Evolution of Hindi Film Music 1930 to 1980 Chapter 1 and 2
EVOLUTION OF HINDI FILM MUSIC 1930s to 1980s – PART 1
Chapter 1
Background
As a resident from Madras (now Chennai) I remember that I developed a taste for Hindi film songs from 1955-56 on wards because of the music and the melody, thanks to the programme Binaca Geeth Mala which Radio Ceylone (now Srilanka) used to broadcast on every Wednesday for one hour from 8 PM. Though I didn’t understand or follow the lyrics of the song the melodious tune attracted. We never had a radio in our house and I used to sit outside the verandah of my neighbour during that programme. Later one of my friends invited me to listen to the programme at his home. He was also interested in Hindi film songs. He had an old Marconi radio set with five valves. Later when I bought my own three band transistor, Bush, in 1968 I was so thrilled that I never wanted to part with that for a moment. This passion for Hindi film songs motivated me to write this paper.
This topic could be understood meaningfully only when we go into the depth of the subject. Depth of the subject envelops the early history of music, the evolution of Indian classical music from vedic periods, the change in the styles of music, especially in north India after the invasion of the Moghuls in 16th century and then under the British rule from 18th century till India got independence.
Music has no boundaries or limitations or owned by anyone personally. This in fact is the binding factor of people, leave aside of our nation but from any part of the world and spreads peace among the people of various countries. Can anyone forget the song “AWARA HOON” from the movie AWARA which attracted people of China, Rusia and Middle East? In a May 2013 poll, the song was rated the second-greatest Bolywood song of all time. Similarly the song “MERA JOOTHA HAI JAPANI” from Shree 420 also became a world famous one particularly Soviet Union.
My paper encompasses quite a number of relevant topics before I start dealing with the film songs, the music directors, lyricists and singers.
CHAPTER 2
Early History of Indian Music
Classical Indian music evolved from the Vedas, the sacred Hindu chants of ancient India. The ancient Indians believed in the divine origin of music. The purest form of sound was considered equal to cosmic energy. As a result music and religion were always closely intertwined. Classical Indian music probably evolved from the religious poems and chants of the Vedic period. One of the four main Vedic texts, called the Samaveda, written possibly before 1000 B.C., is the source of many musical forms. Music was later codified by Bharata Muni. [Source: Rough Guide of World Music]
The Carnatic style of southern India is closest to music of the vedas. Speculating on the first Indian music, musicologist S.D. Pillai told "People used clay pots that stored water as musical instruments. Drums were used to send messages during war. String instruments came later with devotional music played in temples."
As Indian music developed over time, it absorbed musical style forms around south and central Asia, particularly from various locations around India, Persia, and the Mughal homeland in present-day Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. The Hindustani music of northern India is the result the fusion of the Hindu music of the Veda and Muslim influences from the west. Amir Khusrau (1253-1325) is regarded the father of Hindustani music. He melded Persian, Hindu, Sanskrit and Islamic influences and is regarded as the founder of qawwali and khayal and the inventor of the sitar.
Since my paper is on evolution and development of Hindi Film songs and music I am not going into the details of Carnatic Music.
Principles of Hindustani Music
The Gandharva veda is a Sanskrit scripture describing the theory of music and its applications in not just musical form and systems but also in physics, medicine and magic.It is said that there are two types of sound: āhata (struck/audible) and anāhata (unstruck/inaudible). The inaudible sound is said to be the principle of all manifestation, the basis of all existence.
There are three main 'Saptak' which resemble to the 'Octaves' in Western Music except they characterize total seven notes or 'swaras' instead of eight. These are- low (mandra), medium (madhya) and high (tāra). Each octave resonates with a certain part of the body, low octave in the heart, medium octave in the throat and high octave in the head.
The rhythmic organization is based on rhythmic patterns called tala. The melodic foundations are called ragas. One possible classification of ragas is into "melodic modes" or "parent scales", known as thaats, under which most ragas can be classified based on the notes they use.
Thaats may consist of up to seven scale degrees, or swara. Hindustani musicians name these pitches using a system called Sargam, the equivalent of the Western movable do solfege:
· Sa (ṣaḍja षड्ज) = Do
· Re (Rishabh ऋषभ) = Re
· Ga (Gāndhāra गान्धार) = Mi
· Ma (Madhyama (music) मध्यम) = Fa
· Pa (Pancham पञ्चम) = So
· Dha (Dhaivat धैवत) = La
· Ni (Nishād निषाद) = Ti
· Sa (ṣaḍja षड्ज) = Do
Both systems repeat at the octave. The difference between sargam and solfege is that re, ga, ma, dha, and ni can refer to either "Natural" (shuddha) or altered "Flat" (komal) or "Sharp" (teevra) versions of their respective scale degrees. As with movable do solfege, the notes are heard relative to an arbitrary tonic that varies from performance to performance, rather than to fixed frequencies, as on a xylophone. The fine intonational differences between different instances of the same swara are called srutis. The three primary registers of Indian classical music are mandra (lower), madhya (middle) and taar (upper). Since the octave location is not fixed, it is also possible to use provenances in mid-register (such as mandra-madhya or madhya-taar) for certain ragas. A typical rendition of Hindustani raga involves two stages:
· Alap: a rhythmically free improvisation on the rules for the raga in order to give life to the raga and flesh out its characteristics. The alap is followed by a long slow-tempo improvisation in vocal music, or by the jod and jhala in instrumental music.
Tans are of several types like Shuddha, Koot, Mishra, Vakra, Sapaat, Saral, Chhoot, Halaq, Jabda, Murki
· Bandish or Gat: a fixed, melodic composition set in a specific raga, performed with rhythmic accompaniment by a tabla or pakhavaj. There are different ways of systematizing the parts of a composition. For example:
o Sthaayi: The initial, rondo phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition
o Antara: The first body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition
o Sanchaari: The third body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in dhrupad bandishes
o Aabhog: The fourth and concluding body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in Dhrupad bandishes
· There are three variations of bandish, regarding tempo:
o Vilambit bandish: A slow and steady melodic composition, usually in largo to adagio speeds
o Madhyalaya bandish: A medium tempo melodic composition, usually set in andante to allegretto speeds
o Drut bandish: A fast tempo melodic composition, usually set to allegretto speed or faster
Hindustani classical music is primarily vocal-centric, insofar as the musical forms were designed primarily for a vocal performance, and many instruments were designed and evaluated as to how well they emulate the human voice.
Types of Compositions
As mentioned earlier music is of two categories. One, the Classical and the other light. Not everyone is keen to listen classical music because that may be more difficult for them to appreciate. But if the music is performed with a light note the same will be liked by all specially the general public. For this it is better the type of compositions in music.
The major vocal forms or styles associated with Hindustani classical music are dhrupad, khyal, and tarana. Light classical forms include dhamar, trivat, chaiti, kajari, tappa, tap-khyal, ashtapadis, thumri, dadra, ghazal and bhajan; these do not adhere to the rigorous rules of classical music.
It is an education to know these types as an introductory note. Hence I give some information which I collected from various literature.
Dhrupad.
Dhrupad is an old style of singing, traditionally performed by male singers. It is performed with a tambura and a pakhawaj as instrumental accompaniments. The lyrics, some of which were written in Sanskrit centuries ago, are presently often sung in brajbhasha, a medieval form of North and East Indian languages that were spoken in Eastern India. The rudra veena, an ancient string instrument, is used in instrumental music in dhrupad.
Dhrupad was the main form of northern Indian classical music until two centuries ago when it gave way to the somewhat less austere khyal, a more free-form style of singing. Since losing its main patrons among the royalty in Indian princely states, dhrupad risked becoming extinct in the first half of the twentieth century. However, the efforts by a few proponents, especially from the Dagar family, have led to its revival.
Khyal
Khyal is the modern Hindustani form of vocal music. Khyal, literally meaning "thought" or "imagination" in Hindustani and derived from the Persian/Arabic term, is a two- to eight-line lyric set to a melody. Khyal contains a greater variety of embellishments and ornamentations compared to dhrupad. Khyal's features such as sargam and taan as well as movements to incorporate dhrupad-style alap have led to it becoming popular.
The importance of the khyal's content is for the singer to depict, through music in the set raga, the emotional significance of the khyal. The singer improvises and finds inspiration within the raga to depict the khyal.
Tarana
Another vocal form, taranas are medium- to fast-paced songs that are used to convey a mood of elation and are usually performed towards the end of a concert. They consist of a few lines of Persian poetry with soft syllables or bols set to a tune. The singer uses these few lines as a basis for fast improvisation. The tillana of Carnatic music is based on the tarana, although the former is primarily associated with dance.
Tappa
Tappa is a form of Indian semi-classical vocal music whose specialty is its rolling pace based on fast, subtle, knotty construction. It originated from the folk songs of the camel riders of Punjab and was developed as a form of classical music by Mian Ghulam Nabi Shori or Shori Mian, a court singer for Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, the Nawab of Awadh. "Nidhubabur Tappa", or tappas sung by Nidhu Babu were very popular in 18th and 19th-century Bengal.
Thumri
Thumri is a semi-classical vocal form said to have begun in Uttar Pradesh with the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, (r. 1847–1856). There are three types of thumri: poorab ang, Lucknavi, and Punjabi thumri. The lyrics are typically in a proto-Hindi language called Brij Bhasha and are usually romantic. .
Ghazal
In the Indian sub-continent, Ghazal became the most common form of poetry in the Urdu language and was popularized by classical poets like Mir Taqi Mir, Ghalib, Daagh, Zauq and Sauda amongst the North Indian literary elite. Vocal music set to this mode of poetry is popular with multiple variations across Central Asia, the Middle East, as well as other countries and regions of the wedit
Instruments
Although Hindustani music clearly is focused on vocal performance, instrumental forms have existed since ancient times. In fact, in recent decades, especially outside South Asia, instrumental Hindustani music is more popular than vocal music, partly due to a somewhat different style and faster tempo, and partly because of a language barrier for the lyrics in vocal music.
A number of musical instruments are associated with Hindustani classical music. The veena, a string instrument, was traditionally regarded as the most important, but few play it today and it has largely been superseded by its cousins the sitar and the sarod, both of which owe their origin to Persian influences. Among bowed instruments, the sarangi and violin are popular. The bansuri, shehnai and harmonium are important wind instruments. In the percussion ensemble, the tabla and the pakhavaj are the most popular. Rarely used plucked or struck string instruments include the surbahar, sursringar, santoor, and various versions of the slide guitar. Various other instruments have also been used in varying degrees.
Festivals.
In India festivals played a pivoting role in nurturing the classical music.One of the primary factors was arranging musical performances by eminent vidhwans. People used to wait for such opportunities thereby they could hear good songs with melodious music. Hence I thought this aspect also should be mentioned in this paper.
Among the earliest modern music festivals focusing on Hindustani classical music was the Harballabh Sangeeth Sammelan founded in 1875 in Jallandhar. Dover Lane Music Conference notably debuted in 1952 in Kolkata and Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival 1953 in Pune, while festivals such as the ITC SRA Sangeet Sammelan appeared in the early 1970s.
The SUR-SINGAR SAMSAD, with the cross-section of culture-conscious society now actively associated with it, bids fair to do more for Hindustani music than any single effort in the past.
If as is now commonly conceded, the Swami Haridas Sangeet Sammelan of 1955 was a further achievement in the musical renaissance of Bombay, the SAMSAD has reason to hope that the Sammelan of 1956 will represent yet another milestone in the long pursuit of its avowed objective to serve the cause of traditional music. The increasing interest in classical music and dance evinced by all sections of the city’s cultured populace, and more particularly, the keen anticipation with which numerous music-lovers have been looking forward to the 1956 Festival, is indeed a measure of the success the efforts of the SAMSAD have met with in its arduous and self-imposed undertakings.
Music-lovers will notice that the programme schedules for the 1956 festival is more rationalized than in previous years. In the first place, the Festival, by far the biggest even held in India, is to last for seventeen days, with all the concerts being held exclusively in the evenings. The Sammelan is to be inaugurated by the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Dr. B. V. Keskar, at a 400 seat auditorium specially erected at the Cross Maidan.
The SAMSAD has had a good record of work to its credit during the year that has just ended. The inauguration of a music-dance-drama club called “ALANKAR” by the Chief Minister, Shri Morarji R. Desai, was an important even of last year. Programmes of music and dance recitals by eminent artistes are held every month to ever-growing audiences. The Alankar began with a modest membership of 150 on its rolls, which in four months has risen to 500. The artistes invited by the “Alankar” for its worthy programmes included such celebrities as Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Vesarbai Pannalal Ghosh, Vilayat Khan, Amir Khan, Rita Chaterji and Roshan Kumari.
It is interesting to recall here that the SUR SINGAR SAMSAD had its origin in the celebration of “Jayantis” or birth anniversaries of noted musicians. The celebrations held on the occasion of Swami Haridas Jayanti on 24th September 1955 signified a unique and spontaneous homage by a distinguished generation of musicians to one of its greatest forbears.
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