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Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is a world-class virtuoso who has few peers in woodwind music today. If the late maestro, Pannalal Ghosh is rightly acclaimed as the pioneer in introducing “gayaki” to the flute, Chaurasia has come to perpetuate and enrich Panna Babu’s trend-setting innovation. So profound indeed, is the influence of vocal music in Chaurasia’s woodwind that it can conjure and spotlight all the subtleties and inflections of the human choice with amazing accuracy.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia has sought to popularize the technique that is associated with the playing of fretted string instruments like the sitar, the sarod and the surbahar: the conventional movements known as “alap”, “jor”, “hala” and “gat”. Here, his unfoldings in “alap”, “jor” and “jhala” correspond to the familiar progressions that go with the “dhrupad” style, while his “gat” depictions are charmingly oriented to the “khayal gayaki”. It all speaks of his inventive genius, to which he has added years of diligence and industry under the guidance of many mentors.

THE MUSIC

SIDE ONE: Raga Jait: Bibhas – Ang. This is a rare evening melody, pentatonic in character. It omits “madhyam” and “nishad” from its “saptaka” and takes “Rishabh” in its “komal” variation. For this reason, the “raga” bears striking resemblance to Bibhas, a popular morning raga.

But the raga Jait takes “pancham” and “shadja” as its “vadi” and “samvadi” swars, respectively. Like Bibhas, Jait has also many varieties, one of which has the same “vadi” and “samvadi” as the “raga” heard here. Therefore, it has been described as Bibhas-Ang.

The artiste opens his exposition with an elaborate alap and jor movement, covering Side 1.

SIDE TWO: Gat Raga Jait: Bibhas-Ang. This is in continuation of the unfolding heard from Side 1. The melody is presented here in “gat”, set to “madhyalaya” in “ektaal” of 12 “matras”.

Gat Raga Basant Mukhari – This is the Hindustani adaptation of the Carnatic raga of the same name. Rendered in the morning in the North Indian tradition, the raga omits “Rishabh” in its “aroha” but takes all the “swaras” in “avaroha”. Rishabh dhaita and nshad are rendered in their “komal” variations. According to some scholars, this raga presents a combination of two other celebrated ragas, Bhairav and Bhairavi.

The ”vadi” and “samvadi swaras” are respectively “madhyam” and “shadja”.

The artiste plays the raga in “gat” set to “madhyalaya” in “roopak taal” of seven “matras”.

Gat Raga Bhairavin – This concluding number, based on Bhairavi, is a composition set to “tritaal” (16 “matras”). It carries a strange, bitter-sweet mood.