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A discussion on Raga Gaud Sarang is presented in this essay and the development fortified by a smorgasbord of representative sound clips. Let M = shuddha and m = teevra madhyam.

Gaud Sarang employs all the seven shuddha swaras plus the teevra madhyam. "Gaud Sarang" is a misnomer because there is no trace whatsoever of the Sarang Raganga anywhere within driving distance of its zipcode (this is obvious to all except the boneheaded few who insist on seeing 'Sarang' in its fold). To dispel the Sarang affiliation suggested by the poor choice of nomenclature, some musicians refer to it as "Din ki Bihag" (the daytime counterpart of Bihag), and a careful examination of its innards reveals that there is good justification for this viewpoint.

Raga Gaud Sarang has a vakra build and falls to the class of 'abstract' rAgas. By "abstract" we mean that it is not a scalar rAga, amenable to reconstruction with elemental Aroha-avarohi phrases. (Note: I use the term "scalar rAga" with considerable hesitation, for it is, at first glance, an oxymoron. After all, a scale does not a rAga make. A better term would be "linear rAga.") There is much more to an "abstract" rAga than merely piecing together and sequencing a string of tonal clusters, no recourse to a quick-and-dirty cookbook recipe for the interlocking gestures that give the rAga its body and character. These considerations render apprehension of its nature challenging. Nevertheless, like other proximate melodies such as Kedar, Hameer and Nand, identification of Gaud Sarang presents no difficulty to the layman since it advertizes a distinct signature to latch on to. In his well-known work, Raganidhi, Subbarao observes that there is no Carnatic equivalent of Gaud Sarang but that certain sanchAras of Shankarabhanaram resemble the rAga. As an example he cites the Tamil kriti Muddu kumarayyane.

The definitive swara cluster of Gaud Sarang is:

S , G R M G

The rest of the rAga is built around this kernel. In so doing, elements of other rAgas such as Bihag and Bilawal are invoked. Let us briefly examine the rAga lakshaNAs.

S, G R M G, G M G P, [P] M G, S [P] M G
This Gaud-inspired tonal byte in the poorvAnga carries the soul, or if you will, the G-spot of Gaud Sarang. The intonation of the signature - S, G R M G - from the rishab to madhyam to gandhar, mediated by a graceful arc, is followed by a characteristic intonation of the pancham (shaken, but not stirred), encapsulated in square brackets above to indicate its special handling. The avarohi slide P M G concludes with a nyAsa on the gandhAr. The ucchAraNa of the madhyam is crucial: the swara is rendered deergha (elongated) but falls well short of nyAsa. These nuanced melodic behaviours are very difficult to convey through the written word but the audio segment will serve to illuminate them. The pancham is strong, a nyAsa swara.

P, P S", S" D P M G, R G R M G, P, R S
This tonal sentence outlines in broad strokes the uttarAnga conduct and the avarohi biochemistry.

A sample chalan is now formulated:

S, G R M G, M G P, [P] M G
G M G P, PNDN m [P] M G, S [P] M G
G M P N S" R" N S" D P M G, PDPP S" R" S", D N m [P] M G

Obiter dicta: As in the case of other abstract rAgas, a wide variety of supporting phraseology is observed. Some musicians approach the tAr shaDaj via a Bihag-like G M P N, S" whereas others adopt a P S" type of launch. The downward contour S D P M G follows a grazing locus reminiscent of Bilawal. A P, R S often brings to conclusion many a melodic gesture. Note that the ucchAraNa of P, R S, while it looks similar to the P (G)R S of the Kalyan Raganga, discloses its own subtle and distinct punctuation (hinted at by a comma following the pancham). This last construction is actively relegated or shunned by some musicians (the Maihar turkeys, for instance).

The values assigned to N and m are variable. This ambiguity often appears unsettling to the outside observer but existence of this "benign anarchy" without injury to the core idea is characteristic - and a strong suit - of Indian tradition, musical and otherwise. The teevra madhyam is not central to Gaud Sarang but its presence is necessary to complete the picture. The kernel of Gaud Sarang is universally recognized: how one goes about developing it is a matter of Gharanic affiliation, individual taste and capacity. In heavily vakra rAgas, the rAga structure is sometimes relaxed in faster movements, more so in Khayal renditions. This allowed slackening (the term employed is "shithil") is almost always in the avarohi direction - a quick S"NDPMGRS or S"DPMGMRS is not unheard of in Gaud Sarang or Kedar. Finally, the komal nishAd may occasionally make a cameo appearance as a vivAdi swara in phrases such as S", D n D P.

In the foregoing ruminations, I have touched upon the high points, leaving out the idiosyncrasies and ancillary details. The audio segment to follow will provide a good opportunity to fill in the gaps.

We have stitched together a pastiche of beautiful recordings for your enjoyment. The first few clips establish the rAga's close links to the popular music of the land. In these instances, fidelity to rAga structure is not the main theme, rather the application of its various facets, however fleeting, in innovative forms.

We open the audio banquet with Pt. Kishore Kumar of the Khandwa Gharana. This rare cheez from FUNTOOSH (1956) was written by Sahir and tuned by S.D. Burman. Although the explicit signature is missing here, an overall ambience of Gaud Sarang prevails. Asha Bhonsle joins Panditji in this soft, enduring number: woh dekheN to unki inAyat -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/funtoosh.ram

The Gaud Sarang number most likely to be charged in the 'light' brigade is the Lata gem from PARDESI (1957) composed by the maestro Anil Biswas (Bong, alas): nA dir deem -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/pardesi.ram

The rAga must have been a persistent presence in Anil Biswas' mental wardrobe for he had earlier created another beautiful composition, a duet by Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar, for HAMDARD (1953): rtu Aye rtu jAye -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/hamdard.ram

A charming Lata solo comes from the movie EKADASHI (1955) with music by Avinash Vyas: jhulo jhulo re -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/ekadashi.ram

The musical culture of Bengal shows a predilection for this rAga (perhaps the 'Gaud' in the name provides a hint of its provenance). S.D. Burman summons the uncommon talents of Asha Bhonsle in SOCIETY (1955): leheroN meiN jhooluN -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/society.ram

Anil Biswas resurfaces in CHHOTI CHHOTI BATEIN (1965), teaming with his vocalist wife Meena Kapoor: kuch aur zamAnA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/batein.ram

The year 1952 saw the advent of highly gifted composer, O.P. Nayyar, untutored in classical music but with his heart and soul drenched in the melody of his native land. He filed this Geeta Dutt number in his first film AASMAN: dekho jAdu bhare more naina -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/aasman.ram

This completes the 'light' round. Although we call it 'light' music there is nothing light about it. To do it at the level of Kishore, Lata and Asha takes highly unusual gifts and extraordinary ability. In compiling the foregoing material I have benefited from the consultation and advice of my friend, Sir Vish Krishnan.

We warm up to the classical entrZes with D.V. Paluskar's famous rendition of the highly popular cheez: piyu palana lAge mori aNkhiyAN - -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/dvpaluskar.ram

Gaud Sarang is much valued by the Gwalior musicians. We join C.R. Vyas in the final moments of the traditional Khayal, kajarA re, set in vilambit Tilwada before he sinks his teeth into a very attractive traditional Punjabi bandish: mAnDi khabari na liti jAni yAr ve -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/vyas.ram

A dazzling Tarana display by the Gwalior doyen Krishnarao Shankar Pandit follows.

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/pandit.ram

The Kirana contribution comes in the person of Bhimsen Joshi: saiyyoN mai to rataDi -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/bhimsenjoshi.ram

We have come to expect innovations from Kumar Gandharva. His Gaud Sarang conveyed through his self-composed cheez has a flavour all its own. Note the explicit use of the phrase S" D N P: piyA baserA -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/kg.ram

Switching lanes, we turn briefly to the dingdongers. The following passage from Ravi Shankar has been especially selected for its massive kharaj meeNDs, executed magnificently by the master -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/rshankar.ram

Ali Akbar Khan's prefatory AlAp to one of the tracks on the album "Legacy" offers a splendid vista -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/aak.ram

Umrao Khan, son of the Sarangi maestro Bundu Khan of Delhi, was adept with both his voice and his Sarangi. Here he sings a luscious composition set in Roopak: sundara nAra karata singAra -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/umrao.ram

The mighty 'Aftab-e-Mausiqui' Faiyyaz Khan issues a masterly statement on behalf of Agra, with a Khayal composed by his father-in-law, Mehboob Khan ("Daraspiya") of Atrauli: bina dekhe tore -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/faiyyaz.ram

It is my emphatic opinion that of all the Gaud Sarang renditions extant the most supreme are those by Mallikarjun Mansur. In the two selections here he wields the Jaipur-Atrauli standard issue: saiyyoN mai to rataDi -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/mm.ram

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/mm0.ram

We rein in these ruminations with a couple of compositions by the great vidwAn and vAggeyakAra, Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang." The first is Ramrang's own composition in dheemA Teentala: najarA na lAge -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/jha_gaudsarang.ram

Jha-sahab presents a vignette of an old composition of 'Adarang,' in praise of Lord Shiva in Raga ChhayaGaud Sarang. This is a variation where a soup�on of Chhaya is introduced in the Gaud Sarang flow: Bhavani pati Shambho -

http://www.sawf.org/audio/gaudsarang/jha_chhaya_gaud_sarang.ram

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