"Glad" tidings in Music & Literature.

Psalm 122 starting "I was glad" was set to music by the British Composer Sir Hubert Parry. It was played during the Coronation of British Monarchs. It was also performed during the Royal Weddings of Charles & Diana and later of William & Kate.

Eleanor Parker wrote a children's classic called "Pollyanna" (1913). The eponymous heroine was also called "The Glad Girl" because even though she had a hard life, her father trained her to find out something to be glad about, however adverse the prevailing circumstances. 

After losing her parents early, she comes to live with her unwelcoming aunt. Because of her sunny nature & undeniable charm, she wins over even the grumpy villagers with whom she has to live.

There are two references to the earlier children's classic "Winnie the Pooh". One is Pollyanna & Jimmy Bean, another orphan boy in the village are shown playing the game "Pooh sticks" (the game invented by Winnie) in the 2003 film & Pollyanna's nature is the opposite of the chronically depressed eyesore in "Winnie the Pooh."

She was not a "naïve child,  but a gifted individual with an ability to direct her optimism & good nature towards positively influencing the negative, worldly, cynical or disillusioned emotions of the adults that inhabit her life". (quote from Wikipedia)

Her bronze statue was installed in Littleton, New Hampshire) in 2002.

The Holy Trinity

Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ma Sarada Devi & Swami Vivekananda form a most unusual Holy Trinity in religion. They broke all conventions in gender, guru-shishya relationship. Sri Ramakrishna worshipped his consort as an embodiment of the Divine Mother.

Here it might be noted that in an instance only recorded in Bengali in a devotee's memoirs, he, while prostrating before the Holy Mother, wondered how this old woman can be regarded as the Divine Mother. He suddenly noticed a change & looked up at Her. He was awe-struck to see a divinely beautiful gorgeously dressed & bejewelled young woman as is pictured as the Devi in front of him. He promptly lost consciousness & was surprised on regaining it to see the same old woman tending him & saying "My son, what happened to you?".


When Swamiji was touring northern India, another religious man got jealous & cursed him. Swamiji underwent great suffering & had to leave that place. He came back & complained to the Holy Mother that Sri Ramakrishna (then having left his body) could not help him. She surprisingly agreed with him, proving even evil person's curses may harm holy people.

Even Sister Nivedita, in her extreme devotion to Swamiji, told the Holy Mother that Swamiji was even greater than Sri Ramakrishna! She took it with a smile!

An Advaita Ashrama was set up in the north by Swamiji for the exclusive meditation on the formless God. On a later visit, he noticed a photo of Sri Ramakrishna being worshipped there. He jokingly said "Oh, the old man has come here also!" & ordered it removed! This, from the man, who in his famous hymn "Khandana Bhava Bhanjana" had a line calling Sri Ramakrishna as the greatest incarnation of God (avatara varishtaya)!

Swamiji also once mimicked Sri Ramakrishna's frequent divine trances, by staggering about to the great amusement of his fellow monks! This, in the Hindu tradition where the guru is held in the highest veneration!

These instances show that the Holy Trinity broke all traditions to revitalise Hinduism, to bring it to the world platform & most importantly preach that all religions are equally valid, which idea was unheard of until then.

"Joe" & Swami Vivekananda

Josephine MacLeod (1858-1949), nicknamed "Joe" by Swamiji, was easily the most interesting of his associates in the West. However, she did not become a sannyasin like her friends Sister Nivedita & Sister Christine, but remained a Christian, claiming Swamiji made her a better Christian. She also did not like to be called his disciple, but a "friend."

She first met Swamiji in 1895, a day she remembered as her "Spiritual Birthday." He said that he could never repay the service she had done for the Ramakrishna Order & India. She funded the start of the "Udbodhan Press", the publications wing of the order.

After Swamiji's passing away, she went into depression for 2 years & after recovery, helped the Order in many ways. She & her married sister had access to people in high places, which they used to ward off the problems caused to the Order by the British government, which suspected that the monks of the Order were sympathisers of the Freedom movement.

Many anecdotes are extant of her colourful personality. When she had a stomach upset, she would fast for many days, ending with a lobster dinner! When Swami Brahmananda, the first President of the Order was visiting Bangalore, she also happened to visit & wanted to meet him. But Swami Brahmananda was averse to meeting ladies, however elderly they may be & tried to avoid her. But she was not to be put off & tracked him down exclaiming, "You naughty boy, why are you avoiding me?" She also visited Belur Math frequently, admonishing the monks there for any perceived lapses, so that she had become a "Holy Terror" to them!

She remained unmarried & passed away, fittingly at the Vedanta Society at California.

Thomas Hardy - The Writer who saw no evil

He was unique in that he almost completely created only sympathetic characters in his works. Probably the only negative character is Jude's first wife, Arabella, who entrapped him into marriage & was already meeting his successor when he was on his deathbed.

Hardy may be seen as the male alter ego of his immortal creation, Tess of d'Urbervilles, whom he provocatively called "A Pure Woman", when according to man-made laws, she had committed the most heinous crimes. Even Alec d'Urberville, who seduced her, wanted to make amends & marry her at the end.

Similarly, Eustacia Vye, the so-called bad woman of "The Return of the Native" was pushed by fate (& pricked by the villagers for a witch) & drowned herself. Bathsheba Everdeen of "Far from the madding crowd", though keeping three suitors, Gabriel Oak, Farmer Boldwood & Sgt. Troy on the line, was no coquette, but an indecisive woman. Michael Henchard, "The Mayor of Casterbridge", an able man as proved by becoming the Mayor, had a weakness for drink, which caused him in a fit of inebriation to sell his wife & daughter to a sailor, with consequent problems (including a humiliating parade of his effigy with that of his lover) leading to his self-willed solitary death. (Incidentally this dramatic opening scene of selling his family can be used as a temperance text.)

To conclude, one can return to "Jude the Obscure", where due to poverty caused by social ostracism,  his eldest child kills his siblings & then hangs himself, with a heart wrenching note saying "Done because we are too menny."

"Barnaby Rudge" by Charles Dickens (1841) - A "Contemporary" Novel?

This novel, one of the author's lesser known works, is a fictional account of the "Gordon Riots" in London (1780), which caused widespread rioting & destruction of lives (300-700) & property.

The riots began with a protest against an Act of Parliament intended to reduce discrimination against British Catholics. Lord Gordon, head of the Protestant Association argued that the law will enable Catholics to join the British Army, but secretly fight with the Catholic enemies (read French).

Dickens, describes the rioting Protestant gang as "composed for the most part of the very scum & refuse of London, whose growth was fostered by bad criminal laws, bad prison regulations & the worst conceivable police."

The novel depicts the love between Edward Chester, son of the Protestant Sir John & Emma Haredale, niece of the impoverished Catholic Lord Haredale. The two elders are  sworn enemies, but the wily Sir John convinces his enemy that his son's intentions are dishonourable & both oppose the marriage. Sir John plans to have a heiress as his daughter-in-law to finance his debt ridden extravagant life style.

The eponymous title character, "the village idiot" is willy-nilly dragged into the riots & barely escapes being hung. The lovers survive, marry & emigrate to the West Indies.

The impact of the riots was so long lasting, that even the 20th century novels of Agatha Christie mention "the Priest's Hole" in old mansions, built to hide Catholic Priests!

Chamber music for large ensembles: Sextets, Septets & Octets

Brahms composed two Sextets for two violins, two violas & two cellos, one in B-flat Major, op.18 & another in G Major, op.36.

Beethoven composed a Septet for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello & double bass. It was in E-flat Major, op.20 & dedicated to Empress Maria Theresa, like Haydn's Symphony in C Major, Hob.1/48.

Schubert's Octet in F Major, D 803 was composed for a string quartet, double bass, clarinet, horn & bassoon.

Mendelssohn's Octet in E flat Major, op.20 had 4 violins, 2 violas & 2 cellos & was composed when he was 16.

Stravinsky's Octet typically comprised only brass & woodwind instruments namely 2 bassoons, 2 trombones, 2 trumpets, flute & clarinet.

Tuneful, tragical, threesome who sang their threnodies in their thirties itself

Mozart (35), the most famous of the three, is immortal for his 40th Symphony, which was even adopted for a Hindi film song by Salil Chaudhuri! Chamber Music & Operas also flowed from his facile pen.

Schubert (31), was in an even greater hurry to leave this world. His near perfect chamber music piece, "The Trout Quintet", is a unique work in having the double bass in a chamber ensemble. His "Unfinished" Symphony is arguably the greatest piece of incomplete art.

Mendelssohn (38), his music filled with "joie de vivre" as his first name Felix suggests, composed the "Italian" & "Scottish" Symphonies, not to speak of the unforgettable overture to "The Midsummer Night's Dream."

Beethoven's "Named" Sonatas

Many of these have been given names for various reasons. As all may not be aware of these, they are listed here in order of composition.

Piano Sonata in C minor, op.13 is called the "Pathetique", because the opening C minor chord denotes the French meaning of the word as "emotional."

Sonata for Violin & Piano in F major, op.24 is called the "Spring" Sonata, referring to its gentle & lyrical character.

Piano Sonata in C# minor, op.27, no.2 is called the "Moonlight" Sonata, because the adagio is likened to a boat floating in the moonlight.

Piano Sonata in D major, op.31/2 is called "The Tempest", because when Beethoven's secretary asked
him for the meaning of this work, Beethoven is supposed to have replied "Just read Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

Sonata for Violin & Piano in A major, op.47 is called the "Kreutzer" because Beethoven dedicated it to the French violinist of that name, who, however never played it!

Piano Sonata in F minor, op.57 is called the "Appassionato" because it is coloured throughout by a tragic tone.

Piano Sonata in E-flat, op.81a, was named "Les Adieux" for it was inspired by the departure of Archduke Rudolf from Vienna.

Piano Sonata in B-flat, op.106, was named so because he used the German name for piano, "Hammerklavier" for it.

William Law's Characters

William Law in his "A Serious Call to a Devout & Holy Life" creates a wonderful gallery of characters to illustrate his points. Here they are:

Julius is very fearful of missing prayers; but he is companion of the silliest people in their most silly pleasures.

Leo has a great deal of good nature, but has concerned himself very little with religion.

Eusebius buys books of devotion, but  he talks of religion, as of a matter of last concern.

Penitens was a busy prosperous tradesman, who died at 35, said if he had one year more, he could give God all devotion, as he never intended.

Calidus has traded  above 30 years in a great city. He eats & drinks heartily & would say grace if he had the time.

Flavia, is generally at Church & often at Sacrament; & would be a miracle of piety, if she was half so careful of her soul as she is of her body.

Miranda, as soon as she was mistress of her time & fortune, thought how best she might fulfill God's commandments in this short life.
Except the simplest food & dress, she spends all her money on charity & all her time in prayers.

Fulvius has had a learned education, but has no religion, no devotion, & no piety. He thinks all is very well, because he is neither a priest, nor a father, & has no employment or family.

Celia is always telling you what vexations she meets with everywhere. Even though she has a good income & has nothing to torment her, but her own spirit.

Flatus is rich & in health, yet always uneasy & searching after happiness. He seeks fine clothes, social diversions, drinking, hunting etc., in turn, without finding peace.

Feliciana spends all her time in dressing fashionably & gambling & it is for this happiness that she has been deaf to the reasonings of religion.

Succus's greatest happiness is a good night's rest in bed & a good meal when he is up. All other things are a waste of time for him.

Octavius is a learned, ingenious man, well read & well travelled. When his end came, his only regret was that he did not have more time to enjoy the same life.

Eugenius, who was present, went home a new man, to devote himself wholly to God, reasoning that he never thought so highly of religion, as when he saw the learned Octavius leave this world so poorly through the want of it.

Cognatus is a sober regular clergyman, of good repute & very good at making a bargain & has earned great wealth. He keeps a curate to attend to Church duties. He is growing rich to leave a fortune to a niece, whom he has brought up in expensive finery.

Negotius is a temperate, honest man. He is always busy making money, gives moderately to charity, but has no time to thing of God.

Mundanus is an excellent man, increasing his knowledge & judgement of business. The only thing not improved is his devotion to God.

Classicus is a man of great learning, but how wise he might have been & done good to the world, if he had thought as much of devotion as of learning!

Caecus is a rich man, fond of dress & haughty to his inferiors. He would have been very religious, but that he always thought he was so.

Paternus, who brought up his only son, taught him the impermanence of this world. (the same thing which Queen Madalasa, sang in her famous lullaby.)

Matilda is a fine woman, of much religion, who has three daughters. Her daughters see her great zeal for religion, but they also see her greater zeal for her complexion & finery in dress. So worldly desires got the better of the daughters.

Eusebius is a pious widow with five daughters, her estate divided equally between them. She tells them (like Madalasa), though they were all born of her body & bear their father's name, they are all pure spirits & should live simply & love God.

Lastly, Susurrus is a pious, temperate good man of great charity. But he has a prodigious failing i.e., a mighty inclination to hear & discover all the defects & infirmities of all about him. One of his well-wishers told him to go home & pray for them & he would also overcome his failing. (Incidentally Holy Mother Sarada Devi had also emphasised this.)

Mahabharata and the Bible

There is a quotation in The Bible (King

James Version) Hebrews 12:6 which says "Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth & scourgeth  every son whom He receiveth."
Not only does it directly refer to Jesus Christ who said he is the son, & was scourged, but also to certain events in the Mahabharata, which predates it.

Lord Krishna, the latest of ten Incarnations of God in Hindu mythology, was very close to the Pandavas. But for most of their lives, the Pandavas endured untold sufferings.
Even though Kings, they never got to rule but wander in forests & remain incognito for many years. Even in the war, though Lord Krishna was present, he could not stop the unfair murder of his nephew, Abhimanyu, who was also the son of Subhadra, sister of Lord Krishna, who is also worshipped as a Goddess in her own right along with her brothers in the famous Rathyatra in Orissa.
Also at the end, He could not prevent the assasination of the five sons of Pandavas & Draupadi.

So whether in Christian theology, or Hindu mythology, love of God is seen to bring only a painful life!

The Railway Children & Kafka

Edith Nesbit's famous children's book may be the only work for children which has parallels with the High Priest of Anxiety, Franz Kafka's unsettling work "The Trial." In it Josef K, a banker is taken away on his thirtieth birthday, by unknown people of an unknown organisation for an unspecified crime. After being made to run from pillar to post, for a year, he is brutally executed without knowing the nature of his offence.

This work was influenced by the notorious "Dreyfus Affair" in France, which had an anti Semitic angle.

In "The Railway Children" also, the loving husband & father of a family, is suddenly taken away by officials, with the children  kept in the dark about the reason by the mother, who prohibits them from asking any questions. Without the man's earning, the family is suddenly plunged into penury from affluence & move to the countryside to economise. There the mother ekes out a scanty living by selling her stories to magazines. The children discover a train, which passes nearby, & wave at it. This is noticed by an old gentleman travelling in the train, who eventually discovers that their father is "framed" in a spy case, (Like the ISRO case) & gets the father released & brought home, fortunately unlike the gruesome ending of Kafka's "The Trial."

DVG, Ray Bradbury & Culture

The noted Kannada writer bemoaned the lack of culture in even the so-called educated classes. They are indifferent to Classical Music & Literature, said he. Only money & prestige are their goals & other things do not feature in their heaven, rued he. He also disdained the lack of reading habit let alone the habit of buying books.

Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel "Fahrenheit 451" (this being the fire point of paper) goes further & embarks on a mass arson of all books, presumably because reading encourages independent thinking & makes people hard to govern. But here again, as in D. V. G. (D. V. Gundappa), a committed minority find a way to keep literature alive.

In the last segment of the film "Red Violin", at the time of the "Cultural Revolution" in China, there was widespread vandalism of cultural artifacts among other human rights violations. But later, they realised their folly & did a course correction, so that many musical virtuosos now are Chinese. Ironically, the nation which destroyed books during the disastrous "Cultural Revolution", is now (for economic reasons) the major printer of fine books for all countries today!

Through the looking glass & Vedanta

Continuing the Advaitic exploration of "Alice in Wonderland" in its sequel, the first thing one notices is Alice's going "through" the glass into a parallel universe, (a metaphoric game of chess here) quite familiar in quantum physics to which Advaita is similar. Reference may also be made to the final scenes of Kubrick's "2001 A Space Odyssey" where Bowman enters an apparently parallel universe mutating into a "Star child." In the new universe, Alice also finds the pictures all alive, like in Hogwarts & a poem "Jabberwocky" appropriately in "mirror script."

In the second chapter, Alice finds flowers which talk, (another Vedantic idea) but like the animals in the earlier book, make personal remarks about her, but tip her off about another humanoid, which turns out to be the Red Queen, who after some talk, drags Alice, supposedly a chess pawn into a run to the eight's square to make her a Queen.

But the Red Queen disappears, & Alice finds herself in a queer train with talking insects, which also evaporates, leaving her in a wood with a fawn, which also dissolves on discovering it's identity, like the soul merging with the infinite after self-realisation.

Now come the identical twins Tweedledum & Tweedledee, who recite the poem of the Walrus & the Carpenter, both lachrymose like the Mock Turtle & Gryphon earlier, who after enticing a number of oysters to follow them, eat up every one of them. Then the three come across the Red King snoring, & on Alice trying to wake him up, the twins propound the Advaitic truth that Alice cannot do it because she isn't real but only exists in the Red King's dream! After a childish quarrel about a rattle, the twins get ready to fight but dissolve after darkness caused by the White Queen's flying shawl.

The White Queen offers "Jam yesterday & Jam tomorrow" but never Jam today, like temporal pleasures which are only in memory or anticipation but never to be actually enjoyed. Later the Queen turns into a sheep (Animagus in Hogwarts?) & sitting in a shop where all the shelves, except those directly looked at (which are empty), are full. Like in life, grass being always greener on the other side! Later, the shop turns into a boat, & back again into a shop, where Alice buys an egg, which turns into Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall.

They engage in an acrimonious debate about semantics, which ends with Humpty Dumpty saying, "When I use a word, it means just what I want it to mean, no more & no less." (Like our politicians!)

The next episode is the White King watching the Lion & the Unicorn (a mythical animal) fighting for his crown! The noisy fight dissolves into nothingness, leaving Alice alone with two knights, Red & White, arguing in a Kafkaesque way about whose prisoner she is!

The White knight claiming victory, escorts Alice to the next brook, on the way to which, he recites the tale of the old man on a gate, reprising Father William earlier. After crossing the brook (8th row in the chessboard) Alice the pawn is promoted into Queen Alice with a golden Crown.

But the Red & White Queens whom Alice meets, do not accept her & insist on an examination at the end of which they fall asleep & Alice goes to a door with her name on it, opens it & enters into a banquet, where she is prevented from eating anything by the two queens, who have materialised by her side again. Frustrated, Alice pulls away the table cloth & grabs & shakes the Red Queen, who turns into Alice's cat, pulling Alice into the temporal world, where it all started with a game of chess.

Doppelganger Doldrums

The German word is used instead of "double" or "lookalike"  because of the sinister shade of meaning associated with it.

Two female writers known for their unsettling novels, have dealt with this theme. First, Josephine Tey, in her "Brat Farrar" (1949), deals with an unscrupulous man taking advantage of a double for his selfish ends. The "never do well" acquaintance of a wealthy family, knowing the (supposed) suicide of a boy (but unrecovered body), meets a double by chance & coaches him to take his place as the missing twin  brother in the family. The deception is successful, (including the lawyers), but the younger existing twin is not fooled, because he has committed fratricide! After the inevitable sibling showdown, the murderer gets his just desserts & the supposed impostor is the true heir, albeit of illegitimate birth.


Daphne du Maurier's "The Scapegoat" (1957) makes one of the doubles himself an unsavoury character. This Frenchman, having property & a large (troublesome) family, meets a lookalike Englishman at a loose end.  The Frenchman deceives the Englishman into assuming his identity, & escapes. The  Englishman enters the French family & tries to clean up the mess created. Everyone is fooled except the dog & the "mistress" for evident reasons. Just when the interloper is getting set in the French family, the absconder arrives again & turns him out, having destroyed the Englishman's previous identity irreparably, a typical du Maurier vicious touch.


Both the novels explore masterfully the themes of identity, doubling & of the dark side of the self. As Margaret Atwood has noted, "There has been a widespread suspicion among writers that there are two of them sharing the same body, with a hard to predict & difficult to pinpoint the moment when one turns into the other."

Alice in Wonderland as an Advaitic Text

"You are nothing but a pack of cards!" says Alice at the end & after waking up, "I have had such a curious dream!" This is the basic tenet of Advaita that "Jagath" (is) Mithya."

It can be postulated that the white rabbit is the personification of her "karma", which leads her to fall down the hole, an obvious metaphor for being born in this world.

In the next chapter, "The Pool of Tears" can be a double metaphor for the baby crying after being born & also for having entered the "Vale of Tears" as the world was called, both East & West.

The third chapter, "The Caucus Race" may be the "Rat Race" of the world, with everyone demanding "Prizes", from her.

In the fourth chapter, Alice grows bigger (develops an assertiveness) & gets the better of her tormentors, as a child has to learn growing up.

In the fifth chapter, she meets the first of her spiritual preceptors, the Caterpillar who asks her "Who are You?" (The question Ramana asked himself), & then makes her repeat "Father William", a reminder of the ageing creeping up on all of us.

In the sixth chapter, the footman, Duchess, the crying baby (again) appear along with the Cheshire Cat, whose grin remains (like "Karma attached to the Soul'') even after the Cat (body) disappears!

In the seventh chapter, "The Mad Hatter's Tea Party", the selfish, unreasonable world is shown in all its ugliness. (Samsara Sagare Ghore etc.,)

In the eighth chapter, she meets the Red Queen, symbol of wordly power & arrogance, who wants to behead everyone. But Alice notices they are only a pack of cards & need not be feared, a reprise of the "Mithya" theme.

The ninth chapter's lachrymose Mock Turtle & Gryphon are again a reprise of the "Vale of Tears" theme with ironic remarks on worldly education.

The tenth chapter's "Lobster Quadrille" emphasises again the meaningless world & ends with the Mock Turtle self-destructing into "Beautiful Soup" made out of itself.

The eleventh chapter dealing with the mock trial of theft of tarts by the Mad Hatter, parodies the human justice in courts.

In the last chapter, Alice, called into court to give evidence, has grown (literally in the story & spiritually in spirit) & shouts that they are all a pack of cards (illusion, Maya) & leaps into Spiritual Enlightenment.

Alice can also be compared to Christian in "The Pilgrim's Progress", who throwing off the burden of worldliness, enters the Celestial City of Enlightenment.

Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky & Ellington

The Bard's plays have been an inspiration to many musical composers.

Tchaikovsky's overture fantasy "Romeo & Juliet" prompted a Russian critic to write to him saying that due to the excitement on hearing the music, he spent a sleepless night! In the work, French horns represent Romeo & flutes, Juliet.

The symphonic fantasy "The Tempest", depicts the fury of the sea & tone pictures of Ariel, Prospero & Caliban. The love music of Ferdinand & Miranda is reminiscent of that between Romeo & Juliet.

The overture fantasy "Hamlet" was dedicated to Edward Grieg, the Norwegian composer. Death, symbolised by the funeral March is juxtaposed to the tender subject of Ophelia's love, recalled by the oboe solo.

If Tchaikovsky mainly dealt with episodes from the plays, The Jazz Legend Duke Ellington, mostly provides miniature tone pictures of characters in his work, commissioned by the Stratford (Ontario) Shakespeare Festival.

The title track, "Such sweet thunder", was inspired by "Othello". Next was the "Sonnet for Caesar". Next was a tribute to the Bard's history plays. Next comes a picture of "Lady Mac" (Beth). Then comes the "Sonnet in search of a Moor" (Othello again). Next is a composite depiction of the three witches from "Macbeth" & Iago from "Othello". Then comes Puck & others from "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Next is "Sonnet for Sister Kate" (The Taming of the Shrew). Then a piece for "Romeo & Juliet", followed by one for "Hamlet". Next comes Cleopatra in her   barge on the Nile. To end the work, the Duke comes up with a musical tour de force, where his band progresses by the musical interval of a fourth through every musical key, depicting Shakespeare's works in the four forms of comedy, tragedy, history & sonnets. (Condensed from the sleeve notes of "Such sweet thunder" by Irving Townsend.)

Same notes, Different Ragas

Amir Khusrau (Illustration)

One of the glories of Hindustani Music, is that from the same "Thaat" having seven particular notes, innumerable ragas can be derived by using different "Vadi" (most important note), different "Samvadi"(second most important note), & different "Pakad" (typical cluster of notes.)

Here it is proposed to name a few such  relatively uncommon Ragas from the "Marwa" That. 

The first is "Saazgiri", attributed to Amir Khusrau & played & recorded by Ustad Vilayat Khan on the seventh centenary of Amir Khusrau. This raga can be considered as a fusion of Puriya & Poorvi, with the occasional use of Shuddha Madhyam. It can be performed between 5.30 to 7:00 P.M.

Pandit Ravi Shankar

The second is "Bhankar", one of the rarest of Hindustani Ragas. This also uses the notes of the Marwa Thaat, with the addition of Shuddha Madhyam, but in a completely different way. This also has been recorded by Vilayat Khan, who has brought out the traces of other ragas hidden in it like, Puriya, Puriya Kalyan, Lalit, Nand, Hamir, Gauri (Bhairav), Purvi, Kedar, Hindol & Bhatiyar without making it sound like a Ragamala, but an unified Raga with many facets. (Courtesy: Mohan Nadkarni for the list of Ragas.) This is however, a morning raga for 4:00 A.M. to 5.30 A.M.

Not content with this, Vilayat Khan has recorded a further variant called "Kedar Bhankar", which reinforces the Kedar element already present in Bhankar still further. So the Shuddha Madhyam, when struck for the first time during the Alaap in the lower octave, it comes as a sudden manifestation, creating awe. It is the Shuddha Madhyam of Kedar, & immediately turns Bhankar into a new raga, Kedar Bhankar.

A very similar, but more popular raga than Bhankar is Bhatiyar, the morning raga for 4:00 A. M. to 5.30 A.M. This is known for its "Vakra Sanchara" (zig-zag progression) & favoured by the Maihar Gharana, being recorded by both Pandit Ravi Shankar & Pandit Nikhil Banerjee.

An evening Raga, which has come into prominence is Purvi Kalyan, which is Puriya Kalyan, with the occasional typical use of Shuddha Madhyam as a grace note. This also has been recorded by the Maestros of Maihar noted above.

All the above five ragas use the same notes of the Marwa Thaat with the addition of Shuddha Madhyam.

Lilting Lalit

Pt. Ravi Shankar

This unique dawn Raga occupies a special place in Indian Classical Music. First it is one of the rare ragas in Hindustani Music which use both the Madhyams side by side.

The Melakarta classification of Carnatic Music is comprehensive enough to include all ragas, but not this, as it is divided into two halves depending on which Madhyam is used, whereas Lalit uses both, so can fit in neither half.

In Hindustani Music, it is classified under Bhairav Thaat. The basic structure is
NrGmMm GmdNS. SNdMmG MGrS.

Creative musicians have developed many variants of Lalit, keeping the consecutive use of both Madhyams as the distinguishing Lalit Ang. 

Pt. Nikhil Banerjee

Pandit Ravi Shankar has developed Ahir Lalit, blending Ahir Bhairav & Lalit, the basic structure being,
nrGmM DnS. SnDMmGrS.
Here Shuddha Dhaivat & Komal Nishad are the Ahir Ang.

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee has developed Hem Lalit by fusing Hemant with Lalit. The structure being,
SRGmMDNS SNDMmGRS.
The Pancham, already weak in Hemant, disappears here entirely, making way for Teevra Madhyam.
(Note: The "Etwah" Gharana Sitarists prefer to call this as "Bhinna Lalit".)

Prof. Debu Chaudhuri

Prof. Debu Chaudhuri, in his textbook, "Sitar & its Music", lists "Ashiqui Lalit" (a raga named after his Guru's guru as one of his own (Prof.'s) creation). The structure being,
NrGmMDNS SNDMmGrS. Here the Poorvanga is pure Lalit & the Uttaranga has replaced the Komal Dhaivat of Lalit with its Shuddha variety.

The Sarodists Ustad Ali Akbar Khan & Ustad Amjad Ali Khan have also recorded a raga called "Lalit Gauri."

Regarding the Ragamala Paintings of this Ragini, the iconography is constant across all schools of painting as a man leaving his sleeping beloved at dawn. Usually many of the presently performed Hindustani Ragas may not have the corresponding Ragamala Paintings, but there are many extant paintings of Ragini Lalit.

Program Music

This is western classical music, which tells a story through tonal colours, as opposed to abstract or "pure" music, which has no extra musical meaning.

The most famous is Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony", which has movements titled as

1. Joyous sensations roused by arrival in the country.
2. Scene by the brook.
3. Merry gathering of country peasants.
4. Thunderstorm.
5. Glad & grateful feelings after the storm.

Another spectacular work is Berlioz's "Symphony Fantastique". This expresses  the narcotic dreams of a young musician in love, ending in the horrors of hell in five different movements named:

1. Dreams & Passions
2. A Ball
3. Scenes in the country
4. March to the scaffold
5. Dream of a Witches' Sabbath.

The movements are unified by a recurring theme called "idee fixe."
Many symphonic tone poems of Richard Strauss are also program music, like "Don Quixote", "Don Juan" & "Till Eulenspiegel."

These program music compositions appeal to a wider section of listeners for obvious reasons.