Raga Shivmat-Bhairav

Raga Shivmat-Bhairav is a Hindustani classical music recording by vocalist C.R. Vyas. The album presents a rendition of Raga Shivmat-Bhairav, a variant of the traditional Raga Bhairav associated with the early morning hours and devotional themes. Vyas performs the raga in the khayal style, a dominant form in North Indian classical vocal music.

The recording date and label remain undocumented in widely accessible sources. The primary format appears as a long-playing vinyl record, though later reissues may exist in cassette or digital formats. The album emphasizes alaap, jor, and jhala sections, followed by a composed bandish (composition) in vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) tempos. Accompaniment details are unverified, but traditional tabla and tanpura support is standard for recordings of this era and genre.

C.R. Vyas (1918–2002) was a disciple of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, known for intricate taan patterns and emotive phrasing. His interpretation of Shivmat-Bhairav aligns with the gharana’s emphasis on rhythmic precision and melodic ornamentation. Notable tracks, if segmented, would include the alaap exploration and the bandish in Teentaal (16-beat cycle), though specific track titles or lyrics are not publicly cataloged.

The raga itself belongs to the Bhairav thaat and employs the komal re (flattened second) and komal dha (flattened sixth) swaras. Devotional connotations link it to Lord Shiva, reflected in the raga’s name. The recording serves as an example of mid-20th-century Hindustani vocal tradition, though exact release year and production context require further archival verification.