Folk Songs of Rajasthan (Set of Two Audio CDs)

The shimmering sands and contoured desolation of the Thar desert have cradled the centuries old folk tradition of the Langas and Manganiars. They are two communities of hereditary professional musicians who while they sing in the same dialect have different patrons styles and repertoires though in recent times these distinctions are increasingly blurred.

Language is no barrier to an instinctive enjoyment of their music. They themes are universal the passage of the seasons and festive universal the passage of the seasons and festive celebrations love marriage and birth and the rites of the cycle of life. The rich full throated voices carry now the elusive echo of a raga and now the resonances of the desert. The strong rhythm is accepted by the beat of the castanet like khadtaal and the dholak while bowed string instruments like the kamaicha and the sarangi provide the characteristic haunting refrains. The traditions of instruments includes the double flute the satara and the jew’s harp or morchang.

In this two volume set we present a traditional repertoire which includes songs for all occasions as well as instrumental music.