Somjit Dasgupta plays a 300 year old Rabab

A fun shoot in a forest near Sohna during the monsoon of 2005, we dressed Somjit with a turban and his then majestic beard he looked like a real rababi musician, of course which he musically is! Sadly, though, this was the last we have seen him with a beard.
Anad Records Pvt Ltd has published, in 2005, a dhrupadi rabab's first ever record.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Baldeep
• Bhai
• Dasgupta
• Dhrupad
• Gurbani
• Kirtan
• Rabaab
• Rabab
• Rubaab
• Rubab
• Singh
• Somjit

[MayaDhari]

Synthetic [ not gut ] strings? From Harp or Oud? BTW, out of pure curiosity, what's his beard got to do with music?

[anadfoundation]

Well these are gut srings. These are custom made for us by one of the finest gut string maker in Europe.

You have got us wondering - we never thought about the beard-music connection...

[majbising]

There seems an evident mix of Sarod and Rabab playing styles.

[anadfoundation]

But of course, sarod is an offshoot of the dhrupadi rabab, so any semblance is natural.

[GasLiquidSolid]

very beautiful, Maestro, and a haunting inlay design under the fretboard. You can even hear the Words of the songs you are playing in Gurmukh. Thank you

[ksghai]

Just Beautiful.



[antarsitar]

Simply fascinating! How did the artist approach the music and performance practice since since there were no recording devices 300 years ago and whatever notation exists contains nomenclature which has changed. Sounds like modern Raag Zilla Kafi. Thanks for posting!

[antarsitar]

This is amazingly interesting! I have heard of the Indian rabab and depictions of it in paintings of Guru Nanak ans some ragamala paintings. It is also mentioned in "Sitar and Sarod in the 18th and 19th centuries" Dr Miner, Allyn as being important to development of sitar and sarod and exogenous to India (but not from Kabul.) Probably Persia.

Vedic era veena was probably a type of lyre. Lute type chordphone exogenous. Modern sarod seems developed from this and sursringar and Afghai rabab.

[Gomagomes]

wonderful instrument, wish i could learn to play, but in my country it's very very hard to find these

[bhaibaldeep]

Sadly, these students are playing newer interpretations of this instrument with no connection, whatsoever, to the legacy this unique instrument beholds.

Hopefully, in the immediate future some clarity would prevail.

[bhaibaldeep]

It is a six- stringed dhrupadi rabab with no chikari.

I wouldn't say the last but the only one with a 'living' rabab that I could find years ago who remembered some of this instruments' repertoire.

My elder son is 13 and learning to play from Somjit Dasgupta in addition to receiving guidance from me.

In recent years there has been a lot of interest generated regarding this instrument and I see many enthusiasts only that there are no luthiers (apart from me) who know how to make this instrument.

[DEUTSCHLANDDUDE]

fantastic! This rare and exqusitie instrument sooths the soul and puts the mind to rest! How many strings does it have and how many for the chikari? I suppose the Kabuli variety lacks the chikari? Is he the last of the Indian classical Rabab players today?

[bhaibaldeep]

The Kabuli and Kashmiri rabab is the folk one - this one being played is the Hindustani or Dhrupadi Rabab, which is played in the Classical music.

Regarding India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, I do not think a mere political boundary can split the one family we all are - aesthetically, culturally and spiritually.