Natyasangeet Options

[Bertie Wooster]

I rediscovered Natyasangeet recently and wanted to share some songs that have lodged themselves in my mind.

I do not recall from where I picked this track - a kind soul had uploaded this as a part of a collection. I cannot thank him enough wherever he is.

Pu La Deshpande had entered the entertainment world in the early ’40s as an actor and singer on the Marathi stage by joining Mo Ga Rangnekar’s Natya Niketan drama troupe. Paakhara jaa, the song he rendered in the play Vahini was an instant hit.

[archimoz]

On Dhananjay-saab's request. However, I don't think Ustad Abdul Karim Khan had sung them as pure 'natyageets'. He just sought to use the bandishes to render his delectable khayals. Anyway, with that kind of a voice, whatever he did was music. Notice how his sargams are beautiful adaptations from the Carnatic style.

I do not have the Ustaad's 'nach sundari karu kopa'. There was this cassette that I had heard which had 6 songs of Ustaad and 6 by her able daughter, Hirabai Barodekar based on natyasangeet. I had heard the song there. Worth it's weight in gold.

Regards-Archie.

P.S. The raag-names are put as they appear on the labels of the 78 rpm records. I personally do not think that 'chandrika jhanu' is based on raag 'devgandhar'. It sounds more like raag 'Aarbi' to me. Devgandhar is more similar to a 'jaunpuri with a beautifully placed shuddh gandhar. An example would be K L Saigal's 'jhulana jhulaao'.

[Dhananjay]

Archie / NM,
Thanks for your uploads....It's quite a treat !!! The information poured in by Archie and Abhay was quite interesting too.

On Dhananjay-saab's request.

Arre Archie, yeh "saab" ka kya chakkar hai ? (As it is my name is so long.. why do you want to add 4 more letters ?? )

I have the following versions of these songs :

1. prem seva sharan - Dinanath Mangeshkar
2. chandrika hi janu - Prabakar Karekar
3. nach sundari karu kopa - Two separate versions - One by Chhota Gandharv and the other by Prabhakar Karekar

Let me know if anyone would like these ......

-Dhananjay

[abhayp]

I have the following other versions of these songs :

1. prem seva sharan - Dinanath Mangeshkar
2. chandrika hi janu - Prabakar Karekar
3. nach sundari karu kopa - Two separate versions - One by Chhota Gandharv and the other by Prabhakar Karekar

Please do upload these, especially both versions of the last one. It is interesting to compare the renditions of these two singers: for instance, in "priye pahaa", CG seems to be cajoling his beloved, while PK seems to be ordering *his* beloved: "*look* at that dawn!"

While on the topic, I have CG's version of "priye pahaa" but am hunting for a decent recording of Karekar's version. Would anyone oblige?

Warm regards,
Abhay

[nm007]

[

Please do upload these, especially both versions of the last one. It is interesting to compare the renditions of these two singers: for instance, in "priye pahaa", CG seems to be cajoling his beloved, while PK seems to be ordering *his* beloved: "*look* at that dawn!"

While on the topic, I have CG's version of "priye pahaa" but am hunting for a decent recording of Karekar's version. Would anyone oblige?

LOL, nice description. te kuThalyaa naaTakaatale aahe? MD koN?

Abhay you HAVE to do a program on naaTyasangiit. I can provide many songs but I havent heard them all. You can pick them with nice commentary.

6:19 @96 enjoy!

[abhayp]

LOL, nice description. te kuThalyaa naaTakaatale aahe? MD koN?

Abhay you HAVE to do a program on naaTyasangiit. I can provide many songs but I havent heard them all. You can pick them with nice commentary.

6:19 @96 enjoy!

Thank you for the upload - you made my day!

If your question relates to priye pahaa, then the answer is "Saubhadra" - the same play that has "nach sundarii". Not sure who the MD is - must find out.

As to the program on natyasangeet - two caveats: one, I am not a very big fan of all natyasangeet - I like it selectively depending on who's singing it, because the repetitive patterns that typify this genre can get extremely boring in the hands of lesser singers; two, my knowledge about the genre is very limited - if I can manage to put together something that is meaningful, will definitely take this up.

Warm regards,
Abhay

[anilkumar]

If your question relates to priye pahaa, then the answer is "Saubhadra" - the same play that has "nach sundarii". Not sure who the MD is - must find out........Abhay

Baal Samant's fat book 'Marathi Natyasngeet' gives lyrics and many other details of the songs.

The music of Saubhadra was by the writer Balvant Pandurang (Annasaheb) Kirloskar himself, just as his first play 'Sangeet Shakuntal', and later 'Ramrajyaviyog'. He was a versatile person.

'Saubhadra' has 98 songs - many of them being 2 liners - with standard tunes, as it is done in many 'keertans'. Usually the dialogues are musical. 'Sangeet Shakuntal' has massive 211 songs !!. The books of many of such plays were and are available. These openly mention the source cheez of the tune before every song.

Many of the important songs were based on some classical rachanas (cheezas), or Karnataki, Punjabi, northen songs, thumris and other light classical compositions etc. 'Priye Pahaa' happens to be in the Raga Deskar - very similar to Bhoopali.

This means many of he prominent songs were written after the tune was fixed or selected, just like in modern films.

Govind Ballal Deval also gave tunes to his own songs (Samshay Kallol, Sharada etc.) Although other Play writers did not compose ownmusic, they had good knowlede of it.

'Swayamvar' had 148 songs and 'Maanapman' (only) 54 songs.

Krishnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar's 'Maanapman' had music by Govindrao Tembhe. and his other plays 'Swayamvar' 'Draupadi' 'Savitri'. 'Vidyaharan' had music by Pt Bhaskar buva Bakhle - Guru of Baalgandharva, Master Krishnarao and many others. Ékach Pyala' had music by Master Krishnarao.

These men also could create their own cheeza's in various raagaas or could modify standard ones to adapt to the stage / story situations. For the plays they rarely composed new music and based songs on the ready cheezas.

In later plays - after 1945 the number of songs in the plays got reduced and there were more original compostions.