The Lyrical Genres of Bengali Traditional Music

A Rich Tapestry of Musical Genres.

Feb 16, 2009

Traditional Bengali culture contains a rich tapestry of musical genres. These range from plaintive folk melody to lyrical boatmen songs and the songs of mystics.

Kirtan are Hindu Vaishnav devotional songs which employ an "improvisatory technique known as akhar (textural elaboration on the existing words of a poem), [which] lengthens the original song into a more complex structure" (Saaduddin 1980:114). The thematic material of Kirtan most often relates to the God Krishna and his consort Radha.

Boatmen Songs

The word bhatiali is possibly derived from the Bengali word bhati or bhatti meaning 'downstream' (Choudhury 1985:32) and this genre of music was traditionally sung and played by Bengali boatmen of the Gangetic delta. Saaduddin writes that the music of this genre is "metrically fluid, non-rhythmic. . . in a slow tempo [the] melodies have a plaintive quality including long held notes [tan- here the word is used in a slightly different manner from its from its application in the 'classical' tradition] on a particular syllable (Saaduddin 1980:114)."

The urban interpretation of this "can be heard in a different style, with lively rhythm" (Ibid.:ll4). Salil Choudhury describes the metre of bhatiali as "loose 4/4 common time or dhima kaharva [slow eight beat rhythmic cycle] (Choudhury 1986:32). Sarigan (from the word sari meaning oars) is "sung during boat racing . . . fast triplets or drut dadra [quick tempo six beat rhythmic cycle]" (Ibid.:32).

The word sari also means "a row, a line, a range, a column, a series" (Samsad 1979:1213) and therefore may refer to the row of boats at the start of the race. Bhaowaiya is a secular genre that bears some resemblance to bhatiali.

Mystic Music

Baul gan derives its name from the mystical religious sect (Bauls) of south central Bengal (Flora 1973:552; Saaduddin 1980:114). "Baul songs have a distinct melodic style, with large intervallic skips and lilting rhythms derived from the singer's dancing and the syncopated 6/8 metre" (Saaduddin 1980:112).

In addition to the 6/8 lopha-dadra Charles Capwell has noted the use of the 4/4 karpha (Capwell 1986:118). In the performance of Baul gan the change from metered rhythm to parlando rubato and change of metre (tal pherta) is occasionally found (Ibid.:118). Capwell also notes the use intermittent use of phrasing typical of bhatiyali in baul gan (Ibid.:130).

However, while the music employs tonal material found in the above mentioned rags "traditional Bengali melodies do not follow raga rules (Saaduddin 1980:112-3). Capwell steers clear of the parallels with the rag system preferring to explain Baul music in terms of three tonalities based on the use of either a major, minor or neutral third (Capwell 1986:145).

Jhumur

The jhumur is a regional genre sung and played by the Mahato and Bhumij people of Purulia district. Jhumur contains both metered and unmetered sections. A typical format is to sing the verse a cappella followed by chorus repeats set to madol accompaniment in triplets. The lyrics and music most often express the sentiment of pathos, employing a rising statement that resolves into a descending melismatic phrase.

From the point of view of meter Bengali 'folk' music "is relatively simple and is based on duple or triple. The additive rhythms (e.g., 2+3+2+3; 3+2+2) that are found in Indian classical music . . . are uncommon (Saaduddin 1980:112-3)."

For the most part discussion of the melodic structure of Bengali has been restricted to the discussion of similarities between genres and parallels with the rag system (see Capwell 1986:142-5). Bengali musicologists are mainly of the view that the melodic forms of bhatiyali have been adopted by many other genres.

This has given rise to a widespread use of musical scales that bear some resemblance to those of the 'classical' rags:

Traditional Bengali music is played or accompanied on the following instruments:

In as much as "folk" and "devotional" provide a rich source for music expression, it is not surprising to find that Bengal has produced many world class musicians. Notable figures include Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar, Radhika Mohan Maitra, D.T Joshi and Vilayat Khan.

Chowdhury, S. 1986 The Music of the Ganga in Telegraph Special Anniversary Supplement p32, Calcutta

Saaduddin, A.H. 1980 Bangladesh in New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ed S. Sadie London: MacMillian Press.

(Samsad) 1979 Samsad Bengali English Dictionary compiled by S. Biswas, Calcutta: Shishu Sahiti Samsad.

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