Senior Dagar Brothers Nasir Aminuddin & Nasir Moinuddin Dagar | Bhairavi | जगत जननी | Jagat Janani

From the sleevenotes. Alapa and Dhrupad (Jagata Janani) in the raga Bhairavi. Rhythm Rupaka. Bhairavi is one of the names of the goddess Parvati, consort of Shiva. One of the basic ragas of Indian music, Bhairavi is mainly sung in the morning, but can be sung at all hours of the day and the night in homage to the Goddess. The sentiment of the mode is tender, noble, but without melancholy. The mood is one of pure, unconditional love. The scale is heptatonic with four flats, like that of Asavari which is one of its variants. But no note is lowered by one comma as in Asavari. A major second appears, but only as a special ornament, starting from the tonic. The predominant notes are the tonic and the fourth. The Rupaka rhythm has the seven time-units, three divisions and three main strokes. The text of the song, the author of which is Baiju Bhavare (sixteenth century), is as follows: भैरवी जगत जननी ज्वाला मुखी माता सरस्वती शारदा विद्या देनि बयानि दुख हरणी । जोहि जोहि मांगत सोहि फल पावत मन इच्छा पूरण करणो दुख हरणी ॥ Jagata janani jvälämukhi Mätä Sarasvati shärada vidya deni dayani dukha harani. Johi johi māngata sohi phala pāvata mana ich'ha pürana karani dukha harani. "O thou, who created the world, our mother with a face of light, Sarasvati, from whom all knowledge flows, the bestower of gifts, our shelter, Thou takest away all our pain. Everyone obtains from thee the fruits he asks for. Thou fulfillest the desires of our mind. Thou takest away all our pain." THE MUSIC OF INDIA Record III DHRUPADS Recordings and commentary by Alain Daniélou The Dhrupad received its present form at the court of Raja Mäna Simha, the ruler of Gwalior from 1486 to 1525. This style was perfected by such famous musicians of the sixteenth century as Haridasa Swami and his disciple Tansen at the court of the emperor Akbar (1542-1605). Moinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar are the descendants of a very old family of musicians. The particular style of Dhrupad of which they preserve the tradition dates back to Vrija Chanda, a contemporary and rival of Tänsen. Vrija Chanda was called Dagurï, because he was born in the village of Dagar near Delhi. Gopal Dasa Dagar, who was one of the heirs of this tradition, is a direct ancestor of the Dagar brothers. Their grandfather Alla Bande Khan and their father Nasiruddin Khan Dagar, court musicians of Indore, are renowned for their performances and creations within the traditional music of India. Today, Moinuddin and Aminuddin Dagar are recognized as the best singers of the classical Dhrupad. Rājā Chhatrapati Singh, born in 1919, belongs to the ruling family of Bijna State in Central India. Chhatrapati Singh learned to play the drum, called pakhavaj, with the famous drummer Ramdasjl. For several years he was a teacher of this instrument at the Music College of Benares Hindu University. Dhrupad Dhrupad is the noblest style of Indian classical music. Dhrupads consist of two parts: a long prelude which establishes the mode, the raga, which is today called äläpa or "conversation" but was formerly termed Dhruva, and a poem or pada which is sung. The Dhrupad is a sober and severe style of singing. The musicians must improvise strictly within the limits of the mode and avoid any elaborate vocalising or ornaments. The äläpa which forms the first part of any classical improvisation is in a slow tempo and has no definite rhythmic form. It has only a metrical form, i. e. long or short note- values, but these are not organized into a rhythmic pattern. The improvisation is free and descriptive. The alapa is essential in creating the mood or atmosphere of the mode. Time has to be taken before the minute variations on each note of the modal scale can reveal their expressive values and the significance of each note can be established and assimilated by the audience. Only then can the musician begin faster, more brilliant and lighter variations, and also omit some of the elements of the scale without affecting the raga. The mood of the mode has to be firmly established with all its deeper significance before the musician can feel free to display virtuosity in vocal arabesques, which take on their real meaning only within the emotional background of a particular raga. The ālāpa is the most difficult part of the improvisation. It is here that the personality of the great exponent is immediately felt. In the poem which is sung after the alapa, the drum intervenes with complex rhythms. The poem itself is very short and its verses are repeated many times. It is sometimes divided into two parts, sthāyi and antara, which are sung in forms that differ slightly from each other.    • Dagars / Dagar Brothers      • Bhairavi