KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Flute Music from Northern India

Analog Audio

Event Type

Music

Origin

KPFA

Identifier

C.1969.XX.XX.02

Program Length

53 min

Dates

| broadcast
| 402 | created

Description

Carolyn Strauss introduces a program of flute music of Northern India. She relates how in the late 1960s, after a largely fruitless search for musicians that play a certain type of long low flute (bansuri) she was finally introduced to G. S. Sachdev. Despite his obvious proficiency Sachdev was at the time largely unknown in India and was being pressured to forgo his musical studies in order to take on his father’s rock crushing business. Strauss managed to record a private concert, held in her home in Uttar Pradesh, featuring Sachdev on flute, Gopal Das, tabla, Strauss’s five year old daughter Rebecca on harmonium, and herself on the tamboura. This program includes the Raga Kalavati, as well as the center portion of a 90 minute long Raga Yaman, which is considered an early evening “luck-bringing” raga. Fortunately G. S Sachdev managed to continue his studies and has since been recognized as one of the great masters of the bansuri flute and continues to record and perform around the world.

Genres

World music

Musical Selections

Raga Kalavati, for flute, tabla, tamboura, and harmonium [or possibly “Raga Kalwati”] (23:29) -- Raga Yaman, for flute, tabla, tamboura, and harmonium [excerpt] (21:46)

Performers

G. S. Sachdev, flute
Gopal Das, tabla
Rebecca Strauss, harmonium
Carolyn Strauss, tamboura

Subjects

World music
Music -- India
Ragas
Flute and tabla music -- India
Hindustani music -- India

Acknowledgment

Funding for the preservation of this program made possible through a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Related place

Uttar Pradesh (India) (was recorded at)

Related Entities

Strauss, Carolyn,musician
Sachdev, Gurubachan Singh (G.S.)
Das, Gopal
Strauss, Rebecca (Musician)