Raag Saugandh, Murad Ali Khan

In this solo presentation, Murad Ali Khan pierces the soul with the dense, rich tonal quality of his sarangi He performs Saugandh, a rare raga which has close resemblance with the afternoon melody, Madhuvanti.

Along with a rare repertoire of ragas and compositions, it is Khan’s soul-piercing sound and dense tonal quality that make his music so special to sarangi fans all over the world. He received diligent training under his reclusive grandfather Ustad Siddiqui Ahmad Khan (born 1914) in the gayaki-ang – a lyrical method patterned after the human voice to present khayal. He plays a deeply expressive, leisurely style that demonstrates long, breathy flow of tonal sentences, rotund oscillating notes activated by a unique brand of energy and soul.

Kousic Sen gives a spirited accompaniment to the recital, precipitating the energetic parts with rumbling solos and underpinning the subdued moments with poised companionship.

He plays a short, lusty alap (rhythmless introduction) followed by a composition in fast tempo set to Teental. He expands and improvises the raga, structuring patient, unhurried phrases. The tonal sentences brimming with notes in the faster movements slow down with surprising modulations, transforming the lissome, tightly packed phrases into stockier, oscillating movements of individual notes.

Sen churns petite and thundering tabla syllables, both packed in neat structures over the 16-beat cycle, furthering a smooth trade of energies with the sarangi.

According to musicologist Rajan Parrikar, although Raag Saugandh belongs to the parent scale Kafi, it is rooted in the Carnatic melakarta Hemavati. It has a ‘chalan’ or gait like the afternoon ragas Bhimpalasi and Madhuvanti – particularly the latter for the limited usage of Re (2nd) and Dha (6th) in the ascent, but the overall projection of its personality is quite removed from that of Madhuvanti.

Musicians

Murad Ali Khan (sarangi)

Kousic Sen (tabla)

Priya Parkash (tanpura)

Raag Saugandh, Thaat: Kafi, Samay: afternoon