a performance, marks the individuality of the tabla player. The lyrics and melody of the ghazal have to be kept in focus by the tabla player, lest the accompaniment becomes too cluttered and overpowers the vocal rendition.
Here are two recordings of Tari Khan’s accompaniment to ghazal. The first is his accompaniment to ghazal maestro Mehdi Hasan’s recital. The ghazal is set to the eight-matra Kaherva taal.
The next ghazal recorded for Indian television features renowned exponent Ghulam Ali with Tari Khan on tabla. This ghazal is set to the seven-matra Rupak taal.
One of India’s leading tabla players, Aneesh Pradhan is a widely recognised performer, teacher, composer and scholar of Hindustani music. Visit his website here.
This article is based on Pradhan’s book Tabla: A Performer’s Perspective.
