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