Monday, Sep 30 2002
Short Takes: Malkauns
Rajan P. ParrikarRajan P. Parrikar is a recognized expert on Indian Classical
music and shares his knowledge freely with those interested in the subject.
He has written a series of articles on Classical Indian Music some of which
have been archived on Sawf. Click here
to read
Rajan's earlier articles. |
Rajan P. Parrikar in Colorado Springs (1991)
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Namashkar. In this edition of Short Takes,
we
welcome the MahaRaga Malkauns into our fold.
Bismillah Khan
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That Bismillah gem, present to the Indian imagination for decades,
never fails to dazzle and is fresh as new paint even today.
Our tour begins with a synopsis of the rAga-lakshaNAs. The kernel of
Raganga Kauns is then distilled. The high class Malkauns selections that
follow are a feast
fit for the Gods. The latter half of this session features a portfolio of
Malkauns derivatives.
Throughout our excursion, M=shuddha and m=teevra madhyam.
Raga Malkauns
The name "Malkauns" (cognates: Malkosh, Malkoshi, Malkans etc.) is
said to derive from "Malava Kaushik," an old melody that finds
mention in ancient treatises such as the Sangeet
Ratnakara of Sarangdeva.
There is, however, no structural similarity between that Malava Kaushik
and the present-day Malkauns. The current swaroopa of the rAga is conjectured
to be around 300-400 years old. The curious reader is referred to the
monumental work, Hindustani Sangeet
Paddhati, where Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande has examined the
Malkauns trail in the old
treatises on music. The Carnatic rAga carrying the swaras of Malkauns goes by
the
name Hindolam.
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< -- Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande
The swara-set of Malkauns gives a wide berth to both R and
P leaving behind an auDav-jAti (pentatonic)
contour: S g M d n.
In Pandit Bhatkhande's taxonomic scheme the rAga is placed
under the Bhairavi thAT. Recall that certain
gestures in Raga Bhairavi take after Malkauns. The signal
characteristic of Malkauns concerns its nyAsa locations:
each one of its swaras is considered apposite for nyAsa.
No other rAga has this attribute. The implication being,
you cannot go wrong in Malkauns. With five locations available
for nyAsa, the vistAr area extends far and wide, overcoming
the limitations of a restricted tonal space inherent to
pentatonic rAgas.
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The key lakshaNAs of Malkauns are now encapsulated:
S, d' n' S, n' g->S, S g M g->S
The sui generis meeND g->S serves as a vital
constituent
of Raganga Kauns. The ucchAraNa is crucial: g
is rendered
deergha before initiation of the meeND. This precipitates
the shAnta-gambheera rasa characteristic of Kauns.
The langhan (skipping) of n in the declining
prayoga
from S to d' (or
from S" to d) is
another point of note.
d' n' S M, M d M, S g M g->S
Although all the swaras are nyAsa-worthy, the madhyam is
considered primus inter pares, the centre of melodic gravity, as
it were. Notice the leap from S to M, a Malkaunsian trait.
g M d n, M d n S" d n d->M
Here we have uttarAnga modus operandi. The d->M
meeND is analogous to the poorvAnga g->S and
serves as another artifact of the Raganga Kauns kernel; d is rendered deergha before the slide
to M, again reinforcing the shAnta-gambheera
effect.
S", d n S" g", g" M" g", n g"->S
Attention is drawn to the n to g coupling, a key
lakshaNA of Raganga Kauns.
Obiter dicta:
(a) In the Malkauns progression there is samvAd (consonance)
between the S-M, g-d and M-n pairs.
(b) It is observed that some vocalists (well-known names
among them) occasionally admit a higher value of n that
falls within the penumbra of N, especially in
the Arohi
prayogas. This practice appears to be inadvertent given
the inconsistency and irregularity with which it occurs.
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Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" at the author's place
in Goa (2001) -- >
This completes our inspection of the Malkauns arena.
Of course, the ucchAraNa, vital in these matters, cannot be
adequately conveyed through the written word. Malkauns
lends itself to varying degrees of interpretation and complexity.
To the novice it presents a welcoming, friendly
facade. To the great vidwAns and the masters, it reveals
a compass as vast as the Serengeti plains, a lifelong melodic
hunting ground in which to exercise and slake the creative daemon.
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Who better and worthier than Pandit Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang" to eulogize
Malkauns? His
words in the second half of the clip lay bare his enormous love and feelings
for this great rAga.
This riveting display was recorded over the telephone.
Jha-sahab -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/jha_kaunsspeak.ram
We now step into Malkauns citadel. Although 'light' compositions in the
melody are legion we
shall make do with only a token few here. In BADA AADMI (1961),
Mohammad Rafi sings to Chitragupta's tune: aNkhiyana sanga -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/rafi_ankhiyan.ram
The 17th C saint, Tukaram, avers that he is smaller than
an atom and as vast as the sky in a beautiful Marathi abhanga.
Dilip Chitre's translation of this and other abhangas is
available in Says Tuka (Penguin Classics):
Too scarce to occupy an atom,
Tuka is vast as the sky.
I swallowed my death, gave up the corpse,
I gave up the world of fantasy.
I have dissolved God, the self, and the world
To become one luminous being.
Says Tuka, now I remain
Only to oblige.
Bhimsen's delivery is in step with Tuka's feelings: aNuraNiyA thokaDA
Tuka AkAshA evaDhA -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/bhimsen_anuraniya.ram
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/gundecha_malkauns_dhrupad.ram
'Aftab-e-Mousiqui' Faiyyaz Khan weighs in with a magnificent Dhamar -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/fhk_malkauns.ram
Two selections of D.V. Paluskar follow. First, a vilambit Khayal -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/dvp_malkauns1.ram
And Meerabai's immortal pada: paga ghungaroo baNDha Meera nAchi re -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/dvp_malkauns2.ram
Krishnarao Shankar Pandit sings the famous "Adarang" composition in vilambit
ektAla: Aja more ghara A'ilA -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/krsp_malkauns.ram
That composition of "Adarang" has been popularized by Amir
Khan as a cheez in teentAla whereas Bhatkhande has documented
it in druta ektAla. This is a good instance of a bandish morphing
over time and across stylistic schools.
Kumar Gandharva laces his Malkauns with (at least) a couple of
quaint touches. The measured g->S
meeND carries an AbhAsa (impression, semblance) of the rishab. The reader
is invited to figure out the second quirk (Hint: hear out his druta
bandish) -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/kumar_malkauns.ram
Omkarnath Thakur sings the Gwalior staple: peera na jAni -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/ot_malkauns1.ram
Omkarnath again, in a dramatic rendition of the immensely
loved paga ghungaroo bANdha kara nAchi re. His tweaking
a key word in the mukhDA (compare with D.V. Paluskar) is intriguing -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/ot_malkauns2.ram
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Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale in a mehfil; at the extreme right
is 'Lokmanya' Bal Gangadhar Tilak
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The widely-performed Malkauns chestnut Sasundara badana ke is
a composition of Nawab Ibrahim of Tonk (whose colophon is imprinted
in the antarA). It was first popularized in Maharashtra by the redoubtable
Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale. Here we have Bade Ghulam Ali Khan singing
that bandish in an unpublished recording -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/bgak_malkauns1.ram
Barkat Ali Khan (BGAK's brother) was an outstanding musician but,
alas, he had to live in the shadow cast by his giant of a brother. He,
too, sings mandira dekha Dare -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/barkatali_malkauns.ram
A couple of cuts of Kesarbai's empyrean artistry: maisana meeta -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/kesarbai_malkauns1.ram
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/kesarbai_malkauns2.ram
Kishori Amonkar sparkles in this mehfil recording. Around 3:00
we find her reading the riot act to an errant calf -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/kishori_malkauns.ram
When God created Malkauns, only two mortals were allowed the privilege of
peeking over His shoulder while He was at work. Bhimsen Joshi and Amir
Khan both owe their elevation to 'Tansenhood' to their extraordinary sway
over Malkauns. To hear Bhimsen's paga lAgana de on a good day is to
come away an
ennobled being. Although the recording adduced here is very good, it scarcely
does justice to Bhimsen's powers -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/bhimsen_malkauns.ram
Amir Khan -- >
Amir Khan's recording, on the other hand, is manna for the soul. The
vilambit composition, jinke mana Rama birAje, places
its sam on the mandra komal nishAd. To hear him enter the final ti-ra-ki-Ta
orbit
leading up to the sam is to experience moksha here and now. I will never
forget the kaleidoscopic display of expressions and emotions that would
envelope my father's visage every time this LP blessed our turntable.
Three selections are offered, the last two still among the unpublished -
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http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/amirkhan_malkauns_lp.ram
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/amirkhan_malkauns_live1.ram
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/amirkhan_malkauns_live2.ram
We close the Malkauns segment with Kishori's prattle which, if nothing else,
shows that there's a funny bone in her -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/kishorispeak.ram
There are many varieties (prakArs) of Kauns and in most of these
formulations, the template
of Raganga Kauns serves as the starting point. Occasionally, a Kauns
prakAr may not directly exhibit the swaric heritage of Malkauns
but may instead be informed by its mannerisms.
Ragas Pancham Malkauns/Sampoorna Malkauns/Kaushi/Kaushiki
These rAgas are brought under one umbrella because they share a common
foundation.
The related Kaushi Kanada also shares genetic material with these forms.
As the name suggests, Pancham Malkauns accrues when the
pancham swara is introduced into Malkauns, usually in an avarohi
prayoga such as g M d P or g M d n d M P. The Arohi flow
retains the Malkauns contours. Amir Khan shows how -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/amirkhan_pmalkauns.ram
A variation of Pancham Malkauns goes by the name Sundarkauns.
In Raga Sampoorna Malkauns, both R and P are added to the
Malkauns template. Again, while the Arohi behavior hews to the
Malkauns line, the rishab and pancham primarily participate in
vakra avarohi phrases. This basic idea is also embraced in Ragas
Kaushiki and Kaushi although the precise
handling of swaras may show variation.
Jha-sahab presents Raga Kaushi, in which strands of Bhimpalasi
are seen: he Mahadeva -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/jha_kaunshi.ram
Nikhil Banerjee's recording from a Dover Lane conference in Kolkotta
in the 1970s. Raga Kaushiki -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/nb_kaushiki.ram
Raga Chandrakauns (Bageshree-anga)
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S.N. Ratanjankar -- >
This old, pentatonic version of Chandrakauns is composed
of: S g M D n. The presence of D imbues it with Bageshree-like
features to which is joined the Kauns anga, the latter realized
with the other four swaras. Since it is a type of Kauns, the
emphasis is on highlighting the Kauns anga. This cast of
Chandrakauns is infrequently seen, today displaced by the
more popular (and more melodious) recension to be described
in the next section.
S.N. Ratanjankar's beautiful composition is relayed by his disciple
Dinkar Kaikini: vighana hara Ganesha -
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http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/kaikini_chandrakauns.ram
Malini Rajurkar -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/mr_chandrakauns.ram
Raga Chandrakauns (Malkauns-anga)
The neoteric Chandrakauns, introduced by the Gwalior
musicians, is also of pentatonic build - S g M d
N - and
has established itself as the default version. A simple
switch from n to N in the Malkauns axis yields the swaras
for this Chandrakauns. The general lakshaNAs essentially
stay true to Malkauns but a few subtle changes wrought by N
call for attention. For instance, the nyAsa on the mandra
nishAd via M g S N. Other sookshma-bheda
between
Malkauns and Chandrakauns will reveal themselves to the
experienced musician upon reflection. Some few employ the
rishab occasionally as a sparsh-swara (brief touch) especially
in the tAra saptaka.
Lata Mangeshkar and Ravi
Shankar, (left)
during the recording session of ANURADHA (1960)
and (right) as Bharat
Ratnas in 2002
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SAMPOORNA RAMAYANA (1961), Lata Mangeshkar's voice,
Vasant Desai's composition: san sanana -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/lata_sansanan.ram
A nom-tom AlAp by the senior Dagar brothers, N. Aminuddin and
N. Moinuddin. At the tail end (2:28) notice the sparsh of the
shuddha rishab -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/dagars_chandrakuns.ram
Lakshmi Shankar: kavana bana Ayi -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/ls_chandrakauns.ram
Shaila Datar -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/datar_chandrakauns.ram
Gangubai Hangal -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/gangubai_chandrakauns.ram
Raga Chandrakauns (Agra style)
This maverick stripe is adopted by one branch
of the Agra family. With both n and P included, it resembles
the Sampoorna Malkauns plied by the Atrauli-Jaipur musicians.
A distinguishing artifact is the avarohi the use of komal rishab.
Latafat Hussain Khan begins with a composition of "Daraspiya"
(Mehboob Khan of Atrauli): begi Awana kara -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/lhk_chandrakauns.ram
Interestingly, another offshoot of Agra sings a similar formulation but
with a shuddha rishab. Earlier, we had Sharafat Hussain singing
the modern Chandrakauns in standard format - and he was a pupil
of Vilayat Hussain Khan "Pranpiya," one of the pillars of Agra. Really, these
Agra punters are inscrutable.
Raga Kaishiki Ranjani
This rAga, which takes after the modern Chandrakauns, was incubated in the
brilliant mind of Chidanand
Nagarkar (1919-1971), a pupil of Acharya S.N. Ratanjankar. The key
idea here is the bold introduction of the shuddha rishab in vakra phrases.
The following tonal progression captures its essence:
S, d' N' S R, g R g M
g M d N, d N S", d N S" R", g" R" S" N
d N S" R" S" N d, N d M, g R g M, g M (g)R S
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Chidanand Nagarkar, accompanied by Alla Rakha (tabla),
P. Madhukar (harmonium) and Ram Narayan (sarangi)
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Kaishiki Ranjani has caught on with the vocalists. C.R. Vyas has
composed a couple of attractive bandishes; Abhisheki, Karekar and others have
firmly fixed it in their repertoire. Chidanand Nagarkar had an elegant,
winsome style.
Alas, a stroke of misfortune snatched him away before his time. He was also
a gifted composer with 'Chit-Anand' as his mudrA. Here he sings
his own definitive Kaishiki Ranjani compositions. To wit, the vilambit, Eri
mA'i piyA, and the scintillating
druta cheez, barkhA rtu bairana -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/nagarkar_kaishikiranjani.ram
Malini Rajurkar retails the same compositions -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/mr_kaishikiranjani.ram
Raga Madhukauns
A grAha-bheda on the madhyam of the modern Chandrakauns
yields the five swaras of this rAga: S g m P
n. The reader
is by now surely au courant with the manoeuvres necessary to
advance the Kauns anga (or a portion thereof).
Amir Khan -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/amirkhan_madhukauns.ram
Raga Harikauns
This is yet another auDav-jAti prakAr of Kauns with the
swara-set: S g m D n.
Amir Khan -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/amirkhan_harikauns.ram
Raga Devkauns
The final item in the Kauns roster, again auDav-jAti: S g M P N.
Aslam Hussain Khan of Khurja -
http://www.sawf.org/audio/malkauns/aslam_devkauns.ram
Acknowledgements
It is my pleasure to thank Romesh Aeri, Ashok Ambardar,
V.N. Muthukumar, Ajay Nerurkar and Sir Vish Krishnan.
Anita Thakur, let it be said again, is the reason this
series of articles came to be.
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