JUGALBANDI - A Critical Review

Jugalbandi is a form of musical presentation and indeed an attractive endeavor in bringing together two instrumental forms or two genres of music. The effort has in itself many striking features like inherent feel-good factor, collective effort of the artists and high expectation of the rasikas. There are as well some not so absorbing moments due to lopsided turnout of the presentation mainly because of various limitations associated with the musical system and also of the duo performing the Jugalbandi. The collective effort requires exuberant attitude over the proposed attempt, an intrinsic understanding between the duo, sharing similar caliber so that they carve up a perfect rapport both on and off stage. This article tries to critically review the concept of Jugalbandi.

The quest for transcending the technical, regional, linguistic barriers and finding the common thread that pervades and permeates across all systems of music resulted in duet presentations, popularly called Jugalbandi in Indian classical music system.

Literally meaning "tying of twins" Jugalbandi involves two performing artists presenting same, similar or different musical forms. Jugalbandis became popular in Indian classical music especially in North India from early 60s. Performances of Ustad Ali Akbar khan on Sarod and Pt Nikhil Banerjee or Pt Ravi Shankar on Sitar, Ustad Vilayat khan on Sitar and Ustad Bismillah khan on shehnai took the popularity of Jugalbandis to unprecedented heights.

Unlike in northern India, stalwarts of South India who were in their crest of popularity seldom shared the stage and hence Jugalbandis of two Carnatic musicians have been and still is rare.

Artists who acknowledged the beauty of musical system other than theirs and respected the mastery of their counterparts came forward with the idea of collaborating with new techniques and system alien to them.

Artists of Hindustani and Carnatic systems started presenting together on the same stage trying to bring out their own music in parallel to the one presented by the other.

Ustad Vilayat Khan with Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman, Ustad Amjad Ali khan with Sri TN Krishnan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan with Sri L Subramaniam, Sri Balamurali Krishna with Sri Bhimsen Joshi ji, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia with Sri N Ramani were some of the most popular duets that the audience relished.

Nowadays Jugalbandis have become extremely popular since the expectations of the audience doubles, seeing two greats and favorites together. But does a listener after a jugalbandi concert really leaves the concert hall with multiplied joy or does he feel some inexplicable short coming with the concert needs to be assessed and analyzed.Before going further into the subject lets try to understand the basic differences in the two systems of music.

In Hindustani music concerts the very first piece of the presentation will be the main part of the concert. It generally starts with an unaccompanied Alap in case of instrumental or a very slow vilambit composition in case of vocal music. This itself is a way so much away from a Carnatic music presentation which starts with a varnam or some small composition - krithi. Thus when the artists of two styles give a jugalbandi either one has to start the concert in a manner different from their regular style.

Secondly the structure of a concert presentation between the two styles is totally different in the sense that Carnatic music is presented with alapana, krithi, neraval and kalpana swara wherein the Krithi rendition assumes the most significance. Krithis themselves are composed with complex patterns and intricate musical details called sangathis which are prefixed by the composers. While in Hindustani music the composition or the gat is only short poem or a hymn and is generally not complex technically and are expanded through the taans and sargams that are spontaneous and not prefixed.

Thirdly the presentation of a raga is very unhurried in Hindustani music which sometimes can be monotonous as well, building the phrases around the notes of the arohi of the raga step by step starting from the lower Sadjam reaching upto upper octaves. Generally the alap of Hindustani music is very contemplative in nature, trying to bring subtle nuances of the raga and is devoid of any technical virtuosity. Artists do not try to express his/her vocal prowess or the instrumentalists do not try to express the speed he can generate with the instrument. While in Carnatic music the alapana is studded with embellishments like brigas, karvais and jhaarus. Artist expresses his vocal ability thro stunning brigas that are so intricate and at once traversing across octaves.

Fourthly, the tala pattern or layakari is very complex in Carnatic music system compared to Hindustani. Hindustani classical music employs simple tala systems like 8 or 16 beat teental, 10 beat jhaptal or 12 beat ektaal. The tala accompaniment in Hindustani classical music is only to provide the support the rhythmic progression. Probably it was formulated with a belief or fear that paying too much attention on the laya will take an artist away from the emotions of the raga, and the improvisation. But in Carnatic classical music tala occupies as much importance as the raga. Complex talas are used with variations in the position of take off of a composition or eduppu. Also in Carnatic music it is supremely important the tempo remains the same through out the composition unlike in Hindustani classical music where the tempo increases as the presentation progresses.

With all these fundamental differences constraining the artists but propelled by good intentions the jugalbandis are being performed.

The most common way of presenting the jugalbandi is that the Hindustani artist presents the alap and jor and his Carnatic counterpart presents a ragam and thanam. Generally all jugalbandis start off well with the Carnatic musician starting his alapana and is followed by the Hindustani artist presenting his version of the same. Generally the alapana in Carnatic music is concluded with high paced brigas, which sometimes baffles his counterpart since an alap of Hindustani classical music is always slow paced.

The next segment, thanam is taken up which the Hindustani artist matches thro Jor. The second apparent disparity can be felt here. Unlike the alap segment, in Jor section the Hindustani artist increases the speed of the playing and produces high speed tans leading to jhala, which is generally not possible in a thanam, which is sung in a single speed or sometimes exactly twice the speed at which it was started.

Woes get added with the commencement of the pallavi or the Gat section. Here tabla / mridangam accompaniments join the main performers. The thrikalam or the presentation of pallavi in three speeds, neraval (rendition of the pallavi in long improvised tans), change of nadai ie the rhythmic variations within a given tala etc are generally outlandish to the Hindustani system and even sometimes is embarrassing to the artist. By virtue of the system, the presentation of Hindustani music system reaches climax during drut gat with very high paced jhala, wherein the speed of playing would be about 3 or 4 times faster than how it began. This speed and at the same time the control over the instrument or voice enthralls the audience and brings him applause and credits. But in a jugalbandi, a Hindustani artist cannot increase the speed of the presentation since that goes against the rule of the Carnatic music. In case the Hindustani musician increases the tempo, the Carnatic musician ignoring the fundamentals is forced to catch up with his racing counterpart.

All the above apparent incongruences generally make a jugalbandi lopsided. Either of the two artists seemingly dominates the presentation. In some extreme cases one of the main artists starts performing like an accompanying artist. Apart from the differences owing to the technical aspects of the two systems, differences also arise on account of the instrument and the associated difficulty in handling it. For example, a freely flowing flute played in Carnatic system can prove to be too competitive for a difficult instrument like sarod, on the contrary can match well with a sitar or a mohan veena.

Also the ragas selected for performing together also have become repetitive. Probably for opting a safe raga, or to ensure the rasikas’ familiarity ragas beyond Yaman (kalyani), Kirwani, Charukeshi, Panthuvarali/Puryadhanashri or utmost Boopali/ Mohanam, Malkauns/ Hindolam are seldom performed. Even familiar ragas like Abohi, Todi/Subapanthuvarali, Natbhairav/Sarasangi do not find place in the jugalbandi presentations. More often Vathapi Ganapathim in Hamsadvani makes a cliché of these presentations.

All the aforesaid differences or inconsistencies can be successfully overcome if the artists make an honest effort to build up rapport with their counterparts. It also requires the artists to understand the possibilities and difficulties of the other music system and the instrument. More than the raaga and the presentation it is the harmony and the camaraderie that the artists demonstrate on the stage which the spectators cherish to witness.

Presenting two of the most celebrated and in-sync jugalbandis

1.Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan - Rag Bhoopali

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2.Ustad Bismillah Khan and Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan - Rag Kedar

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