About Live 20th Century - Baithak Series Vol. 1
Live 20th Century – Baithak Series Vol. 1 is a studio-recorded album of Dhrupad vocal music by Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar, a practitioner of the Dagarbani tradition. The release captures a live-style performance of Raga Bhatiyaar in the Dhrupad form, structured across four tracks that progress through alaap and a composed bandish.
Faiyazuddin Dagar released the album on January 1, 2004 in CD format. The recording emphasizes the slow, meditative development characteristic of Dhrupad, with the first three tracks dedicated to alaap in Vilambit (slow), Madhyalaya (medium), and Drut (fast) tempos. The fourth track presents the Dhrupad Bandish Shiva Shiva Shiva Shankar, a devotional composition invoking Lord Shiva.
The album forms part of the Baithak Series, a collection intended to document intimate, unaccompanied or minimally accompanied performances. No label information is explicitly documented in available sources. The recording focuses solely on Faiyazuddin Dagar’s vocal rendition without instrumental accompaniment, adhering to the solo baithak (seated concert) tradition of Dhrupad.
The track sequence reflects the classical progression of Dhrupad performance: systematic exploration of the raga’s melodic framework in alaap, followed by the rhythmic and textual elaboration of the bandish. The composition Shiva Shiva Shiva Shankar employs traditional Dhrupad poetic meter and thematic devotion, typical of the Dagar repertoire. Further details on recording location, production personnel, or additional contextual notes remain undocumented in public sources.