THIS IS A RARE AND USED ITEM. IT IS NOT MANUFACTURED
ANYMORE. NO RETURNS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Pannalal Ghosh was only 48 at the time of his death in 1960.
But even in such a short span of life he earned for himself a unique place in
the annals of Indian music by his versatile genius – as one who not only
pioneered the introduction of gayaki to woodwind but enlarged the scope of his
instrument to wider panoramas of musical form and design. The Indian flute,
hallowed for ages by its association with Lord Krishna, underwent a phenomenal
transformation from a tiny, shrill-sounding cylinder into a giant, deep-toned
classical instrument when Panna Babu chose it as his vehicle of expression.

 But behind his phenomenon lay years of relentless
experimentation and unending research a wide variety of material – from plastic
and aluminum to brass and bamboo-came his way, one after another, in equally
varying shapes and sizes, till Panna Babu decided on the last. He then added a
seventh playing hole to the usual six to evolve the flute he had long
visualized. Having this tailored the medium to his requirements, he developed
and perfected a style of playing that marked a radical departure from the centuries-old
style of flute music.

 Pannalal was born at Barisal (now in Bangladesh) in
1911. Although he inherited his passion for music from his father, Akshay Kumar
Ghosh, Panna Babu was virtually a self-taught musician. Strange but true, he
had not found his real guru (Ustad Allauddin Khan) till he was 36. But he had
his mark as a gifted flutist while yet in his early twenties, when New
Theatres, the well-known film studio in Calcutta spotted his talent and
employed him on its orchestral staff for background music in 1934. It was here
that he received guidance from Rai Chand Boral, the famed composer and music
director, and Khushi Mohammad, the noted harmonist. In between he benefited
greatly by his association with Girija Shankar Chakravarti, the eminent
musician and musicologist.

 It was, however, Ustad Allauddin Khan, the centenarian
maestro, who wielded the strongest influence on the development of Panna Babu’s
music. Perfectionism is the keynote of the Ustad’s teaching. He infused that
virtue in his disciple even while he encouraged him to develop his individually
in expression; which is why Panna Babu’s style presents such a rare mélange of
technique and temperament, of authenticity and appeal, which constitute the
hallmark of the Ustad’s beenkar tradition.

Indeed, there was nothing musical that Panna Babu’s flute
did not create. So perfect was its adaption to tonal articulation that it could
afford the illimitable nuances of the human voice with a naturalness all its
own.

 And Panna Babu was an interpreter par excellence with
an intuitive savoir faire for the spirit of his theme. If his fingers had he
mellowness to create the solemn, reposeful sequences of a slow-paced Darbari,
they had also the sensitivity to convey the touching tones of a yearning Piloo
or the gossamer lyricism of sensuous Bhairavi. There was also a mystical
element in his melody, which in turn generated a mood of spiritual awareness in
the listener. Passage after passage Panna Babu played came to us as the
utterance of a deeply moved human soul and here lay the greatness of his art.
Equally enduring was his contribution to the enrichment of the raga repertory
of North Indian music. His new creations like Deepavali, Jayant, Chandramouli
and Noopur-Dhwani, as also his Hundustani versions in Carnatic ragas, reveal
structural authentic and abiding appeal. The thematic compositions like Kalinga
Vijaya, Ritu Raj and several others (which he offered us as Conductor of AIR’s
Vadya-Vrinda (from 1956 till is death) were distinctive for his personal
approach to tradition which was sound without being rigid, genuine without
being dogmatic. So was the music he scored for films like Anjan, Basant and
Biswee Sadi during his brief excursion in the world of cinema.

Although Panna Babu’s music was silenced forever by the
cruel hands of death some years ago, his art is not lost to the coming
generations: for this ear of tapes and Long Play discs has captured and
treasured many of the sublime moments which the maestro always strove to
create. The echoes of his magic flute are heard in al their haunting charm in
this peerless disc. Listen and relive the bitter-sweet memories of bygone
years.

THE MUSIC

 SIDE ONE

 Raga Piloo: This raga is usually associated
with the third quarter of the day but is also rendered during night. It is
essentially romantic in character but it can lend itself to a variety of moods
and motions. The raga has a complete scale (sampurna) with the third (ga) as
the sonant (vadi) note and the seventh (ni) as the consonant (samvadi) note.
The use of sharp (teevra) notes in the ascent (aroha) adds greatly to the
appeal of the melodic theme.

 Raga Bhairavi: This is a morning raga with a complete
scale (sampurna). But convention has it that it can be heard and rendered as a
concluding piece in a classical recital at any hour of day and night. The
melody takes the fourth (ma) as its sonant (vadi) note and the first (sa) as
its consonant (samvadi) note. It affords ample scope for the portrayal of any
feeling or mood.

SIDE TWO

Raga Darbari: This is probably the most celebrated midnight
raga in North Indian music. The innovation of this melody is credited to Miyan
Tansen, the legendary court-musician of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Profound in
its emotive content, Darbari is a melody with a dignity and grandeur all its
own. It omits the sixth (dha) note from its ascent (aroha) and takes the second
(re) and fifth (pa) as its sonant (vadi) and consonant (samvadi) notes,
respectively. The third (ga), fourth (ma), sixth (dha) and seventh (ni) notes
are flat.

Artists:

Pannalal Ghosh (Flute)

Tracks:

SIDE ONE: 

Raga Piloo

Raga Bhairavi               
 Thumri

SIDE TWO:

Raga Shree

Raga Darbari