|
Tabla Triveni is a trio ensemble piece
composed by Pandit Divyang Vakil, and performed by
three tabla players, Loren Oppenheimer, Sejal
Kukadia and Prasad Joshi. Tabla Triveni is
played in a rhythmic cycle of 16 beats, known as
Taal Tintaal. Taal is a meter-based cycle of
beats, and the 16 bols (tabla notes) of Taal
Tintaal are as follows:
|
Dha |
Dhin |
Dhin |
Dha |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
Dha |
Dhin |
Dhin |
Dha |
|
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
|
Dha |
Tin |
Tin |
Ta |
|
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
Ta |
Dhin |
Dhin |
Dha |
|
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
The 16 beats of Taal Tintaal are represented
throughout the duration of Tabla Triveni by a 16
beat melody played by the accompanying artist. This
repeating, melodic sequence of notes is also called the
lehra. By playing the lehra during a tabla
recital, the accompanist is responsible for maintaining
the constant framework of the taal.
This approximately hour long tabla presentation is made
up of various traditional compositions, some of which
are peshkar, kayda, rela, tukada, gat and
chakradaar. Each of these compositions has unique
and distinctive musical properties which set them apart
from the others, and so Tabla Triveni is filled
with a broad range of energetic and exciting elements.
The challenging aspect in a tabla trio such as this, one
that is packed with complex patterns and intricate
fingering, is that it is not possible to step out of the
beat even for a fraction of the second, and so a total
concentration of the rhythm is necessary.
Another important component of Indian Classical Music is
the tihai. Each individual composition of a tabla
recital concludes with the tabla artists playing the
closing piece, called the tihai, which is made up
of three segments. The tihai must be designed so
that the last note of the third segment lands on the
sum, which is first note of the taal. The
tihai of each individual tabla composition is always
dramatic and powerful, as the tabla artists and lehra
player end in unison on the sum. |