Music
European and Western influence on Tagore Songs
Faizul A Tanim
Some great man once said--we ought to recognise the optimistic aspect of every culture and utilise it to our benefit. Tagore was supposedly an enthusiastic admirer of that statement. His works had great European and Western influences as he mentions, 'At seventeen, when I first came to Europe, I came to know of it intimately, but even before that time, I had heard European music in our own household.' Many scholars explain Tagore's remark as a means of passionate response and fondness about western music.To celebrate the theme, European and Western influence on Tagore-songs, Boitalik Rabindra Sangeet Angaan primed a musical programme Shey Ki Bhola Jai on December 19 at the auditorium of the National Museum. The winter evening was an assemblage of eminent artiste Kalim Sharafi along with Kazi Arif and Proggya Laboni as the reciters and a group of amateur artistes of the town. The group elated the audience with the opening song Jodi tor dak shuney, singing in chorus. They continued with other popular numbers Sheeter haway laglo nachon, Aaji e Boshonte, Shei je amar nana ronger din guli. Delightful performances of both chorus and solo songs ornamented the musical evening. Proggya Laboni and Kazi Arif recited the famous Khoro bayu boy begey and Amra dujonay, followed by group songs Tomar holo shuru amar holo shara, Ami chini go chini tomarey and a solo performance Boro asha korey, alluring the audiences. The stage setting with garlands, backdrop of Tagore's portrait, with decorative potted plants bordering the platform along with the centrepiece--performers in cream colour saris and panjabees embroidered in Nakshi Kantha style, with the ladies adorned in clay ornaments--a glowing delight, were all together of supreme magnificance. Shokatorey mor was another song performed solo with occasional chorus, blended into a beautiful harmony spellbinding the audience and leaving them in high spirits. Jhorey jai amar mukh er achol khani was an ostentatious number by a solo performer making an enthusiastic response from her other team mates from behind. Her performance surely amused the crowd on top. It was quite an eventful evening as the troupe ended with Purano shei din er kotha. All the songs selected for the evening had European and Western musical influence, as Tagore would call them 'Bhanga Gaan'. Shanti Dev Ghosh however quoted a line from Tagore in his letters which reflects much of the great poet's inner feelings, 'As a young boy I heard European music being played on the piano; much of it I found attractive, but I could not enter fully into the spirit of the thing.'
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Boitalik Rabindra Sangeet Angaan held a musical programme Shey Ki Bhola Jai |
