2021

Q&A in songs

Question and Answer in songs September 6, 2021

We used to learn in our schools that literature is the mirror of society. As I grew, I realised this is more true of our film songs which mirror every aspect of the society and our lives. No wonder there are a large number of ‘I ask, you answer’ songs. Questioning and seeking answers is […]

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Mukesh’s Non-film Hindi Geets and Ghazals

Mukesh August 27, 2021

A tribute to Mukesh on his 45th Remembrance Day (b. July 22, 1923 – d. August 27, 1976) by guest author Ashok M Vaishnav (Mukesh is among the mainstream playback singers who sang some truly outstanding non-film songs (NFS). Therefore, for any lover of Mukesh, a post on his famous geets and gazals would be […]

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Forgotten Composers Unforgettable Melodies: Bipin-Babul/Babul

Bipin-Babul August 17, 2021

Who does not remember the songs Baithe hain rahguzar par dil ka diya jalaaye, Naseeb hoga mera meherbaan kabhi na kabhi, Zulfon ki ghata lekar saawan ki pari ayi, Ye phoolon ka gazra ye solah singaar ho, and Humein haal-e-dil tumse kahna hai kahiye? And do we know who composed the music of these songs. […]

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The Gravitas of Sitar in Songs

Thumbnail image for The Gravitas of Sitar in Songs August 7, 2021

Sitar makes a very conspicuous presence on the screen due to its size. But it conveys an entirely different image from the piano or the harmonium. If piano is aristocracy, harmonium is plebeian. And what about the sitar? It is elegant classicism; it is not about the social, but musical status. There is gravitas in […]

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Kumkum: The Danseuse Butterfly of Bollywood

Kumkum July 28, 2021

Guest article by DP Rangan to pay tribute to Kumkum (22 April 1934 – 28 July 2020) on her first death anniversary (The dancers had an important place in our films. They came in amazing varieties. There was a tradition of the top actresses themselves being professionally trained in classical or popular dance forms, such […]

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Best songs of 1944: Wrap UP 2

Amirbai Karnataki-Zohrabai Ambalewali-Noorjehan-Manju July 21, 2021

And the award for the Best Female Song goes to? If you browse through my Overview Post on the best songs of 1944 and the Wrap Up 1 about the best male solos, two features would strike you immediately. One was the significantly large number of female solos compared to the male solos. And two, […]

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Best Songs of 1944: Wrap Up 1

KL Saigal-Surendra July 6, 2021

And the award for the Best Male Solo goes to? In my Overview Post of the best songs of 1944, I had mentioned that in the total songs in the years in which the singers’ names were known, male solos to female solos to duets followed a ratio of 1: 3.69: 1.69. Thus, the male […]

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Raja Mehdi Ali Khan: Lyricist Par Excellence

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan June 25, 2021

Guest article by D P Rangan as a tribute to Raja Mehdi Ali Khan on his 55th Remembrance Day (b. 1915/1928? – d. 29 July 1966) (There are at least two dozen lyricists who wrote more songs than Raja Mehdi Ali Khan. Yet every lover of old film songs has the highest regard for him, […]

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‘Hindi Cine Raag Encyclopaedia’ by KL Pandey: Book Review

Hindi Cine Raag Encyclopaedia June 16, 2021

Hindi Cine Raag Encyclopaedia (Reference Edition: Vol. I and Vol. II) Author: KL Pandey Sangeet Shilp Prakashan, Lucknow Second edition (Revised and Enlarged): December 2020 Hardcover ₹3200 on Amazon (Note: ‘Sur Samvadini’, a glossary of Hindustani Classical Music and a list of 174 raags appearing in Hindi film songs with their basic grammar, available complimentary […]

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Songs of Yore completes eleven years

Songs Of Yore completes eleven years June 7, 2021

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,…. it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” Charles Dickens started his “A Tale of Two Cities” with these lines. If we look at the last two […]

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