Zia Fariduddin Dagar ~ Le Chant Dhrupad [Espérance, 1985]

Inde Vol. 15 [ESP 8413]

A. Raga Bhimpalasi - Alap, Jor [I]
B. Raga Bhimpalasi - Jor [II], Jhala, Bandish [Chautal]

'Zia Fariduddin Dagar is an Indian classical vocalist in the Dhrupad tradition, the oldest existing form of north Indian classical music & part of the Dagar dynasty of musicians. He was born in Udaipur, Rajasthan in India on 15 June 1932, where his father, the great Ustad Ziauddin Khansahib was the court musician of Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur. He was taught dhrupad vocal & vina by his father. After his father’s demise, he continued learning under his elder brother, Late Ustad Z M Dagar, the foremost rudra vina player of 20th century. He taught at the Dhrupad Kendra, Bhopal, along with his elder brother, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar for 25 years.

Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar represents the 19th generation of the musical tradition of the Dagar family that is believed to have preserved and nurtured Dhrupad for 20 generations. He has done much for popularizing dhrupad music by his numerous concerts and workshops & performed widely in India and abroad, receiving the Tansen Samman from the Madhya Pradesh government & for Hindustani Music-Vocal, the 1994 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. In 2005, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the North American Dhrupad Association.

He has a remarkable command over microtones [swara-bheda] and various gamakas, and is noted for his gradual development of alap through vilambit, madhya and drut laya (slow, medium and fast tempo). He is probably the only person alive to be able to demonstrate all the five geetis mentioned in the Sangita Ratnakara namely, Shuddha, Bhinna, Gaudi, Sadharani(which is dagarwani of today) & Vegasura(which is popular in south India). He is the most influential dhrupad vocalist in India after the senior Dagar Brothers [Ustads N. Moinuddin & N. Aminuddin Dagar]

Nowadays, he stays & teaches at the Dhrupad Gurukul near Panvel, which was built by his elder brother Ustad Z. M. Dagar. He continues to perform widely in India and abroad. His students include the acclaimed Ritwik Sanyal, Pt.Pushparaj Koshti, Pt.Nirmalya Dey, Gundecha Brothers, Pt.Uday Bhawalkar & his nephew Baha'ud'din Mohiuddin Dagar.' ~ wiki

totally noodle-baking rendition of rag bhimpalasi from this stalwart of dhrupad on the superb Disques Espérance imprint out of France. i can't comprehend why so many folks' interest in hindustani vocal musique begins & ends with Pandit Pran Nath, when the rabbit-hole goes sooo much deeper. if you suffer similarly from this myopia, i highly recommend you try the links in the text of this post & this one too. the fidelity is fantastique. highest imaginable recomendation. 320 heartfelt धन्यवाद to dmatlb ji

N. Moinuddin & N. Aminuddin Dagar डागर बन्धु ~ A Musical Anthology Of The Orient, volume 18: India III. Dhrupad [Bärenreiter Musicaphon,1965]

A1. Asawari: Alaap & Dhrupad composition 'Ana Sunai' [24.19]

B1. Bhairavi: Alaap & Dhrupad composition 'Jagata Janani' [21.19]

• B2. Pakhawaj solo: Dhamar Taal (4.48)

Moinuddin & Aminuddin Dagar - vocals
Raja Chhatrapati Singh - pakhawaj
Suraiya Dagar - tanpura

'The 1940s saw the meteoric rise of Nasir Moinuddin & Nasir Aminuddin as the Senior Dagar Brothers—two of the brightest stars in the Dhrupad firmament. Within themselves they not only transformed the centuries olde art of Dhrupad singing but also breathed new life into the form of duet or 'jugalbandi' singing. Previously jugalbandi in the field of classical music had degenerated into a competition between the two singers where each tried to outdo the other in exhibitionism. Moinuddin and Aminuddin on the other hand brought back the concept of a harmonious synchronization between the two singers. In a typical performance by the Senior Dagar Brothers, the honey rich voice of Aminuddin will draw the audience into a deep meditative mood by gradually descending the notes of the lower octaves and Moinuddin would dazzle the listeners with his alankars or ornamentations in the upper octave. After having established Dhrupad in a pedestal of glory in India, they were invited to perform abroad. The two brothers visited Russia and Japan mezmerising the audience of both East and West with their divine music. Their music proved to be so charming that Alain Danielou the renowned musicologist and the then director of UNESCO invited them to tour Europe and perform under the UNESCO banner in Berlin Venice and Paris. In 1964 the European audience listened enthralled to their singing and newspaper after news paper declared the glory of Dhrupad and of the Senior Dagar Brothers. A review of their performance published in Le Monde of Paris dated 17 November 1964 perhaps best expresses the mood of the western audience: '...we will remain under the deep impression of an art of such greatness and intensity that... we feel touched and moved to the deepest of our being.' Ustad Nasir Moinuddin Dagar died soon after this concert in 1966. Aminuddin who had regarded his brother as his greatest guru and his father substitute was left completely devastated but he continued his journey as a solo performer.' ~ wiki

'This is the famous disque that it is said to have played a great role in the propagation of dhrupad in the western world. It was probably one of the first [if not the first] exposure of the style to the european continent and the impact was immense. Danielou took both the Dagars on a tour, with great success, be it even among a handful of people, and this proved to be the start of a great journey of this dignified and noble style in the realm of Europe. Alain Danielou was the general editor of the collection [commissioned by UNESCO] and for the indian volumes [4 in all] he also recorded the performances and assembled the programmes.' ~ hrempe

done waited many moons for this transcendental treasure to appear & it finally landed on our digital doorstep by virtue of the benevolent dmatlb earlier this eve. tanx kindly for the crucial vinyl rip, friend. the sounds are intoxicating. 320 blessings be upon ye. dig deeper

Zia Mohuiddin Dagar ~ Gangeyabushan LP [Alvarès, 1968]

Dhrupad on Rudra-Vina
Alvarès/La Boîte à Musique
LD114
France
1968

* it should be noted that initially this lp was mistakenly issued as 'Mangeyabushan' *

Raga Gangeyabushan in three movements

A1. Alap
B1. Jhod - Jhala

Recording by Benet Berger
Bombay, January 1968

'Zia Mohiuddin Dagar [1929 – 1990], popularly known as Z. M. Dagar, was a North Indian [Hindustani] classical musician, one of the 19th generation of Dagar family dhrupad musicians. He was largely responsible for the revival of the rudra vina as a solo concert instrument.

Z. M. Dagar was born in the town of Udaipur, Rajasthan and began musical study with his father, Ustad Ziauddin Khan Dagar, court musician for the Maharaj of Udaipur. He was trained both in vocals and in the rudra vina, an instrument used by vocalists to practice melodies. The vina was traditionally not played in public, but the young Zia Mohiuddin adopted it as his primary instrument, giving his first recital at age 16.

Although he was discouraged by his father from experimenting with the structure of the vina, he nevertheless modified the instrument after his father's death to better equip it for solo performance, transforming it into a larger bass instrument [sometimes called a Dagar vina]: With the help of the instrument house Kanailal & Brother, he enlarged the tumbas [gourds) and dhandhi [hollow neck] to create greater resonance and to allow the notes to sustain longer and so better reproduce the techniques used in dhrupad singing. Because of these modifications, the instrument was too heavy to be held in the standard Northern posture [with one tumba on the left shoulder], so he played instead in the Southern posture, with one tumba on the ground and one on the left knee.' ~ wiki



'Dhrupad is the oldest surviving form of Indian Classical music and traces its origin to the chanting of vedic hymns and mantras. Though a highly developed classical art with a complex and elaborate grammar and aesthetics, it is also primarily a form of worship, in which offerings are made to the divine through sound or nāda. Dhrupad can be seen at different levels as a meditation, a mantric recitation, a worship , a yoga or tantra based on the knowledge of the nādis and chakras and also purely as a performing art portraying a universe of human emotions. It is mainly a vocal tradition based on the practice of nāda yoga, but is also performed on instruments like the Rudra Veena and the Sursringār. For the past five centuries Dhrupad has mainly thrived under the patronage of Mughal and Rajput kings but is rarely heard today.'

gorgeous recital from master & maverick of dhrupad, Ustad Zia Mohuiddin Dagar. recorded by Benet Berger in Mumbai [Bombay], January of 1968 & released on the french Alvarès imprint the same year. the way he bends the low notes is totally noodle-baking & transportational. old school vinyl rip at 256. heady!