Another sister trip, another duet session

I'd presented Albela Sajan, a duet with my sister, last year. She's in town again and here are a couple of songs we recorded together two nights back.

The first is a very short piece and is a classical rendering of Vande Mataram in the Carnatic raga Khamas. It was originally sung by a group of four renowned Carnatic singers: Bombay S. Jayashree, Sanjay Subrahmaniam, Unni Krishnan and Sowmya.

The second one is an old Kannada movie classic, sung originally by Vani Jayaram and S. Janaki. It's an all-time favorite of many in the Kannada movie world.


Vande Mataram in Khamas


vande mataram in khamas Online recorder


Teredide Mane




Hope you enjoy listening to these as much as we enjoyed singing them! :-)

As always, I'd really appreciate your feedback.

My first attempt at composing music

Ajay Chandran, a fellow blogger who composes Hindi poetry and Ghazals, presented a challenge for me, a few months back. He asked me if I could compose a tune for one of the songs he had written. He suggested a classical rendering. This is my very first attempt at composing something. It was pretty hard to start out with a blank canvas and come up with something that conveyed the emotion of the poetry. The theme is Viraah (Separation).

I realize this is pretty elaborate and deep for someone who is not very much into classical music. This is meant for a more musically inclined audience. The composition starts off in Khamaj, transitions to Pilu and ends in Bihaag. If heard on headphones, the background score on the keyboard is discernible. I just tried to play simple chords that gelled with the transition of the basic frequencies across the song.

I got feedback from Murali Venkatraman, a talented composer and an avid blogger on this composition, which was useful. Though I failed to incorporate a lot of the suggestions in this, I hope to use them for the next time, if there's one. One thing that's easy to note is that the composition lacks a rigid rhythm structure, which Murali also pointed out. It's only loosely structured on an evenly spaced three beat cycle. I hope to improve on such weak points as I do more of this. I would really appreciate your feedback, positive and/or negative, as I found this project difficult and am ready to grab whatever I get that would better equip me for my next time.

Ajay's posts of this song:
Muziboo
Uhuroo


I thank Ajay for this opportunity and the lovely lyrics. And here's hoping for more such opportunities!

Ghazal with live Percussion!

I had presented my version of the famous Farida Khanum ghazal, Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo in an earlier post. But now I got to do it again - a better version , I think, with Tabla! Yup, my husband is learning to play the Tabla and he has accompanied me on this - our first jam session! We had fun doing this. I have removed the earlier mp3 since I think this turned out better anyways.

ghazal.mp3

I would appreciate your feedback!

PS: I realize the widget is completely inappropriate... but it's so cool and goes with the title that screams excitement about percussion and the drummer's just as adorable as my drummer (;-)); it was hard to resist.

Albela Sajan

I finally got the much awaited opportunity for jamming sessions with my sister who's now in the U.S. Here's our first recording together (first in the cyber age at least)!

It's the song Albela Sajan from the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, with a short aalaap of Ahir Bhairav.

We would welcome your feedback!

Since I now have a great software for recording (thanks to her), I hope that the quality of this track and of my future recordings is better than that of the tracks I've posted so far.

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Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo

It's been very long since I sang anything. My throat actually feels underutilized and rusty (I don't talk much either ;-) ). Anyway, I attempted something finally. This tender song in Yaman Kalyan is one of the tracks in the movie, Monsoon Wedding, and is a famous Ghazal.

The song is about pleading a loved one not to leave. "Life is bound by time. There is no escape from the rhythm of the world... But moments such as this are our only deliverance from the race against time. Love of my life, let not these moments slip away before you can live them..."

I have removed the mp3 from this post since I subsequently did a better version with Tabla.

Bol Re Papeehara...

I have not been overly fond of this song since the original song in the movie Guddi was at a very high pitch with too little bass for my liking. But I unexpectedly had to learn this song and sing it for a show a few weeks back and I started appreciating the raga, Miyaan Ki Malhaar. So here's my attempt of a romantic melody in which a girl wishes for the monsoon clouds to carry her message to her lover.

Bol Re Papihara.mp...

PS: I know the widget doesn't suit the mood of the raag, but.... oh well... (I liked it too much) :-p!

Bihaag

In my India trip in November I was lucky to get my much awaited Taal Mala I asked my mum to buy for me! I just couldn't wait to get to hear the sound of Tabla any time I wanted. Here's my attempt of a Chhota Khayal in Bihaag, my current favorite raag.

Khayal, or Khyal, which is a Persian word that literally means
thought or imagination came into Hindustani Music from Persian influence during the Mughal times and is by far the most popular style in Hindustani. Khayal compositions are often romantic and this one, Faagun Maas Suhaayo is one such, that describes the month of the new moon and the joyous celebrations of Hori or Holi with Krishna.

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Much as I tried I couldn't get rid of some of the background hum and uneven volume in different parts of the track, sigh! I really need to look into the technicalities of my recording equipment. Having a special external soundcard of supposedly the best quality doesn't seem to be all there is to it.

Manamayakkum....

This is definitely one of my favorite Carnatic songs that I learnt from a CD by the great singer, Ms Aruna Sairam. I am not aware of who composed this beautiful poetry and who composed the music for it.

I am attempting to translate the poetry here and sincerely hope I am doing justice. Thanks to my mother who gave me a word-to-word translation of this archaic Tamil literary work, I was able to appreciate this piece in its entirity.

The poet likens the Hindu God Krishna to a king and his paradise forest, Brindavan to a king's court. The song is befittingly set to Brindavana Saranga, adapted from the Hindustani Raag Brindavani Saarang.

My attempt at translation:

He, the bearer of the divine flute from which flows many a mallifluous tune, supremely enchanting!

Is the king of this paradise kingdom!

He sits magnificently on his wild rock throne, under the cool shade of trees rich with green leaves...

Adorned is He, by a crown that holds a single brilliant plume of a peacock!

The little bright flowers whose souls craved to reach Him, now are blessed to rest at His feet...

While He dwells in His paradise with His queen who is tranquil as she rests by His side!

His subjects are none but the enamored maids whose hearts pine for His love...

The bells of justice in His prosperous kingdom jingle in the necks of the cows generous and wholesome!

Sing in praise of this dusky king at the banks of the serene river Yamuna!

Calf, oh my calf! Many a salutation to you, who relentlessly sing His praise!

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