Friends,
Today I can share with you as to why I selected Waltzing numbers as the theme of the Live Fest in Kandaghat this year.
The day of the Fest, Saturday, 14th April, coincides with the Festival of Baisakhi or Vaisakhi. On this day, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji founded the Khalsa Panth. This day also coincides with the harvesting of crops in Punjab and the famous lines: Kanka di muk gayi raakhi, o jatta aayi baisakhi (We have finished looking after the wheat plants; now, baisakhi (harvesting) is there).
Now, you are bound to interject as to what Baisakhi has to do with Waltz. Well, the joy of the jatt (farmer) on harvesting is translated in the men and women getting together and performing the bhangra and the gidda. Both are peasant dances. So is Waltz! Next you are bound to ask me that Waltz is now a sophisticated ballroom dance and how come its origin is peasant dance? It is a fact. The noble of that era in Europe used to dance the minuet but found the close, vigorous, rhythmic dance of the peasants more inviting. Thus the dance called Walzer (German) of the farmers in Bavarai, Tyrol and Styria actually went into the ballrooms of the noble and delighted them. We have many equivalents in India of the elite following in the footsteps of the commoners.
Fests So Far
Our journey of Music Fests is FIVE AND A HALF YEARS old TODAY!
Here is a list of Music Fests that we have hosted so far on the group ‘Yaad Kiya Dil Ne’:
1.Dec 2012 – Chand Songs
2.Jan 2013 – Shaam Ke Geet
3.Feb 2013 – Dil Ki Awaaz Bhi Sun
4.Mar 2013 – Boat Scene Songs
5.Mar 2013 – Piano Scene Songs
6.Jun 2013 – Songs of Rain
7.Jul 2013 – Bhajans in Hindi Movies
8.Aug 2013 – Funny, Comical and Anglicized Hindi Songs
9.Sep 2013 – Sadhana Songs
10.Nov 2013 – Mala Sinha Songs
11.Nov 2013 – Story Telling, Kahani, Katha Songs
12.Dec 2013 – Mohammad Rafi Songs
13.Jan 2014 – Complementary Songs (same number repeated by Hero/heroine later in the movie)
14.Feb 2014 – Qawwali Songs
15.Feb 2014 – Nutan Songs
16.Mar 2014 – Bicycle Scene Songs
17.Apr 2014 – Flute Scene Songs
18.May 2014 – Sapna, Khwaab, Dream Songs
19.Jun 2014 – Maa, Maiyya, Mata, Maan Songs
20.Jul 2014 – Raahi or Mussafir Songs
21.Aug 2014 – Patriotic Songs
22.Sep 2014 – Train Scene Songs
23.Sep 2014 – Jeep, Car, Bus, Truck Scene Songs
24.Oct 2014 – Deewana or Paagal Songs
25.Nov 2014 – Hindi Flavour Songs
26.Dec 2014 – Guitar Scene Songs
27.Jan 2015 – Songs With Whistle
28.Jan 2015 II- Zindagi (Happy or Sad) Songs
29.Feb 2015 – Horse (Mule and Donkey too) Scene Songs
30.Feb 2015 II- Flash Rain Scene Songs
31.Mar 2015 – Neend Songs
32.Mar 2015 II- Zamana or Duniya Songs
33.Apr 2015 – Indoor Party Scene Songs
34.May 2015 – Chaman Baag Bagiya Songs
35.May 2015 II- Zulf Gesu Baal Songs
36.Jun 2015 – Baadal Badra Songs
37.Jun 2015 II- Mujra Songs
38.Jul 2015 – Hawa Songs
39.Aug 2015 – Shraabi Songs
40.Aug 2015 II- Na or Nahin Songs
41.Sep 2015 – Chal Chali Chalo Songs
42.Oct 2015 – Kabhi Songs
43.Nov 2015 – Dance Scene Songs
44.Dec 2015 – Mil Milan Songs
45.Jan 2016 – Khushi Hansi Muskaan Songs
46.Feb 2016 – Geet Gaana Nagma Taraana Songs
47.Mar 2016 – Bahaar Songs
48.Apr 2016 – Funny Songs
49.May 2016 – Hill Scene Songs
50.Jun 2016 – Ghar Songs
51.Jul 2016 – Kahin Kahan Songs
52.Aug 2016 – Yellow Dress Songs
53.Sep 2016 – Dost Dosti Songs
54.Oct 2016 – Mera Apna Hamara Songs
55.Nov 2016 – Songs in Headgear
56.Dec 2016 – Ajanabee Songs
57.Jan 2017 – Krishna Songs
58.Feb 2017 – Husn Songs
59.Feb 2017 II- Hot Songs of Lata Mangeshkar
60.Mar 2017 – Rang, Rangeen Songs
61.Apr 2017 – Raat or Din Songs Live Fest at Kandaghat
62.May 2017 – Aansu Songs
63.Jun 2017 – Koi Songs
64.Jul 2017 – Combination Songs
65.Aug 2017 – Not Held
66.Sep 2017 – Maa Songs
67.Oct 2017 – Chand & Chand Scene Songs
68.Nov 2017 – Bada, Badi, Bade Songs
69.Dec 2017 – Sajan, Sajani Songs
70.Jan 2018 – Drunken Scene Songs
71.Feb 2018 – Ek, Ik, One Songs
72.Mar 2018 – Sridevi Songs
Counting that in the month of August 2017 no Fest was held, the Fest on Waltzing numbers is going to be our 72nd Fest.
Waltz
Waltz is defined as a ‘A gliding dance done to music having three beats to the measure’ or ‘the kind of music suitable for Waltzing’.
The basic Waltz is a box movement as given below:
With a couple, another way to look at the Waltz is:
One last look at Waltz Box before we move on:
For the beginners any number of online classes are available to learn Waltz. Here is one Demo Waltz for the beginners by Michael Thomas:
Waltz in Hollywood Movies and Music
Waltz has been a popular theme of music (and dance) for English movies. One of the most popular has been Lara’s Theme for the David Lean 1966 movie Doctor Zhivago with Omar Sharif in the title role and Julie Christie as Lara Antipova. The leitmotif was later adapted as the number Somewhere My Love and it was very popular indeed:
Another popular number has been Engelbert Humperdinck’s The Last Waltz:
Waltzing Numbers in Hindi Movies (Thanks Anand Desai for helping me with this):
“The Waltz a 3/4 beat or the Time Signature has been a very popular beat among Indian Music directors. The beat is divided into 2 Vibhags or
Cycles of 3 beats each i.e. 3 beats make 1 Bar.. Now since its played in a tempo cycle we call it 3/4 coz you would play it fully twice so have 4 bars.”
Ladies and gentlemen, if you look at the Waltz Box pictures that I provided, you will understand it better.
It is similar to Tal Dadra since that too is a 3 beat Tal divided into 2 Vibhags.
“The Hinch / Khemta or Udaliyo that one hears in Raas Garbas has 6 beats each of two cycles and thus sounds similar but is not the same. Its a variation of the Dadra … Dha tin tin Na dhin dhin again 6 beats make a Bar However one plays the total cycle twice so we have four bars.”
The first known appearance of waltz in a Hindi song is in “Hum Aur Tum Aur Yeh Khushi” from Ali Baba (1940) composed by the legendary Anil Biswas.
Music director Naushad, known for his brilliant Hindustani classical compositions, helped usher the waltz rhythm into Bollywood mainstream as early as with the tragic “Tod Diya Dil Mera” from Andaz (1949), “Ab Raat Milan Ki” from Jadoo (1951), and “Tara Ri Yara Ri” from Dastan (1952).
Hats off to Naushad to come up with Waltzing on a very sad number!
Anand Desai and his friends came up with a list of songs in Hindi movies based on the Waltzing beat:
1.Aaja panchhi akela hai
2.Aap ke haseen rukh pe aaj naya noor
3.Agar mujhse mohhobat hai
4.Ai dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
5.Bedardi balama tujhko mera maan yaad karta
6.Bhanwre ki gunjan
7.Chup hai dharti chup hai chand sitare
8.Dil ke jharaoko mein tujhko bithakar
9.Dil ki girah khol do chupp na baitho
10.Dil ki nazar se
11.Dil mein sama gaye saajan
12.Dilbar mere kab tak mujhe
13.Hum aapki aankhon mein
14.Humne toh dil ko aapke kadmon mein
15.Jeena yahan marna yahan
16.Jeevan ke din chhote sahi hum bhi bade dilwale
17.Kuchh na kaho
18.Lag jaa gale ke phir yeh haseen raat
19.Mai shayar toh nahi
20.Meri neendon mein tum
21.Mud mud ke na dekh mud mud ke
22.Na yeh chand hoga na taare rahenge
23.Pyar ki yeh kahani suno
24.Suniye kahiye
25.Tarari ara ri ara ri
26.Tera mera pyar amar
27.Tera mujhse hai pehele ka naata
28.Tum jo hue mere humsafar
29.Udhar tum haseen ho
30.Yeh dil tum bin kahin lagta nahi
31.Yeh raatein nayi purani
32.Yeh raatein yeh mausam
33.Zulfon ko hatale chehere se
My own favourite is Bhanwre ki gunjan that I shall be singing during the Fest (even though I hardly know how to sing). I am giving you the movie version of the song. After the Fest, I shall replace it with my own singing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aMH-zOmTh8
And now, friends, with this curtain-raiser for the Fest tomorrow, I must rush as my sister from Nagpur Manik will be arriving at the Kandaghat Railway Station shortly with her husband Sreehari and during the evening Vipan Kohli, Jaswant Lagwal and Kavita will arrive from Hamirpur.
I hope you know now as to why I selected this theme (I always have a reason!)
Exceptional curtain raiser.
Thank you Raj