David Whetstone

David is a very active Sitarist in the USA who has also been writing for Western voice and instrumentation since 1994. David was a Sitar Shagird (formal disciple) of the legendary Sitarist, the late Ustad Vilayat Khan. He has collaborated and toured extensively with renowned poet Robert Bly since 1974 as a Sitarist, appearing with him in numerous recordings and films. In 1992, David co-founded Minneapolis' Ragamala Music and Dance Theater, and created the repertoire for this group until his resignation in 1997, with original text and music for both Indian instrumentation as well as Western operatic scores for critically acclaimed full evening programs such as Ragamala, The Puppet Master, Canticle of Mary, and Ashoka, Beloved of the Gods. In 1996, David opened for Ali Akbar Khan with a Sitar solo at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. In March of 1999, the Rochester Symphony and Chorus premiered excerpts from his opera in progress, White Nights (Dostoevsky). An American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Research Fellow in 1988, David studied music privately with Philip Meyers, solo hornist of the New York Philharmonic, for five years. David lives in Minneapolis, and teaches Sitar at Macalester and Carleton Colleges and privately.

Pavan Allalaghatta

Pavan has trained in Tabla under several masters including the late Sri Gandam Laxmiah, Sri Ambika Prasad Mishra, Sri Gopal Mishra and Pandit Birju Maharaj. Presently he trains under Sri Rajendra Nakod in Bangalore and has been receiving advanced training from Ustad Zakir Hussain since 2002. He has been very active in the promotion and presentation of classical Indian music in the Twin Cities; he served as the President of the Indian Music Society of Minnesota (IMSOM) from 1997 to 2001 and continues to serve as an Advisor to IMSOM. Over the years, he has performed for Katha Dance Theater, Abhinaya Theater, Pangea World Theater and IMSOM in several productions and concerts. Pavan also appears on recordings of world/fusion music with local artists. Since 1999, Pavan has been providing instruction to a number of Tabla students. In 2002, Pavan co-composed and performed live (with Nirmala Rajasekar), the score for Pangea World Theater's production "Partitions", staged at the Playwright's Center in Minneapolis. A research scientist at Honeywell Labs, Pavan is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota from where he received his Ph.D in Computer Science.

The Performance

The artists will present an improvised piece containing a medium-length elaboration of a Hindustani (North Indian classical) Raga (melodic framework), consisting of short sections each of - Alaap (slow improvised solo), Jod (improvised solo with a pulse, but no Tabla) and one or more Gat compositions (to the rhythmic accompaniment of the Tabla) in gradually increasing speeds, ending in a climactic Jhaala (crescendo with a driving rhythm).

Each performance of Hindustani music is a unique musical experience based on a complex improvisation within traditional forms; in terms of musical possibilities, this improvisation, constrained like the game of chess in ancient rules, is limitless in the hands of a master. The selection of the Raga and the Tala is up to the melodic soloist, who makes these choices according to the time of day (most Ragas are restricted to a certain hours and few to particular seasons); his or her own mood and inclination; and sometimes the degree of audience sophistication and knowledge, expressed in subtle vocal utterances that outstanding performances bring forth involuntarily form seasoned listeners. All these factors shape the spontaneous unfolding of the Raga and determine the choice of a particular composition (a given Raga has several possible compositions, including some devised on the spot, in any of several Talas). The most effective concerts, therefore, are those that arise in response to the conditions of the moment, without any prior planning, and it is usually a disservice to the artist to prescribe in advance a given format or a fixed sequence of Ragas, though requests from the audience are on occasion honored if they suit the mood of the performer. In most concerts, one or two purely classical Ragas (which may last anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours or more, depending upon the musician's inspiration and the listener's response) will be followed by selections from the genres of light classical or folk music, in which restrictions of Raga, Tala and development are not so strict. Such a sequence may involve one or more intermissions, and may even be repeated, and the best of traditional concerts, commonly begin in the evening and continue until dawn.

About Hindustani Music

The classical music of the Indian subcontinent is divided into two main traditions: the northern, known as Hindustani, and the southern, known as Carnatic. In both systems, there is close kinship between vocal and instrumental music. Anupama Bhagwat and Anil Datar are exponents of the Hindustani system, which is heard not just in northern India, but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. Anupama represents an instrumental tradition known as the Gayaki Ang, or "vocal" style of instrumental music. Performers in this style try to overcome the sharp and rigid attacks imposed by the up-and-down movement of the plectrum, and imitate instead the lyrical, smoothly flowing patterns of the human voice.

All Hindustani music, whether vocal or instrumental, observes certain basic concepts and conventions. Each performance is in a particular Raga (a complex melodic framework used as a basis for improvisation), usually chosen from a repertoire of hundreds of Ragas, some better known and more popular than the others. Every performance begins with at least a brief section called the Alap, which explores, without any rhythmic pulse, the distinctive melodic landscape of the Raga. In instrumental music the Alap may be followed by sections called the Jod (in which a rhythmic pulse is introduced) and the Jhala, (in which the pulse increases in tempo building to a climax). All of this is in improvisational melodic solo without the accompaniment of the Tabla drums.The Tabla player then joins the melodic soloist in the introduction of the Tala (a fixed, repeating cycle of a consistent number and pattern of beats) which serves as a template for further improvisation, now along both the melodic and the rhythmic axes. The Tala system is so thoroughly defined and commonly understood that even though there is never a written score in Hindustani music, two musicians - a melodic soloist and a rhythmic accompanist, may perform together without any rehearsal, and even without previously having met. In vocal music the role of the Tabla is largely metronomic (i.e. keeping time, though such accompaniment demands great precision and sensitivity). In contemporary instrumental music, however, the expanded improvisational role of the Tabla player allows a greater scope for rhythmic virtuosity, with periodic solo passages on the Tabla punctuating the main performer's development of the Raga.
Each full rendering of a Raga will include at least one section that is based on a fixed composition in a given Tala. This composition is called a Gat (rhymes with cut) in instrumental music. Most presentations of a Raga will include a Vilambit (slow) and a Drut (fast) Gat compositions. Sometimes a Madhya Laya (medium tempo) Gat is used in between. Instrumental performance often conclude with a second Jhala, this time with Tabla accompaniment, at the end of the fast Gat, and sometimes with a highly dramatic anticipatory duel between the melodic soloist and the rhythmic accompanist. The performance ends in an exciting cadential structure known as a Tihaai (a rhythmic phrase repeated three times).

About the Instruments

The Sitar is perhaps the most popular stringed instrument in India. The Sitar has also become synonymous with India and Indian culture throughout the world. The Sitar is constructed of wood (teak) mahogany, gourd, metal, and bone. The wooden neck is around 35 inches long, 3.5 inches wide, and slightly troughed, terminating at one large resonating chamber made of gourd. A second resonating gourd may sometimes be attached at the other end of the neck on the dorsal side. On the neck rest about twenty scalloped, movable, metal frets tied by silk or nylon string. The bottom layer of 13 steel strings are referred to as Taraf (Persian for excitement or joy) and serve as sympathetic strings. The top layer of seven strings are used to create the melody and drone. The three Chikari (drone) strings serve to extend notes and/or punctuate the rhythm. The main bridge is made of antelope horn (and optionally a layer of wood on the surface), the bridge's slightly curved shape contributes to the tonal quality of the instrument, including the distinctive buzzing sound. Most of the performance takes place on one string (covering 2 octaves), but some artists (and stylistic schools) explore the whole range of the instrument (three and a half octaves) on four strings on the main bridge. It is not uncommon for artists to customize the instrument to suit their personal tastes. Tuning of the instrument varies slightly according to the school and/or artist as well as the Raga being performed.

The Tabla is by far the most popular percussion instrument in Hindustani music as well as in all major genres of light music in India. There are two bowl drums comprising the instrument collectively known as the Tabla - the right one, Dayan, and the left, Bayan or Dagga (assuming the performer is right handed). The Dayan is of the form of a large coffee cup and is made of wood. The Bayan is like an oversized tea cup and is made of metal or burnt clay. Both are set in front of the sitting player and played predominantly with the use of fingers unlike drums in other parts of the world where use of palms dominates. The hide face on the Dayan or Bayan is not a single piece as in the Western side-drum or kettle-drum. It consists of a circular piece which is pasted on to an annular leather ring. The annular ring is attached to a circular plait or braid of leather. It is through this braid that thongs holding the whole stuck face to the body are passed. Over the skin face is applied a mixture of iron or manganese filings, rice or wheat flour and glue, in thin layers. This loading which looks black, is called Syahi. This technique of attaching and loading the hide not only makes the sound more musical, but also accurately tunable. In the Dayan, tuning can be done by striking up/down a small wooden cylinder for gross changes or by tapping on the plait for finer changes in pitch. In contrast, the Dagga is essentially a base drum whose pitch can only be adjusted very coarsely.

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