Raga Madkauns, Raga Suha Kanada, Raga Verag Todi, Raga Kalavati
About Raga Madkauns, Raga Suha Kanada, Raga Verag Todi, Raga Kalavati
Ragas: Madkauns, Suha Kanada, Verag Todi, Kalavati is a studio album of North Indian classical vocal music performed by Ustad Salamat Ali Khan. The recording captures Khan’s renditions of four raga compositions in the khyal style, a prominent genre within the Hindustani classical tradition. Nimbus Records released the album on compact disc in 1995.
The album features four tracks, each dedicated to a distinct raga. Khan performs Raga Madkauns, a pentatonic raga associated with the late evening or night, characterized by its omission of the re (second) and pa (fifth) swaras. Raga Suha Kanada follows, a variant of the Kanada family known for its emotive and introspective qualities. The third track presents Raga Verag Todi, a rare and complex raga derived from the Todi thaat, often noted for its intricate melodic movements. The album concludes with Raga Kalavati, a light classical raga traditionally performed during the late evening, distinguished by its use of komal re and komal ga.
Khan’s performance adheres to the gayaki (vocal) style of the Sham Chaurasia gharana, of which he was a leading exponent. The recordings emphasize alaap, jor, and jhala in the slower vilambit sections, followed by faster drut compositions set to rhythmic cycles (taals). Accompaniment details for this release remain undocumented in available sources, though traditional performances of this nature typically include tabla and tanpura support.
The 1995 release by Nimbus Records marks one of the later commercial recordings in Khan’s career. The album’s production quality reflects the label’s focus on high-fidelity audio capture, a standard for classical music recordings of the period. No live performance or alternate versions of these tracks are confirmed in connection with this release. The total runtime and specific recording dates are not publicly specified.