| Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan - Mian Ki Todi, Bihag, interview |
 |
a part of an interview enveloped by Raag Mian
Ki Todi and Raag Bihag
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali, one of the greatest
singers of all times,
was capable of weaving a magic spell with his
swaras and taans.
He had once said: "My throat is like a paint
brush
and I paint on the waves of wind with my
voice. The swaras -- the
notes of the raga -- are my colours. It is
like a painting
created in the air, which is my canvas."
He inherited the formidable musical parampara
(tradition)
of Punjab that encompassed the Hindu, Muslim
and Sikh religions.
Saint Hazrat Bulleh Shah, whose Sufiana Kalam
(Sufi song)
is sung even today, was buried in Kasur,
Ghulam Ali's
birth place. The shepherds, wandering in the
hills,
sang in praise of Hazrath Ali andHussain --
grandsons
of Prophet Muhammad -- in melodies akin to
classical Indian
ragas. The shabads and qawwalis of the Sikhs
were often based on ancient Dhrupads
and Khayals, again Indian classical ragas.
In the biography of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan,
authors Malti Gulani
and Quratulain Haider have paid a rich
tribute to the maestro.
Ghulam Ali's uncle and guru, Ustad Kale Khan,
was himself trained in the Patiala school of
music
(Patiala gharana); he taught the young Ustad
simple compositions. In 1911, Ghulam Ali
accompanied
Kale Khan to Delhi, at the age of 9, and
watched him
perform at the 'Dilli Darbar'. Thus began
the grooming
and development of the musicalpersonality of
the young
disciple, alongside rigorous taleem
(training) under
his uncle's baton. Later after a brief
acquaintance with
Lucknow and its highly refined soirees,
Ghulam Ali returned to
Lahorewith his father and resumed his
nightly riyaaz (practice)
on the banks of the river Ravi. Singing all
night not only developed
his stamina, but also gave him the rare
sensitivity to gauge the external
response. In 1932, he lost his wife Allah
Jiwai. His grief, poured into
melody, gave birth to the immortal thumri:
Yaad piya ki aye,
reflecting the very trauma of his heart.
On arrival in Mumbai in 1940, Ghulam Ali
thrived under the
benign patronage of the noted singer Ganga
Bai. A Sufi at heart, he was once greatly
moved by the poem
Hari Om Tat Sat, and rendered it musically in
the haunting raga
Pahari. Years later, he explained, "God,
Truth and Haq is one. I've
Allah in my mind when I sing these
words...Different people
in the world have different names for the
Supreme Being
who is 'One'. In 1947, he visited
Afghanistan at the invitation
of King Zahir Shah and re-established the
splendid
rapport in music between the Afghans and
Indians,
where the Afghan string instruments like
Rabab and Santoor were part of the Hindustani
ensemble. Many Indian musical instruments
still retain their
Persian roots, such as Tabla, derived from
Persian tabl;
Sitar meaning seven strings and Dilruba
being a longer version of Sarangi.
The Partition in 1947 dealt a severe blow to
the composite culture
of the Indian subcontinent. But Ghulam Ali at
a concert organized
by Radio Lahore sang his own composition in
raga Mian ki Todi:
Ab Mori Raam / Raam ri Daiyyan (Ram is my
only solace). In
1951, he was invited by Morarji desai to have
Indian citizenship
and sing at concerts all over thecountry.
According to the cognoscenti,
earlier the Ustad's singing was like the
sound of the waterfall
striking against the mountainside and rushing
with great force
to mingle with the ocean; now it resembled
the vast ocean itself
whose might and depth was unfathomable! In
1963, Ghulam Ali
shifted to Kolkata where he was frequently
invited to sing
before highly appreciative audiences. He
would say: Maharashtrians
are great connoisseurs of classical music,
with their approach
being technical and academic. The exuberance,
which the people
of Kolkata show, is characteristic of their
emotional and artistic nature!
It is in Kolkata that he took young Malti
Gilani (singer and later his
biographer) as his gunda-bund shagird
(committed disciple).
She has noted how the open house atmosphere
prevailed
at the Ghulam Ali residence - reminiscent of
the Sufi Khanas
and hospices of the Middle Ages. In such
places -- as even
in the Dargahs today -- a cauldron of rice
was always
being cooked for the traveller and food
distributed to the rich
and the poor alike! In this respect,
theSufis of Islam, the Bhaktas i
f the Vaishnava cult and the Catholic mystics
of the Medieval Europe -
they all shared a similar spirit of tolerance
and bonhomie.
After having accomplished a lot,
Ghulam Ali breathed his last in 1968 in
Hyderabad --
far away from the green wheat fields of Kasur
on the
eastern seaboard of India. That he always
took his listeners on
an inward journey of musical understanding
and fulfillment
remained true to his last day. This biography
provides an insight not only into the
music of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan but into
the history of
Indian classical music at large. ***
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan -- His Life and
Music by Malti Gilani & Qurantulain Hyder;
Harman Publishing House, New Delhi;
Price Rs. 1200/
Tags : Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan indian classical music kasur patiala vocal maeastro |
|
Affichage : 24292
Durée : 623 s |
| Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan - Raag Megh |
 |
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khansaheb inherited the
musical parampara (tradition)of Punjab that
encompassed the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh
religions.Saint Hazrat Bulleh Shah, whose
Sufiana Kalam (Sufi song)is sung even today,
was buried in Kasur, Ghulam Ali's birth
place. The shepherds, wandering in the
hills,sang in praise of Hazrath Ali
andHussain -- grandsons of Prophet Muhammad
-- in melodies akin to classical Indian
ragas. The shabads and qawwalis of the Sikhs
were often based on ancient Dhrupads and
Khayals, again Indian classical ragas. In the
biography of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, authors
Malti Gulani and Quratulain Haider have paid
a rich tribute to the maestro.Ghulam Ali's
uncle and guru, Ustad Kale Khan,was himself
trained in the Patiala school of music
(Patiala gharana); he taught the young Ustad
simple compositions. In 1911, Ghulam Ali
accompanied Kale Khan to Delhi, at the age of
9, and watched him perform at the 'Dilli
Darbar'. Thus began the grooming and
development of the musicalpersonality of the
young disciple, alongside rigorous taleem
(training) under his uncle's baton. Later
after a brief acquaintance with ucknow and
its highly refined soirees, Ghulam Ali
returned to Lahorewith his father and resumed
his nightly riyaaz (practice)on the banks of
the river Ravi. Singing all night not only
developed
his stamina, but also gave him the rare
sensitivity to gauge the external response.
In 1932, he lost his wife Allah Jiwai. His
grief, poured into melody, gave birth to the
immortal thumri: Yaad piya ki aye,reflecting
the very trauma of his heart. On arrival in
Mumbai in 1940, Ghulam Ali thrived under the
benign patronage of the noted singer Ganga
Bai. A Sufi at heart, he was once greatly
moved by the poem Hari Om Tat Sat, and
rendered it musically in the haunting raga
Pahari. Years later, he explained, "God,
Truth and Haq is one. I've Allah in my mind
when I sing these words...Different people in
the world have different names for the
Supreme Being who is 'One'. In 1947, he
visited Afghanistan at the invitation of King
Zahir Shah and re-established the splendid
rapport in music between the Afghans and
Indians,where the Afghan string instruments
like Rabab and Santoor were part of the
Hindustani ensemble. Many Indian musical
instruments still retain their Persian roots,
such as Tabla, derived from Persian
tabla;Sitar meaning seven strings and Dilruba
being a longer version of Sarangi.The
Partition in 1947 dealt a severe blow to the
composite culture of the Indian subcontinent.
But Ghulam Ali at a concert organized by
Radio Lahore sang his own composition in raga
Mian ki Todi:Ab Mori Raam / Raam ri Daiyyan
(Ram is my only solace). In 1951, he was
invited by Morarji desai to have Indian
citizenship and sing at concerts all over
thecountry. According to the
cognoscenti,earlier the Ustad's singing was
like the sound of the waterfall striking
against the mountainside and rushing with
great force to mingle with the ocean; now it
resembled the vast ocean itself whose might
and depth was unfathomable! In 1963, Ghulam
Ali shifted to Kolkata where he was
frequently invited to sing before highly
appreciative audiences. He would say:
Maharashtrians are great connoisseurs of
classical music, with their approach being
technical and academic. The exuberance, which
the people of Kolkata show, is characteristic
of their emotional and artistic nature!It is
in Kolkata that he took young Malti Gilani
(singer and later his biographer) as his
gunda-bund shagird (committed disciple). She
has noted how the open house atmosphere
prevailed at the Ghulam Ali residence -
reminiscent of the Sufi Khanas and hospices
of the Middle Ages. In such places -- as even
in the Dargahs today -- a cauldron of rice
was always being cooked for the yraveller and
food distributed to the rich
and the poor alike! In this respect, theSufis
of Islam, the Bhaktas of the the Vaishnava
cult and the Catholic mystics of the Medieval
Europe - they all shared a similar spirit of
tolerance and bonhomie. After having
accomplished a lot, Ghulam Ali breathed his
last in 1968 in Hyderabad -- far away from
the green wheat fields of Kasur on the
eastern seaboard of India. That he always
took his listeners on an inward journey of
musical understanding and fulfillment
remained true to his last day. This biography
provides an insight not only into the music
of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan but into the
history of Indian classical music at large.
***
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=91660
34051968590538
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=33993
28193716946741
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7526
764871398003507
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan -- His Life and
Music by Malti Gilani & Qurantulain Hyder;
Harman Publishing House, New Delhi;
Available at daya publishing house publishers
and distributors
4762-63/23 Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New
Dehli- 110002 phone: 011-23244987,
011-23245578
Tags : ustad bade ghulam ali khan raag megh |
|
Affichage : 23631
Durée : 311 s |
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