Song's Essence
Sharadchandra Vishnu Ghokhale
Where does Dhrupad end and Khayal begin, what is the difference between Khayal-Tehri, Tehri-Thumri, Khayal-Thumri, Thumri-Ghazal, how to recognize it, this was not the concern of Bal Gandharva.
They knew one thing, a certain rasa is desired, ‘chalu’ means the modulation of swar-laya, being engrossed in singing, understanding the meaning and whatever needs to happen will happen on its own. Those who build walls, the masons, will take care of their own. And this is true. This is the music, this is the art. Where is music that is not enjoyable and rasa-sustaining, and from where has the science of music come? In Bal Gandharva’s singing, ‘kha’ and ‘dha’ are not pure and unrefined aakar; the mouth is opened a bit wider. But how much? Just enough to allow the pure form of aakar to pass; ‘kharc’ and ‘dharam’ were not done. The ref itself is not muffled, it is clear – yet their ‘rr’ was not allowed. ‘ru’ is ‘ru’, it is not ‘ri’ or ‘ru’. The word ‘Krishna’ had to be said a lakh times in the same play – ‘mama mani Krishnasakha ramala’, ‘vyarth madhupase Krishnala’ how many examples in prose and poetry should I give? – and every Krishna has appeared with different swars, pronunciations in different contexts; nevertheless, their Krishna is the Krishna of theatrics. He was never the crazed, whimsical Krishn, Kushn. There is no smoothness in their pronunciation; they know the place and significance of hard and crisp sounds. That hit resonates. However, ‘nayanene llajjavita’, ‘raddhabala’, ‘yadumanni saddana’, ‘madhukkara vvanvanna’ such tussles are not found; still, ‘dha’ and ‘dhin’ have been articulated responsibly. This is delightful. The ‘h’ of ‘dahati’, which comes after ‘d’, is pronounced strongly through the throat; and the ‘h’ of the following ‘bahu’ is weaker since it follows ‘b’, making its origin in the mouth via the palate, hence less forceful! Both aakar sounds are pronounced with a flourish, but there is a difference. The first does not stumble, the second is not muffled. Has anyone else done this?
Laya and Swar
Varnavacharan, their interplay of hrasvadīrghatva and mutual sound power reveals laya. Laya is understood through experience, not through discourse. Gandharva himself had become laya. Whether it is a song, or ‘Dada, they have come’, ‘Khadg maghe ghya, Dada, khadg maghe ghya! – Khadg should be taken back’ ‘Isn’t it necessary to rush ahead carrying the joy’s banner?’, ‘Baba, my brothers will decide!’ ‘I am not a maid’, whether it is dramatic dialogues or those in which the true self – the inner essence of a person will emerge, peeling away the layers of anger and frustration, “You must not speak in between! God, do not let her interfere,” “Alas, you do not scold me – but give it to your own beloved – to Mulla ji!” such a transaction bursts forth with a harsh reality. Laya must be measured in that; there will be no deviation. A play is a play, but constant laya in speech is a different matter. Only Shivram Pant, Lakshman Shastri Lele, Bal Shastri Hardas, Savarkar, Shivajirao Bhosale would know. It is impossible to extract ‘swar’ from all of these. Swar is the utterance! It can sometimes be consonant-laden, sometimes resonating with different sound powers, its hrasva-dīrghatva will vary, but it is still swar. That is what fulfills the laya. This is interdependent, it is not mutually assistive or complementary; it is an uninterrupted indivisible form. It is also visible in prose. ‘Nana swar’ emerge because these swars resonate more due to a rise and fall. Thus simple conversation, dramatic speech, poetry, and song become ascendingly complex. “Why are you so silent, my friend, take a leap” is both prose and song. But the fundamental cause, the core reason, and the primary objective remain one unbroken aspect. When laya is lost, swar is gone, the essence of music is lost. Conversely, without swar, laya wanes. What remains is ‘gadhapadha’. That is not music !
Their Tan Was
The Gandharvas had no need for ‘gadhapadha’. Look at the phrase ‘nath ha majha’. Nowadays, there is a notion that, if one takes a lengthy tan on ‘na’, which is ‘bārā’ (what does that mean?), does six waves on ‘ha SSSSSS’, and brings ‘ma’ down and ‘zha’ up striking lightly on ‘mmmo’, then a Gandharva’s downfall is achieved. This is akin to the tales of elephants and the blind. The earlier masters used to admonish the disciples about tanbazi, saying, “When old age comes, the throat will falter, what will you do then?” What is primary, and what is secondary is important. Certainly, the Gandharvas themselves practiced this style of tan for years. But they were artists, not amateurs. Even when their voice faded, they sang this same phrase and still created as much sweetness as before. They had no concern about where that tan would come from; because that tan belonged to them, they did not belong to that tan. They simply altered the mukhada; “na S, thhā S, majha mo S” became the sort of style.(‘Nath’s ‘th’ is excusable in songs as an ultra-short in the language.) The tune was set free, and still the sweetness remained different yet constant! Meend, husk, call, jolt, particle, behlawa all accompany until the end; different melodies, rhythm, and murki were well known to them within those days of companionship. The essence of what a ‘pilar’ song is can be inferred here; the songs of the Gandharvas were pilar and remained so. But as long as their throat was functional, this pillar-ness was concealed, as they provided ample opportunity to the qualities of that time. Murki and harkati were inherently sown in their throat, uh, they effortlessly flowed. They flowed, they did not just emit. The murki with three to four notes would come to the imagery, and it was often indiscernible when it came or went. In duplex, her very resonance would happen spontaneously. However, to express sorrow and pain, they never took cheap tricks to settle on a single note and resonate that. The meaning was expressed solely by the song. They did not treat non-musical ‘remedy’ like sobs, wails, screams, and thunder. Was it really necessary? The voice could turn in such a way that it might seem like this ‘gali’ sound, yet it was a powerful voice, having emerged from the navel. Tanas are in thousands of variations, and the ancients even gave them different names. Of these, the Gandharvas mustered only as many tanas as suited the song.
All Together One
Whether it be an astai-antara or a tan expansion, no independent ‘parts’ seemed to exist; all together it was one song and only one song. Even if interrupted, it did not seem like ‘this is a rest.’ A segment of a tan would begin on the same note where it ended, or from one and a half or two notes below or above that note. Pieces with an elevating tone very rarely came in line by a difference of three, four, or five notes. Once a tempo was established, it did not deviate much – it was mostly a central rhythm. As a result, it felt like a single continuous flow, and it truly was. The tanas seemed to be flowing flat – straight, but upon inspection, most of the tanas appear twisted, not only that but they do not fit into the rhythmic measurement as ‘one-one-one,’ the tan was progressing cutting through the law from half to sixth-eighth measure. What seems straightforward is indeed very difficult. Through all this, the emotion they showcased was indeed classic. Their ornamentation was not ostentatious, it was elegant. The valour was indeed bravery, and compassion-nurturing was overflowing, in the essence of devotion, the mix of all this was celebrated. The furious, grotesque – fearsome essence, however, was not in their breeze. (Objections may arise regarding valour essence, the answer will be provided by verses like ‘Anruchichi Gopala’, ‘Maj Bhaya Na, Asa Bharla Vara’, ‘Tyaji Na Lav Dhira’, ‘Mama Sukha Chi Tho’ etc.)
With so much being present, where will the raga and tala go? Those defining ragas should freely apply their sub-divisions and sub-sub-divisions without any guilt; the crime is negligible and the accused is innocent because the spirit is the criterion in this art. It is not the letter of the law. Moreover, who is it that enforces this ‘law’ is also a different objection. ‘Bhimpalasa’ should ideally tell us something; this Bhimpalasa accurately and unerringly conveys it, not what Kafi or Bageshree would say. If this is true, it does not matter if ‘sagmap’ occasionally becomes ‘saregmap,’ it is still Bhimpalasa not Kafi. This is also the perspective of rag. Raga singers are the authors, not typists; raga compositions are paintings; it is not a specific ‘repetitive’ design made of geometric shapes, but Gandharva did not seek independence from this principle by asserting it. They never claimed, ‘Now I will apply the forbidden notes’ as if it were a pretext. It would have been a performance, and the Gandharva does not act in the theater. Absorption is their religion, and it is with this absorption that they stayed enhanced until death. Their rhythm was in rhythm.
They did not like rag mixtures. They only sang ‘Aji Taku Gade Dhanavesha’ and ‘Avataar Jeev Ghat Ase.’ More freedom in notes, that is the ‘Mandal’ style of Rajasthani singing, or Zhile meaning deshi rag, ‘Dhunugam’ (?) rag, like Khamaaj-Peelu-Jangla, they enjoyed playing. They were not fond of complex ragas, such as Shri types, Puriya types, Bhairav, and Todi. By replacing ‘Hoy Sansartaru’, they took Bhairav’s best composition into Bageshree. They did the same about Shakuntala and Shapshambrama. They sat with the masters for a week and extracted all the lavani-steps, and all complex ragas were created anew. The only exceptions were Jogiya-Asavari and Kalangda. Chhayalag rag, meaning similar-sounding but raga with different emotional natures, they liked.Those who call difficult (unique) or unfamiliar (unseen) ragas also said so. They have a singular cup, all hope and despair are in abundance, and there is a hollowness in Draupadi. But the verses ‘Kashi, I will not slander you’, ‘My story is inscribed in my forehead’, “Although this one plays well” did not resonate with the theater. They played the rhythm with deep concentration. The verse ‘Kareen Yadumani Sadhna’ is fundamentally based on Punjabi beats, saying that is no small feat. They were unconcerned about what the beat is, what the metaphor is, what dhamar is, or what deepchandi is; just measure the weight. Because ‘weight’ is what has been measured beforehand. So, what is the hindrance? Sixteen, seven, fourteen measures will certainly be entwined with their respective weights!
It Is Not An Easy Task.
They played the abhanga with the weight of this ‘weight’. The bhajani baz is very challenging; laws tend to cut through repeatedly. The gandharvas cut through it, not only that, but they added enough vocal variations to provoke a response. How simple! Whether it’s ‘Kanhooba, your swing’, ‘Datta Digambara Yahou’, ‘Avghachi Sansar’, ‘Johar Maibap’, ‘Sharan Sharan Narayana’, or ‘Tujhiye Nidhali’; the listener might wonder what is in this? The magic of the pakhwaj! These are merely words! But when said in ‘laya-taal’, rhythmically turning in those specific directions, it isn’t easily noticeable. Because Pandoba Bondre was drenched in sweat, but this was detached. Engrossed in the meaning of the song. In ‘Maiba $SS$ P $S$har M $SS$a $SS$y B $S$ap’, there are very few notes! Only three solid ones! But on which measure, based on how many parts, where to raise the voice by how many parts, and which part of which measure should ‘show the Father’, who should be given how much auditory touch; all this is not easy. It is true that they started ‘dalhan’ so that a space could be made for ‘tirkhavan’ in the company. It is also true that this should not be done in plays.
But that dalhan was of such cuts. If someone were an ordinary tabla player, they would have run away. Dalhan occurred due to the structure of the tabla. Once a laggi is started, it must have its tempo expand, once a rela is started, all its turns must be done without changing the essence of one rule, and twenty-four turns can happen—once a dadra begins with the fourth stroke, there is no escape until the 24th, 48th, or 72nd measure happens. This is the traditional tabla. Others may do whatever. Bajrur tihaya, meaning repeating the same note structure thrice for no reason, such types were forbidden for them. However, from any measure, they easily took the mukhda, tempos, permutations, as well as nine rights. This is knowledge of rhythm. Dhadaadhum means knowledge of rhythm, not just theory.
Transformation.
In all this, it is hard to say how much innate intellect is present and how much is a goldsmith’s skill. It is true that logic, analysis, mathematics, and academic study were not present in the gandharvas. Even after sitting for an hour with the khanpati, they could not explain what they themselves did because they were not calculative. There was no independent creative intellect. Their records from prior to the ‘manapamana’, that is, before 19.11, have a variety of tanas, except for the lavani ‘Naka takoon jaoon’, which contain no awareness of the song’s meaning. “Pushpapara, A $S$S-g $S$S, Sugandha, A $S$S – dhit SSSS” such types exist. These flaws are not of recording. Regarding ‘manapamana’, it is said that the melodies that they took from the tables from which those records were derived were absorbed by them, and Bhaskarbuwa elaborated on their breakdown, their expansion. Later, in ‘Vidyahrana’, ‘gandharvagayan’ becomes clear, nearly like their transformation. In the old style of ‘Ekch Pyalyat’, Sundarabai can be seen clearly. And after ‘Draupadi’, there is no doubt about the master. Now, what more was there among the master, Sundarabai, Bhaskarbuwa, and Gauharjan that was not in the gandharvas, and if there was more, why did these people not sit down and create their strokes before the gandharvas; or vice versa, what was it in the gandharvas that was not present in them; an in-depth inquiry can be made, but that would be a separate long topic initially up to manapamana; beyond manapamana to Draupadi; in between, one cup; then mute protagonist; new melodies of Shakuntala; from Nandakumar to Amritasiddhi-Savitri; later Kanha Patra; then Dharmatma, and after that, the bhakti-geet abhanga-gayan can be conceptualized as the period of gandharva singing, and in them, some differences will be noted. However, some qualities that are most similar here are such that the impression on the audience and the affection for Ramu Bhai could be retained by the gandharva until the end, and the principal reasons for this should be somewhat discernible. “(Tanikritam), rasatmakam, varnalanka bhushitam,”Gandharva knows threefold knowledge, a musical and rhythmic principle defined in the Natya Shastra. This Gandharva enjoys the Gandharva song.
Fault
To say that this singer is full of qualities and faultless would be foolish. Some of these faults are a result of rajoguna. Because the intent was to play the notes along with the tabla, this issue has escalated, with songs like ‘Why did the gem arrive?’, ‘Equal to Krishna’, ‘How to abandon the note?’, ‘This great wise one’ falling into disarray. Furthermore, as age increases, weaknesses along with it obscure the ‘r’ consonant due to lack of clarity, resulting in a loss of the pure aspirated sound transforming ‘h’ into ‘gh’. Overall, there are few such faults among the aggregate qualities. (‘Vishrabdha Sharada’ Volume 2, above)