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Guru-Shishya- Hariprasad Chaurasia |
ARTISTS
Hariprasad Chaurasia - Bansuri
Kumar Bose - Tabla
Debopriya Chatterjee - Bansuri
Suchismita Chatterjee - Bansuri
Sandeep Das - Tabla
TRACKS
CD 1 -
Raga Vachaspati
1 Alap (2.38)
2 Gat in Rupak (26.52)
3 Gat in Teentaal (29.19)
CD 2 -
Raga Bageshri
1 Alap (9.50)
2 Jor (3.25)
3 Jhalla (3.21)
4 Gat in Teentaal (14.39)
5 Gat in Drut Teentaal (9.02)
Raga Pilu
6 Alap (3.17)
7 Thumri in Dadra (5.07)
8 Laggi (4.24)
9 Keherva (4.24)
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GURU SHISHYA
Hariprasad Chaurasia's remarkable musical journey spans over a period of fifty years in which time the status of the flute in North India has been wholly transformed through his music.
A prolific performer and committed educator, he has established himself as one of the great ambassadors for Indian music in modern times, laying the foundations for future generations to reap the benefits of his mastery. His life's mission has been to popularize the Bansuri, essentially a simple unassuming piece of bamboo with seven holes. It has proved to be a path not without its fair share of struggle and hardship.
Born into a family of wrestlers in Allahabad in 1938, Hariprasad suffered the misfortune of losing his mother in his infant years. It was left to his father to single-handedly rear a young family, a task which he could only manage by imposing a strict disciplined regime. Hariprasad's attraction to music did not find immediate support within his family, mainly due to his father's association of music with lowlife courtesan's mehfils and beggars.
However, Hariprasad Chaurasia pursued his interest with relentless faith and passion, at first taking singing lessons in secret from sympathetic neighbour, Pt. Rajaram.
This was a period in Indian music when Radio played a significant role in promoting and sustaining Indian music and musicians, and hearing the flute of Pt. Bholanath of Varanasi on Allahabad Radio at the age of fifteen made a lasting impression on the young aspiring musician. Seduced by the magical tones of the bamboo flute, he set out to track down the player who had inspired him, begging the master to help in the fulfilment of his burning ambitions.
To support himself Hariprasad took a job as a typist, and gave all his free hours to practice. It was not long before his musical skills were spotted by a staff artist at Cuttack Radio in Orissa who offered him a job as a full-time session musician. At the radio station his versatility proved invaluable and he soon developed his skills performing with popular local dancers.
It was not until he was transferred to Bombay that his talent became more widely recognised, catching the eye of the film producers. He went on to compose music for epic films like Silsila, Lamhe, Darr, and Chandni.
In Bombay a meeting took place that was to have a profound influence on Hariprasad Chaurasia's life. Baba Allaudin Khan, mentor of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan and probably the most influential Indian musician of the twentieth century, had overheard Hariprasad's bansuri in the studio. He summoned him and requested him to play for him. Impressed with the young flautist he invited Hariprasad to study with him in Maihar in Central India. When it became apparent that this was not possible logistically because of the great geographical distance between them, Baba Allaudin Khan suggested he went to his daughter Smt. Annapurna Devi who was residing in closer proximity. The reclusive, enigmatic Annapurna at first turned him away, but after some persistence on Hariprasad's part, she eventually agreed to teach him on the basis that he agreed to start his musical training from zero and pursue a new musical direction.
Amazingly, she made him switch from right to left handed. His willingness to readily accept this change demonstrated his seriousness as a student which she duly repaid in her devotion to him as a disciple. From this point Hariprasad never looked back, embarking on a musical career that has captured the hearts and imagination of many thousands of fans worldwide.
Today Hariprasad Chaurasia is a rare combination of innovator and traditionalist. His musical repertoire extends effortlessly beyond North Indian art music into the realm of Indian folk and East-West musical crossover. His collaborations with acclaimed Western artistes like Yehudi Menuhin, George Harrison, John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek and Mickey Hart have added to his international appeal. Through all these innovations though he remains a firm proponent of the Indian classical tradition whose standards he has never sacrificed.
His devotion to the cause of Indian music is reflected in Brindavan, the school he has created specifically designed to impart knowledge in the traditional gurukul system.
He has established major centres devoted to learning in Rotterdam Conservatory, Netherlands and in his native Mumbai. Several of his students are now performing worldwide including Debopriya Chatterjee and Suchismita Chatterjee.
Both Debopriya and Suchismita have served their apprenticeship touring extensively with their guru. Their debut performance at the 25th Saptak Festival in Gujarat on the 1st January 2005, is evidence of their musical coming of age.
Bansuri - The Bansuri can claim to be the most simple and unsophisticated of all musical instruments. A flute hollowed out of bamboo, with six finger holes and a blowing hole. The story goes that an insect pierced the hole to hide from a storm, and as the wind roared, the hole in the bamboo echoed with an enchanting tone. The flute, also known as Benu, plays a significant role in Indian culture and folk lore. Lord Krishna is said to have exuded charm and attracted females (gopis) through the divine playing of his flute, to such an extent that even the married cowgirls found his beauty irresistible! Krishna's devotees have named the flute 'Krishna ki Patrani' (Krishna's Queen).
Performances -
CD 1 - Hariprasad Chaurasia - Raga Vachaspati
A popular South Indian Carnatic raga only recently adopted into the North Indian classical music repertoire by Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ravi Shankar and Shivkumar Sharma.
The recital starts with a short Alap, the gradual unfolding of the melodic shape of the raga. Through Alap the musician seeks to reveals the soul of the chosen raga through slow, deliberate yet spontaneous improvised phrases. Alap is followed by the main composition, or gat. A melody set a specific rhythmic cycle heralding the introduction of the tabla accompaniment. In this case the seven beat cycle, Rupak accents the divisions 3.2.2. The second composition is set to the Teentaal, the most popular rhythmic cycle (or taal) in North Indian Classical Music. Tabla accompaniment is provided by maestro Kumar Bose, a favourite with Saptak audiences, and one the most distinguished exponents of the Benares style of tabla playing.
CD 2 -
Debopriya Chatterjee and Suchismita Chatterjee - Raga Bageshri
The unaccompanied prelude is split into three distinct parts, following the pattern of the ancient dhrupad vocal form. Firstly, Alap, which has no meter, establishes the mood of the raga in a meditative, contemplative manner. The Jorh section (track 2) is characterised by the introduction of a gentle lilting tempo, and finally the lively Jhalla (track 3) features more animated, rhythmic phrases. The first composition is accompanied by tabla played by Sandeep Das, a senior disciple of Kishan Maharaj. Set to Teentaal, a popular rhythmic cycle of sixteen beats, the accompaniment is characteristic of the Benares style of playing with expressive phrases utilising the effect of the modulation on the bayan (bass drum). The second composition, in the same taal, ups the tempo and expresses a more animated, playful side to the character of the raga.
The second part of the recital features Raga Pilu played in the romantic vocal style of thumri. This time a brief alap (track 6) acts a prelude for the main composition set in a rhythmic cycle of six beats. The recital concludes with a lively tune accompanied by a four beat keherva rhythm played in the style of laggi on the tabla (track 8) in which the percussionist gets the opportunity to demonstrate his virtuosity and conclude the performance with an exciting rhythmic flourish.
© John Ball 2006
- John Ball is a freelance writer, musician and teacher based in Sheffield specialising in Indian Music.
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