About Raag Yaman • Raag Shri
Raag Yaman • Raag Shri is a 1960 studio album by Indian flutist Pannalal Ghosh. The release marked one of Ghosh’s early commercial recordings on the 12\" vinyl format under the His Master’s Voice label. The album features two extended renditions of North Indian classical ragas, showcasing Ghosh’s adaptation of the bansuri (bamboo flute) as a solo concert instrument.
Ghosh composed and performed both tracks. Raag Yaman opens the album with an alap-jor-jhala progression, followed by a gat in vilambit and drut layas. The performance emphasizes the raga’s characteristic phrases, including the komal nishad (flattened seventh) and the tivra madhyam (sharp fourth). Raag Shri follows with a slower, meditative exploration of the raga’s shuddha dhaivat (natural sixth) and komal gandhar (flattened third), structured in a traditional dhrupad-ang style.
The recording session occurred in 1960, with production handled by His Master’s Voice at their Mumbai studios. The album’s engineering preserved the acoustic resonance of the bansuri, a technical consideration notable for instrumental recordings of the era. The vinyl release included liner notes with brief raga descriptions but omitted detailed credits for accompanying artists. The total runtime spans approximately 40 minutes across two tracks.
Ghosh’s interpretation on this album contributed to the flute’s recognition in Hindustani classical music, previously dominated by vocal and string instruments. The release date aligned with his broader efforts to standardize bansuri construction and fingering techniques. No reissues or digital remasters of this specific pressing have been officially documented. Additional context about the recording process or session musicians remains unverified in available sources.