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Dhupad
Performance
by
Brain Silver
A
customary full performance of Dhrupad is in two
parts- the Alap , an extended melodic improvisation
that explores the mood of Raga, and the Dhrupad or
Dhamar - a composition set to distinct poetic text
with Pakhawaj accompaniment.
The Alap itself goes through three states known as
Vilambit, Madhya and Drut. The Vilambit Alap
explores the distinctive melodic features of the
Raga without recourse to rhythm. The customary
vocal range of Dhrupad is two to two -and -a
-half octaves, and the alap begins with tonic (do or
C in western term) of the middle octave as its
center. The vocalists sing in extended ,
improvised passages
and generally begin by moving downward ,note by note,
exploring the lowest octave, sometimes finally
reaching a distinctly dramatic point by
touching the deep tonic of that octave. Although there
no lyrics to this singing , certain syllables- ri,
na,,ra num, te,ta,ra,na - are used to articulate the
melody. After exploring the lowest octave .the singers
move up into the middle octave- again singing in
alternate improvisations that set new progressively
higher watermarks - ultimate reaching another dramatic stage
by ascending to the tonic of the
highest octave. This gradual, progressive ascent is
what is most dramatic about the Dhrupad alap, and the
longer the vocalist can sustain their creativity
in keeping the listeners engaged, the more liberating
the resolution in reaching the highest octave.
Next
come the Madhya(Literally Middle) Alap in which there
is the introduction of slow, regular pulse. This
section is the vocal counterpart to the Jor in
instrumental music. Using the same syllables in
singing the notes of the Raga, the brothers alternates
in their improvisation by traversing- now with a
rhythmic component- some what the same range covered
earlier , though usually concentrating on the central
octave. The notes come frequently added with the power
of gradually accelerating rhythm.
At some point in Madhya Alap , the double pulse burst
into a quadruple pattern, and Drut Alap begins, this
section is the vocal equivalent of Jhala in
Instrumental Music. Here, the rhythmic element comes
to dominate the melody with increasingly complex
phrases, ornamentation (including distinctive ,heavy
oscillations called Gamakas), and rhythmic patterns
that contrast with the elegant calm and
simplicity of beginning Alap. The conclusion of
DRUT Alap is usually marked by a gliding ,
downward slide through the entire middle octave, and
ends on the same tonic around which the improvisation
began.
Throughout
the development of Alap , a periodic punctuation
device, the Mohra, separates the improvisatory
phrases. In the simple Alap , such a device
anticipates the coming rhythm where as in
the Madhya and Drut it serves as a kind of
brake, occasionally slowing the increasing rhythmic
momentum.
The
Performance of the Raga concludes with the song, set
with Pakhawaj accompaniment to one of the distinctive
Dhrupad Talas; a song in a ten-or twelve- beat called
dhrupad , while the song in the fourteen beats Dhamar Tala is known eponymousely as a
Dhamar. The
performers consists of a straight forward statement of
the fixed song composition , which is traditional and
may sometimes extremely old dating to the time
of Tansen. The song itself consists two to four parts
based on the poetic text , and once this parts have
been stated in their fixed form , the singers engage
in a improvisatory process known as a BOL-BAANT, in
which the word are used in increasingly complex and
richly syncopated rhythmic patterns (which play
against the powerful cross-rhythms of the Pakhawaj) to
conclude the performance of the Raga.
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