SAAZ EK, GEET ANEK - The FLUTE or BAANSURI as popularly called in India - As the name suggests, the ‘baansuri’ is made from ‘baans’ which means bamboo. The role of the flute in Indian music is huge. Across regions this instrument is an integral part of most music. And since we as a group mainly discuss film music, it will interest you to know that our music composers have done some marvelous work with this instrument. Either to announce a dawn, or a divine intervention, or the happening of a miracle or show that inexplicable uncertainty or the cowherd heralding his livestock in the countryside or providing the perfect backdrop for a romantic conversation or song or even to reflect pain, pathos and tragedy, the flute more often than not becomes a ‘go to’ instrument. Thanks to the flute, many a story at least among Indian films got narrated beautifully. The sound of the flute depicts the journey of life ever so gracefully……from announcing the joy of the new to pronouncing the inevitable! And therefore when we speak of film music we must accord our tributes to this humblest of all instruments. Before we embark on listening to a few Hindi film songs with flute, a brief about its history, its popularity among various cultures and a small explanation on the Indian flute may be in order. (collated from info available on the net) THE FLUTE & ITS HISTORY : The flute holds a unique place among musical instruments. Not only is it the oldest among instruments, but it is also the only musical instrument that is found in cultures all over the world. Among several flutes that have been found in archaeological excavations in different parts of the world, the oldest flute is said to date back at least 35,000 years in time. Made from a vulture wing bone, the five-holed flute was found in a pre-historic cave in Ulm, Germany. Scientists who made the discovery claim that it is the oldest known musical instrument in the history of the human race. Various other pre-historic flutes have also been found in parts of China, Sumeria, India and North America confirming that the flute is not only the oldest among instruments but also was the most popular among our ancient ancestors. POPULAR FLUTES ACROSS VARIOUS CULTURES : The popularity of the flute lies in its simplicity. Initially made from carved bone, and later from bamboo and wood, the humble flute served many purposes- from communication between and within tribes, with cattle, and most importantly, to provide musical entertainment. In India, the Hindu God Krishna is considered master of the bamboo flute and is always portrayed with one. Handed down from ancient times the flute continues to hold its place as an instrument of repute and is featured in most orchestras, bands, and musical compositions. • THE INDIAN FLUTE : The Indian flute is traditionally made of bamboo and was independently developed from its western counterpart. Primarily found and used in folk music, the Indian Classical flute was developed into a classical musical instrument by legendary flautist Pannalal Ghosh. He transformed the tiny folk instrument into a bamboo flute (32 inches long with seven finger holes) suitable for playing traditional Indian classical music. Compared to its folk counterpart, the Indian Classical flute has an extra hole, the seventh, to accommodate the entire range of traditional ragas. Pandit Raghunath Prasanna further developed various techniques that would allow the flute to faithfully reproduce the subtleties and nuances of Indian Classical music. Apart from the Indian Classical flute, the bansuri, with six finger holes and one embouchure hole, is popular in North Indian Hindustani music. South Indian Carnatic musicians employ the cross-finger technique and play the eight holed velu or pullanguzhal.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 12:56:05 +0000
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