Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 24 Apr 2006, 17:35

Got this interesting bit of info from Rajan Parrikar's site (to which we are all indebted) while reading about Miyan Malhar, and thought of sharing it:

...One day [Bade Ghulam Ali] Khansaheb had a radio broadcast at 1 p.m. As I was working for the Bombay Radio Station at the time, I too had to be in attendance. After he had finished, Khansaheb said, "Wait for a while. I have sent for a taxi - we shall go together." It was mid-july and the rain was coming down in torrents. Besides, I was hungry. But I did not have the heart to say 'no' to Khansaheb. The taxi came along and we got in. Water in any form made Khansaheb happy and heavy rains in particular were pure bliss for him. Some of the rain-water seeped into the taxi and began to drench us but Khansaheb seemed to be in high spirits. He said, "Come Deodharsaheb, let us go to the sea-shore; the sea would be something to be seen right now." I protested, "For one, I am famished and besides my clothes are beginning to get wet. So let me go straight home." However, by way of compromise I agreed to let the taxi driver take us via Marine Drive. We came to Marine Drive and Khansaheb asked the cabbie to stop his vehicle at a spot where there is a cement-concrete projection. The waves of the turbulent sea at this point were thirty to forty feet high. Khansaheb said, "Deodharsaheb, the time and this place are just right for doing riyaz. Listen." And he began to sing. Whenever a particularly massive wave broke and water spouted up Khansaheb's tana rose in synchronization and descended when water cascaded down. Water rose in a single massive column but split at the top and fell in broken slivers; so did Khansaheb's tana in raga Miyan Malhar. Sometimes, if his ascending notes failed to keep pace with the surging water, he was angry with himself but tried again till it synchronized perfectly with the surging water. This went on for three quarters of an hour. I got so interested in the whole proceeding that hunger and thirst were forgotten. Finally Khansaheb's son, who happened to be with us, said to his father, "Let us go now - it is two-thirty p.m. and we are both hungry."...

Source: http://www.sawf.org/newedit/edit04012002/musicarts.asp

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 25 Apr 2006, 06:29

Great Story Srkris.
Lucky Taxi driver !!

One of my friend's contacts in New York has similar stories to tell.He is one of the mosts serious collectors of BGAK's music and the son of a shipping magnate in Kolkatta.He tells us that BGAK used to often go on his fathers small boats deep into the sea and sing there for hours.This was in the late 50s.
A decade later BGAK did visit that family -now in New York- and on the day of his arrival the lifts were not working.BGAK was already too old to climb by then (after his stroke) and so four people carried him to the fourth floor!!
This incident was narrated by this contact while giving us some of those home recordings.I will try and put up one of those, possibly a Miyamalhar.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 25 Apr 2006, 06:33

coolkarni- Any chance of mEgh? (No not mEgh malhAr JUST mEgh)

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 25 Apr 2006, 08:56

megh of bgak .yes i have a short video clip
will post it later in the day today.
(I can never thank Srkris enough for taking me to his friends house one afternoon-it was such a casual visit but it has opened such a wonderful new world to me.this is the same video from which i had put up extracts of marwa earlier)
DRS you will become a devotee of Munawar after you see this.A pity that Politics at home forced BGAK to keep Munawar away from the limelight , in favour of his own brother Barkhath ali Khan(his mothers wish)
Munawar last sang in Krishnagana sabha in 1982 but I made a silly silly choice of skipping this and opting to watch a ravishing Rekha in Utsav at satyam cinemas.
Oh kalame ! For all those follies of youth !
If only I had known that Munawar was to pass away in a few months time.

Ah !
That one stings me to this day.

Audio recordings will have to wait since they have flown to bangalore for some cosmetic work on them.
Though i will upload a rare megh by Salamath ali khan (singing here with his son sharafath ,after the demise of his brother nazakath) also.
For those interested ,
Gundecha brothers have released a classic megh in a commercial album.
and for those in bangalore , do not miss out on purchasing Vinayak Torvis album with Miya Malhar.It is a fine rendering.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 25 Apr 2006, 12:33

DRS
BTW Do you have a good recording of "Yava Mohana Murali" by Ratnamala Prakash??.I simply love that song
Wonder what is the raga it is based on.

param · Post by **param** » 26 Apr 2006, 11:30

Coolji,

You may hear online or download from:

http://www.udbhava.com/udbhava/songs.jsp?id=587

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 26 Apr 2006, 17:54

DRS
BTW Do you have a good recording of "Yava Mohana Murali" by Ratnamala Prakash??.I simply love that song
Wonder what is the raga it is based on.

Oops. sorry I missed answering this one. Thanks for giving the link to this beautiful song by j~nAnapITHa winner, gOpAlakRShNa aDiga. This album "bhAva sangama" was the first album of bhAvagItes I bought and it was love at first hearing. I had just started Medical college in Bangalore and I bought this cassette from one of those roadside second-hand book shops that hide many treasures.(Oops! I bought a pirated version did I!!!

My mother told me off for buying such poor quality cassettes. She of course loved the songs.

The rAga does seem to be much like mEgh(the handling of niShAda and RShabha) and some sprinkiling of mEgh malhAr. May be I am steping on slippery ground

I recommend this clip from www.sawf.org (Rajan parrikar`s) where Sri. Ramashreya Jha speaks about the differences between sArang, mEgh and mEghmalhAr.

http://www.sawf.org/audio/sarang/jha_sarangspeak.ram

Well I had saved up something for sharing later but it will be appropriate to mention it here. The karnatik bRndAvanasAranga as handled by MD is more like mEgh than like HM sArang(bRndAvanI sArang). It is only recent musicians/composers that have started handling brndAvana sAranga as in HM(sAranag)- perhaps going by the names of the rAgas. Little wonder as mEgh is a stately rAga of dhrupada anga as is MD`s bRndAvana sAranga.

Listen to rangapuravihAra by Radha Jayalakshmi

http://tinyurl.com/pacu5

I recommend you listen to MD`s SrI saundararAjam where emphasis is on the lower reaches as in yAva mOhana. And there is no need for me to separately mention MSS`s rangapuravihAra.

Finally, as different and also very nice version of yAvamOhana murali from the kannaDa movie- "America America"

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/p/x/Wqb ... As1NMvHdW/

kartik · Post by **kartik** » 03 May 2006, 07:10

DRS,two quick points-
1.I think Jha Shaeb speaks about Madhmaad Sarang.Sarang in general refers to Brindavani Sarang,which as you know,uses both the Nishadhas.Madhmad uses only Komal Nishad.

2.It is unfortunate if you have missed out the wonderful dhrupad rendering of Fahimuddin Dagar.dhrupad style.I feel this is curiously close to Soundara Rajam.(very curiously close).Leads me to believe that MD's Brindavani Sarang has more of Sarang touch than the Megh touch.(The Ma depending on Re for support is a khaasiyat of Megh).
Over to you.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 03 May 2006, 07:22

DRS,two quick points-
1.I think Jha Shaeb speaks about Madhmaad Sarang.Sarang in general refers to Brindavani Sarang,which as you know,uses both the Nishadhas.Madhmad uses only Komal Nishad.

2.It is unfortunate if you have missed out the wonderful dhrupad rendering of Fahimuddin Dagar.dhrupad style.I feel this is curiously close to Soundara Rajam.(very curiously close).Leads me to believe that MD's Brindavani Sarang has more of Sarang touch than the Megh touch.(The Ma depending on Re for support is a khaasiyat of Megh).
Over to you.

Jha speaks about all of them- mEgh, sArang, madhumAd sArang and malhAr. In sArang, R is a very steady note and is one part of the vAdui-samvAdi paiir. N is also not shaken. But in mEgh, both R and N have a stately swing. Now MD`s treatment of N is identical to that of mEgh. Remember-he does not use kAlkali niShAda at all unlike modern musicians/composers. Also R he uses both steady and wavering, but nearly always witha jAru. This is very much in keepinh with mEgh. I heard 2 elaborate mEghs. It is ver much like MD`s BS. Would love to hear this pice you mention.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 03 May 2006, 18:01

Coolkarni
Just go ahead and post the full one. And if you have that dhrupad in bRndAvani sArang which kartik mentioned, or any other dhrupad in that rAga, please post.

sumram99 · Post by **sumram99** » 03 May 2006, 18:49

Kji: Thank you for the excellent Megh by Veena Sahasrabuddhe. Its made my day!!!

kartik · Post by **kartik** » 03 May 2006, 21:05

DRS,
Apologies for not mentioning,the dhrupad piece in available in the very article where the Ramashraya Jha lec-dem is.

Raja Chandra · Post by **Raja Chandra** » 15 May 2006, 22:52

cool,

Following is an extract from an article/ interview with Naushad:

Ever the aficionado of Indian raags and folk, Naushad goes on, ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å“I have nothing against Western music. I was the first to record with a 100-piece orchestra for Aan 54 years ago. Their instruments have variety and there is precision in their notations. But I was not playing the foxtrot or the disco with them! You can play a raag too on a violin. Their music is scientifically precise. And our music is no less scientific. Our 12 surs are related to a 24-hour cycle, as are our raags. The 12 notes are also related to the body and mind. At a place called Reno in USA, there is a music therapy center where our music has shown terrific healing powers. Before he sang for me in Mughal-e-Azam, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan developed one-sided paralysis of the body and had cured himself completely by playing Raag Purva-Dhanashree with his normal right arm!ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 16 May 2006, 05:22

RC
Thank YOU !!!!

Now where is Reno in the USA ?
(Wonder whose turn it will be to host me ??
Badri, Meena, Rshankar ,VK or Sarma ???

Jokes apart ,
Meena I have to depend on you for more info ,

Thank you again RC

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 16 May 2006, 05:31

>Now where is Reno in the USA ?

I guess he is referring to Reno, Nevada. The second gambling capital of Nevada (first being Los Vegas). Only thing I remember when I visited Reno.. it was a very scenic drive from the bay area to Reno via Lake Tahoe..

meena · Post by **meena** » 16 May 2006, 05:39

Deleted

mehfil · Post by **mehfil** » 17 Oct 2006, 11:55

A rare old video (stream) of Ustadh Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Saheb:
http://mehfiltube.magnify.net/item/9QLVB47RKXH5S842

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 20 Dec 2006, 12:24

Trying to catch Vijay's eye , with an old promise.
the opening numbers of 1956 concert of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan..

http://www.rogepost.com/n/6518832870

http://www.rogepost.com/n/8464374404

VK
With all the discussion on the sruthi going on, the second clip will interest you very much.
Bade Saab starts re-tuning his Swarmandal from the strains of Yaman , to Hamsadhwani.
I still cannot believe my thrill when I listened to this ,the first time , to the first three minutes of this track and exactly at 2.08 , such a wave of thrill passed through me.

As the dusty audio tape rolled on , How I prayed that there should be more and more music in those long forgotten tapes-
And God did answer my prayers -with kedar, malkauns and darbari --all in the same concert..

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 20 Dec 2006, 14:41

Thanks Kulkarniji - incidentally I am listening to Amir Khan's Hansadhwani right now!

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 20 Dec 2006, 14:50

Bade would have been bristling with... to see his hamsadwani compared with Amir Khans ..
all in good humor ofcourse.
( You must be knowing about their famous rivalry and the story of their singing as opponents ,in baiju bawra)

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 21 Dec 2006, 01:22

No sir, I guess there was bound to be some rivarly between such giants but do not know the details - please do enlighten me (I use the term with some trepidation!) with some of your anecdotes

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 21 Dec 2006, 02:40

( You must be knowing about their famous rivalry and the story of their singing as opponents ,in baiju bawra)

The rivalry in Baiju Bawra was between D.V.Paluskar (Baiju's voice) and Amir Khan (Tansen's voice).

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 21 Dec 2006, 03:54

L Ji ,
Yes that was the rivalry as it finally panned out in the movie.

The Producers initially approached Bade to sing for this final duel in the movie,(remember Baiju has to win , as per the story line) and Bade was offered Tansen.He is reported to have flatly refused to sing for the role that loses a duel and he instead, offered to sing a duel , on the condition that the winning voice would be taken as Baiju)
It was only after that , The Producers went looking for Paluskar.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 21 Dec 2006, 17:53

http://www.rogepost.com/n/1312544118
Kedar
http://www.rogepost.com/n/7736195326
malkauns
http://www.rogepost.com/n/3289317346
darbari
http://www.rogepost.com/n/0508704353
thumris- an outstanding phase in the concert..

SangithaRasika · Post by **SangithaRasika** » 07 Jan 2007, 02:36

drshrikaanth wrote:coolkarni- Any chance of mEgh? (No not mEgh malhAr JUST mEgh)

DRS, If you havent stumbled across this, here is a megh by the master !

http://sarangi.info/bgak

SR

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 07 Jan 2007, 02:52

Thanks a lot SR

meena · Post by **meena** » 13 Mar 2007, 23:57

BGAK interview conducted by Uma Sharma ... just one word WOW
DELETED

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 14 Mar 2007, 10:19

Meena
This is worth a Million dollars.
thank you so much.
and what a conicidence..just when I have been unravelling a sizeable volume of unidexed BGAK recordings - Will get back with some some more juicy additions here.

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 14 Mar 2007, 13:23

Aha, what an interview! It's great to listen to lovely Urdu spoken by the maestro. And he breaks into singing during the interview...! Uma-ji being a great artiste herself, asks all the right questions.

Truly a collectors' item. Thank you, Meena.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 14 Mar 2007, 13:27

Ravi
Time for you take up your Pen and write a ball by ball commentary.

divakar · Post by **divakar** » 14 Mar 2007, 13:44

thanks meenaji for the interview link.

nice to know his way of singing. he was more than willing to speak at length. he nicely demonstrates 'dilution' and 'mixture' in HM.
he mentions an interesting anecdote about peacock..
makes fun of 'cArukESi'.

meena · Post by **meena** » 14 Mar 2007, 23:36

kji/divakarji

ur welcome.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 14 Mar 2007, 23:42

coolkarni wrote:Ravi
Time for you take up your Pen and write a ball by ball commentary.

Give me a day or two, and I will do it!

meena · Post by **meena** » 15 Mar 2007, 00:34

look fwd to it shankar.

kalgada78 · Post by **kalgada78** » 15 Mar 2007, 00:55

Very Nice!!..Thanks much Meena!
My personal favorite from him is Pahadi..Great soul indeed!

Sarma.

meena · Post by **meena** » 15 Mar 2007, 01:06

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 15 Mar 2007, 10:56

http://www.sendspace.com/file/14wflr

a rare beauty - BGAK in a talkative mood and singing Miya Malhar

divakar · Post by **divakar** » 16 Mar 2007, 09:00

Kji:
rare beauty indeed. It was like a class/lec-dem. quite informal. how nicely he sings!
shall put effort in understanding the aspects of HM..
Tis really tempting.
thanks for sharing.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 16 Mar 2007, 09:34

divakarji
imagine my ecstasy when I frst hear these outpourings from long forgotten tapes/tracks , owned by people who can barely distinguish between Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Ghulam Ali.

be ready for ten more such experiences.
here is the next
http://www.badongo.com/file/2478242

megh malhar

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 16 Mar 2007, 10:16

http://www.badongo.com/file/2479235
hameer as contrasted to Kedar

http://www.badongo.com/file/2479158
a sweet sweet bit in malkauns
On days of such discoveries , -especially at points like 3mts 29 secs here-My Late Dad would dip his daily intake of banana slices in honey before eating, exclaiming
'Even the Gods may not be able to anticipate what can be produced by such sweet creative minds !!)

divakar · Post by **divakar** » 16 Mar 2007, 12:36

oh! not so fast. Kji, just 'divakar' will do.

best moment in miya ki malhar i felt was around 19:20 in the clip. although there are several other places which were very nice.

knandago2001 · Post by **knandago2001** » 17 Mar 2007, 01:10

Listening to Khan saheb singing Paar karo mori nayya in Todi is so moving.... He is certainly forthcoming on his views in that interview. I remain amazed at his voice control and note accuracy. Thank you Coolkarni Sir for these treasued recordings. A vibrant Nayaki Kanhra by the maestro
http://www.badongo.com/file/2484692

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 17 Mar 2007, 05:54

thanks for the Nayaki Kanada Track-Was new to me.

http://www.badongo.com/file/2479495
chayanat

http://www.badongo.com/file/2479666
Puriya kalyan

more and more amazing stuff

divakar · Post by **divakar** » 17 Mar 2007, 09:13

wonderful clips (hameer and malkauns). Kji, thanks for sharing. feel like listening to them along with you.

Is madhyamAvati a CM equivalent of 'mEgh malhar' ?
listening to the swaras i felt so. can anyone throw light. thanks.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 17 Mar 2007, 09:46

Is madhyamAvati a CM equivalent of 'mEgh malhar'

Kansens reply... YES.
Now lets wait for the replies of the Tansens.
Madhmath Sarang looks a very close raga ,too.

http://www.badongo.com/file/2487941
a 2 mt beauty by Kumar Gandharv

feel like listening to them along with you.

I listen to each and every track that I post thrice.Once while selecting.Next while I am typing out my post.Lastly after I observe that the link has had a few hits.
So You ARE listening to them along with me...
Anyway Hyderabad to Chennai is just a 16 hour journey ??
I am yet to make plans for my Summer holidays ..

meena · Post by **meena** » 17 Mar 2007, 23:29

its vizag to chennai

divakar · Post by **divakar** » 19 Mar 2007, 09:07

what a voice! and how well he sings!
thansk Kji for sharing. wonderful chayanat. his talking in between makes it rare.

knandago2001
thanks for sharing nayaki kanada. really very nice.

meena · Post by **meena** » 23 Mar 2007, 01:02

A special birth centenary feature :

DELETED

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 23 Mar 2007, 07:19

meena wrote:BGAK interview conducted by Uma Sharma ... just one word WOW
http://sarangi.info/2007/03/10/intervie ... -ali-khan/

Here is my attempt at translating the Uma Sharma (US) BGAK interview. I am not sure if I got all of it. khAn sAheb's speech is so muffled in places, it is hard to get what he's saying. And his urdu is very raiIs (chaste) - kinda harder for me!
Part 1:
US and BGAK exchange greetings!
US: I apologize in advance for troubling you. Can you tell us about the gharAnA you are associated with?
BGAK: I am from the famous gharAnA of punjAb. My forefathers, including my father and his younger brother (cacA) took lessons from stalwarts of this gharAnA from paTiAlA. Since I am a student of my dad and uncle, I have also become known as a product of the paTiAlA gharAnA.
US: Did you learn from anyone other than your father and uncle?
BGAK: No, just from them.
US: When did your lessons start?
BGAK: I started when I was 5 years old.
(AT THIS POINT ~1:27 min, there seems to be a break in continuity - while the interruption is seamless, the topic changes distinctly)
US: Can you demonstrate for us?
BGAK: First demo - 'ab mOrE nayyA pAr karO'
US: Of all the current singers, I love your style the best. Can you please highlight the stellar elements of your gharAnA?
BGAK: Well, I am not sure they are all stellar, but the distinguishing features of our gharAnA are: 1. maintaining the clarity of the mujra (which literally means obeisance, but I think he means the lyrics), 2. sweetness and clarity and range of the voice 3. maintaining the shruti (sur kA saccAyI) 4. sthAyI antari kA bharnA (I do not know what sthAyi antari means, but he uses it later - and from that I surmise that it is a style singing), 5. Maintaining the tempo accurately 6. maintaining the purity and beauty of the rAg and 7. singing in vilambit. He says that the specialty of their style is to not let the rAg expansion deteriorate into a type of Thumri. He then demonstrates how to keep the rAg pure, and then shows how it can be 'contaminated' by singing it in Thumri style. He says a Thumri is sung ordinarily and it is halkA (light).
US: Is your voice a divine gift, or have you achieved it through riyAz (practice)?
BGAK: The gift of a facile voice is always a divine one. But with the correct practice technique, you can expand your range - a thin voice that can span octaves can be made heavier (he uses the word cauDhA - which literally means broader), while a heavy voice can be made to increase it's range.
(There seems to be some confusion here - US asks for a demo, and BGAK thinks she is asking him to demo the practice techniques - but they clarify matters, and he demonstrates the amazing range of his voice!) He also says that common man (read that for me definitely) will not be able to understand some of the points he made - (I held my breath to see if he too would come up with an IQ cutoff like our Sarmaji - msakella - but fortunately, he did not

)
US: We all know that you are THE expert on khayAl singing, and you consider ThumrIs to be light. But I know you can sing ThumrIs very well. Can you tell me what are the different styles of ThumrIs? (They use the word ThumrI kA ang - which literally means 'parts of the ThumrI', but contexually, 'style' seems a better fit than parts).
BGAK: That is an excellent question. There is only one style. It originated in the East (I assume he means east of Punjab - possibly Pakistani Punjab to be even more specific) - 50 years ago, my cacA and father started to sing pUrabI ThumrIs...there are no lyrics for ThumrIs in punjAb - as it evolved, it took on the local or folk tunes of punjAb. While it is light, it is not easy to sing. I will demonstrate both types: the first is in the 'original', pUrabI style.

Demos 'tEri tircchi naz(j)ariyA' -
BGAK: This is a very difficult style to sing - this should be sung by people with clean thoughts (pious people).

He moves over to demo a punjAbI style ThumrI, 'wafAdAr na kehnA zAlim'. He then sings a sindhI style, which according to him is a mixed style with no beauty...Finally he shows his style:
US: How about your personal style?
BGAK: My technique combines the beauty of both styles. I do not give you the shakal (form) of a rAg, but rather, the form of a bouquet (guldastA)! I will show you rAg bhairav - uskO shuddh karke gAnA hai - I will clean it up (from the sindhI style)...
He demos it and says, 'it is mainly like the pUrbi style, but there are several vakra swaras introduced.'
US: What is a pahADI? Is that a kind ThumrI?
BGAK: It is a folk melody. My uncle and ustAd khAn met in Jammu.
He then demos a few seconds...and the track ends.
(The last part is confusing)

Part 2 will follow soon!

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 23 Mar 2007, 07:26

Thank you Meena.