Saaz Santoor
The Indian version is a flat shaped wooden box with metal strings stretched over bridges which produce different notes when struck with a pair of curved mallets made of walnut wood. Each bridge rests three strings on it which are tuned to the same note.
Although the Santoor has long been a part of the classical music repertoire in Persia and Arabia, in India it used to be heard only in the hills and valleys of Kashmir. It was mostly played in the Sufiana Mausiqi genre. It is only in the twentieth century primarily through the efforts of Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma that this instrument was brought into the classical arena.
Shiva Kumar Sharma
Rarely has a musician become as synonymous with his instrument (and vice versa) as Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma. It is hard to imagine that in his early years he learnt both the tabla and vocal music besides the Santoor. But inspired by his father’s dream, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma Determined to speak his native language Hindustani classical music through this instrument. To achieve this goal he made innovations in the form and technique of the Santoor. He increased the number of bridges to 29 expanding the melodic range to a full three octaves and reduced the number of strings to 3 per bridge a total of 87. This brought about greater clarity and took less time to tune. He also introduced a technique of gliding the Kalam or Strikers along the strings very delicately. This allows him to emulate the vocal Meed (Sliding from note to another) so vital to pure Hindustani Classical.
Satish Vyas
Pt. Satish Vyas is a widely acclaimed Santoor Player. He was initiated into Vocal music at an early by his father Pt. C.R. Vyas a doyen of Hindustani Classical Singing. In 1978 he became the senior most disciple of Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma and Since then has taken up the Santoor as his prime choice. In this album he has ventured into an exploration of the raga Dhankoni Kalyan which is his father’s creation.
Rahul Sharma
Son of Santoor maestro Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma Rahul Sharma grew up listening to a lot of Pink Floyd Enigma and all sorts of music. He began training in classical music only when he was 13 since then however he has created a ripple among the newer generation of listeners. Matching his father’s tonality finish and rhythmic wizardry he is firmly established as one of the rising stars of the Hindustani firmament. He has also experimented extensively with other genres and has composed filmy his like the theme tune of Chandani and the Soundtrack of Mujhe Dosti Karoge which proved to be very Popular.
Accompanying Artiste
Deep Singh Bisht (Tampura) Mayuri Sharma (tanpura) Shafast Ahmed Khan (tabla).
In Indian classical music, the measure of an instrument’s acceptability into the classical arena has traditionally been the extent to which it can imitate vocal music, in all its intricacies and nuances. Over the years, the Indian musical genius has produced musical wonders - instruments that are matchless throughout the world in terms of their sound quality, their intricacy, their mechanics, their verisimilitude to the human voice, and most importantly, the depth of emotion they are capable of stirring in the listeners.
His series showcases just such melodic marvels: eight of the most popular and fascinating Hindustani classical instruments from India’s musical treasure-chest, Saaz (the Urdu word for a musical instrument) brings together some of the finest classical instrumental renditions by acknowledged masters. Each double volume album thus gives a glimpse of the multitude of styles in which the instrument is played.
The eight instruments in this series are: Sitar, Tabla, Santoor, Flute, Sarod, Sarangi, Violin and Shehnai. This album, featuring the santoor, presents three artistes of renown - Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt. Satish Vyas, and Rahul Sharma.
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