Powerful Khayal | Raag Multani | Pandit Venkatesh Kumar | Music of India

#darbarfestival | North Indian vocal master Venkatesh Kumar brings powerful melodic ornamentations to Multani’s twisting phrases, accompanied by both sarangi and harmonium.

Learn more about the music:
Venkatesh Kumar sings a varied brand of khayal, incorporating influences from across India. Born in Karnataka, his father was a folk singer and puppeteer, who supported his musical inclinations but lacked the funds to help him pursue it (“we lived in poverty, sometimes meals were a problem”). However at the age of 12 he was accepted as a student at the Veereshwara Punyashrama, run by the legendary saint-musician Puttaraj Gawai. He lived there for the next 12 years, mastering the Gwalior and Kirana vocal gharanas before branching out to other styles including Carnatic music.

His career launched when Bhimsen Joshi personally invited him to sing at a concert, but remained low-key for years as he preferred the stability and purity afforded by teaching positions to the unpredictable concert landscape. But he says that worldly recognition has not concerned him, as his music is a devotional endeavour (“I am after it to experience god. I am waiting for a divine experience in music every minute. This is for a lifetime.”).

Multani is a popular afternoon raga. It draws from Todi thaat, ascending pentatonically with SgMPNS and descending heptatonically with SNdPMgrS. Sa, Pa, and Ni are the melodic focal points, with mandra [low octave] Ni often being used to start phrases. Pa and Sa are the vadi and samvadi [king and queen notes], and Dha and Re should be used very sparingly in the descent.

Sitarist-scholar Deepak Raja describes his response to the raga’s subtly-coloured descent: “I associate this raga, in a very personal way, with the oppressive afternoon heat of May in the Indo-Gangetic plains. The very special treatment of the Re and Dh tones in this raga suggest to me the virtual wilting of the body and the mind under the remorseless tyranny of the North Indian summer.” Raag Madhuvanti is considered to be a descendent of Multani.

Recorded at Darbar Festival 2010, at London’s King’s Place:
-Venkatesh Kumar (khayal)
-Satyajit Talwalkar (tabla)
-Murad Ali (sarangi)
-Tofail Ahmed (harmonium)

WATCH HUNDREDS OF FULL-LENGTH VIDEOS on our premium subscription service. You can also get the Darbar App which will let you download content and watch later, this is great for when you are offline or travelling. Please join us and support Indian classical music and artists. Start your free trial at - https://bit.ly/3urynms

Here are some links to our most-watched full-length videos. Click the below links and start your free trial to start watching immediately.

Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan & Ojas Adhiya (69 minutes) - https://bit.ly/3urSTUf
Aruna Sairam full concert (108 minutes) - https://bit.ly/3vPcAW2
Percussion Masters concert featuring Satyajit Talwalkar, Sukhwinder Singh Pinky, Sai Giridhar & Giridhar Udupa (108 minutes) - https://bit.ly/3xNix7X
Churning The Ocean documentary film on the Dhrupad maestro Ustad Bahauddin Dagar (66 minutes) - https://bit.ly/3h9aKv6
Pandit Venkatesh Kumar full concert (93 minutes) - https://bit.ly/3vILwHW

The best thing is that you can experience this amazing music with your family any time from the comfort of your own home. It provides you with the warmth of a live concert experience and gives you access to some of the finest performances by the world’s best musicians playing their favourite ragas. We believe that the cultural education experience for you and your whole family is priceless.

You might be asking, why is Darbar giving me a free trial? We are passionate about Indian classical music and have the largest online archive of videos - we want everyone to experience the bliss of Indian classical music. This is one of those things that can’t be put into words, this is something that must be experienced. Even if you decide to leave after this trial, that is perfectly fine.

In closing, the best part of your membership is that you can feel 100% confident that you are supporting Indian classical music and musicians through a registered non-profit organisation.

Click https://bit.ly/3urynms to start your free no-obligation 3-day trial immediately. You are only one click away - transport yourself into the largest online archive of Indian classical music 😊

Darbar believes in the power of Indian classical arts to stir, thrill and inspire. Through shared experiences and digital connectivity we ensure that one of the world’s finest art forms reaches the widest possible audience. Founded in 2006, we deliver premium quality live events, music education, broadcasts and online engagement through promoting artistic innovation and creative technology. We are also committed to providing a platform for new talent from India and the UK.

All Rights Reserved ©2019 Darbar Arts Culture Heritage Trust