The world's most successful musical film, The Sound of Music , turns 50 this year with a series of commemorative events in several countries. The Austrian city of Salzburg, in which the film is set, is planning a series of performances through the year that will feature songs from the soundtrack so beloved to fans all around the world: Do Re Mi, My Favourite Things and Edelweiss, among them. The film's producer, 20th Century Fox, has released a five-disc anniversary box set containing 13 hours of additional material relating to the classic. And this year's Oscar ceremony included an unlikely musical tribute to the film by the flamboyant pop star Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga's buttoned-up homage, as it turns out, was by no means the most unconventional rendition of the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein the world has heard. That honour, Indian fans of a certain generation believe, goes to a record released in 1967 titled The Sound of Music: Balsara and His Singing Sitars.
The record was conceptualised by Vistasp Balsara, a well-known figure in the film studios of Mumbai and Kolkata. The liner notes explained what he was trying to do:
It was a calculated move. Western audiences had already heard the Beatles use the sitar on their song Norwegian Wood, and the Rolling Stones had used the instrument on Paint It Black. Balsara's record, the liner notes declared, presented arrangements that were "refreshingly original and thus create a new dimension in popular entertainment".
Here's what his creations sounded like.
The Lonely Goatherd
My Favourite Things
Do Re Mi
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Lady Gaga's buttoned-up homage, as it turns out, was by no means the most unconventional rendition of the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein the world has heard. That honour, Indian fans of a certain generation believe, goes to a record released in 1967 titled The Sound of Music: Balsara and His Singing Sitars.
The record was conceptualised by Vistasp Balsara, a well-known figure in the film studios of Mumbai and Kolkata. The liner notes explained what he was trying to do:
"While the songs of this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical hit have entertained audiences around the globe for the past few years, the Sound of the Sitar, a musical instrument from India, is the newest and the most enthralling sound in the Western World today. The combination of these two sounds on this disc is the result of the genius of one of the most talented arrangers of India, V Balsara."
It was a calculated move. Western audiences had already heard the Beatles use the sitar on their song Norwegian Wood, and the Rolling Stones had used the instrument on Paint It Black. Balsara's record, the liner notes declared, presented arrangements that were "refreshingly original and thus create a new dimension in popular entertainment".
Here's what his creations sounded like.
The Lonely Goatherd
My Favourite Things
Do Re Mi