Thanks Vortex, for the information on the CD.
On the point of inventing ragas, I am convinced that ragas are more discovered than invented. You could almost say that just like the fundamental physical laws of nature, the basically pleasing combinations of notes are a property of mother nature. One just discovers it when one digs deep. Would you say somebody one fine morning invented a folk tune? No, they are products of nature. Our ragas are more sophisticated, cultured and refined versions of them, in a way, and conveys more than one emotions ('Rasa') and that's how usually richer than folk music.
When one masters many many of these ragas (a couple of hundred, perhaps), only then one can dig deeper to the level that one discovers new structures that have been hitherto unknown to one. Even Miyan Tansen has discovered perhaps not more than a handful of ragas only: Shudh Todi (also known as Miyan Ki Todi), Miyan Ki Malhar and Darbari Kanhra come immediately to mind; Baba Allauddin Khan discovered the evening raga Hem-Bihag and a few others, Pandit Ravishankar discovered his Eshwaree group (Parameshwari, Jogeshwari, Kameshwari) etc and Ustad Ali Akbar a few like Chndranandan, Medhavi etc., to name a few of their discoveries.
While it shows the urge of a creative mind, the more important thing perhaps is to be able to understand the nature of a raga to the extent that its exposition takes place in a flawless yet completely spontaneous manner. Ragas are like people, one should not have any confusion in recognizing and distingushing one from the other. The listener does not have to ponder over the matter whether it's raga Puriya or the raga Marwa that is being performed on the stage. It's basically like being able to distinguish between two popular film music tunes.
All the greats have that quality. Just day before yesterday I had Ali Akbar playing raga Bageshree Kanhra on the cassette. Within the first few strokes I knew it was not the current form of Bageshree, neither it was Sahana (a close rag, in the Kanhra group), it was undoubtedly Bageshree Kanhra. However, the music was flowing naturally, without any apparent structure, but deep inside there is a structure, we know. It's just like the Sun rising in the East and finally setting in the West. Do we think of a law of Physics, giving the planetary positions precisely? No, we call it a natural phenomenon.
This (raga exposition) is really what distinguishes ordinary and good artistes from greats. Just a personal opinion. Just that I have spent a lifetime learning and worrying about these things, it gives me some satisfaction to share my thoughts with you, if anybody cares at all.
Ali Akbar was truely great, easily recognizable even among the greats.
