About Rāg Madhuvantī / Rāg Miśra Tilang
Rāg Madhuvantī / Rāg Miśra Tilang is a Hindustani classical music album released in 1988. Shivkumar Sharma and Zakir Hussain perform on this recording. The album features two extended instrumental compositions.
Shivkumar Sharma plays the santoor, a hammered dulcimer of Kashmiri origin. Zakir Hussain accompanies on the tabla, a pair of hand-played drums central to North Indian classical music. The album presents two rāgas in full-length performances.
The first track, Rāg Madhuvantī, follows the traditional structure of ālāp, jor, and jhālā. Sharma introduces the rāg in a slow, meditative ālāp, establishing its melodic framework. Hussain joins in the jor section, adding rhythmic complexity. The performance builds to a fast-paced jhālā, showcasing the interplay between the santoor and tabla.
The second track, Rāg Miśra Tilang, blends elements of Tilang with other rāgas in a mixed (miśra) form. Sharma and Hussain explore the rāg’s characteristic phrases through improvisation. The composition includes a gat, a fixed melodic-rhythmic theme, which serves as a foundation for improvisational exchanges. The track concludes with a teental cycle, a 16-beat rhythmic pattern common in Hindustani music.
The album was released on vinyl and cassette formats. No record label is documented for this release. The recording captures a live or studio performance without overdubs or electronic enhancements. The exact venue or recording location remains unconfirmed.