Indian Raga

I wonder how many Indian Classical Music enthusiasts know that ww.smashits.com (note the ww instead of www) has a few gems of hindustani classical music stored in it’s seemingly bollywood centric server. This portal is not very new and does not boast of a large classical music content but still I managed to download a few pieces of music not available anywhere else. My favourites are about 75-80 songs featured in it’s ‘Smashits Collection‘ (8 CDs). These are now an important part of my ‘indianraga.collection‘.

See the screenshot of the classical music collection in the category ‘Classical‘ :

And the collection in the category ‘North Indian Classical‘ :

However there is a catch. There is no way you can download a music file directly from this site (sorry, there is one but only by making a small payment). But for mortals like yours truly, who are forever downloading music and would go bankrupt in a few weeks if they continue paying for it, there is always a way out.

But first things first. I would like you folks to go through my earlier post :

How to Download from musicindiaonline.com

As we are going to retrieve the music files from the ‘Internet Explorer Cache‘ it is essential to clean it completely before going further. Firefox users will not be able to download using this method. There are a few tricks for diehard Firefox fans too, but let’s leave them for another time.

After you have cleaned your Internet Explorer Cache, follow the steps mentioned in the post : How to Download from musicindiaonline.com to view your downloading files.

Now unlike musicindiaonline.com which streams it’s music in Real Audio (.ra) or Windows Media Audio (.wma) format, smashits.com uses a Flash Player and streams it’s music in .mp3 format (usually 64 kbps) which is a big plus for those who want to download from this site. Moreover the sound quality of the files is much better than that on musicindiaonline.com (20-24 kbps).

Click on the album you want to download and select the files (you may select all, if you want).

Click on the ‘Play’ button. The Flash Player will open as a pop-up.

Open the Internet Cache folder and you will be able to view your file gradually growing in size as it plays on.

Let it buffer fully (you will see the ‘Bit Rate‘ and ‘Duration‘ of the file appear when it does). You don’t need to play the file to it’s full length but letting it buffer fully is very important.

Copy the file and paste it in the folder of your choice, rename it according to it’s original name and repeat the procedure to download another file. On a fast Broadband connection you may be able to download an album (5-6 songs) in 4-5 minutes.

Watch out for more downloading tips from other music streaming sites in my future posts.

Download and Enjoy Listening !!

Being an ardent fan of Rashid Khan, maestro of the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, I can’t resist putting more songs of him on this blog. He is one of the best among the contemporary vocalists and his effortless singing and silk like voice just keeps me spellbound.

Gorakh Kalyan - Tum Bin - Kab Ghar Aayo :  (Download)

Kiravani - Brij Ke Nandlala Tore Bina Mohe Chain :  (Download)

Malkauns - Tu Hai Malik Mero - Yaad Aavat Mohe :  (Download)

Maru Bihag - Piya Nahin Ghar - Tarpat Raina Dina :  (Download)

Raga Deshkar - Unako Hi Tore Karan :  (Download)

Ahir Bhairav - Rasiya Mhara - Albela Sajan Aayo :  (Download)

Enjoy !!

A living legend, Pandit Jasraj needs no introduction. Here I am presenting 5 songs by the maestro from his album ‘Pandit Jasraj - The Genius Of‘ :

Raga Shuddha Nat :  (Download)

Raga Nat Narayan :  (Download)

Raga Khamaj Bahar :  (Download)

Raga Nagaddhwani Kanara :  (Download)

Raga Adana :  (Download)

Enjoy listening !!

Indian Raga Blogspot

Endowed with an exceptionally melodious and sensitively adaptable voice, Ghulam Mustafa Khan’s music gives witness to the rigorous traditional training that he received from his distinguished gurus. He hails from a family steeped in North Indian Classical vocal music culture, his forefathers being some of the most prized court musicians honoured and celebrated by the Kings and Maharajas in a musical lineage that goes back to more than 150 years.

Ghulam Mustafa Khan has brought these traditions into the present with great effect, and added his own personal traits. Born over six decades ago, on March 3, 1931, in the Badayun city of Uttar Pradesh, Ghulam Mustafa Khan was initiated into music by his father, Ustad Waris Hussain Khan. Later he was groomed under Ustad Fida Hussain Khan, and then later his son Nissar Hussain Khan.

Ghulam Mustafa Khan belongs to an illustrious school of music known as ‘Sahaswan Rampur Gharana‘. This Gharana has produced an abundance of khayal singers since the time of its founder Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan (1849-1919).

Khayal, in Urdu meaning imagination, is the most popular genre of North Indian classical vocal music, designed to give the singer optimum scope for improvisation. Originating in the courts of the Moghul emperors as a less rigid alternative to the Dhrupad style, it has evolved into a remarkably flexible form that allows an artist’s individuality considerable rein. Even within the past five decades the form has undergone many changes, and the tradition of innovation continues through pioneers like Ghulam Mustafa Khan.

Khayal has several schools following different style traditions. Most of these Gharanas have been built around certain families or specific locations like Gwalior and Rampur. Gharanas traditionally followed the Guru-Shishya system of instruction in which direct, one-on-one teaching and personal supervision meant a clearer and therefore deeper understanding, of both the traditions of that Gharana, of the raga, and of the role of a particular style in exploring and presenting that raga. As Inayat Hussain, the founder of the gharana, hailed from Sahaswan and was trained and lived in Rampur, this gharana came to be called Rampur Sahaswan.

It’s always been a struggle for khayal singers to establish themselves on the world music scene, because of the barrier of language. In fact, the lyrical content of the khayal while certainly enhancing the beauty of the presentation is regarded as secondary to the ability of the performer to improvise within the framework of the specific raga. The emphasis on lyrical content varies from artist to artist, many of the texts of khayal are written in an ancient form of Hindi known as Brij Bhasha. Khayal has also had a profound influence on instrumental music. Many instrumentalists point out that Indian music IS vocal music, and that the instrument should sing in the style of khayal.

Ghulam Mustafa Khan’s contribution goes beyond his own performance. He has trained and moulded some of India’s finest film singers including Manna Dey, Sonu Nigam and Hariharan. He was awarded the Padma Shree in 1991 by the Indian Government in recognition of his service to Indian music heritage.

Here I am presenting four songs from his album Sur Dhwani :

Raga Durga - Vilambit Ektal :  (Download)

Raga Durga - Khyal In Drut Teental - Jai Durge :  (Download)

Raga Jaijaivanti - Khyal in Teental :  (Download)

Ganesh Stuti :  (Download)

Enjoy !!

Many of my visitors have requested me to post more songs of Ajoy Chakrabarty. Here are a few more from the maestro in live concert :

Banee Bana Shyam Ki (Bilaskhani Todi) :  (Download)

Anganwa Prabhu Mohe Bharosa Tiharo (Jaunpuri) :  (Download)

Daalat Kaisan Pichakari (Bhairavi Dhamar) :  (Download)

Aaj Radha Brij Ko Chali (Bhairavi) :  (Download)

Baat Chalat Nahi (Bhairavi) :  (Download)

These links are alive and kicking (unlike eSnips links which I had posted in the ‘Girija Devi & Shobha Gurtu‘ and earlier posts). eSnips is more or less dead now as far as posting widgets is concerned. So enjoy !!

A few songs by Parween Sultana at the Shimoga Concert in 2006 :

Puriya Dhanashri - Laagi Mori Naina :  (Download)

So Hi Det Rab Se :  (Download)

Tarana :  (Download)

Meera Bhajan :  (Download)

Meera Bhajan in Khamaj - Bhaja Mana Nandana :  (Download)

Bhavani Dayani (Bhairavi) :  (Download)

Happy Listening !!

Three songs by Rashid Khan at the Shimoga Concert in 2006, along with their download links :

Baato Baaton Mein Beet Gayi Raat :  (Download)

Sohni - Kahe Ujari Mori Neend :  (Download)

Sajan More Ghar Aaye :  (Download)

Enjoy !!

Here are a few songs by Ajoy Chakrabarty in Live Concert.

Barajori Nahi Re (Bhairavi Thumri) :  (Download)

Paayal Mori Baaje Ri (Bhairavi) :  (Download)

Yaad Piya Ki Aaye (Bhairavi) :  (Download)

Hari Om Tatsat (Pahadi) :  (Download)

Almost everyone who has anything to do with music, both ‘hindustani classical‘ and ‘popular‘ must surely have visited www.musicindiaonline.com more than a few times. This site claims itself to be the largest Indian music resource on the internet. True of course, be it hindustani classical, indipop, bollywood, fusion or regional folk, you name it and it’s all there on this site.

The difference between this site and other file hosting sites is very basic. Whereas musicindiaonline.com has it’s own files on it’s servers and has full control over the streaming quality of the music and also what files to put or remove, other sites like mediafire.com, eSnips.com, 4shared.com and the rest have no such control.

Many of us must have encountered a much wanted song on musicindiaonline.com and wished fervently that there had been a download button on this site. Alas, there is none and no trick such as changing the URL (a’la eSnips) work here.

But for few of us who desperately want a particular music file and are ready to spend a little time, there’s a way out : a simple method by which you can download a file or even multiple files in one go.

Just follow a few simple steps. Remember this trick will work with Internet Explorer only.

Go to the Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. Clean all the mess that has been accumulating in the browser’s cache. Once the cache is empty you may go to the musicindiaonline.com site and search for your favourite song or album just as shown in the figure below.

Select the songs to be downloaded by ticking them or if you want them all, tick ‘Select All‘.

Click the ‘Play Selected Songs‘ button. If you have not been to this site recently it will ask you to choose between Real Player and Windows Media Player. Select Windows Media Player as in the pic below :

The player will open up and your playlist will begin to play.

As the file is playing repeat Step 1 (i.e Disk Cleanup). But this time don’t clear the cache but click on the ‘View Files‘ option :

This will open a directory of Internet Cache folders as seen below :

Explore each folder (if you have cleaned your Internet Explorer Cache thoroughly, there should be four of them). You will find your playing file in one of the folders, growing by size as it plays on. Wait for the ‘Duration‘ and ‘Bit Rate‘ details to appear and click on the ‘Play Next‘ button of the player to start playing the next song in the playlist.

You may now Copy or Cut & Paste the previous file to a folder of your choice. The files are in .wma format. Keep on exploring all the folders as the second file plays on and you will find it in one of the folders. Repeat the process.

You need not play each song to it’s full length. On a fast internet connection a 15 minute song may buffer fully in a couple of minutes. But it’s important that you wait for the ‘Duration‘ and ‘Bit Rate‘ details to appear before copying (or cut & paste) the file.

Keeping in mind that musicindiaonline.com has music streaming at a very low bitrate (20-24 kbps) an album consisting of 6-7 songs may be downloaded in 4 to 5 minutes.

Carnatic music lovers must surely have visited http://www.sangeethapriya.org/, one of the biggest archives of Carnatic music concert recordings. This is an exclusive website of classical music ‘rasikas‘, maintained and run by them purely to share the ‘live concert’ recordings owned by them with other ‘rasikas‘. Commercial (studio) recordings are not permitted on this site.

Some of the members here have uploaded many recordings of ‘hindustani classical music’ too.

Two of my favorites are :

HMG Murthy’s folders :

http://www.sangeethamshare.org/murthy/

You will find very good recordings of Ajoy Chakrabarty, Rashid Khan, Parween Sultana and many more in live concert here.

Another one is :

Raju Asokan’s folders :

http://www.sangeethamshare.org/asokan/

This one has an exclusive folder for hindustani classical music and is more elaborate in it’s listing. You will find most of the ‘Gharanas’ featured here. This one will keep you busy downloading for quite sometime. Again a big respite from eSnips. You will miss the ‘details’ feature of eSnips though, as none of the files have description and are listed ftp style. You could be spending much of your time in figuring out what to find where.