Home   News   Schools   Sports   Biz   Opinion   Health   Scitech  Arts   Dining   Movies   Outdoors   Weather   Archives  NM Jobs Cars Real Estate

Story Tools  E-mail Story  Print Friendly Send E-mail To David Steinberg BY Recent stories by David Steinberg $$ NewsLibrary Archives search for David Steinberg '95-now Reprint story Save & Share  ‡  Tag this Page Most Requested Most E-mailed Who's Blogging? Read what's being written about Albuquerque Journal reports. Legal Help Store - Find A Divorce, Injury, Criminal, Bankruptcy or Real Estate Lawyer links to NEWS/METRO: Cameraman's Charges Dropped Lawyer Search Engine - Find A Divorce, Injury, Criminal, Bankruptcy or Real Estate Lawyer links to NEWS/METRO: Cameraman's Charges Dropped Attorney Search Engine - Find A Divorce, Injury, Criminal, Bankruptcy or Real Estate Lawyer links to NEWS/METRO: Cameraman's Charges Dropped Lawyer Search Engine - Find A Divorce, Injury, Criminal, Bankruptcy or Real Estate Lawyer links to NEWS/METRO: Cameraman's Charges Dropped Errors of Enchantment, weblog of The Rio Grande Foundation links to BIZ: Tesla Motors Plans To Stay in California m-pyre links to GRANT: APD's Iron Fist Diogenes'six links to OPINION/EDITORIALS: State Government Shouldn’t Be an ATM Errors of Enchantment, weblog of The Rio Grande Foundation links to OPINION/EDITORIALS: Killing Energy Options Will Leave U.S. in Dark Dave Barry's Blog links to /abqnews/ Dave Barry's Blog links to /abqnews/ Full list and what they're blogging Venue Slaughter Tour trying to make metal magic Poison beats the odds to succeed, endure 'Junior' marches into Duke City Russell rides long track record Rest easy, Duke City: Launchpad's back Vocal duo to perform jazz Reverend brings heat to endless tour circuit Freedom Fest Army's 'Soldiers' led way to important 'Anthems' Wedding brings fiddlers together More Venue

          Front Page  venue

Sunday, May 11, 2008

East Indian Ensemble Rooted in Chanting

By David Steinberg
Journal Staff Writer
      Maybe the name dhrupad means nothing to you. But to singer Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar, it means everything.
       Dhrupad, according to Dagar, is one of the oldest forms of East Indian classical chanting, with roots in the Sanskrit verses of the Sam Veda, one of the ancient books of the Hindu religion.
       Dagar is quite knowledgeable about the chanting. In his family he is the 20th generation of mostly singers of this classical tradition.
       Past generations, he said, figured out how to make the chanting expressive and interesting. One discovery was to put the chanted lines in rhyme.
       He is the leader of the Dagar Ensemble, which will be in concert tonight at the Outpost Performance Space.
       Dagar said dhrupad derives from two words — one is dhruv, which means the polar star.
       “It has its fixed position, its own light. It's a guide. At night people get help from dhruv to measure distances,” he said.
       The other derivative word is pad, which he said is the text of the poetry of gods and goddesses.
       Dagar learned the principles of dhrupad chanting from his father Faiyazuddun and his uncle Zahiruddin.
       “Other families in India also maintain this tradition, but our family is the oldest and the most famous,” he said in a phone interview from San Jose, Calif.
       Dagar said there are 52 musical principles in the dhrupad “and we use most of them. We always use 12 to 15.”
       The principles, he said, instruct in the way to use one's vocal chords and body to produce specific sounds.
       Those produced sounds are called nad yoga. Nad means sound and yoga the physical exercise.
       “When we sing we use part of the body and we sit when we perform,” Dagar said.
       The Dagar Ensemble includes Mohan Shyam Sharma, a master of the pakhawaj, a two-sided barrel drum. It is accompanied by Dagar's sister Uamar and Laurence Basdit, both of whom play tanpura, the drone lute.
       Dagar said he and Sharma have been performing together for 20 years.
   

---

If you go WHAT: The Dagar Ensemble
       WHEN: 7:30 tonight
       WHERE: Outpost Performance Space, 210 Yale SE
       HOW MUCH: $22 general public, $17 students and Outpost members in advance at the Outpost or by calling 268-0044 or at the door

---

Latest Albuquerque and New Mexico News
Sports

---

Albuquerque Journal Subscriber Services
Submit a news tip | Place a classified ad | Advertise Online at ABQjournal | Advertise in Albuquerque Journal print products | Subscribe to newspaper
Save & Share Tag this Page | ...go to bookmarks
back to top