Newsgroups: rec.music.indian.misc
From: nuts@virginia.edu (Nuts)
Subject: Re: Music and the time of the day : Choices
Organization: University of Virginia Computer Science Department
Date: Fri, 7 Oct 94 00:05:58 EDT

Ramesh Hariharan brings up an excellent topic:
:
: Timing and frame of reference is everything; it determines the state
: of our minds. What we perceive as attractive at a certain time may not
: even draw our attention at another time. The concept of a frequency match
: seems very apposite in the context of music. What I am really trying to
: get at is the choice of music at various times of the day.

Actually, I would extend the concept further. It's not just the time of the
day that matters to me, it's the time of the month (err, that wasn't meant
to sound that way), the time of the year and my moods. But for the purposes
of this thread I am willing to narrow it down to the time of the day. I
suppose the concept of a raga was evolved with precisely this same idea.

: 5.00-7.30 am: One needs something really soft, soothing and yet
: inspiring to wake up mentally and physically to square upto the
: challenges during the day. My choice here is very clear: YESUDAS
: singing some devotional music.

I disagree with the "soft and soothing" part. I remember many of my days
beginning with the brisk "Suprabhatham" by M. S. Subbulakshmi. I didn't get
a word of what she sang, but the music was enough to put a spring in the
step at 5am! I agree with the "devotional songs" part too. Some of Anup
Jalota's bhajans seem tailor-made for waking up to. In fact, Vividh Bharati
had the right idea when they used to have early morning programs which were
bhajan renditions by popular singers. And while on the topic of bhajans,
has anyone heard or heard of Hari Om Sharan? He has an unconventional
voice, but boy, it sure reeks of bhakti! (:

Mornings are the most pristine time of the day. An early ablution and
devotional music somehow bring that taste of tulsi, the smell of the earth
moistened by dew, the kiss of the morning sun - gentle, yet invigorating.
Love for a god (I am _not_ religious despite how I sound!), is a love that
is virginal, free from lust of any sort, and that is why bhajans seem ideal
for the early morning.

: 7.30-10.00 am .. This is usually the ideal time in the day for
: introspection. I would rather listen to CLASSICAL music at this
: time of the day than anything else.

Hmmm, my thinking is that "classical music" is such a broad term that one
will be able to find classical songs for all moods. (Please stop me if I am
putting my pedal extremity in my facial orifice.)

For most of us, this time of the day is rather hectic, as we prepare to go
to work, do the morning chores and errands (or if we are like me, just wake
up - rather hectic a job!). I vote for light, but fast-paced music. Yesudas
would be good, so would some of the newer singers - Amit Kumar and Suresh
Wadkar in particular. Manna Dey would be good too, but not the heavily
classical stuff. At 9am in the morning, I want songs I can sing with, not
songs which give me an inferiority complex. (: Light solos by Rafi or
Rafi-Asha duets would fit the bill perfectly.

At times I think that if the concerned authorities insist on bombarding us
with the "theme" songs (patriotic songs for 15/8 or 26/1, sad songs for 30/1,
more bhajans for 2/10...) they ought to get them over and done with at this
time. One, I can tolerate it then. Two, they are so damn repetitive that I
don't really have to give them my full attention.

: 10.00am-12.30 pm This is no time for introspection; it's time for
: action. MANNA DEY's flexibility and lively style make him the ideal pick
: here. His semiclassical songs like "Lapak japak tu aare badarava" or
: "Chum chum bhaje re payaliyan" are great jump starters.

Sigh! We just seem to be so much out of phase, don't we? (:

This time period is when I am at my most efficient. Kishore is the best bet
here. Unfortunately, I have a bias towards male singers else I would pitch
for Asha whole-heartedly. Actually, now that I think of it, I am rather
ecumenical at this time. I will actually listen to the yahoo-Shammi-Kapoor
songs without grimacing! (: I have never really cared much for the trashy
stuff Kishore seems to dole out at times, especially the ones he sang for
Jeetu during his Sridevi-JayaPrada days, but Kishore for Dev Anand, Kishore
for Rajesh Khanna, Kishore for Kishore have some jewels. Like "main hoon
jhum jhum jhum jhumroo" or "nakhrewaali" or "kanchi re kanchi re" or...

: 12.30-3.00 pm  KISHORE without a doubt. Post lunch is usually a slow
: time of the day and  one needs something lively to keep you going with
: your experiments, such as 'Kishore: Masti bhare geet'.

It's amazing but we seem to work on opposite logics here. I prefer to
listen to songs which evoke the mood I am currently feeling and you seem to
choose the opposite! In my defense I must say that I experience my moods
to the fullest this way, while you have only half-baked emotions! ((:

Post-lunch is definitely a slow time of the day and I would listen to
slower songs. Light Rafi solos... "ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar" or "khuda bhi
aasmaan se jab zameen par dekhta hoga". Geeta Dutt is a favourite for these
times. Ever heard her mischievious "jaata kahaan hai deewaane" or the
soulful "mera sundar sapna beet gaya"? Hemant Kumar is another good choice.
He could sing "beqaraar karke humein yoon na jaaiye" or "gum sum sa yeh
jahaan yeh raat yeh sama" for all this time and I would listen with
pleasure!

: 3.00-5.30 pm  The day is slowing down relatively. This is often a good
: time for some very light (but not too fast) singing and MUKESH seems to
: be pretty a good choice.

I ought to be ostracised from this group for saying this, but at this stage
in the day I would go in for the new songs. They are not too taxing on the
brain, they are a lot of noise which wakes me up for the evening and hey, I
have to catch up on them _some_ time! (: A friend who just came from the
mother country brought a cassetteful of "amma dekh" and "tu cheez badi hai
mast mast" and oh yes, "choli ke peeche" and I was tickled pink listening
to them. They are no classics I admit and I won't recommend the lyrics of
some of them to my kids, but they have a certain earthy raunchiness about
them. (: Seriously though, some of the newer ones - Roja and 1942 in
particular - are my choice for this time.

: 5.30-8.30 pm MOHAMMED RAFI by a mile. The work part of the day is over
: and it's the emotional part of the day.

Yeah, getting off work is so emotional all right! (:

At 6pm I'm game for whatever the classical singers throw at me. I will
listen to "laaga chunari mein daag" and gamely try to keep up with the
verbal calisthenics towards the end. I'll listen to S. P. Balasubramaniam
in "Shankarabharanam" or Yesudas in "Sindhu Bhairavi". I'll listen to
Bhimsen Joshi (if I can lay my hands on a cassette!) and I'll listen to
Beethoven too. This is not to say that I won't listen to anything else.
This is usually party-time and so the more active songs are also quite
acceptable by me.

: 8.30-late night JAGJIT SINGH You need someone to ease you into the
: night with a very very soft voice.

Bingo! We agree at last! (: Yep, ghazals are the way to go. Especially once
the bottle comes out. Try Talat Mehmood and Bacardi - my favourites. Listen
to "jalte hain jiske liye" or "tasveer banaata hoon tasveer nahi banti" or
"phir wohi shaam wohi gham wohi tanhaai hai" with sporadic sips of wine
and I guarantee you a new high. Mukesh is pretty good too - especially the
dard-bhare geet. And Kishore at his bass best can bring out dard like few
others can. While I would listen to a lot of ghazal-singers at this time,
for me the numero uno has to be Talat Mehmood.

Nice thread, this one. Thoroughly enjoyed contributing to it. Some day I
might bring out a thread on seasons and music. (: Hasta la vista!

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