The maestro's palette

"There is a misconception that Tagore came in contact with Lalon himself, but in fact Lalon had already passed away by then and it was in fact, Lalon's disciple that Tagore met," says Dr Mridulkanti Chakravarti, Professor, Dept of Theatre and Music, DU.

The talented disciple, Gagan Harkara, added a fresh dimension to Tagore's rich exposure to Indian and European music.

Tagore was deeply moved by the lyrical beauty, so vividly expressive of the deep-rooted philosophies in a language so simplistic and rhythmic. The spiritual romanticism in the Baul philosophy influenced Tagore so deeply that he went as far as calling himself "Rabindra Baul". Later, he even played the role of a blind baul in his play Falguni.

"It was Tagore who first collected 20 of Lalon's songs and had published it in the monthly Probashi. Folk literature was printed in the section titled Haramoni. In the Bangla month of Baishak in 1322, the collected song of Gagan Harkara, Ami Kothaye Pabo Tarey was published for the first time in the magazine. Our National Anthem, Amar Shonar Bangla, was composed and based on this baul tune on August 07, 1905. Tomorrow the 100th anniversary of our National Anthem will be celebrated," says Mridul.

"Later, Tagore collected Lalon's collection of songs from Cheuria village. The book contained some 283 authentic Lalon songs and are now exhibited at the Tagore Museum at Shantiniketan," continues Mridul.

In fact, different forces influenced Tagore's composition in different stages of his life. His life as a composer spanning 61 years can be categorised in three different phases.

In the first phase (1881-1900) Tagore was mostly devoted to composing bhanga gaan or songs modeled on existing Hindi songs. In the second phase (1901 to 1920) he experimented by basing his compositions on the musical structure of the ragas. This was the stage the marked the beginning of Tagore's unmistakable individualism. Most of Tagore's patriotic songs were composed during this period as he began to increasingly focus on folk music. In the third phase (1921 to 1941) Tagore started to combine poetry with melody and folk with classical melodies.

His compositions of nearly 2,300 songs are seen as falling mainly into four groups -- Spiritualism, Patriotism, Romance, and Nature. Even though Tagore composed roughly 60 patriotic songs mostly during the 1870's- it earned him a great amount of recognition during the Swadeshi movement. Besides his vast collection of songs that have become an everyday part of Bengali culture, historians also point to his tremendous contribution in visual arts and in introducing seasonal festivals.

Tagore had spent almost 11 years in East Bengal. He traveled to Shilaidaha, Shajadpur and Potishar. On and often he would go to back to Kolkata and Shantiniketan and would return to the then East Bengal. He traveled in his boat in the Padma, Jamuna, Boral and the Nagar rivers. During the monsoon, Tagore was drawn to the jari, shari and bhatiali songs of the boatmen. Many of Tagore's composition came to reflect this period, depicting the life of the working class.

Some of the memorable songs were directly influenced by the regional songs from several Indian provinces he traveled to: Baro Asha Kore, Aaji Subho Dine and Sakatare Oi Kandiche (Kannada) and Anandaloke Mangalaloke (Mysore).

During this period, many of his work also mark the Western influence in his songs. Some remarkable examples include Katobar bhebechinu, Purano Sai Diner Katha etc. Most of these songs were aptly used in his lyrical plays viz., Balmiki Pratibha, Kalmrigaya and Mayar Khela.

"Though influenced by the baul songs, Tagore added his own touch. In baul songs the four stanzaic patterns (asthai, antara, shanchari and abhog) of Dhrupada style are sung in the same tune. However, Tagore would compose a different tune in the shancharii giving the song a completely new flavour. Among his repertoire of songs of devotional ((Puja) are Ami Kotaye Pabo Tarey, Ami Kaan Petey Roi, Amar Mon Jokhon Jagli Narey, Tomar Khola Haowaye, Kon Alotey Praner Prodeep among others," says Mridul.

Tagore's legacy of songs undermines his receptivity to the changing settings and culture he came in contact with. Whether it be the influence of the classical songs, the bauls, regional or western music, Tagore's touch worked as a timeless prism, blending all into one unique sparkle, transforming the ordinary to a masterpiece.