Raga Multani
About Raga Multani
Raga Multani (1950s Live Recording) is a khayal performance by Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. The track appears as the opening piece on the compilation album Volume 1: Concert Recordings Of The 1950’s, released on January 1, 1997 by Music Today in CD format. The recording captures a live rendition of Raga Multani, a raga associated with the late evening or early night in the Kafi thaat.
Joshi performs the composition in the traditional khayal style, characterized by elaborate alaap, jor, and jhala> followed by bandish presentations in vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) tempos. The track spans 36 minutes and 40 seconds, showcasing Joshi’s command over taan patterns, meend (glissando), and gamak (ornamentation). Accompaniment details remain undocumented in available sources, though typical performances of this era included tabla and tanpura support.
The album Volume 1: Concert Recordings Of The 1950’s compiles archival material from Joshi’s early career, offering historical insight into his interpretive approach during the post-independence period. The release forms part of a series by Music Today that digitized rare concert recordings for commercial distribution. No additional metadata regarding the original performance venue, date, or accompanying artists is provided in the album liner notes or publisher documentation.
Joshi’s rendition of Raga Multani exemplifies the Kirana gharana tradition, emphasizing sustained notes, rhythmic complexity, and emotional depth. The track remains a reference for students and scholars studying the evolution of 20th-century Hindustani vocal music. The 1997 CD release marked one of the first widely available compilations of Joshi’s 1950s performances, contributing to the preservation of his early work.