The vast ocean of Bharathiya Sangeetham is a confluence of the two great streams of music, Hindustani and Carnatic. The basic premise of these two forms lies within the range of the seven notes. Carnatic music got itself set into the padhathi of the 72 melakartha raga system from which are born countless ragas called janya ragas. Much later, Hindustani music was brought under the governance of 10 thaats classified into five groups based on the usage of shuddha swaras and vikriti swaras, thanks to the efforts of Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. While Carnatic compositions run to several thousands, Hindustani music’s appeal lies in its raga structure and spontaneous improvisations.
When the early support to Carnatic music from kings, zamindars and temples waned, it was replaced by the sabha culture in the early 1900s.
By the 1960s, the sabhas had begun to support various forms of performing arts, including theatre, apart from the mainstream of dance and music.
The Music Academy is not just a sabha but an institution in Carnatic music. The first music conference here was held in December 1928. Since then, it has been promoting not only classical music, including Hindustani, but also dance forms from across the country. The Academy’s promotion of Hindustani music goes back a long way, and it has been instrumental in bringing many a great musician to the city. It has followed the tradition of featuring at least one Hindustani concert in December, a practice that began in the 1940s.
We looked at Academy records to find out the list of maestros who have performed here. Basheer Khan Saheb of Gwalior was one the earliest performers in 1937, and by the 1950s, it had become an established routine. The list includes names such as Ustad Bismillah Khan (shehnai), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (vocal), Ustad Amir Khan (vocal), Pt. Ravi Shankar (sitar), Dagar Brothers, Ustads Aminuddin and Moinuddin, (vocal), Ustad Vilayat Khan (sitar), Pt. Kumar Gandharva (vocal) Pt. Omkarnath Thakur (vocal), Pt. Nikhil Banerjee ( sitar), Pt. Mallikarjun Mansoor (vocal), Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), Begum Parveen Sultana (vocal), Pt. Bhimsen Joshi (vocal), Pt. Sivakumar Sharma (santoor), Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), Prabha Atre (vocal), Pt. Jasraj (vocal), Pt. Sajan and Rajan Mishra (vocal), Ustad Shahed Parveez (sitar) and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (sarod).
In recent times, the city has welcomed Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar (vocal), Gundecha Brothers (vocal), Manjusha Patil, Gourav Majumdar (sitar), Shubha Mudgal (vocal), Amjad Ali Khan (sarod) and Rasheed Khan (vocal).
The Academy also promoted South Indians who had chosen Hindustani as their forte. Notable among these were Lakshmi Shankar (vocal), Sridhar (sarod), Sowmya Madanagopal (vocal), Pt. Janardhan Mitta (sitar), Lakshmi Sriram (vocal) and R. Visweswaran (santoor).
In order to educate rasikas, The Music Academy published a book titled ‘Raganidhi’ in four volumes in 1964. This monumental work is useful for everyone interested in knowing more about Hindustani and Carnatic ragas and is authored by B. Subba Rao. Hindustani music also finds a place in the morning lecture-demonstration slots at the Academy.
Being a rarity in earlier days, Hindustani concerts were sell-outs. In the 1970s, I remember cycling to the Academy early in the morning to grab a place in the queue to buy the Rs. 3 ticket for the evening concert.
Pt. Ravi Shankar and Ustad Alla Rakha (tabla) top the list with the maximum number of concerts at the Academy. Most Hindustani concerts were staged on December 31. There were times when Ravi Shankar extended his concert well past midnight and wished the audience for the New Year.
Y.G.Doraiswami, YGP’s elder brother), and well-known connoisseur of Hindustani music, used to send raga requests to the stage.
The Academy has been generous in organising Hindustani concerts annually despite the unfavourable economics involved. That the tradition is being continued well into its 89th year is heartening.
This year will see Pt. Venkatesh Kumar (vocal) on stage on December 31. The tradition lives on.
