Music of Bengal

Bengali music () comprises a long tradition of religious and secular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. Composed with lyrics in the Bengali language, Bengali music spans a wide

History#

The earliest music in Bengal was influenced by Sanskrit chants, and evolved under the influence of Vaishnav poetry such as the 13th-century Gitagovindam by Jayadeva, whose work continues to be sung in many eastern Hindu temples. The Middle Ages saw a mixture of Hindu and Islamic trends when the musical tradition was formalized under the patronage of Sultan and Nawabs and the powerful landlords Baro Bhuiyans. The earliest record of Sufism in Bengal goes back to 11th century AD in connection with the continuation of Sufism in northern India. Shah Sultan Rumi was the first Sufi to come to Bengal, when he came to Mymensingh in 1053 AD.Sufism not only helped in the spread of Islam in Bengal, but also contributed to the eventual creation of a Muslim society in Bangladesh. Apart from the religiosity, the influence of the Sufis became attached to popular Bengali culture by the confluence of the murshidi, marfati and baul songs, and gazir gan.

Kotali Gharana#

Kotalipara in the Faridpur Zilla of East Bengal (presently Bangladesh) owes its origin to “Chandraburmankot” erected there, circa 315 AD, the remains of which are still extant. “Kot” stands for fort, “Ali” signifies “wall and area surrounding the fort”, and “para” means a settlement or “a neighbourhood”. KotaliPara had been a hotbed of intellectual excellence for ages, especially in music, art and scholarship. Sangeetacharya Tarapada Chakraborty (1909–1975), was the first Pan-Indian Khayaliya from Bengal and the pioneer of Kotali Gharana. He had a journey similar to Ustad Allauddin Khan’s, coming to Kolkata penniless from Kotalipara ( currently in Bangladesh ) to learn classical music. Kotali Gharana is built on aesthetics. The aesthetics of the raga, expression, lyrics and thoughts. Over the years, the present Kotali style took the shape in the hands of Pandit Manas Chakraborty, a combination of musical purity and eclecticism, the practice of deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources. Vidushi Ruchira Panda, is the global face of Kotali Gharana today.

Bishnupur Gharana#

The Bishnupur Gharana is the sole Classical (Drupad) gharana of Bengal. It originated in Bishnupur, Bankura by the court musicians of the Malla Kings. Bahadur Khan of Delhi, a descendant of the Tansen, was the father of Bishnupur Gharana. Bahadur Khan was brought to Bishnupur by Malla King Raghunath Singha II.

Murshidi#

Murshidi Gan devotional folk songs that evolved and flourished mainly through sufis. The word ‘murshid’, derives from the Arabic ’ershad’, and means ’to order or give advice’. A murshid gives advice to his disciples and leads them to the spiritual way by means of devotional rites.

Baul#

The Bauls (meaning “divinely inspired insanity”) are a group of mystic minstrels (Muslim Sufis and Hindu Baishnos) from the Bengal region, who sang primarily in the 17th and 18th centuries. They are thought to have been influenced greatly by the Hindu tantric sect of the Kartabhajas as well as by Muslim Sufi philosophers. Bauls traveled and sang in search of the internal ideal, Moner Manush (Man of the Heart or the inner being), and described “superfluous” differences between religions. Lalon Fakir, alternatively known as Lalon Shah, who lived in the 19th century in and around Kushtia, is considered to be the greatest of all bauls.

Ramprasadi#

The Bengali devotional songs written and music composed by eighteenth century Bengali saint-poet Ramprasad Sen are called Ramprasadi. They are usually addressed to Hindu goddess Kali.

Lalon Geeti#

The Bengali songs composed by Bengali saint, philosopher, and social reformer Lalon are called Lalon Geeti. Lalon was against religious conflict and many of his songs mock identity politics that divide communities and generate violence. He even rejected nationalism at the apex of the anti-colonial nationalist movements in the Indian subcontinent. He did not believe in classes or castes, the fragmented, hierarchical society and took a stand against racism. Lalon does not fit the “mystical” or “spiritual” type who denies all worldly affairs in search of the soul: he embodies the socially transformative role of sub-continental bhakti and sufism. He believed in the power of music to alter the intellectual and emotional state in order to be able to understand and appreciate life itself. It is estimated that Lalon composed about 2,000–10,000 songs, of which only about 800 songs are generally considered authentic. Lalon left no written copies of his songs, which were transmitted orally and only later transcribed by his followers. Rabindranath Tagore published some of the Lalon song in the monthly Prabasi magazine of Kolkata.

Hasan Raja’s Songs#

This songs are composed by legendary Bengali mystic poet, songwriter, and philosopher, Hason Raja, from Sylhet, Bangladesh. His songs focus on spiritual awakening, the transient nature of life, and the search for divinity within oneself. These compositions, often referred to as Baul songs, are filled with mysticism, simplicity, and profound truth. Hasan Raja’s works have inspired countless folk singers and spiritual enthusiasts.

Rabindra Sangeet#

The leading proponent of Bengali music is Rabindranath Tagore (known in Bengali as Robi Thakur and Gurudeb, the latter meaning “Respected Teacher” (in the Bengal of that time, the suffix ‘deb’ was an honorific, ascribed to people who enjoyed immense respect, but this title was primarily used by his students at Santiniketan, though many others did use the address/ )). Tagore was a prolific composer with around 2,230 songs to his credit. His songs are known as rabindrasangit (“Tagore Song”), which merges fluidly into his literature, most of which—poems or parts of novels, stories, or plays alike—were lyricised. Influenced by the thumri style of Hindustani music, they ran the entire gamut of human emotion, ranging from his early dirge-like Brahmo devotional hymns to quasi-erotic compositions. They emulated the tonal colour of classical ragas to varying extents. Some songs mimicked a given raga’s melody and rhythm faithfully; others newly blended elements of different ragas. Yet about nine-tenths of his work was not bhanga gaan, the body of tunes revamped with “fresh value” from select Western, Hindustani, Bengali folk and other regional flavours “external” to Tagore’s own ancestral culture. His music is an exemplary instance of ‘kavya-geeti’, a style of composition that later found widespread use in the music industries at Bombay and Calcutta. In 1971, Amar Shonar Bangla became the national anthem of Bangladesh. It was written — ironically — to protest the 1905 Partition of Bengal along communal lines: cutting off the Muslim-majority East Bengal from Hindu-dominated West Bengal was to avert a regional bloodbath. Tagore saw the partition as a cunning plan to stop the independence movement, and he aimed to rekindle Bengali unity and tar communalism. Jana Gana Mana was written in shadhu-bhasha, a Sanskritised form of Bengali, and is the first of five stanzas of the Brahmo hymn Bharot Bhagyo Bidhata that Tagore composed. It was first sung in 1911 at a Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress and was adopted in 1950 by the Constituent Assembly of the Republic of India as its national anthem. For Bengalis, the songs’ appeal, stemming from the combination of emotive strength and beauty described as surpassing even Tagore’s poetry, was such that the Modern Review observed that " t here is in Bengal no cultured home where Rabindranath’s songs are not sung or at least attempted to be sung… Even illiterate villagers sing his songs". Tagore influenced sitar maestro Vilayat Khan and sarodiyas Buddhadev Dasgupta and Amjad Ali Khan.

Nazrul Geeti#

Nazrul Sangeet (), also Nazrul Geeti (; lit. ‘music of Nazrul’), refers to the songs written and composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul Geeti incorporate revolutionary notions as well as more spiritual, philosophical and romantic themes. Nazrul wrote and composed nearly 4,000 songs (including gramophone records), which are widely popular in Bangladesh and India. Some of the most notable Nazrul Sangeet include Notuner Gaan, the national marching song of Bangladesh and O Mon Romzaner Oi Rozar Sheshe, a Bengali Islamic song on the festival of the Bengali celebration of Chand Raat and Eid-ul-Fitr. Some of the notable Nazrul Geeti singers from India include Suprova Sarkar, Dhirendra Chandra Mitra, Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, Dr. Anjali Mukhopadhyay, Dhiren Bose, Adhir Bagchi, Purabi Dutta, Firoza Begum, Anup Ghoshal, and, Bangladeshi singer Sohrab Hossain.

Jasimuddin Songs#

Jasimuddin (1903–1976), also known as the Poet of the Village, was a renowned Bengali poet, songwriter, and folklorist. His works often celebrated rural life, nature, and the simplicity of village Bengal. His songs are deeply rooted in folk traditions and are filled with emotional depth and lyrical beauty. A notable singer is Abbasuddin Ahmed.

Shyama Sangeet#

Shyama Sangeet is a genre of Bengali devotional songs dedicated to the Hindu goddess Shyama or Kali which is a form of supreme universal mother-goddess Durga or Parvati. It is also known as Shaktagiti or Durgastuti. Shyama Sangeet appeals to the common man because it is a musical representation of the relationship of eternal and sublime love and care between the mother and her child. It is free of the common rituals of worship and also the esoteric practice of the Tantra. A notable singer is Pannalal Bhattacharya. Generally all music dedicated to goddess Mother Kali is called ‘Shyama Sangeet’ in Bengali. Two famous singers of this Bengali Shyama Sangeet are Pannalal Bhattacharya and Dhananjay Bhattacharya. Pannalal Bhattacharya’s elder brother Prafulla Bhattacharya and middle brother Dhananjay Bhattacharya were the first music teachers of saint artist Pannalal Bhattacharya. Dhananjay Bhattacharya stopped singing devotional songs after finding devotional spirit in his brother Pannalal. However, after the demise of Pannalal Bhattacharya, he contributed again in Bengali music with many devotional songs by his sweet, melodious voice.

Dwijendrageeti#

Dwijendralal Ray’s Dwijendrageeti (the Songs of Dwijendralal), which number over 500, create a separate subgenre of Bengali music. Two of Dwijendralal Ray’s most famous compositions are Dhana Dhanya Pushpa Bhara and Banga Amar Janani Amar. Ray is regarded as one of the most important figures in early modern Bengali literature.

Rajjob Geeti#

Rajjob Ali Dewan was a legendary Bengali folk singer, poet, and lyricist who made significant contributions to Bengali folk music, particularly in the genres of Baul, Bhatiali, and Marfati (Sufi-inspired) songs. His works reflect rural life, spiritual love, and mysticism. Rajjob Ali Dewan’s songs are cherished for their philosophical depth and connection to everyday life. Famaous singers of Rajjob getti are Abdul Alim, Momtaz Begum, Arif Dewan.

Atulprasadi#

Atulprasadi, one of the major lyricist and composers of early-modern period, is also widely popular in Paschimbanga. Atul Prasad is credited with introducing the Thumri style in Bengali music. His songs centred on three broad subjects: patriotism, devotion and love.

Paramartha Sangeet#

Paramartha Sangeet is a collection of devotional songs, which were composed and sung by Maharshi Nagendranath Bhaduri, a renowned yogi and spiritual figure. Nagendranath Bhaduri founded “Sanatana Dharma Pracharini Sabha” in 1891, a society dedicated to spreading the message of Sanatana Dharma. This organization, later known as “Nagendra Math” under the guidance of his disciple Dhyanaprakash Brahmachari, published a compilation of songs called Paramartha Sangitabali. This compilation includes three songs composed by Nagendranath himself, which were reportedly sung in the presence of Ramakrishna.

Prabhat Samgiita#

Prabhát Saḿgiita also known as Songs of a New Dawn and Prabhat Songs, are songs composed by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar. Sarkar composed a total of 5,018 songs including the lyrics and the tune, in a period of eight years from 1982 until his death in 1990, making using of eight different languages: Bengali, Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Urdu, Magahi, Maithili and Angika.

Genre family: Bengali music
Region: Bangladesh, India by state or union territory