Chapter 8

Ravi Shankar ( ) Focal figure of this chapter Master of the sitar, master performer of Hindustani raga Passed away shortly after the textbook was published Chapter centers on his “global gharana” – lens through which to explore “Indian music” both locally and globally.

Lineage of Ravi Shankar “Baba” Allaudin Khan Founder of Maihar Gharana Shankar’s guru Alla Rakha Tabla (drum) accompanist Father of tabla master Zakir Hussain Yehudi Menuhin Great Western classical violinist John Coltrane Legendary jazz saxophonist George Harrison Sitar protégé of Shankar Beatles lead guitarist John McLaughlin Virtuoso jazz guitarist; leader of Shakti (w. Zakir Hussain) A. R. Rahman Leading film music composer in Bollywood Anoushka Shankar, Norah Jones (his musician daughters)

Indian Music in Context Geography 200 languages, 1600 dialects Civilization years North India (Hindustani) vs. South India (Karnatak) – ca BCE Religion Hinduism Vedas (Rig, Sama, Yajur, Atharva) Bhajan (CD 2-19) Islam North India (Hindustani) but minimal in South (Karnatak) Sufism, Sufi music Qawwali – Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (cue to 5:15) Sufi song (qawwali-ish) CD 2-20 (Shafqat Ali Khan) Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Christianity, etc.

Musical Diversity Thousands of folk, religious, devotional, popular, and film music genres. Bollywood = Bombay (now Mumbai) + Hollywood Bhangra – popular musical style from Punjab originally; often featured in Bollywood films, music videos (CD 1-22 Jasbir Jassi “Kudi Kudi”) Jasbir Jassi “"Ek Geda Gidhe Vich Hor Jassi" A. R.Rahman – composer; Shah Rukh Khan -- actor

Two Great Classical Traditions Karnatak (Carnatic) Hindustani S0uth India Raga and tala Sangita (music, dance, drama) Singing tops by far Hindu-based; little Islamic influence Less known internationally Vina (veena), [tambura,] mrdangam (CD 1-24) ch?v=aIV4mzHf8WQ ch?v=aIV4mzHf8WQ North India Raga and tala (but distinct names and types) Sangita (music, dance, drama) Singing tops (though not quite as much) Hindu-based, but with considerable Islamic influence Better known internationally (Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan [sarod]) Sitar, tambura, tabla

Hindustani Music / Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar born 1920 (Brahmin caste – p. 125) Child prodigy – toured Europe as dancer with brother Uday Paris 1930s – Allaudin Khan (guru “Baba”), Yehudi Menuhin Trained with Baba in Maihar (Maihar gharana) 1950s – concerts and recordings in West with Menuhin popularized Indian music internationally 1960s – John Coltrane, George Harrison/Beatles, Monterey Pop (1967), Woodstock (1969) w. Alla Rakha, tabla d=1 (Shankar/Rakha at Woodstock) d=1 Note: Shankar/Rakha = Hindu/Muslim collaboration (discuss)

Musical Guided Tour: “An Introduction to Indian Music” (Ravi Shankar) CD 2-21 (Source recording: The Sounds of India ) NaMmDjy8-Gx4qblk569BhQAtxwv NaMmDjy8-Gx4qblk569BhQAtxwv Follow text transcript on pp Terms: Raga, tala, alap, tintal, theka, sam (we’ll return to these) Sitar (Shankar), tambura (drone), tabla (drums) Figures 8.2, 8.3 (sitar, tabla) and tambura photo (pp )

Other Hindustani Instruments Sarod (Ali Akbar Khan) Shahnai (Bismillah Khan) Sarangi (Ram Narayan) Violin (N. Rajam) Bansuri (Hariprasad Chaurasia)

“Raga Sindhi-Bhairavi” (CD 2-23) Ravi Shankar (sitar), Chatur Lal (tabla), plus tambura Also from RS album The Sounds of India

Features of a raga (p. 132) Identifying set of pitches Unique repertoire of melodic ornaments and motives Rules and procedures re: melodic development Repertoire of set (precomposed compositions) Extramusical associations Overall process of barhat (lit., growth) defines the way a rage unfolds and develops in the context of performance, which combines elements of improvisation and fixed composition.

Raga Sindhi-Bhairavi Belongs to Bhairavi family of ragas Morning raga (though often played through past midnight) Associated with the female form of Bhairavi, who holds “cymbals in her hands, and her eyes sparkle with a yellowish glint.” “light classical” raga – penance, forgiveness, calm, appeasement (but Shankar’s performance more “aggressive”) Aroha: Bb C Eb F G Eb F Ab Bb C Avroha: C Bb A Bb Ab G F Eb G F Eb D Eb Db C Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Da Ni = C Db Eb F G Ab Bb Form Alap – non-metric improvised opening of soloist Jor – transition (“link”) to the gat – more rhythmic Gat – main composition; tala estab w. entry of tabla Jhala – faster, builds to exciting climax, tihai ending

Tala Rhythmic framework of a raga performance, especially as defined by its metric cycle. Tala of RS’s recording of Raga Sindhi-Bhairavi is the most common one of all: tintal. Each tala has a specific number of beats (matra) and pattern of relatively stronger and weaker beats: Tintal – 16; jhaptal – 10; rupak tal - 7 Theka—skeletal rhythmic pattern of a tala “Keeping tal” involves marking out theka with claps (tali), waves (khali), and finger counts Tintal (16 beats): X... x... o... x... X = strong clap, x = clap, o = silent wave,. = finger count (pp ) Tihai—Rhythmic cadence (ending pattern) Syncopated and repeated three times, ending on sam (“downbeat” of the cycle)

Listening: “Raga Sindhi-Bhairavi” Read GLE discussion, pp and follow along with GLQS, pp Alap (0:27-4:52) – improvised exploration of the notes contours, and other characteristics of Raga S-B Jor (4:53-5:51) – rhythmic strumming of jhala strings, active rhythmic motion Gat (5:52-12:35) – announced by entry of tabla; tala (tintal established), alt. of chalan (main melodic motive) and toda (improv passages); antara (new melodic material) and drut gat (“fast gat”) sections conclude the gat, transitioning to… Jhala (12:36-end) – sudden jump in tempo, rhythmic playing on jhala strings, growing intensity and tempo to end, marked by a climactic tihai.

Intercultural Crossings and Transformations Shankar-Menuhin collaborations starting 1950s Iconic recording: West Meets East (1967) Shankar projects with, influences on jazz musicians Improvisations (1961), w. flautist Bud Shank Coltrane – “modal jazz” style (1960s), “India” (CD 3-1) Briefly studied with Shankar John McLaughlin Shakti (w. Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar, plus two S. Indian percussionists) “Joy,” from Shakti, with John McLaughlin (CD 3-2; GLE ) (live rec. at Montreux Jazz Festival, 1976)

Ravi Shankar, George Harrison, and the Beatles Harrison – sitar on set of film Help! “Norwegian Wood” (1965) – sitar solo 1966—Harrison studies sitar with RS (GH lesson with RS in California – from film Raga: Ravi Shankar) same year Revolver released, with heavily Indianized Harrison composition “Love You To” —Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, with “Within You, Without You” (Harrison) Due to Beatles influence, “great sitar explosion” (Byrds, Yardbirds, Rolling Stones, etc.) and “sitar rock” (Rolling Stones, “Paint It Black”) Drug use, etc. distressed Shankar

Bollywood: A. R. Rahman Leading Bollywood composer, music director, and singer One of world’s top-selling musical artists of all time – 300 million-plus recordings sold Classically trained in Hindustani and Karnatak music, also studied qawwali w. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Has performed, recorded, and toured with Zakir Hussain, many other Indian music luminaries Oscar-winning composer for score/song (“Jai Ho”) of 2008 international hit film Slumdog Millionaire Time magazine listed him in 2009 “Time 100” list of world’s most influential people, called him “the Mozart of Madras”

A. R. Rahman “Barso Re” CD 3-3, GLE pp , GLQS From the Bollywood film Guru, starring Aishwarya Rai in role of Sujata In “Barso Re,” she celebrates coming of the rainy season in most dramatic fashion. Rai appears to be singing the song, but it is voiced by Shreya Ghoshal, a leading Bollywood playback singer. Though not a raga performance by any measure, barhat- like process of growth defines the performance overall. Film performance on YouTube: 0otYr7H6xo 0otYr7H6xo