Ali Akbar Khan- Listen Indian Classical Ragas

Ali Akbar Khan- Listen Indian Classical Ragas

This is another record in the series of Long Play records of Indian classical music by the celebrated musician Ali Akbar Khan who is widely acknowledged at home and abroad as the foremost player on the sarod, an indigenous string instrument having a rich and deep vibrant tone. Unlike the sitar, another string instrument, the sarod has no frets and is therefore much more difficult to acquire mastery over.

Ali Akbar Khan commands a very large following not only in India but also in Europe and America where he has given numerous concerts.

SIDE ONE RAGA – CHANDRANANDAN
This “raga” is an original contribution of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan to Indian Music for it is he who has evolved this particular melody. It is meant to be expounded between the hours of IO p.m. and midnight and has a tinge of pathos in it which gives it a mixed character partly devotional and partly romantic.

After a short “Alap” or invocation lasting for about four minutes, the artiste begins a composition in “Teental” a rhythm consisting of sixteen beats. This he develops in a slow tempo unfolding the varied character of the “raga” by bringing out different shades romantic, pathetic, and devotional as his imagination dictates. In the concluding part of the exposition he switches over to a composition in a faster tempo also in “Teental” and brings the performance to a satisfactory close.

SIDE TWO RAGA – BHAIRAVI
“Bhairavi” is essentially a morning melody but since all the twelve notes in the scale are permissible in its exposition, it can be played at any time of the day or night and in fact according to an old convention this “raga” is usually the concluding piece of every classical concert irrespective of the hour.

The exposition on this side begins with an “Alap” or invocation and after about 45- minutes the artiste starts a light composition confined to a rhythm of six beats known as “Dadra”. After displaying the various shades and note patterns of the “raga”, he goes on to a faster composition in a rhythm of sixteen beats called “Teental”. The tempo gradually increases and after a scintillating and vigorous play on the strings, the exposition reaches the climax in a highly charged atmosphere.