A lyrical tribute to maestros

Vandana Shukla

When experts write on classical music, they usually complicate things further for the uninitiated. The scholastic stance, loaded with jargon, does more disservice to the cause of promotion of classical music.

The task of interpreting the intricacies of classical music in a layperson’s language should be best left to a person who knows how to engage the audience. Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan has done it with élan in Master on Masters, by simplifying the nuances of classical music for the layman, without being simplistic.

To pull the reluctant listener in the realm of classical music — often dubbed as complex, incomprehensible, even boring – can best be done by way of weaving stories around the lives of the stalwarts. The maestro has done just that. He has picked 12 musicians from across various genres of music; vocal, instrumental, and percussion from both Hindustani and Carnatic systems of music.

Inclusion of Begum Akhtar may look odd to some as ghazal gayki is not considered as pure classical music. But Begum Akhtar took the rendering of thumri and ghazal to an inimitable level of excellence. Traditionally, thumri and ghazal are considered to be forms of light classical music, their effective rendering though rests on greater command over emotive expressiveness.

The short-word sketches of artistes span over a century. While these portraits are filled with love and reverence for the artistry of the legends of music; these sketches also offer valuable information on the changing tastes of the audiences, requirements of the artistes and their patrons in tune with fast changing socio-economic and political scenario of the country.

Of a dozen legends featured in the book, Kesarbai Kerkar’s contribution stands out. She was one of the first women performers who brought dignity to female singers. Her voice carryied command, confidence and lung power that could challenge any male counterpart of her times. Her rendition of Bhairavi (Jaat kahan ho) was included in the Voyager Golden Record, the disc containing the finest musical selections from around the world, sent to spacecrafts Voyager 1 and 2.

Other maestros included —Ustad Amir Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Alla Rakha, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Begum Akhtar and Bharat Ratna M. S. Subbulakshmi. They all possessed a super-human will to take their music close to the mesmerising power of the divine. These channels of divinity have been humanised in many humorous anecdotes from their lives. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who took khayal gayaki to a different level, is treated with reverence and affection. The author appears in between narratives to offer glimpses of idiosyncrasies of these artistes, without any malice.

The readers may enjoy some honest admissions by the author and a few tongue-in-cheek observations about these ustads who instill awe with their artistry. After this humorous bonding, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan then rather cleverly leads the reader to the formidable intricacies of their music; their superhuman endeavour for excellence and their very human follies. Despite the purity of their art, their overpowering love for their children often overshadowed their assessment of their wards’ artistic merit. Or their desire to pile on an overdose of artistry on an indifferent audience!

Bhimsen Joshi, Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha didn’t come from family of musicians; their vision of music broke many boundaries. They popularised classical music by adding aesthetic and emotive quality to music, easily appreciable by listeners. The tales of these stalwarts make for easy reading, interspersed with rare pictures, interesting anecdotes and rare information based on research and interviews with the family and friends of the legends. However, a record of music of such quality shouldn’t have missed Baba Alauddin Khan’s contribution to Hindustani music.