Bal Gandharva: On the sands of time (Parts I-VIII) By MOHAN NADKARNI The Economic Times, June 21, 1987 Bal Gandharva: On the sands of time—I He was hailed as “Nat-Samrat”, the King of Thespians. His was a fabulous career that spanned an almost unbroken period of four decades during which he ruled supreme on the Marathi musical stage as much by his striking presence,...
By MOHAN NADKARNI The Economic Times, January 24, 1988 At a time when the gharana system, which once made its most significant contribution to the evolution and development of the khayal style of Hindustani classical music, is fading away, one is also witness to a refreshing trend in the case of at least one gharana, known as the Atrauli-Jaipur gayaki. The validity of this...
By MOHAN NADKARNI The Economic Times, December 13, 1987 As briefly mentioned in the previous column, all the recipients of the 1987 Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for Hindustani vocal and instrumental music are still active on the performing stage. It is therefore about time that a summation of their life and career is briefly made this week. Speaking, age-wise, about the laureates, C. R....
By MOHAN D. NADKARNI The Bombay Sentinel, January 10, 1956 ALTHOUGH the origin and sources of Indian music are not positively known, the tradition of contemporary Hindustani music is traced back to the age of dhrupad, which came into vogue during the reign of Akbar. Haridas Swami, Dagar Tansen, Nayak Gopal and Nayak Baiju were the earliest exponents of this form of musical expression....
The Sur Singar Samsad Festival starting in the city on Friday is about the right time for all of us to know something about the great musicians taking part in it. Here are thumbnail sketches (and other material) by one who knows the music and musicians well. By MOHAN D. NADKARNI The Bombay Sentinel, January 3, 1956 Ustad Allaudin Khan of Maihar Has given us...
By MOHAN NADKARNI The Bombay Sentinel, January 5, 1956 Of all the prevalent forms of classical composition, Khayal has received the special attention of the best musical talent during the last hundred years. Today it is synonymous with the classical style with which our ears are familiar. The credit for its continued popularity in the concert hall and the radio even to this day,...