THUMRI
Thumri is a common genre of semi-classical Indian music. In
contrast to Indian Classical Music, Thumri elaborates the bhava (the emotional content) while the other elaborates the raga. It originates from the fertile
plains of the Indo-Gangetic valley and is steeped with the Ganga-Yamuna tehzib
(culture). The word is derived from thumak (swaying of the hip) and
ri, the calling name of the nayika (female protagonist) used to
address her sakhi (female confidante). The text is romantic or devotional in nature, and
usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna.
The lyrics are usually in Uttar Pradesh dialects
of Hindi
called Awadhi
and Brij Bhasha.
Thumri is characterized by its sensuality, and by a greater flexibility with
the raga. Some of the most commonly used
ragas are Pilu, Kafi, Khamaj, Gara, Tilak Kamod,
Pahadi and Bhairavi. The
compositions are usually set to kaherava taal of 8 beats, addha tal of 16
beats, dipchandi of 14 beats or jat of 16 beats and in
"dadra' tal of 6 beats. Besides the tabla and the tanpura, other typical instruments in
thumri are sarangi, and swarmandal.
Thumri arose in popularity during
the 19th century in the Lucknow court of nawab Wajid Ali
Shah. At that time it used to be a song sung by courtesans
accompanied by dance. That was the bandish ki thumri or bol bant ki
thumri. When this style of thumri went out of vogue, a new style became
more popular, which is known as bol banao, sung in Varanasi.
To elaborate the difference
between the two gharanas of thumri, Shubha Mudgal, the
noted classical and thumri exponent, commented - “There is a subtle
difference between Lucknowi and Banarasi thumri. While the
preferred language for both was Braj bhasha, the Lucknow style incorporated the
19th century dialects spoken in and around the region: as a blend of Braj and
Avadhi with a smattering of Urdu terms. Banarasi thumri, on the other hand,
extends its reach to include Braj, Avadhi, Magahi and Bhojpui. The Banarasi
style draws from poetry in Hindi, Braj and Avadhi to source suitable
insertions, while Lucknowi thumri sources insertions from Urdu poetry alone.
While Lucknowi thumri shows marked influence of Kathak, ghazal and tappa, the
Banarasi variety seems more inclined towards adapting melodies from the folk
repertoire of kajri, chaiti and jhoomar. Lucknowi thumri
illustrates the impact of the courtly culture of the Nawabs of Avadh, while
Banarasi thumri uses with elements from folk culture.”
Some of the most famous
thumri artists are - Badi Motibai, Rasoolan Bai,
Siddheshwari Devi, Savita Devi, Girija Devi,
Gauhar Jan,
Shobha Gurtu,
Begum Akhtar,
Prabha Atre,
Pandit Chhannulal Mishra, Naina Devi, Purnima
Choudhuri, Shubha Mudgal, Abdul Karim
Khan, Nazakat-Salamat Ali Khan, Barkat Ali Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Among these stars Shobha Gurtu
is the brightest and is called “the thumri queen”. (compiled)
Now DOWNLOAD some of the most
popular thumris rendered by the masters of this genre.
3. Ab Na Bajao Shyam Bansuria ( Thumri in Raga Khambaj ) by Pt. Chhannulal Mishra - ab naa baajaao
shyaam ba.nsuriyaa
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