Sitar Orchestra - Raag Hansadhwani

Sitar Orchestra - Raag Hansadhwani
Ek Taal (12 beats) and Teen Taal (16 beats)

JollyGul.com is pleased to present a sitar orchestral performance of Raag Hamsadhwani. Although the sitar is often performed solo, it can also be performed as a duet or in an orchestra. An orchestral performance in Raag Hamsadhwani is presented here by composer Mahesh Pathmakuma along with his disciples.

This presentation is part of JollyGul Indian Classical Music & Dance Series to enhance the awareness and understanding of this tradition in our community and in our audience.

The sitar is a plucked stringed instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent and is a leading music instrument in North Indian classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau Khan, an 18th century figure of Mughal India has been identified by modern scholars as the originator of the sitar. According to most historians he developed sitar from setar, an Iranian instrument of Abbasid or Safavid origin. Some Indians, however, claim that he developed it from Tri-tantri veena. The history of the sitar is disputed, with Western scholars favoring West Asian origins, and Indian scholars favoring local Indian origins.

The sitar became popularly known in the wider world through the works of Ravi Shankar, beginning in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Raag Hansadhwani ("the melody of the swan”) is a soothing night raga which came from the Carnatic or South Indian system of music. Its flow is that of a simple pentatonic raga (Notes - Sa, Re, Ga, Pa, Ni). A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave. Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancient civilizations and are still used in various musical styles to this day.

Mahesh Pathmakumara's first sitar teacher was Dr. Nirmala Kumari, who studied sitar under Ustad Ilyas Khan and Professor Gangarade from Lucknow and Varanasi. Mahesh then trained extensively in the sitar under Pandit Birendra Nath Mishra in Varanasi.

Mahesh attended workshops conducted by Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan and learned more about the sitar with great dedication. Mahesh Pathmakumara recently completed his PhD from Banaras Hindu University - we take this opportunity to heartily congratulate him for this wonderful achievement.

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Sitar Orchestra
Raag Hansadhwani
Ek Taal (12 beats) and Teen Taal (16 beats)

JollyGul Indian Classical Music & Dance Series

Composition: Mahesh Pathmakumara

Sitar:
Mahesh Pathmakumara
Akila Hansamal
Prabhath Harshana
Dulanjana Shashimal
Akila Bandaranayaka
Movindu Kalpana

Tabla: Peshala Manoj

Audio Recording:
Studio M-tune and Jithendra Vidyapathy @Studio JITH

Recording Assistants:
Sumedha Prasad, Akila Bandaranayake

Audio Production, Mixing & Mastering:
Mahesh Pathmakumara @Studio M-tune

Video Production: Motion Diary

DOP and Color: Pasindu Kaushalya

Production Manager: Madhushanka Yomal

Cinematographers:
Dilshan Sajun & Sachintha Prabhath

Location:
Kandy Samadhi Centre (Yoga), Sri Lanka

Producer: Mahesh Pathmakumara

Publisher: JollyGul.com