For the column - Backpages Revisited
Article 9 - 11/10/2021
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Title: West meets East - Shankar, Menuhin.
Facebook Title: Pandit Ravi Shankar, Yehudi Menuhin display great courage and skill to create the first World Music milestone.
Keywords: North India Classical; Hindustani Classical; Fusion Music; World Music.
Word Count:500
Summary: Pandit Ravi Shankar, one of the greatest exponents of North Indian Classical music and a Virtuoso Sitar performer, collaborated with Lord Yehudi Menuhin, the eminent Violinist to create West meets East, an album that truly signaled the arrival of Indian classical music on the world scene.
West meets East - Ravi Shankar, Yehudi Menuhin.
Friendship developed into Collaboration
Yehudi Menuhin, the great Violinist had been introduced to North Indian classical music (NICM) and Pandit Ravi Shankar, the Sitar Maestro, when he visited India in 1952. Both became close friends. Menuhin's genuine curiosity about Indian music led him to explore further. At 1966 Bath Festival in UK, Ravi Shankar composed a piece in NICM which was played by Menuhin & Himself. It was the first time a major western musician had played Indian classical music on stage with Indian musicians. The performance was so successful that record label EMI offered to produce a new album of the pair.
West meets East was released in January 1967 and was quickly acknowledged as a masterpiece of classical music. Ravi Shankar, Yehudi Menuhin & a group of musicians collaborated across nationality, religion and proved that music is indeed a universal language.
Opens with North Indian Classical Music
The album opens with piece called "Prabhati" a composition by Ravi Shankar based on Raga Gunakali, a morning Raga. It is performed by Menuhin on violin and Ustaad Alla Rakha on Tabla. Ravi Shankar composed North Indian Raga based music for the Violin (he said he never considered the Violin a western instrument) but Menuhin accepted the challenge. After a typical slow start the piece ends with a fine solo by Menuhin accompanied by Alla Rakha's Tabla.
The next piece is "Raga Puriya Kalyan" an afternoon Raga. It is an excellent solo sitar performance by Ravi Shankar.
The last piece in this section is "Swara Kakali" a Ravi Shankar duet based on Raga Tilang, a Night Raga. It is a catchy melody where both Ravi Shankar and Menuhin perform together along with the tabla and tanpura. It is the best piece of the album and both artists give an excellent performance.
Closes with a Violin Sonata
For the Western classical part, Menuhin selected "Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 3 in A Minor, Op.25" by Romanian Composer George Enescu, who had been one of Menuhin's teachers. It comprised of three segments -
I. Starts with a melancholy piece - "Moderato Malinconico"
II. Next is a moderate tempo mystery piece - "Andante sostenuto e misterioso"
III. It concludes with a lively vigorous but not too agitated segment - "Allegro con brio"
This Sonata was a personal favorite of Yehudi for its Romanian "Gypsy style." Hephzibah Menuhin, his sister, who was also a renowned musician accompanied him on Piano.
Path breaking, Accessible
This was not two musicians doing their own thing with their instruments but a real coming together where Yehudi Menuhin played Indian classical music composed by Ravi Shankar. Their mastery of their instruments and the excellent improvisation across musical traditions shines through. The album proved to be a trend setter, created a curiosity and affection for Indian classical music among western audiences that lasts till date and paved the way for many such collaborations among artists across the world.
Trivia: -
1. West meets East was No. 1 on Billboards best selling classical LP's for 18 weeks.
2. West meets East won the 1967 Grammy award for Best Chamber Music performance. Pandit Ravishankar was the 1st Asian to win a Grammy.
3. West meets East became the fastest selling LP in history of Angel Records (July 1968)
4. Shankar & Menuhin continued their collaboration and released two other follow on albums in the West meets East series.
Glossary: -
Indian Classical Music (ICM) - is the music of South Asian region. It is based on Melody (Raga), Rhythm (Tala) and Meter. It is different from Western/European Classical music. Key differences being that ICM performances are improvised rather than composed, they are mostly Individual performances rather than group and lastly vocals are most important with instruments being accompaniments.
North Indian (Hindustani) Classical Music (NICM) - is the classical music of Northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It is distinct from the South Indian Classical or the Carnatic music.
Pandit - A Maestro in the North Indian Classical Music tradition, typically a Hindu.
Ustaad - A Maestro in the North Indian Classical Music tradition, typically a Muslim.
Raga - a list of notes that can be used in a particular piece of music. Raga's are associated with moods, seasons, times of day etc.
Tabla - is a pair of hand drums, the primary percussion instrument in Indian Classical music.
Sitar -is a plucked string instrument used in North Indian Classical music.
Tanpura - is a plucked string instrument which supports another instrument or singer by providing a continuous background sound.
Opus - the sequence or work number assigned to a composer's musical composition.
Allegro - at a Fast, Lively tempo.
Andante - moderately slow tempo.
Sonata - a piece of music played by a solo instrument or group of instruments.