A deeper look into Hindustani music: Part II
The origins of some classical music instruments
In the summer of 2004, I had the opportunity to attend a live concert performance by Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan and his two sons, Ammaan and Ayyaan Ali Bangash. During the concert, the Ustaad briefly explained the physical construction of his instrument and the history behind it. In their family, a sarod is treated with godly reverence. For not only is it the milieu of their art, it is also the means of their livelihood. (The sarod is bowed to before and after a performance and is not allowed to come in contact with their feet). The Sarod is supposed to have descended from the rabab of the Middle East. Some believe that this stringed instrument might have originated from the Greco-Buddhist area of Gandhar (modern Afghanisatan).
The Sarod is only one of a class of musical instruments that have resulted from cultural blending in the indian subcontinent. The origin of Santoor, an instrument made popular in India by Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, goes back to Assyriennes and Babyloniennes, sixth century B.C. The Shehnai is believed to have evolved from the Persian Nai. There are depictions of the Nai on Egyptian tombs dating to 3000 B.C. Historically, in India, the Shehnai was one of the nine instruments associated with the ensembles of royal courts. Several stories abound about the inception of the Tabla, but my personal interpreation is that it was a result of a new design drawing heavily from the native Pakhavaj and the persian tabl. The invention of Sitar is commonly credited to Amir Khusrau, a courtier of Allauddin Khilji in the 13th Century. The name Sitar was derived from Persian 'Sehtar' meaning 'three strings' which the instrument originally had.
It is painful to know that some of these rich musical forms are faced with the possibilty of being forgotten unto oblivion.
Look what I found: 'Baje Sargam har disha se'. (mp3 file)
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In the summer of 2004, I had the opportunity to attend a live concert performance by Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan and his two sons, Ammaan and Ayyaan Ali Bangash. During the concert, the Ustaad briefly explained the physical construction of his instrument and the history behind it. In their family, a sarod is treated with godly reverence. For not only is it the milieu of their art, it is also the means of their livelihood. (The sarod is bowed to before and after a performance and is not allowed to come in contact with their feet). The Sarod is supposed to have descended from the rabab of the Middle East. Some believe that this stringed instrument might have originated from the Greco-Buddhist area of Gandhar (modern Afghanisatan).
The Sarod is only one of a class of musical instruments that have resulted from cultural blending in the indian subcontinent. The origin of Santoor, an instrument made popular in India by Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, goes back to Assyriennes and Babyloniennes, sixth century B.C. The Shehnai is believed to have evolved from the Persian Nai. There are depictions of the Nai on Egyptian tombs dating to 3000 B.C. Historically, in India, the Shehnai was one of the nine instruments associated with the ensembles of royal courts. Several stories abound about the inception of the Tabla, but my personal interpreation is that it was a result of a new design drawing heavily from the native Pakhavaj and the persian tabl. The invention of Sitar is commonly credited to Amir Khusrau, a courtier of Allauddin Khilji in the 13th Century. The name Sitar was derived from Persian 'Sehtar' meaning 'three strings' which the instrument originally had.
It is painful to know that some of these rich musical forms are faced with the possibilty of being forgotten unto oblivion.
Look what I found: 'Baje Sargam har disha se'. (mp3 file)
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1 Comments:
Guys, Here is a cool Video put up by Indians at Old Dominion University for 15th August, 2005. It is abses on Swades” yeh jo desh hai tera ” and Our famous ” Baje Sargam har taraf se”.
Enjoy , and do let me know of what you all think about it.
http://www.cs.odu.edu/~jsharma/swades/index.html
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