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Hindustani
Classical Music – Dhrupad and Dhamar Recital
By Satinath Bhattacharya from Kolkata, disciple of the late Pt.
Shib Shankar Mukherjee and Shri Kumar Prasad Mukherjee
Accompanied by Apurba Lal Manna (pakhawaj)
Shri Bhattacharya will present Gouhar Bani style of Dhrupad
Location: AUDITORIUM
Description:
Satinath Bhattacharya
Born to a family
steeped in musical traditions, Satinath was inducted at a very early age to the
world of music by his father the late Haranath Bhattacharya. Since that
beginning, he has received training in khayal music from a number of leading
musicians such as Sripati Nath Chatterjee, the late Pt. Arun Bhattacharya of
Since 1973, Satinath
has received extensive training in Dhrupad music under the guidance of Pt. Shib
Shankar Mukherjee, torch bearer of the Gouhar Bani style of Dhrupad singing.
Satinath received the title of Sangeet Sudhakar from the Surer Maya Sangeet
Samaj, Kolkata; Sangeet Visharad from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh; and
Sangeet Bharati from the Varanasi Sangeet Akademy. He has also received a
Fellowship in Indian Classical Music – Dhrupad from the Ministry of Human
Resource Development, Govt. of India for research and development of Dhrupad.
Satinath has been
regularly presenting concerts at prestigious musical platforms and at leading
Dhrupad Samarohs in different parts of the country including at Varanasi;
Haridas Sangeet Sammelan, Mumbai; Karnataka Music Association Conference, etc.
to name just a few. He has also recorded a music programme for Radio France as
well as a CD.
Satinath continues
in his pursuit of excellence in his art form, imparting training to music lover
all over the world.
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As per the ancient
treatises, there are four styles or vaanis in the singing of dhrupad and
dhamar. The highest form of the vaanis is regarded as the Goberhaar (Gaurhaar),
the Suddha or the purest of all the vaanis. It is considered to be the king
among the vaanis. The next in order of hierarchy is the Khand Haar vaani,
regarded as the commander. While the Dagur vaani is supposed to be the dewan,
or the prime minister, the Naurhaar vaani is the finance minister,
Satinath Bhattacharya is
a follower of the Goberhaar or the Suddha vaani. As such, there is no over
ornamentation in his renderings of the dhrupad or the 12-beat Chautal
compositions that are rendered without any rhythmic variations or display of
arithmetic permutations. The composition is just rendered with purity in style
by singing all the four sections of it (sthayee, antara, abhog, and sanchari)
without delving into any form of rhythmic variation that is more like a plain
and simple chanting of a hymn. It is in the rendering of a dhamar composition
in which the singer enters into a `battle royal' with the pakhawaj player,
thereby displaying each other's rhythmic prowess and challenging their
capabilities.
This evening was his
first public recital after her wife's demise, so dedicated this particular
recital to her memory.
Musical insight
One however wished the
singer had selected a dusk-time raga instead of the late evening's raga Bihag,
which he however rendered with good musical insight. The various stages in the
raga's alap-jor contained scores of musical variations with many a soothing
melodic strain that fell pleasingly on the ear. The 12-beat composition of Mian
Tansen, "Uttan Guni" was rendered with tunefulness, and as expected,
in the manner of the chanting of a hymn.
His next rendering in the
raga Bageshwari was also rendered with a brief alap-jor and followed by a
dhrupad composition ("Gopinath, Gopi Raman"), which too was rendered
without entering into any form of rhythmic variations. However, it was in the
dhamar composition ("Sakhi Suni Murali) that the singer displayed his
commendable rhythmic capabilities by executing several rounds of complex variations
and entering into intricate rhythmic dialogues with the pakhawaj player, Apurb
Lal Manna, a disciple of Delhi's pakhawaj maestro, Pandit Dal Chand Sharma.
Satinath wished to
conclude his recital of the evening with a charmingly rendered dhrupad composition
in the raga Adana ("Maharani, Mahakali"), but the audience,
comprising several leading musicians such as Ustads Asad Ali Khan, Fahim
Rahimuddin Dagar, Wasif Fyazuddin Dagar, and Pandit Dal Chand Sharma, requested
the artiste to sing some more, to which he complied by rendering a brief alap
and a dhamar composition in the raga Kedar ("E Maayee Ri, Shyam").
JITENDRA PRATAP
