Early Morning Ragas

RASHID KHAN-VOCAL
TANMOY BOSE-TABLA
RAMESH MISRA-SARANGI
SANJUKTA SEN-TANPURA

MMCD 102

Young talented vocalist Rashid Khan renders two early morning ragas which fills the air with the aroma of dawn and freshens the mind with serenity and peace.

INTRODUCTION

Indian music is primarily a performing art. It represents our creative spirit and emotions which spontaneously manifests itself in the form of melodic tunes and style of composition which is unique in its nature and universal in its appeal. For every raga in Indian music there is an emotional core-content which comes into an articulate form of expression through swaras or tones. The feelings conveyed by the rising sun in the freshness of the awakening mind are faithfully depicted by musicologists in early morning ragas such as raga ‘Lalit’ and raga ‘Bairagi’

Raga Lalit originates from the parent scale (Thaat) Marwa
Raga Lalit is a hexatonic (shadav-shadav) raga in which Pa (pacham) is excluded. The important notes are Ma and Dha.
‘Aroha’ (ascending) : NiRe Ga Ma, Ma’MaGa, Ma’Dha, Sa
‘Avaroha’(descending) : ReNiDha, Ma’DhaMa’MaGa, MaRe, Sa
Raga Bairagi originates from the parent scale (Thaat) Bhairav and it is a pentatonic (auduv-auduv) raga. Important notes are Ma’ and Sa.
‘Aroha’ (ascending) : Sa Re Ma’ Pa Ni Sa
‘Avaroha’(descending) : SaNiPa Ma Re Ni Re Sa

These tracks were recorded in a studio in New York before a selected audience in late 1996. The first rendition is in raga Lalit . Rashid Khan starts alap and slow composition ( bara khyal) whose rhythmic cycle is set to vilambit ektal. The wording are "rayan ka sapna". The rendition in raga Lalit continues by picking up tempo with chota khyal which is set to madhya laya teental ( mediun 16 beats) whose wordings are "bamada yarda jo bana". The artists concludes the raga with a tarana, a fast movement of notes using syllables which does not have any meaning, whose rhythmic cycle is set to drut teental ( fast 16 beats). The syllables are " tana tere na dim ta dere na".
The second rendition is in raga Bairagi. The composition is in medium and fast pace. The rhythmic cycles are set to sitarkhani & teental. The wordings are "Naina tehare man bhaye' .

1. Raga Lalit : Bara Khyal : Compositions- "Rayan ka sapna" 27:34min
   Vilambit Ektal ( slow,12 beats )
2. Chota Khyal : Composition- "Bamda yarda jo bana". 22:15min
   Madhya laya Teental (medium,16 beats)
   Tarana : "Tana tere na dim ta dere na".
   Fast composition: Drut Teental ( fast,16 beats)
3. Raga Bairagi. Composition: "Naina tehare man Bhaye" 20:00min
   Sitarkhani (16 beats) & Teental ( fast,16 beats)

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