Lata Mangeshkar’s felicity with the Sarangs is consummate, as witness the following sequence of gems. A late 1920s collector’s item of the Indian national song Vande Mataram rendered by Vishnupant Pagnis. The encounters later segue into the demesne of classical proper.

The gestalt of the raganga comes through very well even in these ‘light’ melodies. Now we present evidence in the form of audio clips. This completes our preamble of the Sarang basics.Įarlier, the connection of the Sarangs with folk music was asserted. The prevailing consensus awards to Brindavani Sarang both nishads and to Madhmad only komal nishad. He remarks on the confusion prevailing in the early 20th C apropos of Brindavani and Madhmad Sarang, the bone of contention being the two nishads. Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande‘s exegetic work Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati gives a detailed account of the Sarangs. As always, in ragadari music, territorial integrity and identity are established and defended through appropriate swara- uccharana and raganga bheda.

A measure of Sarang- anga is observed in other important raga families, namely the Malhars and the Kanadas. In some old dhrupad compositions, shuddha dhaivat is occasionally and modestly ( alpa-pramana) sought in a few in avarohatmak phrases, either as a kan (grace) to komal nishad or as a vivadi.Īll the traditional prakars of Sarang are derivatives of the central theme outlined above. The prayoga of shuddha nishad in ascent and the komal nishad in descent separates Brindavani Sarang from Madhmad Sarang although they share the rest of the raga- lakshanas. The assumption is that the curious reader will be motivated to further this inquiry on his own. I do not propose to remark on every idiosyncrasy contained in a rendition. Several Sarang prakars disclose superficial variance across gharana and regional borders as the clips will testify. It is not my intention to take you down every little bylane and clutter the page with stultifying detail. – The intent here, as in the earlier commentaries, is to flesh out the raganga and illuminate the major highways in the raga. See Raga Gaud Sarang – An Exegesis for more on that raga. If the publication Raga Guide (Nimbus) asserts otherwise then its authors “may be excused only on the grounds that before deluding others they have taken pains to delude themselves” (to paraphrase Sir Peter Medawar). – Gaud Sarang is not included in this selection since it is a misnomer. This widely loved enclave of Sarang melodies is the subject of our current discourse. Their effective expression in the classical idiom requires familiarity with their rustic antecedents. The Sarangs are ragas of the early afternoon and have their provenance in folk music.

Hindustani sangeet paddhati