About The Best of Indian Santur
The Best of Indian Santur is a compilation album by santur virtuoso Tarun Bhattacharya, released on January 1, 2010. The album showcases Bhattacharya’s mastery of the santur, a hammered dulcimer instrument central to North Indian classical music. The release format is a commercial audio CD with a total of four tracks.
Bhattacharya opens the album with a detailed exploration of Raag Yaman, structured in three sections: Alaap, Jod, and Jhala. The performance emphasizes the raga’s expansive melodic development, a hallmark of the Maihar gharana tradition to which Bhattacharya belongs. The second and third tracks feature Raag Hament, rendered in two distinct rhythmic cycles: Jhaptaal (10 beats) and Teentaal (16 beats). These compositions highlight the santur’s percussive clarity and Bhattacharya’s precision in taan patterns.
The final track presents a light classical piece based on Raag Misra Pahadi, blending folk-inflected melodies with improvisational flourishes. The album does not specify a recording label, and additional production details remain undocumented. The tracklist reflects Bhattacharya’s repertoire from live performances and prior studio recordings, though the exact sources for these renditions are not publicly confirmed.
Tarun Bhattacharya (1939–2022) was a disciple of sitarist Ali Akbar Khan and a leading exponent of the santur in Hindustani classical music. His contributions expanded the instrument’s role in solo performance, previously limited to accompaniment. The Best of Indian Santur serves as a representative sample of his work, capturing both technical rigor and expressive depth.