Ustad Amjad Ali Khan: Classical music got Bollywood-like attention decades ago
Indian traditional music is not a withering artistic expression and it got three decades back the sort of consideration that Bollywood and the mold business are getting today, said Sarod legend Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.
He likewise said that it is the duty of the artiste to influence the adolescent to identify with their music.
Khan has composed a book about the lives and times of a portion of the best symbols of Indian established music.
Having known these stalwarts actually, he reviews tales and insights about their individual melodic styles, bringing them alive.
The 12 prominent performers highlighted in the book, are Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Begum Akhtar, Alla Rakha, Kesarbai Kerkar, Kumar Gandharva, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Bhimsen Joshi, Bismillah Khan, Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan and Kishan Maharaj.
In expounding on them, Khan rises above the gharana and north-south separation in introducing the pictures of these artistes.
"I can't help contradicting the individuals who say that Indian established music is a diminishing fine art. We should comprehend a couple of things here. It was never for the majority regardless. It was initially performed just in private mehfils, with show lobby exhibitions being a current marvel. Today, established artists perform at settings like Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House to stuffed assembly rooms," he writes in the presentation.
He says in India, when he sees colossal settings topping off, he doesn't figure we can truly grumble.
"It is the duty of the artiste to influence the adolescent to identify with their music. The sort of consideration that Bollywood and the mold business are accepting today from predominant press, Indian established music go three decades back! In the 1960s and '70s, performers would play ragas for a few hours. To be honest, after possibly 60 minutes, it was all reiteration."
"Be that as it may, because of this demeanor of artistes who maybe needed to demonstrate a point, an area of audience members floated away to simple tuning in," he said.
Khan said he feels that playing melodies on a traditional instrument is a test and doing as such without changing the translation of the tunes is an incredible obligation.
"Once upon a time, numerous prestigious vocalists frequently recorded melodies, both reverential and nationalistic, on 78 RPMs and EPs. We can always remember the awesome interpretation of DV Paluskar's 'Payoji mainay' or Omkarnath Thakur's energizing 'Vande mataram.'
Contemporary traditional vocalists too have added to advancing reverential tunes and bhajans," he composes.
The tale of the instrumental world is somewhat unique, he said.
"The nearest an instrumentalist came to playing melodies would be lines of well known thumri tunes. Nonetheless, to play a melody precisely as it was formed, note for note, was not the order of instrumentalists, and regardless of the possibility that it was, the rendition would continue changing, practically like a round of Chinese whispers!"
Khan said he has dependably been quick to overcome any issues between an established audience and a uninitiated audience and hence wound up plainly one of the prior instrumentalists to pass on the message of playing and recording melodies like 'Vaishnav jana to', 'Slam dhun' and Rabindranath Tagore's 'Ekla cholo re' for the past numerous decades.
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