Page 39 - Seniors Today - August 21 Issue
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Naqshab. Suraiya sang the female vocals.
The Hindi film music story began with
the first talkie Alam Ara in 1931. But there
had been other landmarks before that.
Before vinyl records came on the scene
in the early 20th century, music was
recorded on hollow rolls called cylinders.
Those who recorded in this format
included legendary singer Gauhar Jaan, Ghazal Queen Begum Akhtar was initially heavily influ-
enced by playback singers Gauhar Jaan and Malka Jaan
classical vocalists Alladiya Khan and
Bhaskarbua Bakhale, Parsi singer Allah Beginning of soundtracks
Bandi and Marathi natya sangeet great The first talkie film was released a year
Balgandharva. after Gauhar Jaan’s death. Naturally,
The history of cylinders has been traced Ardeshir Irani’s Alam Ara flagged off the
wonderfully in the book The Wonder trend of soundtracks. The film had seven
That Was The Cylinder by AN Sharma songs, but interestingly, there is ambiguity
and his daughter Anukriti. It talks about who composed its music – neither
about how H Bose was the first Indian the music director nor the lyricist was
to manufacture and trade cylinders in credited. Irani claimed to have written
India, and even mentions recordings of the lyrics himself, only using pump organ
Rabindranath Tagore’s recitations and and tabla for the music. However, while
filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke’s voice after some say Ferozeshah Mistri gave the
he completed his epic silent film Raja music, others credit it to B Irani. ‘De De
Harishchandra in 1913. Khuda Ke Naam Pe Pyaare’, sung by Wazir
Gauhar Jaan, originally an Armenian Mohammad Khan, is acknowledged as the
named Angelina Yeoward, was the most first song of Hindi cinema, though Zubeida
prolific singer till her death in 1930, sang most songs.
recording over 600 songs. Most of these Initially, the trend was to have many
were later released by the Gramophone songs. Early talkie films like Shirin Farhad
Company of India (popularly known as and Indra Sabha had over 40 songs, and
HMV and today called Saregama India) they were used in continuity to develop the
on 78 rpm vinyl records. She mostly narrative. But that trend died down, and
sang thumri and related forms, besides music directors settled for eight to 10 songs
classical taranas, and was described as the per film.
‘Gramophone Girl’. Among the music directors, Boral and
One of her contemporaries was Malka Pankaj Mullick were the pioneers, with
Jaan. It is said that Begum Akhtar, who Timir Baran taking forward the tradition.
went on to be called the Ghazal Queen, was All three worked on Devdas, released
so influenced by Gauhar Jaan and Malka in 1936. Boral had hits like Chandidas,
Jaan that she decided to sing in their Vidyapati, Street Singer, Lagan and
style, rather than opt for film music. She, President, and was said to have a fantastic
however, worked with music director Anil partnership with Saigal. Mullick composed
Biswas in the 1942 film Roti. for Yahudi Ki Ladki, Badi Bahen and
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #26 | AUGUST 2021 39
