The tradition of Jugalbandi in the Carnatic and Hindustani styles of music is an age old one, where two skilled musicians, perform together. This duet could be instrumental or vocal.
Partnership in vocal or instrumental music has been in vogue since the day of Dhrupad. Khayal is usually sung as a solo, but there have also been numerous cases of male duo singers, usually family members who learned music together. Even when two soloists perform together, they divide the improvisation between them so that there is still only one vocal part. Their music making is co-operative, not competitive and it takes considerable skill and intimacy to create a performance to which each contributes equally. What defines Jugalbandi is that the two soloists be on an equal footing. While any Indian music performance may feature two musicians, whether vocalists or instrumentalists, a performance can only be deemed a Jugalbandi if neither is clearly the soloist and neither clearly an accompanist. In Jugalbandi, both musicians act as lead players, and a playful competition often ensues between the two performers.
It is common knowledge that the popularity of Jugalbandi concerts owes much to virtuosos Pandit Ravi Shankar and the late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Indian concert stages, which had been dominated by only soloists, assumed a new dimension around the sixties when the great musical pairs started playing Jugalbandi. However, this form was very much in existence in the decades preceding the sixties, though perhaps not as popular, thanks to Dhrupad maestros like the Senior Dagar Brothers. |
 Under the leadership of Acharya S N Ratanjankar, the Marris College of Lucknow founded by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, produced numerous musical heavyweights. Two of these prodigious talents were Pandit S.C.R.Bhat, one of the senior-most disciples of Ratanjankar and Pandit K G Ginde.  In fact, Pandit Bhat was Gindeji’s senior co-student and erstwhile teacher during Pandit Ginde`s ealy days at Marris College. Their jugalbandis were renowned and they ranked among the leading exponents of Dhrupad, Dhamar and Khayal gayakis. It is said of them "Bhat-Ginde were the best representatives of the Bhatkhande parampara, which combines several influences and also lays special emphasis on bandishes, their words, structure and bhaav."
We have pleasure in presenting some treasures from this remarkable teamwork. |