{"id":3541,"date":"2017-04-04T00:28:34","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T18:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=3541"},"modified":"2021-04-11T15:09:35","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T09:39:35","slug":"k-l-saigal-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/k-l-saigal-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Main Kya Janoon Kya Jadoo Hai: K L Saigal’s Magical Music"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"K.

K. L. Saigal
(11 April 1904 \u2013 18 January 1947)<\/p><\/div>\n

In our house in Calcutta, where I grew up, we had the Radio Ceylon playing each morning from 7.15 to 8am. At 7.57 am the station would play a Saigal song. Our radio would be shut off at 8 after this song as it was a time signal to leave the house for school for all the children in the family. That was my introduction to K L Saigal. That voice and those songs started to grow upon me.<\/p>\n

Many years later, when my appreciation for music turned logical and I had started to write in national magazines and papers, I asked my mother what really was the importance of Saigal in present days. My mother was a singer and composer of songs and bhajans of very high repute in India and abroad within the community she was active in. She had over 1000 public performances to her credit.<\/p>\n

My mother said, \u201cWhen I start a song session my tabla player and other orchestra sits and tunes together with a note played on my harmonium first. This is how we are in harmony. \u00a0Mostly done on shadaj<\/em> or pancham<\/em>, first or 5th<\/sup> note. This is a common practise. Many a singers do it with veena or taanpura.\u00a0 In case with Saigal\u2019s recording session, he would sing out a note and the musicians would match or set their instruments accordingly. It was the other way round. It was a natural gift to him that his voice was always in tune and in perfect tune\u201d.<\/p>\n

A few months later on Doordarshan Calcutta this was confirmed by Kanan Devi, in almost similar words. Later I spoke about this to my classical music teacher at the Birla Academy, Mr. Nandy and again with Mr. V G Jog (the Violin maestro). They both confirmed that they had heard about this and believed it was one in a million phenomena, as no vocalist could possibly be more perfect than an instrument. This is one unique quality that Saigal\u2019s voice had.<\/p>\n

Main kya jaanu kya jaadu hai, jaadu hai, jaadu hai<\/em> <\/strong>(Zindagi, <\/em>1940) Pankaj Mullick \/ Kidar Sharma\/ disc # H 11792.<\/span><\/p>\n