The Raga Guide
A Survey of 74 Hindustani Ragas
Hariprasad Chaurasia / Buddhadev Das Gupta / Shruti Sadolikar Katkar / Vidyadhar Vyas
Nimbus Records 5536/9 (4 CDs w/ 184 p. book)

Contents:

  1. Raga Abhogi (early night) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 3'03)
  2. Raga Adana (late night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 3'35)
  3. Raga Ahir Bhairav (daybreak) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'36)
  4. Raga Alhaiya Bilaval (late morning) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Which way has he gone" - tintal; 4'09)
  5. Raga Asaveri (late morning) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 5'52)
  6. Raga Bageshri (midnight) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 5'59)
  7. Raga Bahar (midnight; any time Spring season) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'38)
  8. Raga Basant (any time Spring season) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 5'09)
  9. Raga Bhairav (daybreak) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 4'17)
  10. Raga Bhairavi (morning; any time) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 3'52)
  11. Raga Bhatiyar (early morning) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("My lover has not come to my place" - tintal; 4'11)
  12. Raga Bhimpalasi (early afternoon) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Seeing your fair face pleases my heart" - tintal 3'41)
  13. Raga Bhupal Todi (morning) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (jhaptal; 3'40)
  14. Raga Bhupali (early night) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (ektal; 3'35)
  15. Raga Bibhas (daybreak) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("Krishna, let go of my arms" - ektal; 4'33)
  16. Raga Bihag (late night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'13)
  17. Raga Bilaskhani Todi (morning) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 4'15)
  18. Raga Brindabani Sarang (early afternoon) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (dhamar & tintal; 5'27)
  1. Raga Chandrakauns (late night) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("Please let me sleep" - tintal; 4'34)
  2. Raga Chayanat (early night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 3'39)
  3. Raga Darbari Kanada (midnight) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 6'16)
  4. Raga Desh (late night) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 4'40)
  5. Raga Deshi (late morning) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Go, crow, go" - tintal; 3'43)
  6. Raga Dhani (any time) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("My lover is with me" - tintal; 3'34)
  7. Raga Durga (late night) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Come, clever beautiful one" - tintal; 4'03)
  8. Raga Gaud Malhar (any time Rainy season) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'32)
  9. Raga Gaud Sarang (early afternoon) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("My lover is nowhere to be seen" - tintal; 3'41)
  10. Raga Gorakh Kalyan (early night) - Vidyadhar Vyas (tarana - tintal; 4'50)
  11. Raga Gujari Todi (late morning) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Oh beautiful bride" - tintal; 3'49)
  12. Raga Gunakri (daybreak) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("The damaru resounds in Hara's hand" - rupak tal; 4'19)
  13. Raga Hamir (early night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 3'36)
  14. Raga Hansadhvani (early night) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("Lover, don't go to my rival's house" - tintal; 4'54)
  15. Raga Hindol (after midnight or early morning) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("Oh dark one, stop playing holi with me" - dhamar tal; 4'44)
  16. Raga Jaijaivanti (late night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 5'06)
  17. Raga Jaunpuri (late morning) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'55)
  18. Raga Jhinjhoti (any time; late night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'39)
  1. Raga Jog (late night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'48)
  2. Raga Jogiya (daybreak) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 4'00)
  3. Raga Kafi (any time; midnight) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (addha tintal; 4'31)
  4. Raga Kamod (early night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 3'22)
  5. Raga Kedar (early night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 3'48)
  6. Raga Khamaj (late night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'05)
  7. Raga Kirvani (night) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 3'36)
  8. Raga Lalit (before sunrise) - Haripradad Chaurasia (ektal; 2'57)
  9. Raga Madhuvanti (late evening) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Kanha plays with colours" - tintal; 3'49)
  10. Raga Malkauns (late night) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 2'40)
  11. Raga Manj Khamaj (late night) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 2'52)
  12. Raga Maru Bihag (early night) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Without my lover the night is very long" - addha tintal; 3'53)
  13. Raga Marva (sunset) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("Come on, get out of the way, Murari" - ektal; 4'28)
  14. Raga Megh (any time Rainy season) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("The dense black clouds are thundering" - jhaptal; 4'49)
  15. Raga Miyan Ki Malhar (any time Rainy season; midnight) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("Lightning flashes, rain falls in the thunderstorm" - tintal; 4'36)
  16. Raga Miyan Ki Todi (late morning) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("Mischievous one, don't throw pebbles" - tintal; 4'22)
  17. Raga Multani (afternoon) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("What kind of image has appeared before my eyes?" - ektal; 3'48)
  18. Raga Nayaki Kanada (midnight) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("All the female friends have come to the woods" - tintal; 3'39)
  19. Raga Patdip (afternoon) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("I won't go back with you" - tintal; 3'36)
  20. Raga Pilu (any time) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (addha tintal; 5'51)
  1. Raga Puriya (sunset) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("Your eyes are full of sleep" - tintal; 4'32)
  2. Raga Puriya Dhanashri (sunset) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 4'16)
  3. Raga Puriya Kalyan (evening) - Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal; 4'03)
  4. Raga Purvi (sunset) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("A crow caw on my balcony" - tintal; 4'34)
  5. Raga Rageshri (late night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 5'06)
  6. Raga Ramkali (daybreak) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("I am entirely devoted to you, my Lord" - tintal; 3'52)
  7. Raga Shahana (late night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 3'54)
  8. Raga Shankara (late night) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("The dark one pleases me" - tintal; 4'31)
  9. Raga Shri (early evening in Winter season) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("Listen, I haven't wanted to go out or meet anybody" - tintal; 4'29)
  10. Raga Shuddh Kalyan (early night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 5'04)
  11. Raga Shuddh Sarang (early afternoon) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("While I was swinging on the swing" - tintal; 3'41)
  12. Raga Shyam Kalyan (early night) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 3'49)
  13. Raga Sindhura (any time) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'32)
  14. Raga Sohini (before sunrise) - Vidyadhar Vyas ("The dark one is grazing the cows" - tintal; 4'32)
  15. Raga Sur Malhar (any time Rainy season) - Buddhadev Das Gupta (tintal; 4'47)
  16. Raga Tilak Kamod (late night) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Mohan shines in my heart" - ektal; 4'06)
  17. Raga Tilang (late night) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Kanha the flute player, dear son of Nand" - tintal; 3'48)
  18. Raga Yaman (early night) - Shruti Sadolikar Katkar ("Hey friend, without my lover" - tintal; 3'39)

Performers and credits: Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), Buddhadev Das Gupta (sarod), Shruti Sadolikar Katkar (female vocal), Vidyadhar Vyas (male vocal); Sandip Bhattacharya (tabla accompaniment for Vidyadhar Vyas), Devendra Kanti Chakrabarty (tabla accompaniment for Buddhadev Das Gupta), Ted de Jong (tabla accompaniment for Hariprasad Chaurasia on tracks CD1#5, CD3#2, CD3#3), Madhukar Kothare (tabla accompaniment for Shruti Sadolikar Katkar), Shib Shankar Ray (tabla accompaniment for Hariprasad Chaurasia on other tracks), Anant Krishnaji Kunte (sarangi accompaniment for Shruti Sadolikar Katkar); Joep Bor (editor), Suvarnalata Rao (book author), Wim van der Meer (book author), Jane Harvey (book author), Henri Tournier (music transcriptions), Lalita du Perron (song translations), Robin Broadbank (recording producer)

Playing time: 315'

Recording dates: 1991, 1992, 1994 (England); 1995, 1996 (Netherlands)

Dedicated to Dilip Chandra Vedi (1901-1992). Produced in association with the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music.

Ragas begin with unmeasured alap section, and then proceed to a rhythmic section whose tala is given parenthetically for each track. Song lyrics are indicated in English for convenience, as the set gives only English and Devangari (rather than Romanized original). Traditional time of day associations are also given parenthetically, with alternate associations after semicolons.

Each raga is accompanied by historical discussion, definition, musical transcription of the performance, and miniature painting depiciting its mood.

To purchasing information for this disc.

To Indian classical introduction.

T. M. McComb