HISTORY
Santoor
belongs to the family of earliest stringed instruments of India called ‘Veena’.
In the history of world music, we find musical concept, terms and
instruments of one country being adopted by another. In Kashmir the
Shatatantri Veena remained associated with the temple music from the
earlier times till date. As it was already associated with the
Shaivites, it was easily a welcome in the Sufi music of
Kashmir. Simultaneously all the Veena’s including the Santoor (Shatatantri)
were associated with temple music and did not become a part of the folk
music. It retained its status and dignity in the musical culture that
was termed as classical music, including the music of Sufi’s,
known as ‘Sufiana kalaam’ in Kashmir. However, it is a fact that
Santoor- resembling instruments, with different names are popular in
folk music in eastern Europe, Hungary, Poland, north Africa, Central
Asia, Iran and china etc. but, in all these various instruments
resembling Santoor there is difference of tone, playing techniques,
number of strings, designing of the instrument and shape and size of the
strikers. The Indian Santoor though divided in three parts over the
shaft like Santoori of Greece, Santoor of Iran, European Symbalam,
Hammer- Dulcimer of America, etc. is completely different in the tone,
structure, design of strikers, number of strings, designing of bridge,
playing posture and technique. In this instrument only the middle
portion is used for playing purpose. It is tuned as per the requirement
of ragas in Hindustani classical music or Muqam in
Sufiana music. The keys are tuned by a key tuner called hammer (Dokur
in Kashmir) made of iron and the keys are also made of the some
material. The Santoor is played in a sitting posture (Asana) like
all the other Indian classical instruments.
STRUCTURE AND TECHNIQUE
The
traditional Santoor in India is a trapezium shaped box particularly made
of seasoned mulberry wood with an acute angle of 75degrees each from
left and right.
In the Sufiana
Santoor the parallel sides facing the performer are 20-21 inches
approximately in the ratio of 1:2 (the ratio 1:2 has also a traditional
and historic background) where as the other 2 sides are again 20-21
inches. The thickness of the box is round about 4 to 4 1
/2 inches. The inside, which is hollow, serves as a
resonator. Initially the strings would
have been made of flax and gut and at present Steel and Brass / Copper
is used. These strings are laid over the shaft passing from left to
right, controlled by the keys on the right side of the instrument. Under
a group of four strings one small bridge is inserted. The height of the
bridge is kept slightly more than the height of the side planks placed
on the shaft that is usually 1 inch approximately. In this process,
hundred stings are laid over 25 bridges and each group of four strings
are tuned to one note and the instrument is tuned accordingly.
The sound of the note
is produced with the striker called kalam (Kasht as referred to
in Sanskrit) which is 6 inches long.
Indian Santoor can
mostly be heard in the classical concerts or Sufi mehfils
(gatherings/baithaks). It is also being used in film music and
other classical categories. However, it may be categorically mentioned
that Santoor has never been used in any folk style either in past or in
the present.
However, the Santoor of
Sopori Baj which is being played by Pandit Bhajan Sopori and his
disciples has been innovated from time to time by the master players of
this style in the valley. This instrument has three sides of 25 inches
and the neck side is in the ratio of 1:2 i.e. 12 ½ inches (the opposite
side facing the performer). This instrument has a ‘guard’ (Tumba)
beneath, which is towards the rear side of the instrument. The
instrument thus is placed on the left foot and the rest of the body lies
in the lap of the performer which is an asana (posture) called ‘Ardhasampada
Asana’ in which Santoor is played in this Gharana. 100
strings are divided and laid over 43 bridges giving the instrument a
dimension of more than 3 octaves. It has also the ‘sympathetic’ or
‘resonance’ strings (Tarab), like Sitar or Sarod, to give the
instrument a resonatory tonal accuracy. Pandit Bhajan Sopori introduced
the ‘Pressure Techniques’ with which pressure is applied on certain
strings to produce ‘Meend’ and ‘Gamak’, which are the
essential parts in the Indian classical style. The Santoor is also
played with the accompaniment of Pakhawaj in this Baj which has
become a trendsetter in the history of Santoor.
SUFIANA GHARANA AND SOPORI BAJ
The musical tradition of the Sopori family has been multidimensional.
Family members adopted music both as a profession and means of worship
and specialized in both the instrumental and vocal styles. The Santoor
and Kashmiri Sitar being their legacy, was played by them presenting the
Muqam-Gayaki (Sufiana) and Raga Sangeet. In fact
in the early forties, Prof. S.N. Sopori, the veteran musician and
musicologist of Kashmir while teaching the Santoor, extended the bridges
of the Santoor from 25 to 28 in consultation with his father Pandit
S.C.Sopori. He also shifted the Pancham of Mandra Saptak from
right to left and created Pancham at the Tar Saptak.
This process paved the
way for extending the versatality of the Santoor and adopting proper
Tantrakari Ang of the Sitar. The same Santoor was used and the
tradition of its playing continued with the then child prodigy Bhajan
Sopori in the fifties. Since singing with the Santoor was a Parampara
of the Gharana, Pandit Bhajan Sopori’s constant experimentation
gradually resulted in the extension of the bridges, developing the lower
octave the mandra saptak and the tar saptak as a
full octave. Pandit Bhajan Sopori had seen his grand father singing and
playing the Tilana ‘Na Dir Dim De Re Na’ and thus he had
sufficient reasons to believe that the Bols like ‘Da Ra Dir’
could be introduced systematically onto the instrument and all the
complicated Bols could be played as well with the technical
perfection
Pandit Bhajan Sopori’s
replaced the Sehpai (small traditional stand for the traditional
Santoor) and added a Gaud (Tumba) underneath the Santoor (in
early sixties) for the clarity of the higher octave and to balance the
pressure techniques for the variation of main glides played by the
maestro on Santoor and created another 2 1 /2
octave range in his instrument. This is supported by the sympathetic
strings called Tarab which can be heard more clearly while the
bol is created by the palm rather than the striker and also while
using the pressure technique. This technique has a special background in
the historical prospective.
The asana used for this
style of playing is called ‘Ardhasampada Asana’. In this asana,
the Santoor has a ‘guard’ (Tumba) beneath, which is towards the
rear side of the instrument, placed on left foot, keeping the rest of
the body of the Santoor close to the body of the performer.
The Santoor is always
played from the left side for the Shudh Thath and from the right
side for the Komal Swaras. In Sufiana Gharana and Sopori Baj,
Santoor is essentially played on the left side and additional notes
whenever required are added from the right side. However as it is
interpreted that the heart happens to be on the left side, the emphasis
has to be on the left side but the truth is much more than this.
The Santoor of this Baj
has 43 bridges while retaining the number of strings within hundred. The
tone thus generated from the instrument is as per the technical
requirement of the raga system of Hindustani classical system. In this
Gharana stress is laid on the alaap, jod-alaap,
variety of gats, taan patterns and bandish in
various taals. The Raga should justify its texture as per
the shastras-grammar of the Indian classical system. The
Taal patterns are
not merely taken as a source of counting but to be co-relating to the
effect generated by a Gat or composition.
In this style, Raga
is a source of meditation, the Taals co-relate to the counting of
mantra and the laykari and the chandkari is the
stage of ecstasy or zikhar in Sufi terminology. The two
kalams are to be properly balanced to generate the required depth of
the notes. The pair of kalam is like the two wings of the bird
which once stretched out equally enables the bird to soar high in the
sky.
THE ARTISTS
PANDIT BHAJAN SOPORI
The Santoor and Pandit Bhajan Sopori are synonymous.
Born in Kashmir in a family of musicians, the mystic master is the
bearer of the rich musical legacy of the fabled ‘Sufiana Gharana’
of Kashmir. He was initiated into Santoor playing by his grandfather
Pandit S. C. Sopori and later by his father Pandit S. N. Sopori,
the veteran musician of the state of Jammu and Kashmir who is hailed
as the ‘father of Indian classical music in Kashmir’.
Pandit Bhajan
Sopori, the Santoor Virtuoso and Music Composer, has been the
pioneer in establishing the Santoor on national and international
platforms as a complete solo instrument. The quiet and unassuming
maestro has come long way since he created history by being the first
person to play the Indian Classical music on the Santoor way back in the
early 1950s. In his five decades of dedicated work he has explored
various dimensions of the Santoor, carrying out many path-breaking
innovations. He has increased the range of the Santoor from the
conventional one-and-a-half to more than 3 octaves, balanced the
‘Kalam’ (strikers) with ‘boles’
and attached the ‘Tarab’ and ‘Tumba’ for
enhanced tonal quality, etc. These innovations combined with his strong
base in traditional ‘Raag-Sangeet’ allow for a systematic
exposition of the Raag combining both the ‘Gayaki’ and the
‘Tantrakari Ang’ (style) in his recitals, demonstrating
all the essential stylistic nuances of Hindustani Classical Music
such as Meend, Glides, Gamak, Boles, including the
'Dhrupad Ang' with the accompaniment of the Pakhawaj.
His recitals are known for their high degree of technical virtuosity
combining highly intricate ‘layakari’, legendary ‘chhandkari’,
speedy ‘taan’ patterns running through three octaves and a
melodious ‘alaap’. He has thereby expanded the scope of
the Santoor as a classical instrument and formally established the
Sopori Baaj in the realm of Indian Classical Music for which
he is hailed as the “Saint of Santoor” and the “King of
Strings”. It is also entirely to the credit of the Sopori Family
that Hindustani Classical and Light Music acquire legitimate
space in the Kashmir Valley.
A highly learned
person, Pandit Bhajan Sopori, has done his
Masters degree in both the Sitar and the Santoor besides having a
Masters degree in English Literature. He has also studied Western
Classical Music at Washington University, USA.
Pandit Sopori is the
only classical musician to have composed music for more than
4000 songs in various languages of the country including Persian,
Arabic, etc. He combines a profound knowledge of music and musicology
and has carried out immense research on Naad (sound) and
‘sound therapy’. One of his highly commended albums on ‘sound
therapy’, “Naad Yoga on the Santoor”, was released by a
pharmaceutical company.
Panditji has led the
revival of Sufism to spread the message of humanism and the patriotism
amongst the masses, especially the youth. He has composed Guru-Baani,
Shabads, Vedic Chants and Sanskrit mantras like ‘Mahamrityunjaya’,
‘Durga Kavach’ and ‘Surya Upasana’.
Panditji has also composed and introduced three new Raags:
Raag Laleshwari, Raag Patwanti, and Raag Nirmalranjani.
He has composed various
patriotic songs, which are loved by the people of all age groups, like
“Bharat Bharat Hum Iski Santaan”, “Hum Honge Kaamyaab”, “Bharat Ki
Beti”, “Vijayee Vishwa Tiranga Pyaara”, “Vande Maataram”, “Sarfaroshi Ki
Tamanna”, “Naman Tujhko Mere Bharat”, etc. for the
national integration . His compositions bear the distinctive stamp of
his virtuosity and erudition and have been sung by eminent vocalists of
the country. His classical version of “Saare Jahan Se Achhaa …”
and instrumental version of “Vande Maataram” are
recognized pioneering efforts.
Panditji
has used his Santoor and his compositions to highlight the concept of
oneness and foster unity enshrining the idea of national integration,
humanism and peace amongst the common man and the youth in particular.
Moreover, he has extended the various possibilities in Santoor playing
and prepared a formal system, the Sopori Baaj, on the
basis of which further research and experimentation may be carried out
on the Santoor. For his enormous contributions, he has received
numerous awards including the prestigious:
-
Padma
Shri
-
Sangeet Natak Academy
Award
-
Delhi Ratan Award
-
Delhi Telugu Academy
Award
-
Akashwani
Annual Awards
-
Shiromani
Award
-
Beenkar
Samman
-
Punjab Sakha Award
-
Shardha
Samman
-
Kala Yogi
Award
-
Abhinav
Kala Samman
-
Sangeet
Ratna Samman
-
Shree Bhatt Kirti Award
-
Munnu Guru Sangeet Award
-
Distinguished leadership award
-
Shama Award
-
Golden
Jubilee Celebrations Award (AIR-Srinagar) for his contribution to
Kashmiri music and
society
-
Honoured by
Kashmiri Overseas Association (USA) for his contribution towards
preserving
Kashmiri Art & Music and his dedication to community service
-
Honoured by
‘Kashmiri Samiti-J&K’ and KOA for his contribution to the Kashmiri Art
& Music and community service
-
Also
Honoured with the National Flag of the Arab
Republic of Egypt
-
And many more..
ABHAY RUSTUM SOPORI
Born at Srinagar, in a musical environment and spiritual surroundings,
Abhay Rustum Sopori, the torch bearer of the exclusive
traditional Santoor family of the country, is the son of the Santoor
Virtuoso and Music Composer Pandit Bhajan Sopori.
Abhay has been learning
instrumental and vocal music both from his Grandfather Pandit Shamboo
Nath Sopori and his illustrious father. He has a profound sense of
music that he has inherited from his traditional Sufiana Gharana,
under the Guru-Shishy Parampara, with its roots of Santoor
playing of more than 200 years. He has also learned Western Classical
Music providing him a base for systematic compositional work.
A remarkable and unique
quality of his presentation is that he sings the composition along with
its instrumental rendering, reviving the traditional Santoor playing.
Performing along with the accompaniment of Pakhawaj is also a special
characteristic of his Baaj (style). Some of the great asserts of
his playing are lightning tempo, clarity and melodious sequence of notes
and perfection in adapting the ‘Sopori
Baaj’,
the style created by Pt. Bhajan Sopori, demonstrating his keen sense of
Gayaki (Vocal) and Tantrakari (Instrumental) Ang
(technique) and all the essential stylistic nuances of his Baaj
like ‘Meend’, ‘Gamak’, ‘Glides’, variety of ‘Taan,
Bol, Chand and Laya Patterns’, etc.
Abhay has made some
innovations in his Santoor by introducing the
‘Open String concept’
to boost the lower octave of the Santoor and further developing the
‘Been
Ang’
on Santoor. He has also invented, designed and introduced a new ‘30
stringed’ instrument in the world of music and named it
‘Sur Santoor’.
Abhay has been awarded
the prestigious ‘Youngs India Award – 2006’
and ‘Kalawant Samman - 2004’
for his excellence in music as a Santoor player and a Music Composer
apart from other honours in India and abroad. He had been invited as the
‘visiting faculty’
by the University of Massachusetts (USA) to conduct classes on Indian
music.
Abhay’s debut in 1996
in a prestigious concert in Delhi was very well received by the music
connoisseurs and critics. Since then he has performed at National and
International platforms. Abhay has participated in some of the very
prestigious National and International Festivals like ‘Sori Festival’,
‘Asian Music Festival’, ‘Sankat Mochan Festival’, ‘Harballabh
Sangeet Festival’, ‘Swami Haridas Music Festival’, ‘Salt Lake
Festival’, ‘Basant Utsav’, ‘Sharadh Purnima
Sangeet Mahotsava’, ‘Pranav Sangeet Samaroh’,
‘Spic-Macay Concerts’, ‘Bandra Festival’, etc. He has performed in
countries like USA, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, etc.
His
musical albums
have received wide range acclamation by all. These include classical
releases like ‘New Strings’, ‘Voice of Strings’, etc. as well as
compositional releases like ‘Kabir Bani’, ‘Meera Kahaye’
etc.
Abhay sang as a
playback singer in the ‘National Award’ winning film ‘Bub’. He
has also played for the Signature Tune of the
‘Aaj Tak’
news
channel.
As an established
composer, Abhay has been the youngest classical musician to
compose and conduct orchestras and folk ensembles. He has also composed
music for various tele-films, serials and documentaries like ‘Tabla
Ka Itihaas’, ‘Guldasta’, ‘Roshni’, ‘Do Shaheron Ke Kahani’,
etc.
He recently composed
the appeal song ‘Aao Kadam Badhayain’, the greatest
musical hit in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, for raising donations
for the Kashmir earthquake victims, featuring some of the renowned and
senior most classical musicians of India.
Abhay is
a double graduate in ‘Management’ and ‘Computer Applications’ besides
being a National level hockey player.
Courtesy
:
http://www.santoor.org |
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