Maru Bihag

Maru Bihag is a 29-minute and 44-second instrumental composition featured as the opening track on Ru-Ba-Ru (Vol. 1), a collaborative album released in 2004. The performance pairs Ustad Bismillah Khan on the shehnai with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan on the sarod, blending North Indian classical traditions with a jugalbandi (duet) format. The album emerged under an unspecified label, though distribution details remain unconfirmed in available sources.

The track exemplifies the Maru Bihag raga, a late-evening melody in the Kafi thaat characterized by its use of komal (flattened) ni (seventh note) and teevra (sharp) ma (fourth note) in descent. Khan and Khan explore the raga through alap, jor, and jhala sections, followed by a structured gat (composition) in vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) tempos. The accompaniment includes tabla and tanpura, though specific artists for these roles are not documented in the release credits.

Ru-Ba-Ru (Vol. 1) marks one of the few recorded collaborations between Bismillah Khan, a preeminent shehnai virtuoso of the 20th century, and Amjad Ali Khan, a leading exponent of the sarod in the Senia-Bangash gharana. The album’s title translates to \"face-to-face\" in Hindi, reflecting the live interaction central to Hindustani classical duets. No additional tracks, total runtime, or physical format specifications (e.g., CD, digital) are explicitly listed in the provided context.

The 2004 release date places the recording in the final years of Bismillah Khan’s career; he passed away in 2006. Amjad Ali Khan continued his international performance and recording career post-release. Critical reception or commercial performance of Ru-Ba-Ru (Vol. 1) is not detailed in the available information.