Raga Basant: Drut in Teentaal

Pannalal Ghosh performed Raga Basant: Drut in Teentaal as track B2 on the 1990 cassette release Flute Pioneer. His Master’s Voice issued the album in a physical cassette format. The composition showcases Ghosh’s adaptation of the bansuri (North Indian bamboo flute) in Hindustani classical music, rendered in the drut (fast) tempo section of Teentaal, a 16-beat rhythmic cycle. The recording captures Ghosh’s signature phrasing and tonal control, emphasizing the raga’s spring-season (basant) thematic elements through intricate melodic elaboration.

The album Flute Pioneer compiles Ghosh’s works from earlier sessions, though the exact recording date of this track remains undocumented in available sources. His Master’s Voice, a subsidiary of EMI, distributed the cassette as part of its classical music catalog. Ghosh’s interpretation of Raga Basant adheres to the Kafi thaat framework, incorporating characteristic oscillations (andolit) on the komal re (flattened second) and shuddha ma (pure fourth) notes. The accompaniment details, including tabla or tanpura artists, are not specified in the release metadata.

Ghosh’s contribution to Flute Pioneer reflects his role in elevating the bansuri from a folk instrument to a concert-stage staple in the 20th century. The cassette format limited the track’s duration, though the drut section’s brevity aligns with conventional khayal-style presentations of the era. Later reissues or digital remasters of this recording, if any, are not confirmed in public records. The original 1990 release remains a reference for Ghosh’s mid-century innovations in flute technique and raga interpretation.