Listen: How the tabla is used to accompany ghazals

In our ongoing series on tabla accompaniment to Hindustani music and dance, we have looked closely at the tabla in the context of khayal, dhamaar, thumri and its allied forms, and tarana. Today, we discuss some aspects of tabla accompaniment to the ghazal form.

The traditional manner of musically rendering a ghazal was largely influenced by the thumri-dadra genres and had an element of improvisation, though only to the extent that the poetic element was not disturbed. This episode will feature some ghazals sung by the incomparable Begum Akhtar in the traditional style.

The first track today features a ghazal by the incomparable Begum Akhtar. Listeners will note that the melodic composition has the first line of successive couplets of the ghazal sung ad lib followed by a brief re-entry of the tabla on the following line with a few laggis that are played at double the original tempo. This was the older manner of presenting ghazal. The composition is set to the eight-matra Kaherva taal.

Not all ghazals were composed to incorporate ad lib portions. The ghazal on the next track presented by Begum Akhtar is also set...

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