The melodies within

Kirana gharana exponent, Dr Prabha Atre’s recently released book, Enlightening the Listener, is detailed yet accessible, says Yogesh Pawar

May a note (sur) emerge of beauty so divine that the horizon opens to reveal what lies behind. May a phrase (aalaap) take shape with an effect so bright
that everything is gloriously bathed in its magical light. May a cascade of notes (taan) spurt out with no restrain and quench my thirst like the blissful rain.
May one get an audience (shrota) attuned to harmony and unison making non-duality an experience realised in intense communion. May the concert (mehfil) become an ecstasy subliminally divine rendered immensely sacred like the sanctum sanctorum of a shrine.
— From Enlightening the Listener by Dr Prabha Atre

THE approach of Indian classical music is known to be spiritual but rarely has its serenity been captured so beautifully. But then, wowing audiences with her deeply researched thought-provoking music has been the hallmark of Kirana gharana exponent, Dr Prabha Atre, whose book Enlightening the Listener was released recently. Next week, this Padmashri (1991) and Sangeet Natak Akademi award (1992) recipient will also be honoured with the Acharya Pt Ramnarayan Award and the S L Gadre Matoshri Kalakar Puruskar for her contribution to music.

Thinker, performer, academician, composer and teacher, Dr Atre has always worn her many hats with ease. Whether it was the sweeping changes she brought at the All India Radio when she was producer, or the meticulous research orientation as professor and Head of the Music Department at SNDT, Atre has always shown a rare blend of insight and skill. This sets her apart from other vocalists in classical and semi-classical genres. It is, therefore, not surprising to see the attention to detail in the book. “Since I come from a strong academic background I have always looked at music with open eyes of a researcher, questioning it at every juncture, instead of blindly accepting what is handed down,” she explains.

The book examines various aspects of a Hindustani classical music performance, with a liberal and holistic approach. “Classical music tends to be seen as inaccessible and tough. The book tries to make things easier for the lay listener, with zero orientation to theory,” explains Atre, adding: “I have attempted to seek new meaning appropriate to what has been handed down as tradition in the context of the changing times.” The artistic unfolding of the creative process of music-making, in the 15 chapters of the book (which can even be read as independent articles), guides the reader gently towards better appreciation. And to make matters easy, an illustrative audio cassette comes as an accompaniment to elucidate practical points being made in the book.

“Most literature on music has dealt with theory and has been written by theoreticians, which gives this an exclusive flavour. I bore this in mind at every stage of Enlightening... and remedied it,” she explains, smiling. “Maybe being a practising musician came in handy.” Atre has already authored four books in Marathi, three of which — Swaramayi, Swarali and Swarangini — are on music (the former received the State Government Award for Best Publication in 1989). The fourth, Anthaswar, is a compilation of poetry by her.

Though she does not hail from a family of musicians, Atre has a very strong base in the classical genre, due to the many years she spent as student of the late Sureshbabu Mane and Padmabhushan Hirabai Badodekar. “It is from both my gurus that I learnt to draw inspiration from the styles of Amir Khan and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan saheb,” she points out. This could very well be the reason why one notices the tonal beauty and emotionally changed notes and the ample use of kan swaras and long smooth glide of alaaps in her singing.

The emphasis on sargams (on which she has done her Doctorate) in her singing gives it distinctive style and flavour. Her four-cassette album (BMG-Crescendo), which hit the music stores last week, is amply illustrative of these qualities. She has sung Madhukauns, Maalkauns, Chandrakauns and Bageshree ragas in the four cassettes, respectively, each of which has a semi classical number (thumri/daadra) following the raga.

A must-buy.

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