INDIA – INDE
Dagar Brothers – Nassir Zahiruddin Dagar & Nassir Faiyazuddin Dagar – His Master’s Voice – EALP 1334, released 1968 (LP)
Born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the Younger Dagar Brothers, Nasir Zahiruddin (1933–1994) and Nasir Faiyazuddin (1934–1989), were two great classical Dagarvani Dhrupad singers from the highly prestigious Dagar family, whose unbroken musical lineage went back 19 generations.
The two younger brothers were still infants when the training of their two older brothers, vocalists Nasir Moinuddin Dagar (1921-1966) and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar (1923-2000)—the Senior Dagar Brothers—was interrupted by the untimely death of their father Nasiruddin Khan (1895-1936) in 1936.
The two elder brothers continued their musical education under Riyazuddin Khan (1885-1947) and Ziauddin Khan Dagar (1886-1946), and formed a formidable jugalbandi duo, whose fame in the 1950s and 60s helped revive the Dhrupad tradition. The senior brothers also trained their younger siblings, whose sublime first album from 1968 I am delighted to showcase here. Following Moinuddin Dagar’s death in 1966 at the age of 46, the two younger brothers were the last Dagar jugalbandi vocalists and Aminuddin Dagar pursued a solo career.
The two younger brothers’ deep, serene and telepathic singing carried by the tanpura’s drone, and Bithal Das Gujrati’s delicate pakhawaj double-sided drum on Side B, weave timeless, sensuous sonorities connected with the chanting of ancient Vedic hymns and mantras. These universal vibrations are pure bliss, “a true miracle,” according to our friend João.
Nés à Indore, dans le Madhya Pradesh, les Younger Dagar Brothers, Nasir Zahiruddin (1933–1994) et Nasir Faiyazuddin (1934–1989), étaient deux grands chanteurs classiques du Dhrupad Dagarvani de la prestigieuse famille Dagar, dont la lignée musicale ininterrompue remontait à 19 générations.
Les deux jeunes frères étaient encore en bas âge lorsque la formation de leurs deux frères aînés, les chanteurs Nasir Moinuddin Dagar (1921-1966) et Nasir Aminuddin Dagar (1923-2000) – les Senior Dagar Brothers – fut interrompue par la mort prématurée de leur père Nasiruddin Khan (1895-1936) en 1936.
Les deux frères aînés poursuivirent leur éducation musicale sous la tutelle de Riyazuddin Khan (1885-1947) et de Ziauddin Khan Dagar (1886-1946), et formèrent un duo jugalbandi, dont la renommée dans les années 50 et 60 contribua à faire revivre la tradition Dhrupad. Les frères aînés ont également assuré l’apprentissage musical de leurs jeunes frères, dont je suis ravi de présenter ici leur sublime premier album publié en 1968. Après la mort de Moinuddin Dagar en 1966 à l'âge de 46 ans, les deux jeunes frères furent les derniers chanteurs Dagar jugalbandi, alors que l’ainé Aminuddin Dagar poursuvit une carrière solo.
Le chant profond, serein et télépathique des deux frères cadets, porté par le bourdon du tanpura, et le délicat tambour double face pakhawaj de Bithal Das Gujrati sur la face B, tissent des sonorités intemporelles et sensuelles liées au chant d'anciens hymnes et mantras védiques. Ces vibrations universelles sont pures félicités, « un véritable miracle », selon notre ami João.
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“The sound of the tanbura (drone) moves your entire being: your body outside and your heart within you. It acts upon you. And when it moves you, what you sing is not simply something you have memorized, it is music that comes from your soul. The emotions of the soul are transformed into music… The tanbura sets the whole atmosphere for the raag…once we hold the instrument we tune our heart to it from within. It’s the tanbura that tells us which raag we should sing… That’s why we can never tell beforehand what we’re going to sing,” said Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar in the superb 1993 documentary Dagarvani directed by Renuka George.
Our other Dhrupad music posts:
Nasir Aminuddin Dagar – HMV EASD 1420 here
Zia Mohiuddin Dagar – Morgonraga – here
Zia Mohiuddin Dagar – HMV - 7 EPE 1312 here
Chandrashekhar Naringrekar – HMV - 7 EPE 1590 here
The photograph below is from Gloire des Princes, Louange des Dieux - catalogue for the March-June 2003 Musée de la Musique exhibition, Paris:
Prince and musician, by Hunhar, Mughal, c.1650-1660:
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