Album Notes

NEW! SOUNDS OF THE SURBAHAR: SPRINGTIME OF NOTES. Seven pieces, approximately 55 minutes.
Surbahar (bass sitar), clay pot drum and tamboura. Original compositions based on classical Indian ragas.

"Surbahar" translated from Hindi means "springtime of notes." Its origins are traced to Kanpur, India, where it first appeared around 1825. An enlarged
version of the sitar, its deep, long lasting tone and capability for extensive pulling of the main string made it suitable for playing long alaps and music imitative of the vina, a popular instrument of the time.
The surbahar's popularity never reached that of the sitar. A reference to the surbahar in an English publication of 1891 states, "The tone is rich and mellow, like that of a veena, but the large size of the instrument renders its use fatiguing, while the cost is very high."