What is a lehera in HM?

Classical Music of North India
Post Reply
rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Please see this section in this article from the bangalore edition of Friday's Entertainment Section of the Hindu.

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/03/07/stor ... 510300.htm
= M. SURYA PRASAD
Valachi (alapana in veena) presented in the fashion of lehera of Hindustani music was a beauty by itself.

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Post by Lakshman »

There is a definition here (item 1.4.2 when you scroll down on left side):
http://books.google.ca/books?id=cFwbGi3 ... -Yy8&hl=en

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Lji,

Thanks! Unfortunately, just that section refuses to load..I will keep trying. Wonder if Kji has an example to explain this!

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Post by Lakshman »

rshankar: I am reproducing the text from the site that you could not access.:

Lehra (lehra = ripple, a small wave - in hindustani)
For solo performances on rhythm instruments such as the tabla as also for solo dance items, a recurring tonal pattern encompassing a predetermined number of beats is cyclically supplied in a required tempo on the sarangi, harmonium, violin or some such melodic instrument. This repeated pattern is known as lehra.
The essence of a lehra is its constancy and sequentiality intended to provide a firm reference. It is not musically/melodically elaborated, even though a lehra player occasionally may tend to add a few embellishments to the melodic frame. It is untiringly presented as a reference circle to the solo player as per his/her directions. It truly consists of a minor musical wave.
Vocal lehra is a theoretical possibility but rerely exploited in music.

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

THANKS, Lji...

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Post by Lakshman »

Wonder if Kji has an example to explain this!
You can listen to any one of the tabla solos on musicindiaonline to hear the lehras.

coolkarni
Posts: 1729
Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 06:42

Post by coolkarni »

Lehera is something a kid will have to do if he has an uncle playing tabla at home, for the sake of a masala dosa in the eveing at Bhattara Hotel.
Atleast that was the case with me.My Uncle used to pull me to play the harmonium - chandrakauns up and down the scale a zillion times without a slip or mistake.
On a serious note , it has been well defined above.
Personally I like it done on Sarangi.A few years ago Karthik and myself walked into AIR Chennai to hear a pakhawaj recital and there were some glitches in the recording.So the sarangi player was asked to keep up the momentum with the lehera , until things got sorted out.
Kauhik Dhani it was and it is still ringing in my ears.
Here are few delighful samples - kbs worth
My favourites are the ones in jinjhoti and kalavathi .
http://rapidshare.com/files/97864375/kalavathy.mp3
http://rapidshare.com/files/97864374/jog.mp3
http://rapidshare.com/files/97864373/jinjhoti.mp3
http://rapidshare.com/files/97864372/4.mp3
http://rapidshare.com/files/97864371/3.mp3
http://rapidshare.com/files/97864370/2.mp3
http://rapidshare.com/files/97864369/Pt_SWapan_4.mp3

Hope this gives you some idea of the Lehera.
Last edited by coolkarni on 08 Mar 2008, 07:08, edited 1 time in total.

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

THANKS Kji...

gobilalitha
Posts: 2056
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 07:12

Post by gobilalitha »

what is its equivalent in carnatic music? gobilalitha

matterwaves
Posts: 130
Joined: 24 Aug 2007, 18:26

Post by matterwaves »

Hmm.. from the definitions above, it doesnt seem that there is an equivalent in karnatic music. Karnatci has a construct in Tani, which is reserved for the percussionists, whereas hindustani has none like that and they seem to employ lehera to lend the percussionist scope for displaying his skill

Nick H
Posts: 9379
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Post by Nick H »

An American comedy/protest singer of the 1960s called Tom?

coolkarni
Posts: 1729
Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 06:42

Post by coolkarni »

Occasionally artists like Chaurasia, Shivkumar Sharma give a lehera like touch to their renderings by repeating a few lines for the sake of their distinguished percussionists.
Like here in these few seconds worth.

http://rapidshare.com/files/98997737/in ... t.mp3.html
Last edited by coolkarni on 12 Mar 2008, 21:30, edited 1 time in total.

gobilalitha
Posts: 2056
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 07:12

Post by gobilalitha »

two songs with the word leher are unforgettable, they are leheron ki leher,ulfat hain jawan by Hemant kumar and the background score of it,2) dil me ek leher, an alltime favourite ghazal of Ghulam Ali, in how many pleasant ways the word leher is repeated, an appreciation by coolkarni in his inimitable way is welcome gobilalitha

Nick H
Posts: 9379
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Post by Nick H »

is it not there in the pure-rhythm parts of kathak dance too?

It is certainly a great help to understanding the long cycles of Hindustani music.

It would be an interesting experiment in 'fusion' (it's probably been done) to introduce it to the Carnatic thani, just to see how it sounds. I suspect that it would go better with those who do not emphasise the nadam aspect of mridangam, rather than those who do.

martin
Posts: 68
Joined: 23 May 2008, 04:58

Post by martin »

as a previous sarangi amateur I can add to the definition given above that these 'tonal patterns' always stay in raga, and that the old sarangiyas knew hundreds of them (also called nagma). Of course, sarangistudents are much in want by tablaplayers, who also have their extended repertoirs of lehra to match particular tala subdivisions etc.
Nowadays one can work with computerprograms and get many lehras in whatever sound, tala, speed etc etc. if you're in to all that HiTech Shiva stuff.

Post Reply