<h>Out of India</h>
Out of India
In Northern India, developing a raga requires controlled improvisation on the
part of the performer, who becomes during the performance the author of the
raga, even though he is not considered the composer of the raga. This is much
as the author of a poem who has not invented the words and the grammar he
used. During a performance, the raga moves from a free form called alap
towards a rhythmic structure and then towards a measured composition, a
procession that calls on the skill of the performer. The melody, which is central
to the raga and may be centuries-old, vanishes and reappears in innumerable
shapes during a performance. Even though the roots of this music are ancient
and instruments resembling the veena and tanboura are seen in carvings on
some of the oldest Indian temples, it is a constantly evolving music. "Art being
a living organism, it is bound to expand" and music being pre-eminently an art
is of an extremely changing nature. Everywhere in the performances of the
great Indian masters there is an air of freshness and change, of
experimentation with new styles married in a most Indian way with a
respect for the old masters and the traditions of the past.
In a tradition that runs through Indian classical music, the teaching of music is
often passed on in families of musicians generation after generation. Nitai
Dasgupta's father Bilas Chandra Dasgupta was an accomplished classical
vocalist. Neither is apprenticeship as obsolete in Indian classical music as
commonly believed. Almost every master, whether a southern vidvan or a
northern pandit or ustad, prides himself on being the pupil of a great musician.
Nitai Dasgupta studied also under Pandit Usha Raman Mukherjee of Calcutta
and continued and completed his studies under the great Ustad Amir Khan.
He has played at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Wigmore Hall, the Wembley
Conference Centre and at the Royal Albert Hall with Yehudi Menuhin and Ravi
Shankar on the occasion of Ravi Shankar's 70th birthday. He has toured with
Ravi Shankar through Europe. His previous concerts in Cambridge and especially the one at the
Peterhouse Theatre in 1997 drew an enthusiastic audience and created a new
demand for Indian classical music in Cambridge.
Viram Jasani was brought up in England. He studied briefly under Usrad Vilayat
Khan and Ustad Imrat Khan, two of India's foremost masters of the sitar. From them he adopted the
Gayaki style of classical vocalists, with its own approach in creating glissandi by bending the main string.
These glissandi contain tonal embelishements in the form of a grace note with a hint of the preceeding or
suceeding note (gamak) and especially glissandos between successive notes (meend). This technique
enables the sitar player to emulate the fluidity of the voice in Indian traditional singing. Viram Jasani also
studied with the great tabla maestro Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan, with whom he also gave many recitals in
Europe and in India. He has also appeared on tabla in the classic debut album of Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin I). Viram
Jasani has an MA in Economics/Politics and Philosophy from the University of St Andrews and a
postgraduate MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he
specialised on North Indian music and is presently a research fellow. In recent years Viram Jasani has
helped in increasing awareness for Indian as well as other Asian music through lecturing at the Guildhall
School of Music, City University and the Music Faculty of King's College, University of London. He is a
fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce and has been
since 1991 the Chairman of the Asian Music Circuit.
Both artists have had a long and successful recording careers. Nitai Dasgupta recorded last year in Germany a CD
titled Aradhana with Rags Aheer Bhairav, Multanee and Gurjaree Todee. This is not available
in this country but will be on sale at the concert.
Viram Jasani has also recorded a new CD with Rags Malkauns & Megh, CD
Saydisc, AAD 88
Viram Jasani and Nitai Dasgupta will be performing ragas in alternation. There will be an intermission. The
total duration of the concert will be about two and a half hours. Recordings of the artists will be available
for sale at the concert. Queens' College is located in the centre of Cambridge, entrance at Silver Street.
Because of the college's central location there is no car parking space available on site, other than at the
Lion's Yard Car Park at Corn Exchange Street, a few blocks away from the college.
Tickets are available in advance at the Arts Theatre Box Office, Tel. (01223)503333, and on the day of the concert on the
door.
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For further information on Indian classical music you may read
this article
written by Ravi Shankar.
Acknowledgement: The photograph of the Faizabad is used with the kind permission of Shishir Thadani.
Previous concerts: February 2000
Photographs of Nitai Dasgupta and other musicians from a rehearsal at Peterhouse Theatre, Cambridge in February 1996
My music videos:
Short Dhun video (1:30min)
and the whole video clip but at a lower quality:
Magic carpet ride
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