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A significant feature of India’s post-freedom renaissance is the revival and socialization of her classical arts, more especially music. So encouraging has been its assimilation in India’s socio-cultural milleu that many educated youngsters, whose academic attainments would have brought them success in any field of human endeavor, have taken to music as a serious life-work rather than as a mere side activity.

Shimkumar Sharma, whose classical melodies on the santoor are heard in the disc is one such enterprising youngster. Now in his early thirties, Sharma comes from Kashmir. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and master’s degree in Economics. But he was born and brough up in a highly musical environment – nay, music has coursed through his veins. Even as a child, Shivkumar sang freely and musically and also toyed with any instrument that came his way. His father, Pandit Umadutt Sharma, who is a noted exponent of the classical tradition of Benares, saw in his precocious son the makings of a future veteran and encouraged him in musical pursuits side by side with his academic studies.

The Table was Shivkumar’s first love and under his father’s guidance he soon acquired a winsome command over the instrument. But then the santoor also caught his imagination before long. This was indeed an intriguing choice for the santoor is essentially a folk instrument and widely used as an accompaniment to singing in the Kashmir valley. Besides, the instrument with all its 100 strings has a limited tonal scope – rather too limited to serve the needs of classical articulation. Resourceful Shivkumar, however, hit upon a novel idea: he added another 16 strings to his instrument and secured for it a truly wider range of expressiveness. Thanks to this innovation, the santoor has now come to make the grade as a solo instrument on the concert platform.

The santoor, unlike other string instruments, is played with a pair of soft wooden hammers whose gentle strokes on the strings afford a variety of delicate but lively tonal effects reminiscent of the piano or the harp. The technique of playing is distinct and difficult, too and only a consummate artiste like Shivkumar can make the santoor as effective, as expressive an instrument as any other medium in the field. This disc reveals the tonal capabilities of the santoor at their very best.

SIDE ONE

Raga MALKAUNS: This is one of the most popular midnight ragas in North Indian music. Pentatonic in structure, it omits the second and fifth notes in its exposition. The third, fourth, sixth and seventh notes are flat. The fourth and the first are its dominant and sub-dominant notes respectively.

The artist starts his composition with a leisurely alap and jod accompanied by rhythm. Then comes the rhythmic movement in medium and fast tempi, set to a rhythm of 16 beats called teen taal (grouped as 4+4+4+4).

SIDE TWO

Raga: HANSADHWANI

This is also pentatonic raga with the first and the firth as its dominant and sub-dominant notes respectively. The fourth and sixth notes are omitted from the scale. Rendered in the second quarter of the night, this raga of South Indian origin is very popular in North India because of its colourful romantic mood.

The raga is played in an elegant composition set to teen taal, a rhythmic cycle of 16 beats (grouped as 4+4+4+4).

Raga: MISHRA KHAMAJ: This is a vivacious presentation based on Raga Khamaj. The patterns are tantalizing and utterly free from the rigid rules of raga structure. The theme is played to rupak taal, consisting of 7 beats (divided as 3-2-2).

Artists: 

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (Santoor), Manikrao Popatkar (Tabla)

Tracks:

Side 1

Raga Malkauns

Side 2

Raga Hansadhwani

Mishra Khamaj              Rupak Taal