Poorbi

Poorbi is a raga-based instrumental composition performed by Ustad Bismillah Khan, an eminent Indian classical shehnai maestro. The track appears as the second piece (A2) on the 1979 album The Soul of Shahnai, released under the His Master’s Voice label. The album was issued as a 12\" vinyl record, a standard format for classical music distributions of the era.

The composition showcases Khan’s mastery of the shehnai, a double-reed wind instrument traditionally associated with North Indian classical music. Poorbi derives its name from the Poorvi thaat, a parent scale in the Hindustani classical system. Khan’s rendition emphasizes the raga’s characteristic phrases, including the use of komal re (flattened second) and teevra ma (sharp fourth), aligned with the Poorvi raga’s structural framework. The performance adheres to the khayal style of improvisation, featuring an alaap (unmetered introduction), jor, and jhala (rhythmic elaboration) before transitioning into a fixed tala (rhythmic cycle).

The album The Soul of Shahnai compiles Khan’s live and studio recordings, though specific session details for Poorbi remain undocumented in publicly available sources. His Master’s Voice, a subsidiary of EMI India, produced the release as part of its classical music catalog, targeting audiences familiar with traditional Hindustani forms. The vinyl format included liner notes, though the extent of accompanying documentation for this track is unclear.

Khan’s interpretation of Poorbi reflects his signature phrasing, marked by controlled breath modulation and ornamental gamak (oscillations). The recording captures the acoustic resonance of the shehnai, a quality central to Khan’s performances. While the album does not specify collaborating artists, Khan frequently performed with tabla accompanists in live settings; the presence of percussion on this track is likely but unverified in the release metadata.

The 1979 release period coincides with Khan’s established career, following his recognition with the Bharat Ratna (1980), India’s highest civilian award. The Soul of Shahnai contributed to the dissemination of shehnai music beyond ceremonial contexts, reinforcing its status as a concert instrument. Later reissues of the album in digital and CD formats omitted or altered original track sequencing, but Poorbi remains a referenced example of Khan’s discography in the Poorvi raga tradition.