The Dagar Brothers - Raga Darbari Kanada

musicalkaleido...
This is a very special recording of Raga Darbari Kanada that was recorded in 1965. The important raga Darbari belongs to the Kanada family of ragas in North Indian classical music. It was developed by the famous court musician Mian Tānsen during the 16th century. The deep expression of this raga requires not only a profound understand of its musical structure, but a spiritual consciousness that must be present in the performers. That is why vocal performances are wonderful for fully expressing the raga.
The Dagar Brothers of 1965 are now often called the "Senior Dagar Brothers". They are Mohinuddin Dagar and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar and are members of a very old family of musicians who perform in an old, and very stately, style of North Indian classical music known as Dhrupad.
Because of the solemnity of Raga Darbari Kanada, it was performed only in slower speeds. Raga Adana, another raga in the Kanada family, was thus sung instead of Darbari when the faster song was performed at the end of the performance of the raga. That is why the Dagar Brothers sing Raga Kanada at the end of their performance. Raga Adana is not included here, however.
The drum that accompanies music in the Dhrupad tradition is called the pakhawaj, similar to the mridangam of South Indian classical music.
- Don Robertson