Ustad Vilayat Khan : STYLE OF PLAYING (ANG)

Ustad Vilayat Khan
Excerpts from the book ‘Komal Gandhar’

STYLE OF PLAYING (ANG)
My Sitar demonstrates the fusion of instrumental and vocal music – this is what the whole world is saying – I never needed to say it myself. So, can I explain a little about it?

It is the opinion of some people that my grandfather Imdad Khan Saheb introduced the ‘Gayaki Ang’. No – Imdad Khan Saheb’s style of playing was the ‘Tantra Ang’ – ‘Dhrupad Ang’ on the Surbahar. And there were ‘Gat Todas’ of the ‘Tantra Ang’ which was a part of the Sitar. Then from Inayat Khan came the ‘Sapat Tan’. The playing of ‘Tihais’. This was all the innovation of Inayat Khan Saheb. Then let us take ‘Peshkara’ – of Jantanat Khan Saheb, Tarrale Khan Saheb, Kaale Khan Saheb, Mian Baksh Khan Saheb – then Kallu Hafeez, Bhairon Maharaj – of the Tabla of these great masters. ‘Purbi Baaj’, ‘Farkkabadi Baaj’, ‘Delhi Baaj’. This ‘Peshkara Baaj’ of the Tabla was introduced into Sitar by Inayat Khan Saheb. And the playing of ‘Gat Toda’, ‘Dadaad’ ……. became like a new innovation itself in Sitar. From ‘Dadaa Daa Daa’ to ‘Dadaa-D’, he reduced a half quarter beat.

Imdad Khan Saheb and before him Sahabdad Khan Saheb and later Inayat Khan Saheb have made an immense and indelible contribution to the world of instrumental music. Bengal in particular, will always remember the legacy of Inayat Khan Saheb in all its history. The contributions of Inayat Khan Saheb, the contributions of Badal Khan Saheb, in tabla the contributions of Masit Khan Saheb.

But after the all these geniuses, there is something which I have also given – thank God – and that is to have made the Sitar completely resemble the human voice. This was also possible due to my maternal grandfather and my maternal uncle. My maternal uncle is Zinde Hussain Khan Saheb. He had heard my paternal grandfather in his childhood – he had listened to Inayat khan Saheb all his life, he had heard Wahid Khan Saheb. So, on the one hand, he was knowledgeable about the Sitar and instrumental music and with me, he would make me sing and play. Thus, listening to vocal music unceasingly and also to ‘Khayal’, ‘Asthayi’, ‘Dhrupad’, ‘Dhamar’, a lot of things started blossoming inside me, like flowers. Then by early 1950, I realized that a lot of melodic movements could not be played on the Sitar. So, I eliminated one of the ‘Jodi’ strings, retaining only one. Now, there were six strings left. I played this six-stringed Sitar for a long time – one brass ‘Pancham’ string was used a lot for playing taans and giving emphasis – I removed that as well.  As a result, one of the ‘Jodi’ strings, one ‘Pancham’ string, one ‘Chikari’ string, one small ‘Chikari’ string and one ‘Madhyam’ string – these five strings remained. With these five strings, new developments started evolving over a period of six months – one year. Little by little, slowly, over a period of six months, a year or a little longer, a complete layout was gradually taking shape, within me. By that time, I had already come to Bombay. I had left Delhi, established myself quite a bit professionally. I used to perform quite regularly. But with the training I had received in vocal music and Sitar, I was constantly charting a path for myself, in my mind. And I saw that no player was going beyond a ‘meend’ of three or four notes. (Vocal demonstration) – all this was not being done by anybody. So, by completely changing its structure, I started visualizing the Sitar in an entirely new manner – by 1964 – 65, the appearance of the Sitar had practically changed. The Sitar still looks the same today, appearance-wise. But, my father’s Sitar and my Sitar or in other words, the Sitar of those times as against the Sitar played today are completely different in respect of its measurement, ‘tabli’, ‘tumba’, ‘dand’, ‘meend’, strings, ‘gahni’, ‘jawari’, ‘taal’, bridge, ‘jawari’-filing, stroke – everything has changed. The whole panorama has undergone a change. A historical change has taken place. Hiren Roy and Bhikhiram had a huge role to play in all of this. One was from Delhi – Bhikhiram and the other from Kolkata – Hiren. I say this with deep sorrow that after the demise of Hiren, the quality of Sitars being made is not good. The workmanship of todays’ craftsmen cannot be compared to the Sitar-making ability of Hiren Da – such was the height of excellence that he had achieved in the art of Sitar-making. It is not good at all. Nobody understands that Sitar-making and Sitar-playing are not something that can be accomplished in a single day. You have to pursue it relentlessly. This is a passion of a lifetime; it requires all your love and concentration.

So, when did the ultimate Vilayat Khan Saheb emerge? (Laughing) What answer can I give to this question, you tell me. If you talk of the artist ‘Vilayat’, the heart and the human-being are still evolving even today. And that artist who gave the world a new note and created a new vision of music through a synthesis of attributes like ‘perfect-playing’, ’complete performer’, ‘style of playing an instrument’, temperament and beauty – that ‘Vilayat Khan’ emerged in the early sixties. You can say 1960 itself.

You may have perhaps heard my 1962 L.P. of Tilak-Kamod. I had been recording for quite some time before that. If you were to listen to those earlier recordings and the post-1962 records, you will yourself understand that as compared to the earlier times, the Sitar has undergone a huge transformation resulting in a complete newness. My recordings from 1936 to the sixties demonstrate what all has transpired in the life of the Sitar. What can I say – everyone is mesmerized by the sound of the Sitar.

VOCAL MUSIC (GANA)
You just mentioned that listening to my L.P. of 1962 was like listening to a song being sung. This in fact is the effort of a long time – this aspect came into my playing after a lot of experiment. This change went on coming over long, long years – change resulting in development, which was more polished and later on, was further improvised upon – just because behind this, there is a great reason. Because whatever it is you do in your life – be it business, a job or service to the arts – you mold yourself into it and keep going deeper. The deeper you delve into it, glimpses of your life flicker in it, your life gets transformed, your work undergoes a metamorphosis, and this is identified as ‘development’ by people. An artist lives his life thus – transforming and developing and becoming great. Every turning in life is a trial. A very big examination. It is completely unlike clearing a B.A. or an M.A. examination where you close your books once you have passed. It is not something like having cleared the examination, it’s all done, and you now take up a job. No. Pursuing music is a daily examination. You clear one, there is another, then another…. this goes on and on.

The episode relating to the ‘Jugalbandi’ at Kala Mandir in early 1969? With Ali Akbar Khan Saheb? That kind of playing will never happen again. What a great person Ali Akbar Khan Saheb is! Will there ever be another like him?  And then I also think that there are so many great personalities from whom we maintain a distance for various reasons – we have locked them away in a box – banished them from our hearts – I think of all this and moan with pain.  That the one and only Ali Akbar was born in the midst of Sarod is the kind benevolence of Allah. And then you have Bismillah Khan. The world is so different and beautiful because of them.

The stringed instrument came so near to the human voice – behind this, there was this huge effort of Ali Akbar Khan and me – does the world not understand this? All this is on the lips of everyone today, isn’t it? But it is a matter to understand – that if our pots itself are empty, what can be taken in the spoon? ‘Khayal’, ‘Asthayi’ – It is very necessary to be trained in vocal music. It is very essential for even an instrumentalist to be trained in vocal music. Or else, despite his best efforts, his incorporation of the vocal style will definitely throw up small glimpses of disharmony. In fact, you have to sing to be able to play. Merely copying does not produce the desired result.

(Translation by Vandana Shahani)