Raga Bilaskhani Todi: Tarana Teen Taal

Raga Bilaskhani Todi: Tarana in Teen Taal is a track from the album Singing Violin by violinist Kala Ramnath. Released on 1997 under the label Neelam Audio and Video, Inc., the album features Ramnath’s interpretations of Hindustani classical music on the violin. The track appears as the third composition on the CD and spans 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The piece showcases Ramnath’s rendition of Raga Bilaskhani Todi, a variant of the Todi thaat characterized by its intricate melodic phrases and emotional depth. The composition follows the tarana form, a vocal style in Hindustani music that employs rhythmic syllables (e.g., ta na der na) instead of lyrical text. The rhythmic structure adheres to Teen Taal, a 16-beat cycle commonly used in North Indian classical performances.

The album Singing Violin emphasizes Ramnath’s technique of emulating vocal nuances on the violin, a hallmark of her artistic approach. The recording captures live or studio performances, though specific session details remain undocumented. The CD format was the primary medium for this release, with distribution handled by Neelam Audio and Video, Inc., a label specializing in Indian classical and devotional music.

Kala Ramnath, a disciple of the Mewati gharana, is recognized for her contributions to expanding the violin’s role in Hindustani classical music. While the album’s reception and commercial performance are not extensively recorded, Singing Violin serves as an example of her early discography. The tracklist and liner notes, if included in the original release, are not publicly archived in full.