Goyalparia Musical Modes and Instruments
Musical Modes
The various types of folk-music of the region have different kinds of melodic and rhythmic patterns. While some of the musical structures of the eastern parts are more or less akin to those of the contiguous areas of the Kamrup region, the bulk of the musical modes of the region, especially of the western parts, have a close affinity with those of the neighbouring districts of North Bengal.
The tunes of most of the songs of religious and ritualistic associations have a repetitive and rather monotonous quality. They are also set to simple rhythmic patterns. So it is with the narrative songs of the folk-plays in general. Of course the choral embellishments of such songs add some zest to them. However, considerable variation in both melodic and rhythmic structures are found in the Padmapuran and Marai-gan songs. Among the songs with a religious or spiritual content, the Jhali-mati songs have fairly rich variety and intricacy of musical modes, both melodic and rhythmic.
The songs of female association, like the marriage songs, Shitilar-nam and Gupuni-nam, have simple yet attractive melodies. The marriage songs in particular have a lilting quality. The rhyme like songs, such as the Ori songs, have elementary musical patterns with a very limited combination of notes.
But the most important and distinctive musical modes of this region are the Bhawaiya and the Chatka that are extremely popular in west Goalpara and large areas of North Bengal. They are, as indicated earlier, as much of two types of lyrical compositions as two distinct melodic patterns.
The Bhawaiya is characterised by slow and floating movements with a tendency to linger on some particular notes. (Biswas, 10th year) A sentiment of pathos dominates the style of its rendition. A Chatka has fast and rather jerky movements and the prevailing mood is one of gaiety and mirth. Though musically the Bhawaiya has some affinity with the Bhatiyali of East Bengal, it is by no means a variation of the latter as wrongly assumed by some: it is very much of an independent and distinct style. (S.Chakrabarty)
Many folksongs of Kamrup also have the basic melodic and rhythmic structures of the Bhawaiya and the Chatka. We are giving below a few specimen notations of songs of the Bhawaiya and Chatka styles:
Note:
S stands for Sa
R stands for Re
G stands for Ga
g stands for Komal Ga
M stands for Ma
D stands for Dha
N stands for Ni
n stands for Komal Ni
S’ stands for Sa (inthehigheroctave)
n, stands for Komal Ga (in the lower octave)
P, stands for Pa (in the lower octave)
(i) A typical Bhawaiya melody of Goalpara:
+ O + O
_ _ M P G _ M _ P _ D P D _ n _
_ _ Na Kan Di sh Na _ Kan dish Re Bhe lo wa _
_ _ _ _ D n D P _ _ P D D M P _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Rat ri _ Ni sha _
(ii) A mahut song : an interesting variation of the Bhawaiya type:
+
S _ S S
Ha s ti r O
R _ R G
Ka _ nya _ +
S R R S
Ha s ti r O
S _ S S
Ka _ nya _
G M M M
Ba _ mo _
P P D n
Ne _ ro _
P D P _
Na _ ri _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
(iii) A typical Chatka somg:
+
S S S
Dho u li O
R G _
Mo re _ +
R _ _
Mai _ _ O
_ R G
_ Su n
S S S
Da ri _ R G _
Mo re _ R _ _
Mai _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _
Musical Instruments
The following are the important musical instruments of Goalpara. Some of them are also popular in North Bengal.
String Instruments
The dotara: Literally meaning two-stringed, the Dotara or Dotra is a four-stringed stroking instrument. The two centre strings separate onlyat the bridge and provide the tonic note, the first and fourth strings providing the notes above and below respectively. The body is shaped from one piece of wood with the belly hollowed out and covered with iguana skin. The strings are of Muga silk and the striker is made of ivory or buffalo horn. It is used to accompany different types of songs, specially the Bhawaiya and Chatkas. It is also the instrument which gives its name to the Dotra-gan form of folk-drama.
The sarinda: It is a bowing instrument. It is also made of one piece wood but is shorter than the Dotara and has a wider base. There are two hollows the lower one being covered with skin. The strings are made of twined Muga threads. The bow is very similar to that of a violin.
The bena: The Bena is a one-stringed instrument with a wooden cup as the resonator. A bamboo stick passes through the cup. One end of the string is attached to one end of the stick and the other end passes over a bridge placed on the skin covering the cup. It is played with a small bow. It is used almost exclusively in the Kushan type of folk drama.
The Ektara, the Ras-madli and the Tendra are all one-stringed stroking instruments, not very commonly used. They are generally favoured by the mendicant singers.
Percussion Instruments
The khol: It is the most commonly used percussion instrument for accompaniment. It is used not only in singing the Samkirtan type of songs but is also essential in such dramatic and semi-dramatic institutions are the Kushan-gan, the Dotra-gan and the Padma-puran.
It is an earthen cylinder, fatter at the middle, with one head bigger than the other. Two leather pieces are attached to the two rinds. The bigger end gives the bass sound while the sound given by the other has a higher and sharper pitch.
A peculiar type of Khol, known as Mati is used in singing Jhali-mati songs. The cylinder of this Khol is not fatter at the middle but it tapers gradually from the bigger to the smaller head.
The dhak: It is a big-size drum with a straight wooden cylinder, both the sides being covered with skin. However, the drummer beats on only one side with two sticks and the other side acts as the resonator. The sound it emits is very strong and sharp. The Dhak is played in such religious ceremonies as Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja, etc. but it has a special place in the Kati Puja and Charak Puja ceremonies. The Kati Puja dance and the KaliChandi dance cannot be thought of without the playing of the appropriate beats of the Dhak.
The dhol: The Dhol is another big drum which is played with a stick on one side and with a hand on the other. Unlike in the Dhak the cylinder slightly bulges towards the middle, is made of thicker wood and the leather used on the beating sides is also heavier. There are bracing cords and metal hooks with which the skins can be loosened and tightened according to need.
The Dhol is generally played in combination with the Karka and the Shanai, both described below. The Dhol and the Karka are also essential for the Bas Puja and Madarer Bas ceremonies and the dances of those names.
The karka: The Karka is a kind of snare drum with short wooden cylinder, one end being slightly wider than the other. Both ends are covered with skin but only the bigger side is beaten upon with two small sticks. It gives out sharp rattling notes.
In some parts it is called the Thertheri and in others Tasi.
The nagras: The Nagras, played in pairs, are like kettle-drums with earthen hemispheres. They are beaten upon with two sticks and are almost exclusively used in the singing of congregational devotional songs of the Assam Vaishnava School.
Wind Instruments
The shanai: It is a wood-wind instrument with a long concial body, to one end of which is fitted a palm-leaf mouthpieces slightly resembling the oboe. It has a nasal and penetrating tone quality. It is played mostly in a dhol-band, particularly in marriages.
The much-basi: it is a peculiar kind of flute. Apart from a sound-producing device it also has a wind-preserving device because of which a continuous sound can be produced on it. (thus it is like a small modified version of the bagpipeilike flute used by the snake charmers). It is made of bamboo cylinder and the mouthpiece is fitted with a ring-like bamboo attachment of the bigger diameter into which wind is constantly blown from the mouth. It is this flute(basi) which is played with Basipuran songs and some parties also use it to accompany Padma-puran songs. It is also called Bam-basi by some.
Cymbals
The juri: The most common type of cymbals are called Juri. They are small slightly concave round metal pieces with holes at the centre. Strings are attached to them through the holes. The player twines the strings to his fingers and plays them by striking one with the other, producing sharp notes. They are generally played in combination with the Khol. But sometimes they are also played independently to keep time with some songs, say in a Boisna-tali performance of a narrative song.
The khupi-tal: these are smaller and hollower cymbals used in some parts in singing Marai songs. The player generally ties both the pieces in one hand and plays them by striking each other by skilful movements of the hand in the same fashion as in the Oja-Pali of Kamrup and Darrang. This is called Khuti-tal in other parts of Assam.
The ghau-tal: They are very big-size cymbals each weighing several pounds and producing very strong clanging and booming sounds. They look like big metal hats. They are used in singing congregational Vaishnava devotional songs in the eastern parts. They are extremely popular throughout the rest of Assam as the Bhor-tal (believed to be of Bhot or Tibetan origin.)
The jhali: They are peculiar cymbals, bigger than the Juri and Khupi-tai and smaller than the Ghau-tal. But they are almost flat and much thinner. They are used exclusively in singing Jhalimati songs.
Musical Instruments of the Tribal People of Goalpara region
The important instruments of the Bodos are:
(1) The khum: a large-size drum neaten on with the hands.
(2) The siphung: a long bamboo flute with five holes.
(3) The serja (also called serenja): the same instrument as sarinda described above.
(4) The jotha: small cymbals similar to the Juri cymbals described above.
(5) The gangana: a kind of jew’s harp made of bamboo, played mostly by young women.
(6) The tharka: made of a piece of bamboo split into two, used particularly by young women to keep time while singing.
The two last-named instruments are very widely used in the Bihu music of Assam.
The list of Rabha instruments is longer, some of the items being very peculiar:
The Hem or Madal or Dhak: a big-size drum similar to the Kham above.
The Brangsing: a flute with four holes.
The Lakhar or Laukhar flute: a more primitive kind of flute with two holes.
The Badungdupa: an instrument made of an unsplit piece of bamboo with four strings raised from its body, which are struck with two small sticks.
The Buburenga: an instrument made of a kind of grass.
The Manselengka: a kind pf time-keeping instrument made of bamboo with a peculiar pilley-like device to work it.
The Karha nal: a peculiar bamboo pipe several feet long.
The Gamena: the jew’s harp. (Dutta) .
Musical Modes
The various types of folk-music of the region have different kinds of melodic and rhythmic patterns. While some of the musical structures of the eastern parts are more or less akin to those of the contiguous areas of the Kamrup region, the bulk of the musical modes of the region, especially of the western parts, have a close affinity with those of the neighbouring districts of North Bengal.
The tunes of most of the songs of religious and ritualistic associations have a repetitive and rather monotonous quality. They are also set to simple rhythmic patterns. So it is with the narrative songs of the folk-plays in general. Of course the choral embellishments of such songs add some zest to them. However, considerable variation in both melodic and rhythmic structures are found in the Padmapuran and Marai-gan songs. Among the songs with a religious or spiritual content, the Jhali-mati songs have fairly rich variety and intricacy of musical modes, both melodic and rhythmic.
The songs of female association, like the marriage songs, Shitilar-nam and Gupuni-nam, have simple yet attractive melodies. The marriage songs in particular have a lilting quality. The rhyme like songs, such as the Ori songs, have elementary musical patterns with a very limited combination of notes.
But the most important and distinctive musical modes of this region are the Bhawaiya and the Chatka that are extremely popular in west Goalpara and large areas of North Bengal. They are, as indicated earlier, as much of two types of lyrical compositions as two distinct melodic patterns.
The Bhawaiya is characterised by slow and floating movements with a tendency to linger on some particular notes. (Biswas, 10th year) A sentiment of pathos dominates the style of its rendition. A Chatka has fast and rather jerky movements and the prevailing mood is one of gaiety and mirth. Though musically the Bhawaiya has some affinity with the Bhatiyali of East Bengal, it is by no means a variation of the latter as wrongly assumed by some: it is very much of an independent and distinct style. (S.Chakrabarty)
Many folksongs of Kamrup also have the basic melodic and rhythmic structures of the Bhawaiya and the Chatka. We are giving below a few specimen notations of songs of the Bhawaiya and Chatka styles:
Note:
S stands for Sa
R stands for Re
G stands for Ga
g stands for Komal Ga
M stands for Ma
D stands for Dha
N stands for Ni
n stands for Komal Ni
S’ stands for Sa (inthehigheroctave)
n, stands for Komal Ga (in the lower octave)
P, stands for Pa (in the lower octave)
(i) A typical Bhawaiya melody of Goalpara:
+ O + O
_ _ M P G _ M _ P _ D P D _ n _
_ _ Na Kan Di sh Na _ Kan dish Re Bhe lo wa _
_ _ _ _ D n D P _ _ P D D M P _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Rat ri _ Ni sha _
(ii) A mahut song : an interesting variation of the Bhawaiya type:
+
S _ S S
Ha s ti r O
R _ R G
Ka _ nya _ +
S R R S
Ha s ti r O
S _ S S
Ka _ nya _
G M M M
Ba _ mo _
P P D n
Ne _ ro _
P D P _
Na _ ri _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
(iii) A typical Chatka somg:
+
S S S
Dho u li O
R G _
Mo re _ +
R _ _
Mai _ _ O
_ R G
_ Su n
S S S
Da ri _ R G _
Mo re _ R _ _
Mai _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _
Musical Instruments
The following are the important musical instruments of Goalpara. Some of them are also popular in North Bengal.
String Instruments
The dotara: Literally meaning two-stringed, the Dotara or Dotra is a four-stringed stroking instrument. The two centre strings separate onlyat the bridge and provide the tonic note, the first and fourth strings providing the notes above and below respectively. The body is shaped from one piece of wood with the belly hollowed out and covered with iguana skin. The strings are of Muga silk and the striker is made of ivory or buffalo horn. It is used to accompany different types of songs, specially the Bhawaiya and Chatkas. It is also the instrument which gives its name to the Dotra-gan form of folk-drama.
The sarinda: It is a bowing instrument. It is also made of one piece wood but is shorter than the Dotara and has a wider base. There are two hollows the lower one being covered with skin. The strings are made of twined Muga threads. The bow is very similar to that of a violin.
The bena: The Bena is a one-stringed instrument with a wooden cup as the resonator. A bamboo stick passes through the cup. One end of the string is attached to one end of the stick and the other end passes over a bridge placed on the skin covering the cup. It is played with a small bow. It is used almost exclusively in the Kushan type of folk drama.
The Ektara, the Ras-madli and the Tendra are all one-stringed stroking instruments, not very commonly used. They are generally favoured by the mendicant singers.
Percussion Instruments
The khol: It is the most commonly used percussion instrument for accompaniment. It is used not only in singing the Samkirtan type of songs but is also essential in such dramatic and semi-dramatic institutions are the Kushan-gan, the Dotra-gan and the Padma-puran.
It is an earthen cylinder, fatter at the middle, with one head bigger than the other. Two leather pieces are attached to the two rinds. The bigger end gives the bass sound while the sound given by the other has a higher and sharper pitch.
A peculiar type of Khol, known as Mati is used in singing Jhali-mati songs. The cylinder of this Khol is not fatter at the middle but it tapers gradually from the bigger to the smaller head.
The dhak: It is a big-size drum with a straight wooden cylinder, both the sides being covered with skin. However, the drummer beats on only one side with two sticks and the other side acts as the resonator. The sound it emits is very strong and sharp. The Dhak is played in such religious ceremonies as Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja, etc. but it has a special place in the Kati Puja and Charak Puja ceremonies. The Kati Puja dance and the KaliChandi dance cannot be thought of without the playing of the appropriate beats of the Dhak.
The dhol: The Dhol is another big drum which is played with a stick on one side and with a hand on the other. Unlike in the Dhak the cylinder slightly bulges towards the middle, is made of thicker wood and the leather used on the beating sides is also heavier. There are bracing cords and metal hooks with which the skins can be loosened and tightened according to need.
The Dhol is generally played in combination with the Karka and the Shanai, both described below. The Dhol and the Karka are also essential for the Bas Puja and Madarer Bas ceremonies and the dances of those names.
The karka: The Karka is a kind of snare drum with short wooden cylinder, one end being slightly wider than the other. Both ends are covered with skin but only the bigger side is beaten upon with two small sticks. It gives out sharp rattling notes.
In some parts it is called the Thertheri and in others Tasi.
The nagras: The Nagras, played in pairs, are like kettle-drums with earthen hemispheres. They are beaten upon with two sticks and are almost exclusively used in the singing of congregational devotional songs of the Assam Vaishnava School.
Wind Instruments
The shanai: It is a wood-wind instrument with a long concial body, to one end of which is fitted a palm-leaf mouthpieces slightly resembling the oboe. It has a nasal and penetrating tone quality. It is played mostly in a dhol-band, particularly in marriages.
The much-basi: it is a peculiar kind of flute. Apart from a sound-producing device it also has a wind-preserving device because of which a continuous sound can be produced on it. (thus it is like a small modified version of the bagpipeilike flute used by the snake charmers). It is made of bamboo cylinder and the mouthpiece is fitted with a ring-like bamboo attachment of the bigger diameter into which wind is constantly blown from the mouth. It is this flute(basi) which is played with Basipuran songs and some parties also use it to accompany Padma-puran songs. It is also called Bam-basi by some.
Cymbals
The juri: The most common type of cymbals are called Juri. They are small slightly concave round metal pieces with holes at the centre. Strings are attached to them through the holes. The player twines the strings to his fingers and plays them by striking one with the other, producing sharp notes. They are generally played in combination with the Khol. But sometimes they are also played independently to keep time with some songs, say in a Boisna-tali performance of a narrative song.
The khupi-tal: these are smaller and hollower cymbals used in some parts in singing Marai songs. The player generally ties both the pieces in one hand and plays them by striking each other by skilful movements of the hand in the same fashion as in the Oja-Pali of Kamrup and Darrang. This is called Khuti-tal in other parts of Assam.
The ghau-tal: They are very big-size cymbals each weighing several pounds and producing very strong clanging and booming sounds. They look like big metal hats. They are used in singing congregational Vaishnava devotional songs in the eastern parts. They are extremely popular throughout the rest of Assam as the Bhor-tal (believed to be of Bhot or Tibetan origin.)
The jhali: They are peculiar cymbals, bigger than the Juri and Khupi-tai and smaller than the Ghau-tal. But they are almost flat and much thinner. They are used exclusively in singing Jhalimati songs.
Musical Instruments of the Tribal People of Goalpara region
The important instruments of the Bodos are:
(1) The khum: a large-size drum neaten on with the hands.
(2) The siphung: a long bamboo flute with five holes.
(3) The serja (also called serenja): the same instrument as sarinda described above.
(4) The jotha: small cymbals similar to the Juri cymbals described above.
(5) The gangana: a kind of jew’s harp made of bamboo, played mostly by young women.
(6) The tharka: made of a piece of bamboo split into two, used particularly by young women to keep time while singing.
The two last-named instruments are very widely used in the Bihu music of Assam.
The list of Rabha instruments is longer, some of the items being very peculiar:
The Hem or Madal or Dhak: a big-size drum similar to the Kham above.
The Brangsing: a flute with four holes.
The Lakhar or Laukhar flute: a more primitive kind of flute with two holes.
The Badungdupa: an instrument made of an unsplit piece of bamboo with four strings raised from its body, which are struck with two small sticks.
The Buburenga: an instrument made of a kind of grass.
The Manselengka: a kind pf time-keeping instrument made of bamboo with a peculiar pilley-like device to work it.
The Karha nal: a peculiar bamboo pipe several feet long.
The Gamena: the jew’s harp. (Dutta) .
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