Marelise and I met while we helped start off an Indian Film Festival in DC. From the start it was obvious that she and I shared so much in common, above all an overwhelming love for Life. One evening she came by train in pouring rain to deliver a set of photographs just because she promised she would.The only person to ever treat me to a concert on my birthday. They make very few like Mare.
Lew Dite
Ray Charles
YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
The other night dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamt I held you in my arms
But when I woke, dear, I was mistaken
So I hung my head and I cried.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
I'll always love you and make you happy,
If you will only say the same.
But if you leave me and love another,
You'll regret it all some day:
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
You told me once, dear, you really loved me
And no one else could come between.
But not you've left me and love another;
You have shattered all of my dreams:
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me
When I awake my poor heart pains.
So when you come back and make me happy
I'll forgive you dear, I'll take all the blame.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
"You Are My Sunshine" is a popular song first recorded in 1939. It has been declared one of the state songs of Louisiana as a result of its association with former state governor and country music singer Jimmie Davis. Two versions of "You Are My Sunshine" were recorded and released prior to Jimmie Davis's. The first was recorded for Bluebird Records by The Pine Ridge Boys, who were from Atlanta. The second was recorded for Decca Records by The Rice Brothers Gang. Davis and Charles Mitchell are the credited songwriters of "You Are My Sunshine". Davis bought the song and rights from Paul Rice and put his own name on it, a practice not uncommon in the pre-World War II music business.
"You Are My Sunshine" has been recorded hundreds of times. It is today a widely recognized song and a standard for traditional country music and traditional jazz performers. Early chart versions include: Bing Crosby, Bob Atcher and Bonnie Blue Eyes, Gene Autry, and the Airport Boys. In one or more of these versions, the song was in Billboard's country charts for over one year. The song has also been recorded by the likes of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, among others. Charles' version was the most popular, commercially, reaching #1 on the soul singles chart, using a modified melody that little resembled the original.
It has been featured in numerous films, television shows, television commercials, and radio commercials. On The Muppet Show, "You are my sunshine" was part of a scene entitled "Hugga Wugga." Afterwards, Waldorf sang it as well. Statler believed it was directed at him and retorted, "I'm not your son, and my name's not Shine!"
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Alai Payuthey Kanna - From Priya Ramankutty
Priya and I were neighbours in Tamil Nadu, a quarter of a century ago! Thanks to her persistance she found me on Face Book despite very heavy duty security and camouflage that I took refuge in...I would ask her to chaperone me on long walks when I young and my heart was aflutter and sang songs like this one!!
Sudha Raghunathan
KS Chitra
K Jesudas
Lyrics: Oothukkadu Venkatasubbier
Raagam: Kaanada
Taalam: Adi
Janya: 22 Kharaharipriya
Aarohanam: S R2 G2 M1 D N2 S
Avarohanam: S N2 P M1 G2 M1 R2 S
Pallavi
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
un aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa
Anupallavi
nilaipeyaRaadhu silaipoalavae ninRu (2)
naeramaavadhaRiyaamalae miga vinoadhamaana muraLeedharaa en manam
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa
Charanam
theLindha nilavu pattappagal poal eriyudhae (2)
dhikkai noakki en puruvam neRiyudhae
kanindha un vaeNugaanam kaatRil varugudhae (2)
kaNgal sorugi oru vidhamaay varugudhae (2)
Madhyama Kaalam
kadhiththa manaththil oruththi padhaththai enakku aLiththu magizhththavaa (2)
oru thaniththa manaththil aNaiththu enakku uNarchchi koduththu mugizhththavaa
thaniththa manaththil aNaiththu enakku uNarchchi koduththu mugizhththavaa
aNai kadal alaiyinil kadhiravan oLiyena iNaiyiru kazhalena kaLiththavaa
kadhaRi manamurugi naan azhaikkavoa idhara maadharudan nee kaLikkavoa (2)
idhu thagumoa idhu muRaiyoa idhu dharmam thaanoa (2)
kuzhaloodhidum pozhudhu aadigum kuzhaigaL poalavae manadhu vaedhanai migavodu
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
un aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa
pallavi
My mind is all aflutter, Oh Krishna, listening to the joyous,
enchanting music of your flute, My mind is all aflutter!
anupallavi
Transfixed, I stood there like a statue, oblivious of even the passage
of time, hey, mysterious flautist!
caraNam
In this clear moonlight (that makes a day of the night), I strain my
eyebrows hard and look in your direction, the mellow tunes of your
flute come floating in the breeze... my eyes feel drowsy and a new
feeling sweeps my being
Come! Mould my tender heart, make it full and fill me with joy! Come!
take me to a lonely grove and fill me with the emotions of ecstatic
union!
You are the one who danced and made merry on the sun-bathed waves of
the ocean! Am I to go on pleading for you with melting heart, While
you are enjoying yourself with other women? Is it right? Is it proper?
Is it what dharma is? My heart dances like your eardrops do when
you blissfully play the flute! (My sad heart is all aflutter)
Ootthukkadu Venkata Kavi (Telugu: ఊట్టుక్కాడు వెంకట కవి,Tamil: ஊத்துக்காடு வேங்கட கவி, Sanskrit: वूत्तुकाडु वेंकट कवि) (c.1700 - 1765 CE) was a composer of Carnatic music. He lived in South India in the present-day state of Tamil Nadu. Also known by the name Oothukkadu Venkatasubba Iyer, he is attributed to over 400 compositions. These were handed down from generation to generation by the descendants of the composer's brother's family. Venkata Kavi's compositions reveal that he was a complete master of the science and art of music in all senses of the term – melody, rhythm or lyrics and was eloquent in Sanskrit and Tamil. He was proficient in a variety of musical forms such as the kriti, tillana and kavadichindu. He used talas and themes that not many other Carnatic composers have preferred to handle. His compositions are a blend of tremendous scholarship on a variety of subjects and inspired expression. Several pieces also reveal his humility, reverence for the great personalities before his times and the high state of bliss that he probably experienced almost ceaselessly. His works scarcely contain autobiographical notes and show that he had reached tremendous spiritual and philosophical heights. His works also reveal the proximity he felt towards God and show his deep devotion.
Venkata Kavi, named as Venkata Subramanian, was born to a Tamil couple, Kamalanarayani and Ramachandra Vathoola, in the South Indian temple town of Mannargudi (about 200 miles from Chennai) but spent a considerable part of his life in the nearby village of Oottukkadu, a small village near Kumbakonam. In his later years Venkata Kavi claimed that he received his musical insights from the god Krishna himself, in the Kalinga Nartana Temple in Ootthukkadu. In one of his Tamil compositions, Guru paadaravindam komalamu - in the raga Abhogi, he declares: "I have never studied the scriptures or yoga nor pretended to have done so. I received my whole fortune in the benevolent glance of my guru." Venkata Kavi composed at least 14 songs only on the greatness of his Guru Krishna. A few of them suggest that he may also have had another human guru.
The greatest evidence of his musical pedigree is his compositions. There are several references to good musical approach, practices and even technical terms of ornamentation like aahatam and pratyaagatam. Venkata Kavi believed that music had to be blended with religious devotion (bhakti) in order to shine. His philosophy, bhakti yoga sangeeta margame paramapavana mahume ("Devotion though music is the path to salvation") is similar to the great composer Tyagaraja’s sangeeta gnanamu bhakti vina sanmargamu galade.
Venkata Kavi had a vast knowledge of music and musical nuances. He used a wide variety of ragas ranging from the well known such as Todi, Kalyani, Kharaharapriya, Sahana, through minor ones like Kannadagowla, Jayantashri, Malavi, Umabharanam and also a few that are seldom used today like Balahamsa and Rasamanjari. In some instances, his works are the first or only ones to be available in a given raga such as Sri Shivanayike in Lalitagandharvam and Padasevanam in Deeparam.
His vision of the raga and melody as a whole is considerable and can be seen in the number of different styles in which he composed various krtis in the same raga. For instance, his krtis in Madhyamavathi – Shankari Sri Rajarajeshwari, Sundara nandakumara and Aadadu ashangadu vaa Kanna - bring out different facets of this beautiful raga. He also employed attractive swaraksharas – a technique where the lyrics match the solfa notes of the tune. He has also incorporated raga mudra (mentioning the names of ragas of the composition) in several krtis. Examples: Shuddha Saveri, Navarasakannada. Several other compositions contain names of many other ragas mentioned in some other contexts.
Venkata Kavi also had great command over rhythm. He made complex eduppus (starting or landing points of various sections of a composition) seem like child’s play and used them naturally, without ever affecting the flow of the music or the lyrics. Venkata Kavi had deep scholarship in Sanskrit and Tamil. His vocabulary and the use of words and phrases are unique in Carnatic literature.
Venkata Kavi's vivid imagination and picturisation can be seen in Taye yashoda in raga Todi, where the gopikas are complaining to Yashoda about her son Lord Krishna. This song has eight charanams (stanzas) and each one describes the pranks of Krishna very humorously. Not so well known is the reply by Krishna to every one of these charges in another piece, Illai illai in Mohanam, also with eight charanams.
Sangatis are pre-composed variations in a composition and rendered in a disciplined manner (as opposed to variations born from free improvisation). Usually, variations are melodic in nature while the lyrics remain constant. Several of Venkata Kavi’s pieces have such sangatis but he has also shown the concept of lyrical variations. For instance, in the pallavi of his Abhogi piece, Mahashaya hrdaya, he has composed three variations in the madhyamakala passage as given below:
madhukara champaka vana vihara manamohana Madhusoodana navabhooshana
madhukara champaka vana vihara nava pallava padakara madana gambheera
madhukara champaka vana vihara govardhana dhara bhujaga nartana charana
Venkata Kavi also used his innovative skills in the structures of his compositions. In some songs Venkata Kavi has varied the ratios or inserted madhyamakalams between slower passages within a given section as seen in the pallavi of Padmini vallabha in raga Dhanyasi.
Venkata Kavi was a master of finishes. In several songs, his endings are in interesting rhythmic patterns. For example, Bhuvanamoha in Dhanyasi, where he has capped off the charanam with a pattern of 6 repeated 11 times, which is a wonderful way to get to half a beat landing (which is the commencing point of the pallavi) from the beat after 2 cycles of Adi tala. The words are superbly woven in lilting Sanskrit:
atinootana kusumakara vrjamohana saraseeruha dalalochana mamamanasa patuchorasu- swarageetasu- muraleedhara suramodita bhavamochana
There are many other instances of similar endings in krtis like Alavadennalo in Paras (5th charanam) and Mummada vezhamugattu Vinayakan in Nattai.
Venkata Kavi has composed on a wide range of themes. The most popular of his songs are on Lord Krishna but he has composed on a number of other deities as well, such as Vinayaka, Tyagaraja of Tiruvarur, Kamakshi, Rama, Kartikeya, Narasimha, Anjaneya, Ranganatha, and also on Surya, Radha and other mythological characters. He has composed on great sages such as Shuka Brahma Rishi, Jayadeva and Valmiki. Besides, he has composed several songs on the greatness of Guru, and general philosophy and approach to God. His works contain references to Azhwars, Nayanmars, Ramanuja, Tulasidas and many other revealing his knowledge of their works and contributions and his reverence towards them.
That Venkata Kavi composed an entire opera narrating Krishna’s birth and childhood, beginning from Devaki-Vasudeva’s wedding and Kamsa’s curse. There are also group songs describing Krishna’s wedding with Rukmini and another group covering his marriage with Radha.
There is also a set of songs narrating the story on Lord Rama’s childhood starting from Dasharatha’s Putrakameshti yagna to Rama’s trip with Vishwamitra. It is not known whether this work was completed by the author but there is a lovely single ragamalika piece Sri Rama jayame jayam which covers the entire story of Ramayana.
Compositions on Daksha Yaga, Prahlada and Mahabharata have also been found.
Venkata Kavi has also composed several group krtis like Saptaratnas, Kamakshi Navavaranam and Anjaneya Pancharatnas. He has also composed several shlokas like Madhava panchakam, Nrsimha panchakam, Ranganatha Panchakam and so on.
His Saptaratnas (seven gems = seven songs) are similar in style to Tyagaraja’s pancharatnas (five gems) in their musical structure. The saptaratnas are:
Bhajanamrta – Nattai
Aganitamahima – Gowla
Madhava hrdi khelini' – Kalyani
Balasarasa murali – Keeravani
Jatadara – Todi
Alavandaro – Paras
Sundara Nandakumara – Madhyamavathi
Venkata Kavi also composed Navavarnams (nine varnams) on the goddess Srividya to be sung during Dasara. Apart from the main nine songs for the nine nights, he has also composed Vinayaka stuti, Dhyana stuti and a Phala stuti. There are several similarities (and differences) between his Navavaranams and that of Muthuswami Dikshitar but both reveal the composers’ scholarship in the various aspects of Devi worship. These are:
Sri Ganeshwara – Shanmukhapriya – Adi – Vinayaka stuti
Vanchayati yadi kushalam – Kalyani – Adi – Dhyana stuti
Santatam aham seve – Deshakshi – Adi - (1st avaranam)
Bhajaswa shree – Nadanamakriya – Adi - (2nd avaranam)
Sarvajeeva dayapari – Shuddha Saveri – Mishra Chapu - (3rd avaranam)
Yoga yogeshwari – Anandabhairavi – Khanda Triputa (2 kalais) - (4th avaranam)
Neelalohita ramani – Balahamsa – Khanda Dhruvam (2 kalais) - (5th avaranam)
Sadanandamayi – Hindolam – Sankeerna Matyam - (6th avaranam)
Sakalaloka nayika – Arabhi – Adi - (7th avaranam)
Shankari Shri Rajarajeshwari – Madhyamavathi – Adi - (8th avaranam)
Natajana kalpavalli – Punnagavarali – Adi - (9th avaranam)
Haladharanujam praptum - Manirangu - Adi - Phala stuti
Sudha Raghunathan
KS Chitra
K Jesudas
Lyrics: Oothukkadu Venkatasubbier
Raagam: Kaanada
Taalam: Adi
Janya: 22 Kharaharipriya
Aarohanam: S R2 G2 M1 D N2 S
Avarohanam: S N2 P M1 G2 M1 R2 S
Pallavi
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
un aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa
Anupallavi
nilaipeyaRaadhu silaipoalavae ninRu (2)
naeramaavadhaRiyaamalae miga vinoadhamaana muraLeedharaa en manam
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa
Charanam
theLindha nilavu pattappagal poal eriyudhae (2)
dhikkai noakki en puruvam neRiyudhae
kanindha un vaeNugaanam kaatRil varugudhae (2)
kaNgal sorugi oru vidhamaay varugudhae (2)
Madhyama Kaalam
kadhiththa manaththil oruththi padhaththai enakku aLiththu magizhththavaa (2)
oru thaniththa manaththil aNaiththu enakku uNarchchi koduththu mugizhththavaa
thaniththa manaththil aNaiththu enakku uNarchchi koduththu mugizhththavaa
aNai kadal alaiyinil kadhiravan oLiyena iNaiyiru kazhalena kaLiththavaa
kadhaRi manamurugi naan azhaikkavoa idhara maadharudan nee kaLikkavoa (2)
idhu thagumoa idhu muRaiyoa idhu dharmam thaanoa (2)
kuzhaloodhidum pozhudhu aadigum kuzhaigaL poalavae manadhu vaedhanai migavodu
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
un aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa
pallavi
My mind is all aflutter, Oh Krishna, listening to the joyous,
enchanting music of your flute, My mind is all aflutter!
anupallavi
Transfixed, I stood there like a statue, oblivious of even the passage
of time, hey, mysterious flautist!
caraNam
In this clear moonlight (that makes a day of the night), I strain my
eyebrows hard and look in your direction, the mellow tunes of your
flute come floating in the breeze... my eyes feel drowsy and a new
feeling sweeps my being
Come! Mould my tender heart, make it full and fill me with joy! Come!
take me to a lonely grove and fill me with the emotions of ecstatic
union!
You are the one who danced and made merry on the sun-bathed waves of
the ocean! Am I to go on pleading for you with melting heart, While
you are enjoying yourself with other women? Is it right? Is it proper?
Is it what dharma is? My heart dances like your eardrops do when
you blissfully play the flute! (My sad heart is all aflutter)
Ootthukkadu Venkata Kavi (Telugu: ఊట్టుక్కాడు వెంకట కవి,Tamil: ஊத்துக்காடு வேங்கட கவி, Sanskrit: वूत्तुकाडु वेंकट कवि) (c.1700 - 1765 CE) was a composer of Carnatic music. He lived in South India in the present-day state of Tamil Nadu. Also known by the name Oothukkadu Venkatasubba Iyer, he is attributed to over 400 compositions. These were handed down from generation to generation by the descendants of the composer's brother's family. Venkata Kavi's compositions reveal that he was a complete master of the science and art of music in all senses of the term – melody, rhythm or lyrics and was eloquent in Sanskrit and Tamil. He was proficient in a variety of musical forms such as the kriti, tillana and kavadichindu. He used talas and themes that not many other Carnatic composers have preferred to handle. His compositions are a blend of tremendous scholarship on a variety of subjects and inspired expression. Several pieces also reveal his humility, reverence for the great personalities before his times and the high state of bliss that he probably experienced almost ceaselessly. His works scarcely contain autobiographical notes and show that he had reached tremendous spiritual and philosophical heights. His works also reveal the proximity he felt towards God and show his deep devotion.
Venkata Kavi, named as Venkata Subramanian, was born to a Tamil couple, Kamalanarayani and Ramachandra Vathoola, in the South Indian temple town of Mannargudi (about 200 miles from Chennai) but spent a considerable part of his life in the nearby village of Oottukkadu, a small village near Kumbakonam. In his later years Venkata Kavi claimed that he received his musical insights from the god Krishna himself, in the Kalinga Nartana Temple in Ootthukkadu. In one of his Tamil compositions, Guru paadaravindam komalamu - in the raga Abhogi, he declares: "I have never studied the scriptures or yoga nor pretended to have done so. I received my whole fortune in the benevolent glance of my guru." Venkata Kavi composed at least 14 songs only on the greatness of his Guru Krishna. A few of them suggest that he may also have had another human guru.
The greatest evidence of his musical pedigree is his compositions. There are several references to good musical approach, practices and even technical terms of ornamentation like aahatam and pratyaagatam. Venkata Kavi believed that music had to be blended with religious devotion (bhakti) in order to shine. His philosophy, bhakti yoga sangeeta margame paramapavana mahume ("Devotion though music is the path to salvation") is similar to the great composer Tyagaraja’s sangeeta gnanamu bhakti vina sanmargamu galade.
Venkata Kavi had a vast knowledge of music and musical nuances. He used a wide variety of ragas ranging from the well known such as Todi, Kalyani, Kharaharapriya, Sahana, through minor ones like Kannadagowla, Jayantashri, Malavi, Umabharanam and also a few that are seldom used today like Balahamsa and Rasamanjari. In some instances, his works are the first or only ones to be available in a given raga such as Sri Shivanayike in Lalitagandharvam and Padasevanam in Deeparam.
His vision of the raga and melody as a whole is considerable and can be seen in the number of different styles in which he composed various krtis in the same raga. For instance, his krtis in Madhyamavathi – Shankari Sri Rajarajeshwari, Sundara nandakumara and Aadadu ashangadu vaa Kanna - bring out different facets of this beautiful raga. He also employed attractive swaraksharas – a technique where the lyrics match the solfa notes of the tune. He has also incorporated raga mudra (mentioning the names of ragas of the composition) in several krtis. Examples: Shuddha Saveri, Navarasakannada. Several other compositions contain names of many other ragas mentioned in some other contexts.
Venkata Kavi also had great command over rhythm. He made complex eduppus (starting or landing points of various sections of a composition) seem like child’s play and used them naturally, without ever affecting the flow of the music or the lyrics. Venkata Kavi had deep scholarship in Sanskrit and Tamil. His vocabulary and the use of words and phrases are unique in Carnatic literature.
Venkata Kavi's vivid imagination and picturisation can be seen in Taye yashoda in raga Todi, where the gopikas are complaining to Yashoda about her son Lord Krishna. This song has eight charanams (stanzas) and each one describes the pranks of Krishna very humorously. Not so well known is the reply by Krishna to every one of these charges in another piece, Illai illai in Mohanam, also with eight charanams.
Sangatis are pre-composed variations in a composition and rendered in a disciplined manner (as opposed to variations born from free improvisation). Usually, variations are melodic in nature while the lyrics remain constant. Several of Venkata Kavi’s pieces have such sangatis but he has also shown the concept of lyrical variations. For instance, in the pallavi of his Abhogi piece, Mahashaya hrdaya, he has composed three variations in the madhyamakala passage as given below:
madhukara champaka vana vihara manamohana Madhusoodana navabhooshana
madhukara champaka vana vihara nava pallava padakara madana gambheera
madhukara champaka vana vihara govardhana dhara bhujaga nartana charana
Venkata Kavi also used his innovative skills in the structures of his compositions. In some songs Venkata Kavi has varied the ratios or inserted madhyamakalams between slower passages within a given section as seen in the pallavi of Padmini vallabha in raga Dhanyasi.
Venkata Kavi was a master of finishes. In several songs, his endings are in interesting rhythmic patterns. For example, Bhuvanamoha in Dhanyasi, where he has capped off the charanam with a pattern of 6 repeated 11 times, which is a wonderful way to get to half a beat landing (which is the commencing point of the pallavi) from the beat after 2 cycles of Adi tala. The words are superbly woven in lilting Sanskrit:
atinootana kusumakara vrjamohana saraseeruha dalalochana mamamanasa patuchorasu- swarageetasu- muraleedhara suramodita bhavamochana
There are many other instances of similar endings in krtis like Alavadennalo in Paras (5th charanam) and Mummada vezhamugattu Vinayakan in Nattai.
Venkata Kavi has composed on a wide range of themes. The most popular of his songs are on Lord Krishna but he has composed on a number of other deities as well, such as Vinayaka, Tyagaraja of Tiruvarur, Kamakshi, Rama, Kartikeya, Narasimha, Anjaneya, Ranganatha, and also on Surya, Radha and other mythological characters. He has composed on great sages such as Shuka Brahma Rishi, Jayadeva and Valmiki. Besides, he has composed several songs on the greatness of Guru, and general philosophy and approach to God. His works contain references to Azhwars, Nayanmars, Ramanuja, Tulasidas and many other revealing his knowledge of their works and contributions and his reverence towards them.
That Venkata Kavi composed an entire opera narrating Krishna’s birth and childhood, beginning from Devaki-Vasudeva’s wedding and Kamsa’s curse. There are also group songs describing Krishna’s wedding with Rukmini and another group covering his marriage with Radha.
There is also a set of songs narrating the story on Lord Rama’s childhood starting from Dasharatha’s Putrakameshti yagna to Rama’s trip with Vishwamitra. It is not known whether this work was completed by the author but there is a lovely single ragamalika piece Sri Rama jayame jayam which covers the entire story of Ramayana.
Compositions on Daksha Yaga, Prahlada and Mahabharata have also been found.
Venkata Kavi has also composed several group krtis like Saptaratnas, Kamakshi Navavaranam and Anjaneya Pancharatnas. He has also composed several shlokas like Madhava panchakam, Nrsimha panchakam, Ranganatha Panchakam and so on.
His Saptaratnas (seven gems = seven songs) are similar in style to Tyagaraja’s pancharatnas (five gems) in their musical structure. The saptaratnas are:
Bhajanamrta – Nattai
Aganitamahima – Gowla
Madhava hrdi khelini' – Kalyani
Balasarasa murali – Keeravani
Jatadara – Todi
Alavandaro – Paras
Sundara Nandakumara – Madhyamavathi
Venkata Kavi also composed Navavarnams (nine varnams) on the goddess Srividya to be sung during Dasara. Apart from the main nine songs for the nine nights, he has also composed Vinayaka stuti, Dhyana stuti and a Phala stuti. There are several similarities (and differences) between his Navavaranams and that of Muthuswami Dikshitar but both reveal the composers’ scholarship in the various aspects of Devi worship. These are:
Sri Ganeshwara – Shanmukhapriya – Adi – Vinayaka stuti
Vanchayati yadi kushalam – Kalyani – Adi – Dhyana stuti
Santatam aham seve – Deshakshi – Adi - (1st avaranam)
Bhajaswa shree – Nadanamakriya – Adi - (2nd avaranam)
Sarvajeeva dayapari – Shuddha Saveri – Mishra Chapu - (3rd avaranam)
Yoga yogeshwari – Anandabhairavi – Khanda Triputa (2 kalais) - (4th avaranam)
Neelalohita ramani – Balahamsa – Khanda Dhruvam (2 kalais) - (5th avaranam)
Sadanandamayi – Hindolam – Sankeerna Matyam - (6th avaranam)
Sakalaloka nayika – Arabhi – Adi - (7th avaranam)
Shankari Shri Rajarajeshwari – Madhyamavathi – Adi - (8th avaranam)
Natajana kalpavalli – Punnagavarali – Adi - (9th avaranam)
Haladharanujam praptum - Manirangu - Adi - Phala stuti
Divane Asik Gibi - From Sema Tuncer
I met Sema Tuncer on a 15 min boat ride across the Bosphorous last December, her husband bought us Chai and we talked and we talked! After we parted ways we promised to keep in touch but like so many such relationships which are beautiful in that particular moment but never continue further I was not sure if she would reply my emails...was I wrong! Not only are there replies but also some wonderful suggestions for this Music Blog.
Official website : http://www.dogaicincal.com/
Divane asuk gibi da yar dolasirim yollarda
Divane asuk gibi da dolasirim yollarda
Kiz senun sebebune Kiz senun sebebune
Kaldim istanbullarda kaldim istanbularda
Kiz senun sebebune Kiz senun sebebune
Kaldim istanbullarda kaldim istanbularda
Sar belune belune da karadeniz kusagi
Sar belune belune da karadeniz kusagu
E kiz sende delisun E kiz acep delisun
E kiz sende delisun E kiz acep delisun
Alsam hapu usagu Alsam hapu u
Yüksek dagun kusiyum da selviye konacagum
Yüksek dagun kusiyum da selviye konacagum
Iste beni babamdan iste beni anamdan
Vermezse kaçacagim Vermezse kaçacagum
Iste beni babamdan iste beni anamdan
Vermezse kaçacagim Vermezse kaçacagum
Al salum yesil salum da daglaru dolasalum
Al salum yesil salum da daglaru dolasalum
sen yagmur ol ben bulut sen yagmur ol ben bulut
Maçkada bulusalum Maçkada bulusalum
Maçkada bulusalum Maçkada bulusalum
I'm like a infatuated lover - divane asik gibi de
strolling on the streets - dolanirim yollarda
girl because of you, darling because of you - kiz senin sebebune yar senin sebebune
I've stayed in İstanbul - kaldim istanbullarda
If only your father ask me from my father* - baban beni babamdanda
just once - bir kerecik istesun
"for God's order - allahin emri ile
let her to be my daughter-in-law" - gelinim olsun desun,
wrap up Karadeniz* belt around your waist - sar belune belune de karadeniz kusagu
girl would you say - e kiz sen de dermisun
If only I taken ( means: married with) this boy - alsam ha bu usagi
I'm a bird of high mountain - yuksek dagin kusiyim de
I'll perch on this cypress - selviye konacagim
ask me from my father - iste beni babamdan
if he won't let, I'm gonna run away (with you) - vermezse kaçacagum
my red shawl, green shawl - al salim yesil salim da
let's walk around of the world - dünyayi dolasalim
you be rain and I cloud - sen yagmur ol ben bulut
and then let's get together in maçka** - maçka'da bulusalim
*A city -where this song come from- in Turkey. and karadeniz belt is a common clothing in Karadeniz.
**Maçka is a town in Karadeniz( and by the way karadeniz is rainy every month of year i just saying this for maybe it can help)
Doga icin cal ! / Divane Asik Gibi - Official Video from Doga icin cal on Vimeo.
Official website : http://www.dogaicincal.com/
Divane asuk gibi da yar dolasirim yollarda
Divane asuk gibi da dolasirim yollarda
Kiz senun sebebune Kiz senun sebebune
Kaldim istanbullarda kaldim istanbularda
Kiz senun sebebune Kiz senun sebebune
Kaldim istanbullarda kaldim istanbularda
Sar belune belune da karadeniz kusagi
Sar belune belune da karadeniz kusagu
E kiz sende delisun E kiz acep delisun
E kiz sende delisun E kiz acep delisun
Alsam hapu usagu Alsam hapu u
Yüksek dagun kusiyum da selviye konacagum
Yüksek dagun kusiyum da selviye konacagum
Iste beni babamdan iste beni anamdan
Vermezse kaçacagim Vermezse kaçacagum
Iste beni babamdan iste beni anamdan
Vermezse kaçacagim Vermezse kaçacagum
Al salum yesil salum da daglaru dolasalum
Al salum yesil salum da daglaru dolasalum
sen yagmur ol ben bulut sen yagmur ol ben bulut
Maçkada bulusalum Maçkada bulusalum
Maçkada bulusalum Maçkada bulusalum
I'm like a infatuated lover - divane asik gibi de
strolling on the streets - dolanirim yollarda
girl because of you, darling because of you - kiz senin sebebune yar senin sebebune
I've stayed in İstanbul - kaldim istanbullarda
If only your father ask me from my father* - baban beni babamdanda
just once - bir kerecik istesun
"for God's order - allahin emri ile
let her to be my daughter-in-law" - gelinim olsun desun,
wrap up Karadeniz* belt around your waist - sar belune belune de karadeniz kusagu
girl would you say - e kiz sen de dermisun
If only I taken ( means: married with) this boy - alsam ha bu usagi
I'm a bird of high mountain - yuksek dagin kusiyim de
I'll perch on this cypress - selviye konacagim
ask me from my father - iste beni babamdan
if he won't let, I'm gonna run away (with you) - vermezse kaçacagum
my red shawl, green shawl - al salim yesil salim da
let's walk around of the world - dünyayi dolasalim
you be rain and I cloud - sen yagmur ol ben bulut
and then let's get together in maçka** - maçka'da bulusalim
*A city -where this song come from- in Turkey. and karadeniz belt is a common clothing in Karadeniz.
**Maçka is a town in Karadeniz( and by the way karadeniz is rainy every month of year i just saying this for maybe it can help)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Mayray Hum-nafas Mayray Hum-nawaa - From Vineeta Sastry
Vineeta I met a decade ago. I was surprised to hear her sing with her sister, Hindustani Khayals, for a Telugu it was way out of territory! Not only is she one of the best singers I have ever heard but she is someone with a wide range of interests, awareness, people skills, all with a sense of sweetness and femininity that's usually missing in most other 'smart' women of her kind. I am very proud to have her as my 'maradalu', sister-in-law.
Begum Akhtar
Farida Khannum
Poet:Shakeel Badayuni
Singer:Begum Akhtar,Farida Khanum
Mere Humnafas, Mere Humnawa,
Mujhe Dost Ban Ke Daga Na De
Main Hoon Dard-e-Ishq Se Jaan-Valab,
Mujhe Zindagi Ki Dua Na De
Mere Daagh-e-Dil Se Hai Roshni,
Isi Roshni Se Hai Zindagi
Mujhe Darr Hai Ae Mere Chaaragar,
Yeh Chiraag Tu Hi Bujha Na De
Mujhe Ae Chhod De Mere Haal Par,
Tera Kya Bharosa Hai Chaaragar
Yeh Teri Nawazish-e-Mukhtasar,
Mera Dard Aur Badha Na De
Mera Azm Itna Buland Hai
Ke Paraaye Sholo-n Ka Darr Nahin
Mujhe Khauf Aatish-e-Gul Se Hai,
Yeh Kahin Chaman Ko Jala Na De
Woh Uthein Hain Leke Hom-o-Subu,
Arrey O 'Shakeel' Kahan Hain Tu
Tera Jaam Lene Ko Bazm Mein
Koi Aur Haath Badha Na De!
Shakeel Badayuni
(August 3, 1916 – April 20, 1970) was an accomplished Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter.
Shakeel Badayuni was born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Mohammed Jamaal Ahmed Sokhta Qadiri wanted him to have a good career, thus he arranged Arabic, Urdu, Persian, and Hindi tuition for Shakeel at home. His inclination towards poetry was not hereditary like other shayars. One of his distant relatives, Zia-ul-Qadiri Badayuni was a religious shayar. Shakeel was influenced by him and the contemporary environment of Badayun led him to Sher-o-Shayari.
When he joined Aligarh Muslim University in 1936, he started participating in inter-college, inter-university mushairas and won frequently. In 1940, he married Salma, who was a distant relative of his and they had been living in a common house since childhood, however, the purdah system was vogue in their family and they were not close. After completing his B.A., he moved to Delhi as a supply officer, but continued participating in mushairas, earning fame nation-wide. Those were the days of shayars who wrote about the downtrodden sections of society, their upliftment, the betterment of society and all. But Shakeel had an altogether different taste - his poetry was more often not romantic and close to heart. Shakeel used to say:
Main Shakeel Dil Ka Hoon Tarjuma
Keh Mohabbaton Ka Hoon Raazdaan
Mujhe Fakhr Hai Meri Shayari
Shakeel moved to Bombay in 1944 to write songs for films. He met film producer, A.R. Kardar and music composer, Naushad who asked him to sum up his poetic skills in one line. Shakeel wrote, Hum dard Ka Afsana Duniya Ko Suna Denge, Har Dil Main Mohabbat Ki Ek aag Laga Daingay. Naushad immediately signed him for Kardar's film, Dard (1947). The songs of Dard proved to be very successful especially Uma Devi (Tun Tun)'s Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon. Only a few are so lucky that they attain success in their first film, but Shakeel deserved success which started with Dard and continued on over the years.
Together, he and Naushad became one of the most sought after composer/lyricist duos in the industry. Among the stupendous scores they churned out together, are those of Baiju Bawra (1952), Mother India (1957), and Mughal-e-Azam (1960), that stand out. Other films they scored together include Dulari (1949), Shabab (1954), Ganga Jamuna (1961), and Mere Mehboob (1963). Although Badayuni worked most extensively with Naushad, he also collaborated with Ravi and Hemant Kumar as well. His lyrics for the song Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin and Ravi's music both won Filmfare Awards for the hit film Gharana. His other notable film with Ravi is Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), while Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) is his biggest hit with Hemant Kumar. The title song from Chaudhvin Ka Chand, rendered by Mohammed Rafi, won Badayuni the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist in 1961.
Shakeel penned numbers for around 89 films. In addition, he wrote many popular ghazals which are still sung by vocalists like Pankaj Udhas and others. Shakeel shared a close friendship with Naushad, Ravi and Ghulam Mohammed, with whom he enjoyed his life to the fullest. Unlike other shayaars, he wasn't an alcoholic.
Shakeel Badayuni succumbed to diabetes complications at the age of fifty-three on April 20, 1970, leaving behind his wife, a son and a daughter. His friends, Naushad, Ahmed Zakaria, and Rangoonwala formed a trust called Yaad-e-Shakeel after his death and this trust is now the source of some income to his bereaved family.
Begum Akhtar or Akhtari Bai Faizabadi (October 7, 1914 – 1974) was an Indian vocalist of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri.
Her first public performance was at the age of fifteen. She also acted in several Bollywood films, including Mumtaz Beghum (1934), Jawaani Ka Nasha(1935), King for a Day (1933, director : Raaj Hans). She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan (posthumously) by Govt. of India Today her name is almost synonymous with the concept of ghazal gayaki, and her imitable style of singing which immortalized her, and gave her the title of Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazals)
Begum Akhtar was born in Bada Darwaza, Town Bhadarsa, Bharatkund, Faizabad District, Uttar Pradesh. Her father Asghar Hussain, a young lawyer who fell in love with her mother Mushtari and made her his second wife, subsequently disowned her and his twin daughters Zohra and Bibbi (Akhtar)
Akhtar was barely seven when she was captivated by the music of Chandra Bai, an artist attached to a touring theatre group. However, at her uncle's insistence, she was sent to train under Ustad Imdad Khan, the great sarangi exponent from Patna, and later under Ata Mohammed Khan of Patiala. Later, she travelled to Calcutta with her mother and learnt music from classical stalwarts like Mohammad Khan, Abdul Waheed Khan of Lahore, and finally she became the disciple of Ustad Jhande Khan.
Her first public performance was at the tender age of fifteen. She took the music world by storm. The famous poetess, Sarojini Naidu, appreciated her singing during a concert which was organised in the aid of victims of a Bihar earthquake of 1934. This encouraged her to continue singing ghazals with more enthusiasm. She cut her first disc for the Megaphone Record Company, at that time. A number of gramophone records were released carrying her ghazals, dadras,thumris, etc.
She was raped by one of her patrons and gave birth to a daughter. In her later life as a respectable married woman she had to pretend the daughter was her cousin.
Begum Akhtar's good looks and sensitive voice made her an ideal candidate for a film career in her early years. When she heard great musicians like Gauhar Jan and Malak Jan, however, she decided to forsake the glamour of the film world for a career in Indian classical music. Her supreme artistry in light classical music had its moorings in the tradition of pure classicism. She chose her repertoire in primarily classical modes: a variety of raags, ranging from simple to complex. After the advent of talkie era in India, Beghum Akhtar acted in a few Hindi movies in thirties. East India Film Company of Calcutta approached her to act in "King for a Day" (alias Ek Din Ka Badshah) and Nal Damayanti in 1933.
Like others of that era, she sang her songs herself in all her films. She continued acting in the following years. Subsequently Beghum Akhtar moved back to Lucknow where she was approached by the famous producer-director Mehboob Khan, as a result of which she acted in "Roti" which was released in 1942 and whose music was composed by maestro Anil Biswas. "Roti" contained six of her ghazals but unfortunately due to some trouble between producer and director, Mehboob Khan subsequently deleted 3-4 ghazals from the film. All the ghazals are available on Megaphone gramophone records. Beghum Akhtar, meanwhile, left Bombay and returned to Lucknow.
In 1945, Akhtaribai married a barrister, Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi, and became known as Begum Akhtar. However, after marriage, due to her husband's restrictions, she could not sing for almost five years and subsequently, she fell ill, that is when her return to music was prescribed as a befitting remedy, and in 1949 she returned to the recording studios.She sang three ghazals and a dadra at Lucknow Radio Station. She wept afterwards and returned to singing in concerts, a practice that lasted until her death.
Her voice matured with time, adding richness and depth. She sang ghazals and other light classical pieces, singing them in her inimitable style. She has nearly four hundred songs to her credit. She was a regular performer on All India Radio. She usually composed her own ghazals and most of her compositions were raag based.
During her last concert in Ahmedabad, she raised the pitch of her voice as she felt that her singing had not been as good as she had wanted it to be. She was not feeling well on the fateful day. The additional demand and stress that she put herself under resulted in her falling ill and was rushed to the hospital.
She died on October 30, 1974, in the arms of Nilam Gamadia, her friend, who invited her to Ahmedabad, which has become her final performance.
Begum Akhtar
Farida Khannum
Poet:Shakeel Badayuni
Singer:Begum Akhtar,Farida Khanum
Mere Humnafas, Mere Humnawa,
Mujhe Dost Ban Ke Daga Na De
Main Hoon Dard-e-Ishq Se Jaan-Valab,
Mujhe Zindagi Ki Dua Na De
Mere Daagh-e-Dil Se Hai Roshni,
Isi Roshni Se Hai Zindagi
Mujhe Darr Hai Ae Mere Chaaragar,
Yeh Chiraag Tu Hi Bujha Na De
Mujhe Ae Chhod De Mere Haal Par,
Tera Kya Bharosa Hai Chaaragar
Yeh Teri Nawazish-e-Mukhtasar,
Mera Dard Aur Badha Na De
Mera Azm Itna Buland Hai
Ke Paraaye Sholo-n Ka Darr Nahin
Mujhe Khauf Aatish-e-Gul Se Hai,
Yeh Kahin Chaman Ko Jala Na De
Woh Uthein Hain Leke Hom-o-Subu,
Arrey O 'Shakeel' Kahan Hain Tu
Tera Jaam Lene Ko Bazm Mein
Koi Aur Haath Badha Na De!
Shakeel Badayuni
(August 3, 1916 – April 20, 1970) was an accomplished Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter.
Shakeel Badayuni was born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Mohammed Jamaal Ahmed Sokhta Qadiri wanted him to have a good career, thus he arranged Arabic, Urdu, Persian, and Hindi tuition for Shakeel at home. His inclination towards poetry was not hereditary like other shayars. One of his distant relatives, Zia-ul-Qadiri Badayuni was a religious shayar. Shakeel was influenced by him and the contemporary environment of Badayun led him to Sher-o-Shayari.
When he joined Aligarh Muslim University in 1936, he started participating in inter-college, inter-university mushairas and won frequently. In 1940, he married Salma, who was a distant relative of his and they had been living in a common house since childhood, however, the purdah system was vogue in their family and they were not close. After completing his B.A., he moved to Delhi as a supply officer, but continued participating in mushairas, earning fame nation-wide. Those were the days of shayars who wrote about the downtrodden sections of society, their upliftment, the betterment of society and all. But Shakeel had an altogether different taste - his poetry was more often not romantic and close to heart. Shakeel used to say:
Main Shakeel Dil Ka Hoon Tarjuma
Keh Mohabbaton Ka Hoon Raazdaan
Mujhe Fakhr Hai Meri Shayari
Shakeel moved to Bombay in 1944 to write songs for films. He met film producer, A.R. Kardar and music composer, Naushad who asked him to sum up his poetic skills in one line. Shakeel wrote, Hum dard Ka Afsana Duniya Ko Suna Denge, Har Dil Main Mohabbat Ki Ek aag Laga Daingay. Naushad immediately signed him for Kardar's film, Dard (1947). The songs of Dard proved to be very successful especially Uma Devi (Tun Tun)'s Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon. Only a few are so lucky that they attain success in their first film, but Shakeel deserved success which started with Dard and continued on over the years.
Together, he and Naushad became one of the most sought after composer/lyricist duos in the industry. Among the stupendous scores they churned out together, are those of Baiju Bawra (1952), Mother India (1957), and Mughal-e-Azam (1960), that stand out. Other films they scored together include Dulari (1949), Shabab (1954), Ganga Jamuna (1961), and Mere Mehboob (1963). Although Badayuni worked most extensively with Naushad, he also collaborated with Ravi and Hemant Kumar as well. His lyrics for the song Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin and Ravi's music both won Filmfare Awards for the hit film Gharana. His other notable film with Ravi is Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), while Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) is his biggest hit with Hemant Kumar. The title song from Chaudhvin Ka Chand, rendered by Mohammed Rafi, won Badayuni the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist in 1961.
Shakeel penned numbers for around 89 films. In addition, he wrote many popular ghazals which are still sung by vocalists like Pankaj Udhas and others. Shakeel shared a close friendship with Naushad, Ravi and Ghulam Mohammed, with whom he enjoyed his life to the fullest. Unlike other shayaars, he wasn't an alcoholic.
Shakeel Badayuni succumbed to diabetes complications at the age of fifty-three on April 20, 1970, leaving behind his wife, a son and a daughter. His friends, Naushad, Ahmed Zakaria, and Rangoonwala formed a trust called Yaad-e-Shakeel after his death and this trust is now the source of some income to his bereaved family.
Begum Akhtar or Akhtari Bai Faizabadi (October 7, 1914 – 1974) was an Indian vocalist of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri.
Her first public performance was at the age of fifteen. She also acted in several Bollywood films, including Mumtaz Beghum (1934), Jawaani Ka Nasha(1935), King for a Day (1933, director : Raaj Hans). She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan (posthumously) by Govt. of India Today her name is almost synonymous with the concept of ghazal gayaki, and her imitable style of singing which immortalized her, and gave her the title of Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazals)
Begum Akhtar was born in Bada Darwaza, Town Bhadarsa, Bharatkund, Faizabad District, Uttar Pradesh. Her father Asghar Hussain, a young lawyer who fell in love with her mother Mushtari and made her his second wife, subsequently disowned her and his twin daughters Zohra and Bibbi (Akhtar)
Akhtar was barely seven when she was captivated by the music of Chandra Bai, an artist attached to a touring theatre group. However, at her uncle's insistence, she was sent to train under Ustad Imdad Khan, the great sarangi exponent from Patna, and later under Ata Mohammed Khan of Patiala. Later, she travelled to Calcutta with her mother and learnt music from classical stalwarts like Mohammad Khan, Abdul Waheed Khan of Lahore, and finally she became the disciple of Ustad Jhande Khan.
Her first public performance was at the tender age of fifteen. She took the music world by storm. The famous poetess, Sarojini Naidu, appreciated her singing during a concert which was organised in the aid of victims of a Bihar earthquake of 1934. This encouraged her to continue singing ghazals with more enthusiasm. She cut her first disc for the Megaphone Record Company, at that time. A number of gramophone records were released carrying her ghazals, dadras,thumris, etc.
She was raped by one of her patrons and gave birth to a daughter. In her later life as a respectable married woman she had to pretend the daughter was her cousin.
Begum Akhtar's good looks and sensitive voice made her an ideal candidate for a film career in her early years. When she heard great musicians like Gauhar Jan and Malak Jan, however, she decided to forsake the glamour of the film world for a career in Indian classical music. Her supreme artistry in light classical music had its moorings in the tradition of pure classicism. She chose her repertoire in primarily classical modes: a variety of raags, ranging from simple to complex. After the advent of talkie era in India, Beghum Akhtar acted in a few Hindi movies in thirties. East India Film Company of Calcutta approached her to act in "King for a Day" (alias Ek Din Ka Badshah) and Nal Damayanti in 1933.
Like others of that era, she sang her songs herself in all her films. She continued acting in the following years. Subsequently Beghum Akhtar moved back to Lucknow where she was approached by the famous producer-director Mehboob Khan, as a result of which she acted in "Roti" which was released in 1942 and whose music was composed by maestro Anil Biswas. "Roti" contained six of her ghazals but unfortunately due to some trouble between producer and director, Mehboob Khan subsequently deleted 3-4 ghazals from the film. All the ghazals are available on Megaphone gramophone records. Beghum Akhtar, meanwhile, left Bombay and returned to Lucknow.
In 1945, Akhtaribai married a barrister, Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi, and became known as Begum Akhtar. However, after marriage, due to her husband's restrictions, she could not sing for almost five years and subsequently, she fell ill, that is when her return to music was prescribed as a befitting remedy, and in 1949 she returned to the recording studios.She sang three ghazals and a dadra at Lucknow Radio Station. She wept afterwards and returned to singing in concerts, a practice that lasted until her death.
Her voice matured with time, adding richness and depth. She sang ghazals and other light classical pieces, singing them in her inimitable style. She has nearly four hundred songs to her credit. She was a regular performer on All India Radio. She usually composed her own ghazals and most of her compositions were raag based.
During her last concert in Ahmedabad, she raised the pitch of her voice as she felt that her singing had not been as good as she had wanted it to be. She was not feeling well on the fateful day. The additional demand and stress that she put herself under resulted in her falling ill and was rushed to the hospital.
She died on October 30, 1974, in the arms of Nilam Gamadia, her friend, who invited her to Ahmedabad, which has become her final performance.
Dil Dhadaknay Ka Sabab Yaad Aaya - From Vineeta Sastry
Noor Jehan
Asha Bhonsle / Ghulam Ali
Poet:Nasir Kazmi
Singer:Noor Jehan, Asha Bhonsle, Ghulam Ali
Raag:Jog
Dil Dhadkane Ka Sabab Yaad Aaya
Woh Teri Yaad Thi Ab Yaad Aaya
Aaj Mushkil Tha Sambhalana Aye Dost
Tu Musibat Mein Ajab Yaad Aaya
Haal-e-Dil Hum Bhi Sunate Lekin
Jab Woh Rukhsat Huey Tab Yaad Aaya
Phir Kayee log Nazar Se Gujare
Phir Koi Sharab-e-Tarab Yaad Aaya
Din Gujara Tha Badi Mushkil Se
Phir Tera Wada-e-Shab Yaad Aaya
Tera Bhula Hua Paimane-e-Wafa
Mar Rahenge Agar Ab Yaad Aaya
Baith Kar Saaya-e-Gul Mein Nasir
Hum Bahot Roye Woh Jab Yaad Aaya
Nasir Kazmi
Born Syed Nasir Raza Kazmi
December 8, 1925(1925-12-08)
Muhalla 'Qazi Wara', the house of his Grandfather (nana) Nayaz Nabi Bin Bu Ali Bakhsh, Kaneez Manzil, Ambala, Punjab, India
Died March 2, 1972 (aged 46)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Education National High School Peshawar, D.B.Middle Schhol Dakshai, Muslim High School Ambala, Islamia College Lahore, Government College Lahore(after partition for sometime).
Genres Ghazal
Spouse(s) Shafiqa Bano (Shafiqa Taskeen) D\O Sayed Anwar-ul-Haq Bin Abdul Azeez
Children Two Sons; Basir Sultan Kazmi & Hassan Sultan Kazmi,Tas Three Grandchildren: Irtiza Hassan Kazmi, Amna Hassan Kazmi & Wajiha Basir.
Relative(s) Mother:Kaneeza Muhammadi, Father: Sayed Muhammad Sultan Bin Sharif-ul-Hassan. Younger brother: Ansar Raza Kazmi.
Influences[show]
Mir Taqi Mir
Influenced[show]
Urdu poetry
Syed Nasir Raza Kazmi
(1925-1972) (Urdu: سید ناصر رضا كاظمی ) was a renowned Urdu poet of Pakistan. He was one of the greatest poets of this era, especially in the use of "ista'aaray" and "chhotee beher".
Kazmi was born on December 8, 1925 at Ambala in British India. He was educated at Ambala, Simla and Lahore. He returned to Ambala in 1945 and started looking after his ancestral land. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, he came to Lahore. He did some journalistic work with Auraq-e-Nau as an editor and became editor-in-chief of the magazine Humayun in 1952. Later he was associated with Radio Pakistan, Lahore and other literary publications and organizations.
Nasir Kazmi started his poetic life in 1940 by following the style of Akhtar Sherani and wrote romantic poems and sonnets. Later he began writing ghazals under the guidance of Hafeez Hoshyarpuri. He was a great admirer of Mir Taqi Mir and probably the melancholy and "Ehsaas-e-Mehroomi" in his poetry was a direct result of that. His tutor in poetry was Hafeez Hoshyarpuri, who himself used a lot of symbols from nature in his poems.
'Yaad ke benishan jazerun se
Teri awaz arahi hai abhi...'
Nasir, few days before his death, said in a TV interview by Intezaar Hussain, that 'horse riding, hunting, wandering in a village, walk along the river side, visiting mountains etc were my favourite pastimes and probably this was the time when my mind got nourishment for loving nature and getting close to the expression of poetry. All my hobbies are related with fine arts, like singing, poetry, hunting, chess, love of birds, love of trees etc... i started poetry because I used to reflect that all the beautiful things those I see, and those in nature are not in my hands, and they go away from me. Few moments, that time which dies, cannot be made alive. I think can be alive in poetry, that is why I(Nasir) started poetry!' Nowadays, very few people may remember that Nasir used to hum his poetic verses and that humming had much attraction in it.
'Phir kaga bola ghar ka suna angan mei
Rut ayi peeley phulun ki, Tum Yad Aye...'
He migrated from Ambala, India to Lahore Pakistan in August 1947. He also worked as a Staff Editor in Radio Pakistan. He used to sit at Tea House and wander at Mall Rd, Lahore with his friends. He was fond of eating, wandering and enjoying life. Normally people take him as a sad poet but most of his poetry is based on romantic happiness and the aspect of hope.
'Yaas mei jab kabhi aansu nikla
Ik nayi aas ka pehlu nikla'
His last four books tragically were published after his death. He died in Lahore on March 2, 1972 due to stomach cancer. Few people know that he did some great translations of English poets, especially his translation of Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" by the title of "Brooklyn Ghaat Ke Paar" is a real masterpiece and worth reading
Noor Jehan
was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai (September 21, 1926 – December 23, 2000) who was a singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. She is renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of her time in South Asia and was given the honorific title of Mallika-e-Tarranum (Urdu: ملکہ ترنم, English: the queen of melody).
Born in a family of musicians, Wasai was pushed by her parents to follow in their musical footsteps and become a singer but she was more interested in acting in films and graced the earliest Pakistani films with her performances. She holds a remarkable record of 10,000 songs to her singing credits in various languages of Pakistan including Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi languages,[1] she is also considered to be the first female Pakistani film director.
In 1957, Jehan was awarded the President's Award for her acting and singing capabilities.
Born in Kasur, Punjab, British India[2] and was one of the eleven children of professional musicians Madad Ali and Fateh Bibi.
The family would often perform at theaters, although only Wasai's eldest sisters would go on to pursue a career in acting. Two of her sisters, Eidan Bai and Haider Bandi, were successful actors at the rural Taka Theatre in Lahore.
Wasai began to sing at the age of five or six years old and showed a keen interest in a range of styles, including traditional folk and popular theatre. Realising her potential for singing, her mother sent her to receive early training in classical singing under Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan who was also a native of Kasur. He instructed her in the traditions of the Patiala Gharana of Hindustani classical music and the classical forms of thumri, dhrupad, and khyal. At the age of nine, Wasai drew the attention of Punjabi musician Ghulam Ahmed Chishti, who would later introduce her to stage in Lahore. He composed some ghazals, naats and folk songs for her to perform, although she was more keen in breaking into acting or playback singing. Once her vocational training finished, Wasai pursued a career in singing alongside her sisters in Lahore and would usually take part in the live song and dance performances prior to screenings of films in film theatres.
The family moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in hope of developing the movie careers of Wasai and her sisters. During their stay in Calcutta, the renowned singer Mukhtar Begum, encouraged Wasai and her two older sisters to join film companies and recommended them to various producers. She also recommended them to her husband, Agha Hashar Kashmiri, who owned a maidan theatre (a tented theatre to accommodate large audiences). It was here that Wasai received the stage name Baby Noor Jehan. Her older sisters were offered jobs with one of the Seth Sukh Karnani companies, Indira Movietone and they went on to be known as the Punjab Mail.[1] Wasai would later adopt Mukhtar Begum's way of performance and sari attire.
In 1935, K.D. Mehra directed Pind di Kudhi in which Jehan acted along with her sisters.She next acted in a film called Missar Ka Sitara (1936) by the same company and sang in it for music composer, Damodar Sharma.Baby Noor Jehan also played the child role of Heer in the film Heer-Sayyal (1937). After a few years in Calcutta, Noor Jehan returned to Lahore in 1938. In 1939, Ghulam Hairder composed songs for Jehan which led to her early popularity. She then recorded her first song Shala Jawaniyan Mane for Dalsukh M. Pancholi's movie Gul Bakavli.
Prior to Khandaan Jehan was cast as a child artist. It was in 1942 that she played the main lead opposite Pran. Khandaan's success saw her shifting to Bombay (now Mumbai), where she shared melodies with Shanta Apte in Duhai (1943). It was in this film that Noor Jehan lent her voice for the second time, to another actress named Husn Bano. In 1945 Jehan player the lead role, alongside Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, in the movie Badi Maa.
In 1945, she achieved a milestone, when she sung a Qawwali with Zohrabai Ambalewali and Amirbai Karnataki which was "Aahen Na Bhareen Shikave Na Kiye". This was the first ever Qawwali recorded in female voices in South Asian films.
Noor Jehan's last film in India was Mirza Sahibaan (1947) which starred Prithviraj Kapoor's brother Trilok Kapoor. Noor Jehan sang 127 songs in Indian films and the number of talking films she made from 1932 to 1947 was 69. The number of silents was 12. Fifty-five of her films were made in Bombay, eight in Calcutta, five in Lahore and one in Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma.
After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Jehan decided to move to Pakistan along with her husband Shaukat Hussain Rizvi. She left Bombay and settled in Karachi with her family.
Three years after settling in Pakistan, Noor Jehan starred in her first film in Pakistan, Chanwey (1951), opposite Santosh Kumar, which was also her first Punjabi film as a heroine. Shaukat and Noor Jehan directed this film together making Noor Jehan Pakistan's first female director. Noor Jehan's second film in Pakistan was Dopatta (1952) which turned out to be an even bigger success than Chanwey (1951).
Her penultimate film as an actress/singer was Mirza Ghalib (1961).This contributed to the strengthening of her iconic stature. She gained another audience for herself. Her rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's Mujshe pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang is a unique example of tarranum, reciting poetry as a song. Noor Jehan last starred in Baaji in 1963, though not in a leading role. Noor Jehan bade farewell to acting in 1963 after a career of 33 years (1930 to 1963). The pressure of being a mother of six children and the demanding wife of a hero (Ejaz Durrani) forced her to give up her career. Noor Jehan made 14 films in Pakistan, ten in Urdu, four in Punjabi.
After quitting acting she took up playback singing. She made her debut as a playback singer in 1960 with the film Salma. Her first initial playback for a Pakistani film was for Jan-e-Bahar (1958), in which she sung the song Kaisa Naseeb Layi Thi, picturised on Musarrat Nazir. She received many awards, including with the highest Pakistani honour in entertainment, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (The Pride of Performance) in 1966, Pakistan's top civil award.
In the 1990s Jehan also sang for then débutante actresses Neeli and Reema. For this very reason, Sabiha Khanum affectionately called her Sadabahar (evergreen). Her popularity was further boosted with her patriotic songs during the 1965 war between Pakistan and India.
Jehan visited India in 1982 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Indian talkie where she met Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in New Delhi and was received by Dilip Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar in Mumbai.
In 1986, on a tour of North America, Jehan suffered from chest pains and was dignosed with angina after which she underwent a surgery to install a pacemaker. In 2000, Jehan was hospitalised in Karachi and suffered a heart attack. On Saturday afternoon, December 23, 2000, Noor Jehan died from heart failure. Her funeral took place at Jamia Masjid Sultan, Karachi and she was buried at the Gizri Graveyard near the Saudi Consulate in Karachi.
Ey Jazba - E - Dil Agar Main Chahoon...From Vineeta Sastry
Nayyara Noor
Poet:Behzad Lakhnavi
Singer:Nayyara Noor
Raag:Kafi
Taal:Dadral
ai jazbaa-e-dil gar mei.n chaahuu.n har chiiz muqaabil aa jaa'ye
manzil ke liye do gaam chaluu.n, aur saamne manzil aa jaa'ye
haa.n yaad mujhe tum kar lenaa, aawaaz mujhe tum de lenaa
is raah-e-muhabbat mei.n koii, darpaish jo mushkil aa jaa'ye
ai dil kii Khalish chal yuu.n hii sahii, chaltaa to huu.n unkii mehfil mei.n
us vaqt mujhe chau.nkaa denaa, jab ra.ng pe mehfil aa jaa'ye
ai rahbar-e-kaamil chalne ko, tayyaar to huu.n par yaad rahe
us vaqt mujhe bhaTkaa denaa, jab saamne ma.nzil aa jaa'ye
aataa hai jo tuufaa.n aane do, kashtii ka khudaa khood haafiz hai
mushkil to nahii.n in maojo.n mein, behtaa huu'aa saahil aa jaa'ye
From: www.anindianmuslim.com
Great Urdu poets: Behzad Lakhnavi
Behzad Lakhnavi is one of my favourite poets. I fell in love with his poetry after watching Merchant Ivory's film Muhafiz, when I was in my early teens. Apart from Faiz, the film had Bahzad's ghazals.
hameN kis tarah bhuul paayegii duniyaa
ki DhuunDhe se hamsaa na paayegii duniyaa
qayaamat kii duniyaa meN hai dil-farebii
qayaamat meN bhii yaad aayegii duniyaa
What is the purpose of life? It intrigues all of us. So much effort man makes on this earth but isn't it all futile in a way. The poets and writers leave behind their works and wonder what will happen to them? Will their writings help the future generations in understanding the world. The writer derives satisfaction in the fact that words written by them would guide and inspire the coming generations and immortalise the writer.
Click to read the ghazal in Urdu, Hindi and Roman scripts.
I especially like his ghazal, which I have earlier posted on this blog.
aye jazba-e-dil gar main chahuuN har chiiz muqaabil aa jaye
manzil ke liye do gaam chaluun aur saamne manzil aa jaye
Click to read
Another ghazal of Behzad Lucknawi is as follows:
diivaanaa banaanaa hai to diivaanaa banaa de
varnaa kahiiN taqdiir tamaashaa na banaa de
aye dekhne vaaloN mujhe haNs haNs ke na dekho
tum ko bhii mohabbat kahiiN mujh saa na banaa de
maiN DhuuNDh rahaa huuN merii vo shamaa kahaaN hai
jo bazm kii har chiiz ko parwaanaa banaa de
Essentially a poet of love, Bahzad is also remembered for his 'naats'. I have heard from elders that his naats were daily broadcast on radio in the morning in the decades of 60s and 70s.
Another ghazal has the following couplets:
mujhe kar ataa sirf baar-e-mohabbat
maiN bandaa huuN parvardigaar-e-mohabbat
maiN ek but* ko Khud hii Khudaa kah rahaa huuN
ajab chiiz hai aitbaar-e-muhabbat
(but=idol, बुत)
Ey Eshgh Humay Barbaad Na Kar...From Vineeta Sastry
Nayyara Noora
Akhtar Sheerani
singer: Nayyara Noor
Ae Ishq hamein barbad na kar, barbad kar
Aye Ishq Na Chairr Aa Aa Ke HaMein,
HuM Bhule Huwon Ko Yaad Na Kar,
Pehle Hi Bahut Nashaad Hai HuM,
Tu Aur HaMein Nashaad Na Kar,
QisMat Ka SitaM Hi KaM Nahi Kuch,
Ye Taaza SitaM Ijaad Na Kar,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar,
3
Raaton Ko Uth Uth Rote Hain,
Ro Ro Kar Duwayein Karte Hain,
Aankhon Mein Tasavvur Dil Mein Khalish,
Sar Dhunate Hai Aahein Bharte Hai,
Aye Ishq Ye Kaisa Rog Laga,
Jeete Hain Na ZaaliM Marte Hain,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar,
4
Aankhon Ko Ye Kya Aazaar Hua,
Har Jazb-E-Nihaan Par Ro Dena,
Aahang-E-Tarab Pe Jhuk Jaana,
Aawaz-E-Fugaan Par Ro Dena,
Parbat Ki Sada Par Ro Dena,
Mutrib Ke Bayan Par Ro Dena,
Ehsaas Ko GaM Buniyaad Na Kar,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar,
4
Wo Raaz Hai Ye GaM Aah Jise,
Paa Jaye Koi To Khair Nahi,
Aankhonse Jab Aansu Behte Hai,
Aa Jaye Koi To Khair Nahi,
ZaaliM Hai Ye Duniya Dilko
Yahan Bhaa Jaye Koi Khair Nahi,
Hai ZulM Magar Fariyaad Na Kar,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar,
5
Duniya Ka TaMasha Dekh Liya,
GaMgeen Si Hai Betaab Si Hai,
UMMid Yahan Ek WahaM Si Hai,
Taskeen Yahan Ek Khwaab Si Hai,
Duniya Mein Khushi Ka NaaM Nahi,
Duniya Mein Khushi Nayaab Si Hai,
Duniya Mein Khushi Ko Yaad Na Kar,
Aye Ishq HaMein Barbaad Na Kar...
from: www.anindianmuslim.com
Akhtar Shirani: Poet of Romance
Great Urdu poet Akhtar Shirani passed away this month nearly 60 years ago but his unrequited love affair, letters purportedly written by him and the mystery of 'Salma', still evoke tremendous interest among readers.
Shirani was the most popular poet of his generation. His famous romantic Nazms include 'Aye Ishq kahiiN le chal', 'Jahaan Rehana rahti thi' and Salma. Along with Majaz, he is also referred to as Keats of Urdu poetry.
tum afsaana-e-Qais kyaa puuchhte ho
idhar aao, ham tumko lailaa banaa deN
(Akhtar Shirani)
He is referred to as 'Shahzada-e-Ruman' (Prince of Romance) and Shaaer-e-Husn-o-Javaani (Poet of youth and beauty). After failing to get his lady love, Akhtar had drowned himself into liquor and died at an early age (43).
He was the son of the renowned scholar Mahmood Sheerani who taught at Oriental College but unlike his father, Akhtar lived a bohemian life. Even sixty years after his death, publishers in India and Pakistan continue to cash in on his 'colourful life'.
A periodical in India claims that in the special issue it would name the woman who was referred to as Salma. Another publication in Pakistan prints some 'hitherto hidden' letters of correspondence for the first time and a weekly boosts its sales with a special report claiming that he didn't die but had committed suicide.
The truth is that contrary to popular perception, Akhtar's life was not at all as colourful. One of his couplets:
baad az gham-e-judaai-e-Salmaa mere liye
yaad-e-zubuur-o-maatam-e-shaivan hai aajkal
The man who used to gift away a note of Rs 50 to a pan walla because of the latter's tehzib of giving paan, spent the latter part of his youth and the last years in utter distress. He may have initially turned to liquor to forget Salma.
But his son's (Javed Mahmood alias Zuboor) sudden demise, the suicide of close friend Mirza Shuja Khan Shaivan, the incident of his son-in-law Naziruddin Shirani getting drowned in the Yanas river and that his daughter became widow at a young age, broke him. His strained relations with his father also added to Akhtar's frustration.
Shorish Kashmiri wrote that it was better not to see Akhtar. In his poetry he looks like a Greek God and in real life he is merely an 'echo of apology'. If you come across him in real life and someone tells you that he is the great Akhtar Sheerani, you will feel cheated, said Shaukat Thanvi. Thanvi vouches for the fact that Shirani was never seen in 'Aalam-e-Hosh' (he was always intoxicated).
Akhtar was in Tonk (Rajasthan) at the time of partition and was seriously ill. Rumours spread that he was killed along with his entire family while crossing the border. Jang published an article titled "Where is Akhtar Shirani?". Another paper published a letter of Dr Ahmar.
But as news reached Shirani, he said:
laao to qatl-naama meraa maiN bhii dekhuuN
kis kis kii mohar hai sar-e-mahzar lagii huii
Akhtar passed away in September in 1948. He was brought to hospital in an unconscious state. The photographs of Akhtar on his hospital bed were published in papers. Mukhtar Tonki writes in Aiwan-e-Urdu that stories were fabricated even after his death. It was said that his body was found on the street and taken to mortuary with nobody identifying it, that he committed suicide et al.
In 2004, weekly magazine 'Lahore' published letters to 'unravel' the truth about his mystery love and death. And later Takhliq also printed similar story. Munshi Abdul Baseer wrote the Nazm in which each stanza's letters alternately added up to 1948 and the corresponding Hijri year.
aye ishq kahiiN le chal is paap kii bastii
nafrat-gah-e-aalam se laanat-gah-e-hastii se
nafs parastoN se, is nafs parastii se
duur aur kahiiN le chal
aye ishq kahiin le chal....
The Nazm 'Jahaan Rehana rahtii thii..' is quite long as well. It starts with the following lines:
voh is vaadii kii shahzaadii thii aur shaahaana rahtii thii
kaNval ka phuul thii, sansaar se be-gaana rahtii thii
nazar se duur, misl-e-nikhat-e-mastaana rahtii thii
yahii vaadii hai voh hamdam jahaaN Rehaana rahtii thii...
And the Nazm 'Salma'
bahaar-e-husn ka tuu Ghuncha-e-shaadaab hai Salma
tujhe fitrat ne apne dast-e-rangiiN se saNvaaraa hai
bihisht-e-rang-o-buu ka tuu saraapa ek nazaaraa hai
terii suurat saraasar paikar-e-maahtaab hai Salma
jism ek hujuum-e-resham-o-kamKhwaab hai Salma
shabistaan-e-javaanii ka tuu ek zinda sitaaraa hai tuu
is duniaa meN bahar-e-husn-o-fitrat ka kinaaraa hai tuu
is sansaar meN ek aasmaanii Khwaab hai Salma...
Daud Khan, who became famous as Akhtar Shirani, was born in 1905 in Tonk (Rajasthan) and just two years after his father's death, the poet of romance also passed away in Lahore on September 9, 1948.
aye vaae Akhtar huaa ham se judaa ab
lagaa haaye teer-e-qazaa kaa nishaana
13 September, 2007 08:43
Anonymous said...
During the time of HH Nawab Hafiz Mohammed Sa'dat Ali Khan Bahadur Jung of Tonk State,British India, Late Janab Allah Bakshe Akhter Shirani sahab attended Mushayara. He came late, so he put his right hand on the frame(Chaukhat) of Sheeshal Mahal, Nazar Bagh Palace, and stand keep quiet. HH Nawab Sahab called him" Gharib Khane mein tashrif laeeye". Akhter Sahab replied"Mein Amir Khanoh mein nahin jata to Gharib khane mein kya au". Nawab Sahab was so pleased with his reply and started laughing. Told to me by 80 years old Nisar Ahmed Khan Tonki, presently residing in Ahmedabad(Gujarat),India.Artist Mr.Maqbool Fida Hussain used to come to Tonk from Indore, to listen Akhter Sahab's Kalsm in early forties.
My father, Justice Mohammed Rafique, was the Chief Justice Of Tonk High Court, before partition, and Akhter Sahab was very good friend of my father. My father's uncle Khan Bahadur Mohammed Moula Buksh,M.A.(Oxford), F.L.Sc.(USA),was the development officer of Tonk State, later he was the chief conservator of forests in earstwhile Nizam State(Hyderabad Deccan).My eldest sister was the Mayor of Ahmedabad(2003-2005). You can contact me on my address:
Naved Rafique
B-1/1, Modern Flats
Behind N.I.D.
Paldi
Ahmedabad - 380 007.
India.
email:navedrafique@yahoo.co.in
tonkindia@yahoo.co.in
Friday, February 19, 2010
Masthe Eshgh - Rana Farhan - Nobody Knows About Persian Cats
DRUNK WITH LOVE
Nobody Knows About Persian Cats
TRANSLITERATION by Mejorn :
Sarmast shod Negaram/bengar be nargesanash...
mastane shod hadisash/pichide shod zabanash....
gah mifotad be in soo/gah mifotad be aan soo...
aan kas ke mast gardad/khod in bovad neshanash...
cheshmash balaye mastan/ma ra az oo matarsaan...
man mastam o natarsam/az choob shahshahanash...
ey eshgh allah allah/sarmast shod shahanshahbarje begir zolfash/darkesh dar in mianash...
andishe ee ke aayad/dar del ze yaar gooyad...
jaan bar sarash feshanam/por zar konam dahaanash...
aan rooye Golsetanesh/va'an bolbol e bayanash...
va'an shive haash yarab/ta baaki ast Anash? ...
een sooratash bahaanast/oo noor e asemaan ast....
bogzar ze naghsh o soorat/jaanash khosh ast Aanash...
di ra bahar bakhshad/shab raa nahaar bakhshad...
pas in jahan morde/zendast az aan jahanash
From the movie NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS by BAHMAN GHOBADI
Hildegard von Bingen, O Ignis Spiritus ...
Hildegard of Bingen, O ignis Spiritus Paracliti
O ignis spiritus paracliti,
vita vite omnis creature,
sanctus es vivificando formas
Sanctus es unguendo
periculose fractos:
sanctus es tergendo
fetida vulnera.
O spiraculum sanctitatis,
o ignis caritatis,
o dulcis gustus in pectoribus
et infusio cordium
in bono odore virtutum.
O fons purissimus,
in quo consideratur
quod Deus alienos colligit
et perditos requirit.
O lorica vite et spes compaginis
membrorum omnium,
et o cingulum honestatis
salva beatos.
Custodi eos
qui carcerati sunt ab inimico,
et solve ligatos
quos divina vis salvare vult.
O iter fortissimum
quo penetravit omnia;
in altissimis et in terrenis
et in omnibus abyssis
tu omnes componis et colligis.
De te nubes fluunt,
ether volat,
lapides humorem habent,
aque rivulos educunt,
et terra viriditatem sudat.
Tu etiam semper educis doctos
per inspirationem sapiente letificos.
Unde laus tibi sit
qui es sonus lauudus,
et gaudium viter,
spes et honor fortissimus
dans premia luics.
Hildegard von Bingen (1098 - 1179)
O Holy Fire which soothes the spirit
/alt (para clete?) O fire of the spirit which I have tried
life force of all creation
holiness you are in living form
You are a holy ointment
for perilous injuries
You are holy in cleansing
the fetid wound.
O breath of holiness
o fire of loving
o sweet taste in the breast
you fill the heart
with the good aroma of virtues.
O fountain of purity
in/with whom it is considered
that God collected the lost / That God made the strangers one with us
and the sinners/damned saved.
O robe of life and hope for the companions
our brothers all of the church
and the belt of honesty
save the blessed.
Caring for all those
who are held down by enemies
and dissolve/break the chains/restraints/laws.
whom the divine will save and free.
O path of strength
that enters all places
in the high places and in the plains
and in all the depths
you call and unify all.
From you the clouds/smoke flows,
the ether files,
stones/jewels have/given their feeling/moods/qualities
water streams shown their way. (given their course)
and earth made green and fresh.
You always teach comprehending
by inspiriational wisdom with pleasure/joy/happiness.
Praise be to you,
who is the sound of praise,
and joy of life, hope and noble strength
giving the premium of the light.
translation by Rupert Chappelle
O ignis Spiritus Paracliti / Sequence for the Holy Spirit
by Hildegard of Bingen
(1098 - 1179) Timeline
English version by
Barbara Newman
Original Language
Latin
Christian : Catholic
12th Century
Fiery Spirit,
fount of courage,
life within life
of all that has being!
Holy are you, transmuting the perfect
into the real.
Holy are you, healing
the mortally stricken.
Holy are you, cleansing
the stench of wounds.
O sacred breath O blazing
love O savor in the breast and balm
flooding the heart with
the fragrance of good,
O limpid mirror of God
who leads wanderers
home and hunts out the lost,
Armor of the heart and hope
of the integral body,
sword-belt of honor:
save those who know bliss!
Guard those the fiend holds
imprisoned,
free those in fetters
whom divine force wishes to save.
O current of power permeating all
in the heights upon the earth and
in all deeps:
you bind and gather
all people together.
Out of you clouds
come streaming, winds
take wing from you, dashing
rain against stone;
and ever-fresh springs
well from you, washing
the evergreen globe.
O teacher of those who know,
a joy to the wise
is the breath of Sophia.
Praise then be yours!
you are the song of praise,
the delight of life,
a hope and a potent honor
granting garlands of light.
Blessed Hildegard of Bingen (German: Hildegard von Bingen; Latin: Hildegardis Bingensis; 1098 – 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard, and Sybil of the Rhine, was a Christian mystic, German Benedictine abbess, author, counselor, linguist, naturalist, scientist, philosopher, physician, herbalist, poet, channeller, visionary, composer, and polymath. Elected a magistra by her fellow nuns in 1136, she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and Eibingen in 1165.
She was a composer with an extant biography from her own time. One of her works, the Ordo Virtutum, is an early example of liturgical drama.
She wrote theological, botanical and medicinal texts, as well as letters, liturgical songs, poems, and the first surviving morality play, while supervising brilliant miniature Illuminations.
Hildegard's preaching tours
Hildegard of Bingen's date of birth is uncertain. It has been concluded that she may have been born in the year 1098.Hildegard was raised in a family of free nobles. She was the 10th child, sickly from birth. In her Vita, Hildegard explains that from a very young age she had experienced visions.
Perhaps due to Hildegard's visions, or as a method of political positioning, Hildegard's parents, Hildebert and Mechthilde, offered her as a tithe to the church. The date of Hildegard's enclosure in the church is contentious. Her vita tells us she was enclosed with another older nun Jutta at the age of eight, though Jutta's enclosure date is known to be in 1112, at which time Hildegard would have been fourteen.Some scholars speculate that Hildegard was placed in the care of Jutta, the daughter of Count Stephan II of Sponheim, at the age of eight, before the two women were enclosed together six years later.During the twenty four years when Jutta and Hildegard were in the convent together, there is no written record of what happened during these times. It is possible that Hildegard could have been a chantress and a worker in the herbarium and infirmarium.In any case, Hildegard and Jutta were enclosed at Disibodenberg in the Palatinate Forest in what is now Germany. Jutta was also a visionary and thus attracted many followers who came to visit her at the enclosure. Hildegard also tells us that Jutta taught her to read and write, but that she was unlearned and therefore incapable of teaching Hildegard Biblical interpretation. Hildegard and Jutta most likely prayed, meditated, read scriptures such as the psalter, and did some sort of handwork during the hours of the Divine Office. This also might have been a time when Hildegard learned how to play the ten-stringed psaltery. Volmar, a frequent visitor, may have taught Hildegard simple psalm notation. This time she studied music could have been the beginnings of her compositions she would later create.
Upon Jutta's death in 1136, Hildegard was unanimously elected as "magistra" of her sister community by her fellow nuns. Abbot Kuno, the Abbot of Disibodenberg, also asked Hildegard to be Prioress. Hildegard, however, wanted more independence for herself and her nuns and asked Abbot Kuno to allow them to move to Rupertsberg. When the abbot declined Hildegard's proposition, Hildegard went over his head and received the approval of Archbishop Henry I of Mainz. Abbot Kuno did not relent, however, until Hildegard was stricken by an illness that kept her paralyzed and unable to move from her bed, an event that she attributed to God's unhappiness at her not following his orders to move her nuns to Rupertsberg. It was only when the Abbot himself could not move Hildegard that he decided to grant the nuns their own monastery.Hildegard and about twenty nuns thus moved to the St. Rupertsberg monastery in 1150, where Volmar served as provost, as well as Hildegard's confessor and scribe. In 1165 Hildegard founded a second convent for her nuns at Eibingen.
Hildegard says that she first saw “The Shade of the Living Light” at the age of three and by the age five she began to understand that she was experiencing visions.In Hildegard’s youth, she referred to her visionary gift as her viso. She explained that she saw all things in the light of God through the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.Hildegard was hesitant to share her visions, confiding only to Jutta, who in turn told Volmar, Hildegard's tutor and, later, secretary.Throughout her life, she continued to have many visions, and in 1141, at the age of 42, Hildegard received a vision she believed to be an instruction from God, to "write down that which you see and hear." Still hesitant to record her visions, Hildegard became physically ill. The illustrations recorded in the book of Scivias were visions that Hildegard experienced, causing her great suffering and tribulations.In her first theological text, Scivias ("Know the Ways"), Hildegard describes her struggle within:
But I, though I saw and heard these things, refused to write for a long time through doubt and bad opinion and the diversity of human words, not with stubbornness but in the exercise of humility, until, laid low by the scourge of God, I fell upon a bed of sickness; then, compelled at last by many illnesses, and by the witness of a certain noble maiden of good conduct [the nun Richardis von Stade] and of that man whom I had secretly sought and found, as mentioned above, I set my hand to the writing. While I was doing it, I sensed, as I mentioned before, the deep profundity of scriptural exposition; and, raising myself from illness by the strength I received, I brought this work to a close - though just barely - in ten years. [...] And I spoke and wrote these things not by the invention of my heart or that of any other person, but as by the secret mysteries of God I heard and received them in the heavenly places. And again I heard a voice from Heaven saying to me, 'Cry out therefore, and write thus!'
Hildegard's vivid description of the physical sensations which accompanied her visions have been diagnosed by neurologist (and popular author) Oliver Sacks as symptoms of migraine, in particular because of her description of light.Sacks argues that the illuminations that appear in Hildegard's manuscripts confirm that Hildegard suffered from negative scotoma.
Hildegard's vita was begun by Godfrey of Disibodenberg under Hildegard's supervision.
Attention in recent decades to women of the medieval church has led to a great deal of popular interest in Hildegard, particularly her music. Between 70 and 80 compositions have survived, which is one of the largest repertoires among medieval composers. Hildegard left behind over 100 letters, 72 songs, seventy poems, and 9 books.Hildegard is the first composer whose biography is known.
"O frondens virga"
From Ordo Virtutum
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One of her better known works, Ordo Virtutum (Play of the Virtues), is a morality play. It is unsure when some of Hildegard’s compositions were composed, though the Ordo Virtutum is thought to have been composed as early as 1151.[26] The morality play consists of monophonic melodies for the Anima (human soul) and 16 Virtues. There is also one speaking part for the Devil. Scholars assert that the role of the Devil would have been played by Volmar, while the Hildegard's nuns would have played the parts of Anima and the Virtues.
In addition to the Ordo Virtutum Hildegard composed many liturgical songs that were collected into a cycle called the Symphonia armoniae celestium revelationum. The songs from Symphonia are set to Hildegard’s own text and range from antiphons, hymns, sequences, to responsories. Her music is described as monophonic; that is, consisting of exactly one melodic line.Hildegard's compositional style is characterized by soaring melodies, often well outside of the normal range of chant at the time. Additionally, scholars such as Margot Fassler and Marianna Richert Pfau describe Hildegard's music as highly melismatic, often with recurrent melodic units, and also note her close attention to the relationship between music and text, which was a rare occurrence in monastic chant of the twelfth century.Hildegard of Bingen’s songs are left open for rhythmic interpreation because of the use of neumes without a staff.[32] The reverence for the Virgin Mary reflected in music shows how deeply influenced and inspired Hildegard of Bingen and her community were by the Virgin Mary and the saints.
The definition of ‘greenness’ is an earthly expression of the heavenly in an integrity that overcomes dualisms. This ‘greenness’ or power of life appears frequently in Hildegard’s works.
In addition to her music, Hildegard also wrote three books of visions, the first of which, her Scivias ("Know the Way"), was completed in 1151. Liber vitae meritorum ("Book of Life's Merits") and De operatione Dei ("Of God's Activities", also known as Liber divinorum operum, "Book of Divine Works") followed. In these volumes, the last of which was completed when she was about 75, Hildegard first describes each vision, then interprets them through Biblical exegesis. The narrative of her visions was richly decorated under her direction, with transcription assistance was provided by the monk Volmar and nun Richardis. The book was celebrated in the Middle Ages, in part because of the approval given to it by Pope Eugenius III, and was later copied in Paris in 1513.
Aside from her books of visions, Hildegard also wrote her Physica, a text on the natural sciences, as well as Causae et Curae. Hildegard of Bingen was well known for her healing powers involving practical application of tinctures, herbs, and precious stones. In both texts Hildegard describes the natural world around her, including the cosmos, animals, plants, stones, and minerals. She combined these elements with a theological notion ultimately derived from Genesis: all things put on earth are for the use of humans.She is particularly interested in the healing properties of plants, animals, and stones, though she also questions God's effect on man's health.One example of her healing powers was curing the blind with the use of Rhine water.
Chandana Charchita - Gita Govinda
Tenali Ramakrishna, Telugu
P Suseela
K Srikumar
Sanskrit Ashtapadi, Chandana Charchita by Sri Jayadeva in 3 Charanas is provided below:
1. Hari Vihamugdhava Dhooni Kare Vilaasini Vilasati Kelipare
Chandana Charchita Neela Kalebara Peeta Vasana Vanamaali
Chandana Charchita Neela Kalebara Peeta Vasana Vanamaali
Keli Chalanmani Kundala Mandita Gandayu Gasmita Saali
Harivihamughdhava Dhooni Kare Vilaasini Vilasati Kelipare
2. Kaapi Vilaasavi Lola Vilochana Kelana Janita Manojam
Kaapi Vilaasavi Lola Vilochana Kelana Janita Manojam
Dhyayati Mugdhava Buravibhakam Madhu Soodhana Vadana Sarojam
Dhyayati Mugdhava Buravibhakam Madhu Soodhana Vadana Sarojam
Harivihamughdhava Dhooni Kare Vilaasini Vilasati Kelipare
3. Ishyati Kaamapi Chumbati Kaamapi Ramayati Kamaapi Raama
Sathyati Sasmita Chaarutaraam Aparaamanu Gasyati Raama
Harivihamughdhava Dhooni Kare Vilaasini Vilasati Kelipare
This Ashtapadi by Sri Jayadeva [Sanskrit scholar] throws lights on Sri Krishna’s frolicking and playing with damsels in the Brindavan garden. This Ashtapadi is said actually to be a one-to-discussion between Raadha and her friend.
Meaning:
1. He who has a bluish body that is bedecked with sandal paste, clad in yellow (peeta) silks, garlanded with basil leaves and other flowers (vanamaali), whose cheeks are adorned with glitters from the studded earrings; is frolicking and playing with the damsels and is amidst modest, simple, naïve damsels! One damsel says to Radha : “You, the expert in romance and amusement, you are allowing Krishna to play with simple, immature and naïve damsels; Is it befitting Krishna to play with them when you are here? You ought to go at once to him”.
2. Krishna is surrounded by these women who are simple and naïve, these are the romantic gestures of Krishna. His sliding and moving wide eyes (vilochana) towards them are so attractive (He himself) that these modest damsels/women who are inexperts in romancing, started gazing and staring at the the beautiful, lotus-like face of His, the eliminator of a demon Madhu (madhusoodhana*); thus, the Lord is amidst these damsels in a delightful (blissful) circle. *Madhusoodhana also means ‘The one who is spilling honey’. Though not everybody is expert danseuses/songsters, romance is common in every lass. Reaching Him is the Goal of every damsel and luckily He is for everyone. Women may be at any point in the circle/row, wherever they are they feel that He is with them, they sense Him. Be it bodily reach or envisaged/imagined. Each lady feels that she a belongs to Krishna. That He belongs to her, only!
3. Krishna, now in the ronde, is kissing someone; someone else finds Him in their bosom; yet someone else finds Him delighting in her in full beauty, while having a look at the other damsels too (pashyati). Each damsel goes after Krishna and everybody readily finds themselves with/in Him! Such is the delight that Raama** **Rama is the analogy to the one who gives and takes delight in which the other person is delighted. He, the giver of delight, is received with the beaming smiles on the faces of the damsels. Even those women who are peeved or irritated were reclaimed by the Lord and they encircle Him to play and frolic with Him with divine desire !!
(Posted by Challagonda Ravinder Rao)
Jayadeva Oriya, was a Sanskrit poet, who lived in what is now Orissa, circa 1200 AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the divine love of the Hindu deity Krishna and his consort, Radha, and is considered an important text in the Bhakti movement of Hinduism . He was born to an Utkala Brahmin family in a village called Kenduli Sasan in Orissa.
Jayadeva was born in Kenduli Sasan (formerly Kendubilva), in the Prachi valley, Khurda district in Orissa. Kenduli Sasan is a village near the famous temple city of Puri. At the time of Jayadeva's birth, Orissa was under the rule of Ganga dynasty king Chodaganga Deva. It was during the reign of this monarch and his son and successor, Raghava, that Jayadeva composed his Sanskrit epics. Chodaganga Deva, originally a Shaiva, was strongly influenced by the devotion to Krishna in and around Puri and became a Vaishnava devotee of Krishna himself.
The poet's parents were named Bhojdeva and Vamadevi. From temple inscriptions it is now known that Jayadeva received his education in Sanskrit poetry from a place called Kurmapataka, possibly near Konark in Orissa. Later on, Jayadeva married Padmavati, who according to temple inscriptions, may have been an accomplished temple dancer on her own right.
Prachi valley has a long history of worshipping Madhava, another name for Krishna. During Jayadeva's period, it was known as a religious place dominated by Vaishnava Brahmins. Even today, the village of Kenduli Sasan is replete with images of Madhava. Undoubtedly, the great poet must have been influenced by the devotional milieu in that area when he composed his magnum opus, the Gita Govinda.
Inscriptions at Lingaraj temple, and the more recently discovered Madhukeswar temple and Simhachal temple that were read and interpreted by Dr. Satyanarayan Rajaguru shed some light on Jayadeva's early life. These inscriptions narrate how Jayadeva had been a member of the teaching faculty of the school at Kurmapataka. He might have studied there as well. It must have been right after his childhood education in Kenduli Sasan that he left for Kurmapataka and gained experience in composing poetry, music and dancing.
The earliest mention of Jayadeva outside Orissa are by Chand Bardai, the court poet of Prithviraj Chauhan. The next earliest reference outside Orissa is found in an inscription of Raja Sarangadev in the year 1201 A.D. These records establish that the Gita Govinda became popular throughout India within a brief perid of its composition, perhaps because it was regularly performed in the Jagannath temple of Puri.
Some further details about Jayadeva have been garnered from a book by an Oriya Vaishnava poet Madhava Patnaik, who was contemporaneous to Chaitanya in the fifteenth century. Madhava Patnaik's book gives a clear account of Chaitanya's visit to Puri. He mentions that Chaitanya paid a visit to Kenduli Sasan near Puri to pay homage to Jayadeva and to chant passages from the Gita Govinda. The book mentions that Kenduli Sasan was in fact the birthplace of the illustrious poet. Madhava Patnaik's book also gives an account of Jayadeva's early life from the legends around Puri. It mentions Jayadeva as excelling in the Shastras and the Puranas from early childhood. He is a great contemporary.
[edit]Literary contributions
Jayadeva was instrumental in popularizing the Dasavatara, the ten incarnations of Vishnu in another composition, Dasakritikrite. Furthermore, the classic Tribhangi (three-fold) posture of Krishna playing the flute gained popularity due to him.
Two hymns composed by Jayadeva have been incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh religion. Although it is not clear how these medieval Orissan hymns found their way to the Sikh religion, there are records narrating how Jayadeva's work had a profound influence on Guru Nanak during his visit to Puri .
The illustrious poet also institutionalized the Devadasi system in Orissan temples. Devadasis were women dancers specially dedicated to the temple deity, and as a result of the great poet's works, Orissan temples began to incorporate a separate Natamandira, or dance hall, within their precincts for Odissi dance performances.
The Gita Govinda is the best known composition of Jayadeva. It is a lyrical poetry that is organized into twelve chapters. Each chapter is further sub-divided into twenty four divisions called Prabandhas. The prabandhas contain couplets grouped into eights, called Ashtapadis.
The first English translation of the Gita Govinda was published by Sir William Jones in 1792, where Kalinga (ancient Orissa) is referred to as the origin of the text. Since then, the Gita Govinda has been translated to many languages throughout the world, and is considered to be among the finest examples of Sanskrit poetry.
Almarita - From Sophie Marquestaut
La Rue Ketanou
Elles sont peut-être les folles de Nevers ou de Séville
Des bracelets qui farandolent, des boucles d'oreilles qui sourient
A une robe de gitane, une gitane que l'on rencontre
Sur une scène à macadam, une histoire que l'on raconte
La musique c'est elle et la fête fait son entrée
Almarita danse, chante pour les gitans
Et que ton cœur vole au vent, ton âme en caravane
Almarita danse, chante pour les gitans
Et que ton cœur vole au vent, ton âme...
...en caravane
Elles chantent pour tous les printemps
Tant de vie et ces gros temps
Mais elles ne peuvent y rester
L'âme gitane ne fait que passer
Elles se suicident cent fois par jour
Pour dire « on n'brade pas l'Algérie ou bien l'amour
Ces choses-là ne repoussent pas »
La musique c'est elle et la fête fait son entrée
Almarita danse, chante pour les gitans
Et que ton cœur vole au vent, ton âme en caravane (x2)
Elles portent des marques du voyage
Et savent très bien nous y faire croire
Rien qu'à les regarder danser
Cherche pas à comprendre, t'as qu'à y aller
Ni femme de marin, ni putain
Je sais qu'elles repartiront
Des joies de gens dans une main
Et une valise pleine de chansons
Où ma musique, c'est elle et la fête fait son entrée
Almarita danse, chante pour les gitans
Et que ton cœur vole au vent, ton âme en caravane (x2)
Il y'en a qui travaillent comme des fous
Pour se payer des clous
A clouer sur leur feuilles de vie
Mais la mort est sans bagages
Moi de tous cela je ne veux rien
Les poches vides et le cœur plein d'amour
Qu'une gitane m'a laissée
La musique c'est elle et la fête fait sin entrée
Ma Faute a Toi - From Sophie Marquestaut
La Rue Ketanou
J’ai besoin encore et toujours
J’ai besoin d’entrer chez une femme
D’en sortir au petit jour
Avec un peu moins de flammes
Dans les yeux
Quand je te regarde
Car notre amour à tous les deux
Y’a que moi qui le garde
J’ai besoin d’entrer chez une femme
Chez une autre que toi
Toi t’as perdu ma flamme
Ma flamme qu’était pour toi
J’ai besoin de t’oublier
Ne pas te reconnaître
Partout où je vais
J’ai besoin de renaître
J’ai besoin de vivre
De vivre devant moi
Ceux qui m’aiment me suivent
Je sais toi tu restes là
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
J’ai besoin d’aimer
Je ne sais rien faire d’autre
J’ai besoin d’aimer
Et c’est pas ta faute
C’est ma faute à toi
Toi qu’est trop belle
Toi t’es trop belle pour moi
Et les belles, elles sont cruelles
Pour ceux qui les veulent
Pour ceux qui les ont pas
Pour ceux qui sont tout seul
Pour ceux qui ne savent pas
Pour ceux qui marchent des heures
Et qui vont nulle part
Pour ceux qui boivent
Pour ceux qui ne dorment pas
Pour ceux qui chantent
Qui chantent
Pour ceux qui chantent
Qui chantent pour toi
La Rue Kétanou is a French music group mixing elements of reggae music, bohemian style of life, theater, poetry and humor. Its name is a deformation of La rue qui est à nous, which means The street that's ours.
The group itself is composed of musicians Mourad Musset, Olivier Leite and Florent Vintrigner, all of them coming from the Théâtre du fil in Paris. At First, La Rue Kétanou was playing in the streets of la Rochelle and the île de Ré. The show was a mix between theater and music. Their motto was C'est pas nous qui sommes à la rue, c'est la rue qui est à nous ('Kétanou'), meaning literally : We don't belong in the street, it's the street that belongs to us." and figuratively : "we are not bums, the street is ours". In French this is a play on words due to the repeated usage of the article "à", which can mean either "at", or indicate possession. For example, "je suis à la poste" means "I am at the post office," whereas "c'est à toi" means "it's yours". So an approximately good translation of this pun would be : "We don't live in the streets, the streets live us".
After spending some time living a semi bohemian life, the group ended up meeting Bibou, a member of Tryo, who asked them to be the opening act for the Tryo shows at L'Olympia and for the rest of their tour.
The first album of La Rue Kétanou, En attendant les caravanes (Waiting for the caravans) was finally produced in 2001. After some time doing tours throughout France, the group completed a second album Y'a des cigales dans la fourmilière (There are cicadas in the ant-hill) in 2002. In 2004, they released a live album Ouvert à double tour. After this album, there were rumours that they were about to break up, which have proven untrue so far. Florent, however, spent some time in a related project, the group T'inquiète Lazare. Mourad and Olivier also formed a new band with several other musicians and friends, Mon côté punk.
After this pause, the group is touring again with two new members, Pierre Joseph and Simoné Monticelloni.
Le Petits Papiers - From Sophie Marquestaut
Noir Desir
Laissez parler
Les p'tits papiers
A l'occasion
Papier chiffon
Puissent-ils un soir
Papier buvard
Vous consoler
Laisser brûler
Les p'tits papiers
Papier de riz
Ou d'Arménie
Qu'un soir ils puissent
Papier maïs
Vous réchauffer
Un peu d'amour
Papier velours
Et d'esthétique
Papier musique
C'est du chagrin
Papier dessin
Avant longtemps
Laissez glisser
Papier glacé
Les sentiments
Papier collant
Ça impressionne
Papier carbone
Mais c'est du vent
Machin Machine
Papier machine
Faut pas s'leurrer
Papier doré
Celui qu'y touche
Papier tue-mouches
Est moitié fou
C'est pas brillant
Papier d'argent
C'est pas donné
Papier-monnaie
Ou l'on en meurt
Papier à fleurs
Ou l'on s'en fout
Laissez parler
Les p'tits papiers
A l'occasion
Papier chiffon
Puissent-ils un soir
Papier buvard
Vous consoler
Laisser brûler
Les p'tits papiers
Papier de riz
Ou d'Arménie
Qu'un soir ils puissent
Papier maïs
Vous réchauffer
[ Les P'tits Papiers Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]
Noir Désir is a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold.They have been an influence on numerous French musicians including Cali, Louise Attaque and Miossec. The band currently consists of Bertrand Cantat (vocals, guitar), Serge Teyssot-Gay (guitar), Jean-Paul Roy (bass guitar) and Denis Barthe (drums).
Bertrand Cantat and Serge Teyssot-Gay met in 1980 at secondary school after Cantat moved to Bordeaux from his hometown in Normandy; Teyssot-Gay was 17 and Cantat was 16 at the time. The two teenagers shared a love of music, particularly Led Zeppelin, The Who, and AC/DC and so they decided to form a band. Tesyssot had a strong musical background and a decade's worth training in classical guitar, however Cantat could not play any instrument at the time, and so became the singer for their band. They met Denis Barthe, during the summer vacation who shared a similar passion for music and he agreed to play drums for the band, although he had never played them before.
They went through a series of temporary bassists, eventually settling on Vincent Leriche. The band originally called themselves "Psychoz", then "6.35", "Station Désir" and finally "Noirs Désirs". In 1982 Teyssot-Gay and Leriche left the group to form BAM (Boîte A Musique). The remaining band members, Barthe and Cantat, went in search for a replacement guitarist and bassist. For the bass they found Frèdèric Vidalenc, who had played in the well reputed local group Dernier Métro, and eventually they settled on Luc Robène for guitar. However the next year Cantat would also leave the band temporarally, being replaced by Emmanuel Ory-Weil, who would later become the band's manager. When Robène quit in 1985 Cantat was eager to get their original guitarist, Teyssot-Gay, back into the band and succeeded. The new lineup of Cantat on vocals, Teyssot-Gay on guitar, Vidalenc on bass and Barthe on drums continued for 11 more years.
Now with a new and finally steady lineup the band decided to make an attempt at getting a recording contract. They created a demo which was heard by Théo Hakola of the American band Passion Fodder. Hakola urged the french label Barclay records to sign the band up, and the artistic director agreed to see the band in concert first. At first the label wished the band to produce a single, however after two months of negotiations it was agreed that a mini-album would be made instead. The label did not expect much success from the group though, with the director of the label commenting "If we sell 1,500 copies of your disk, that will already be a success" (Si on vend 1 500 exemplaires de votre disque, ce sera déjà très bien). The label disliked the name Noirs Désirs, feeling it to be old fasioned, so the band agreed to alter two letters, unpluralising the name to Noir Désir. In 1987 they released the mini-album, Où veux tu qu'je r'garde?. After two months it had sold 5,000 copies, exceeding the expectations of Barclay, who signed the band for another three albums.
Their first critical and popular success came two years later, in 1989, with their next album, Veuillez rendre l'âme (à qui elle appartient). The album won Noir Désir the Bus d'Acier for 1989, an award given by the press to the best French rock group of the year. It was certified gold, selling over 150,000 copies, and became recognised as one of the best French rock albums ever made. It also produced the hit single: "Aux sombres héros de l'amer", a sea-shanty-like harmonica-driven ballad that uses the concept of sailors lost at sea as a metaphor for life. However the group were dismayed that many people had missed this double meaning of the song, interpreting it as a meaningless sea shanty. They were also disappointed that many people judged them based on the one song, without listening to the rest of the album. In their next two albums the band would return to the harder sound of Où veux-tu qu'je r'garde ? and develop it even further. This development was largely a reaction to their worries about the success of the single Aux sombres héros de l'amer.
Jean-Paul Roy, shown above in June 2007, who joined Noir Désir in 1996With its harder and more aggressive sound and an almost complete lack of promotion, no singles were released, the third album Du ciment sous les plaines (1991) received lack luster success compared to Veuillez rendre l'âme (à qui elle appartient). In May 1991 a concert in Besançon was cut short after four songs when Bertrand Cantat collapsed on stage, resulting in the band taking a break from touring until the release of their next album, Tostaky.
Tostaky was produced in London, a city the group admired for its musical output. Unlike Du ciment sous les plaines, Tostaky was released to much acclaim and popular success and was certified gold few days after its release. In January 1994 the live album Dies Irae was released, showcasing the frenzy of the band's performances.However the touring took its toll on Cantat, who eventually ended up in hospital for an operation on his vocal cords.After this gruelling tour the band decided to take a year's break, both from playing and from each other. During their break Bertrand Cantat received professional singing training and bass-player Frédéric Vidalenc quit the group to pursue his own projects: he was replaced by longtime friend of the band, Jean-Paul Roy. Serge Teyssot-Gay used his spare time during the break to record a solo album, Silence Radio, which would be finished and released in 1996.
In December, 1996 the success of Tostaky was continued with the release of 666.667 Club, which would be certified double platinum a year after its release. In 1998, after receiving a remix of their song "Septembre, en attendant" in the mail, they decided to produce the album One Trip, One Noise which comprised a collection of their songs remixed by young musicians.
Their most recent studio album, 2001's Des visages des figures was much quieter than any of their previous albums but was very well received, selling over 1 million copies. The group received five Victoires de la Musique award nominations for 2001, winning both Best Rock Album of the Year and Music Video of the Year for "Le vent nous portera" in collaboration with the French/Spanish artist Manu Chao. During the awards ceremony Cantat read out a speech on behalf of the band, addressed to Jean-Marie Messier, the CEO of Vivendi, the group which owns Noir Désir's record company, Universal. Messier was a controversial figure in France at the time, due to the perception that he was abandoning his French roots in favour of Americanization. In their speech, Noir Désir accused Vivendi of exploiting their band’s name in order to rebut criticism of Messier's treatment of French culture. The band played few concerts for their Des visages des figures tour, however all were held in large stadium like venues, except those of the Middle East tour, which allowed the band to go back to their roots playing in small clubs. They were invited to perform a one off concert at the “Montpellier Radio-France” festival in 2002. For the 55 minute performance, titled "Nous n'avons fait que fuir", Cantat recited a long-form poem he'd written over musical improvisations played by the rest of the band. The text of the poem along with a recording of the performance on CD was released by French book publisher Éditions Verticales.
In 2003, following an argument about infidelity, Bertrand Cantat, drunk at the time, hit his girlfriend Marie Trintignant, also drunk, multiple times in a hotel room in Vilnius, Lithuania. The following morning Marie Trintignant was found in a coma in her bed and died a few days later. A post mortem examination showed that she had suffered multiple head injuries. Cantat admitted to hitting her 4 times, however prosecutors argued that it was in fact 19 times in all. He later alleged she had fallen and hit her head on a radiator, becoming unconscious from this impact, not his blows directly. On 29 March 2004, a Lithuanian court sentenced Cantat to eight years in prison after he was found guilty of manslaughter.After a year spent in Lukiškės prison of Vilnius, he was moved to a prison near Toulouse, France.
September 2005 brought two new releases of Noir Désir's work. The album, Noir Désir en public, which had been started before the incident in Vilnius, contained highlights of their last tour, during which every concert had been recorded. The DVD set, Noir Désir en images, contained various live performances footage and videos. Special permission was obtained for the imprisoned Cantat to participate in the development of both the CD and the DVD.
Cantat was freed on parole on October 16, 2007. A condition of his release was that he must receive regular psychological counseling and refrain from public reference to his crime in interviews or in music.
In November 2008 the band released two free tracks on their website, performed by the whole band. The songs are "Gagnants/Perdants" and a cover of "Le temps des cerises". The group is in the process of composing and recording a new album, which Teyssot-Gey had predicted would be completed in 2009. However according to a May 14, 2009 article in Le Parisien the album will not be ready until January 2010.
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