Raag Multani - Part 1 | Aalap, Jod and Taan | Pandit Ram Narayan | Sarangi

The Pandit Ram Narayan Foundation is proud to present a recording of a live performance by Pandit Ram Narayan.

The CD begins with Multani, an early evening raag. Panditji presents a detailed Alaap personifying the concept of a proper swar vistaar. The deeply emotional exploration of Multani portrays a spiritual offering that is evident in this Alaap and Jod that follows. The fast taans that conclude this part of the performance are incredible in accuracy and more importantly, composition of the taan structure that covers the entire musical range of this raag. Technically and musically, the Sarangi has never been in better hands than in the hands of this master.


PANDIT RAM NARAYAN

Ram Narayan's name is synonymous with the sarangi. Some of its practitioners found an easy way out, they simply exchanged their vocal chords and became extremely successful vocalists like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Amir Khan etc.

Unfortunately, in the hierarchy of instruments, it remained at the bottom because of the secondary role it played in a vocal presentation and thus it did not attract new enterprising talent and the players remained a contented lot with no efforts being made to study and improve this art.

Ram Narayan began his professional career in Lahore in 1944 and continued at Delhi and later Bombay, emerging as the most sought after accompanist. Throughout this period, he was learning, researching and experimenting with his instrument. His efforts received encouragement and praise from singers like Pt. Omkarnath Thakur, Pt. Krishnarao Shankar Pandit etc. His command over the technique of playing the sarangi reached a point when he felt his role as an accompanist was too constrictive as he had far too much to offer in music than his role allowed. He then launched a solitary one man effort to enhance the status of the sarangi on the concert platform. As in any pioneering enterprise, the initial response is always disheartening, but his unrelenting dedication and perseverance however, kept his efforts alive.
The technical innovations he instituted have revolutionized its playing, introducing a style that is now universally accepted as a model standard for all sarangi players.

Besides his phenomenal technical ability, Ram Narayan's success is also based on the richness of his musical ideas. By principle, a purist, he has combined a powerful technical ability with a traditional approach to the actual music content, to produce a sound, that is at once appealing to any intellect. It must be pointed out here, that Ram Narayan has received admiration in far greater degree in the West. It is probably for this reason that Ram Narayan's faithful admirers include musicians like Yehudi Menuhin, Pablo Casals and Rostropovich amongst others with whom he has enjoyed long associations. Yehudi Menuhin comments" The sarangi remains not only the authentic and original Indian bowed instrument but the one which most poignantly and in the hands of Ram Narayan revealingly expresses the very soul of Indian feelings and thought. I cannot separate the Sarangi from Ram Narayan so thoroughly fused are they not only in my memory but in fact of this sublime dedication of the great musician to an instrument which is no longer archaic because of the matchless way he has made it speak."