Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar Performs Traditional Indian Music At Chicago Cultural Center

11/06/2005 02:17AM

Chicago (Illinois), USA - On Wednesday, November 9 at 7 pm, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs presents a free concert by Indian musician Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, who represents the twentieth consecutive generation of Dhrupad musicians from the Dagarvani tradition. The concert, which takes place in the Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 East Washington Street, features Dhrupad music, one of the oldest forms of Indian classical music. This is Dagar’s only Chicago appearance on his current U.S. tour. Admission is free.

Both a vocal and instrumental style, Dhrupad music is spiritual in nature and is meant to induce feelings of peace and contemplation in the listener. Dagar fills every note with space and color, traveling across three octaves, and uses subtle modulations in volume and sound application to bring out diverse shades of meaning. The majority of Dhrupad compositions being sung today were written in the 16th century and performed in the royal courts of the emperors and kings of India. Dhrupad music has two major parts, Alap (sung without words), and Dhrupad (a fixed composition sung with the accompaniment of a two-headed barrel drum called the Pakhawaj). This concert features Mohan Shyam Sharma, who accompanies Dagar on the Pakhawaj. A vocal Dhrupad performance begins with a slow and meditative Alap comprised of syllables taken from a mantra and devoted to various Hindu gods. This tour is presented by Dagarvani.org with the active support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi.

For more information about this program and future Chicago Cultural Center Presents programs, please call 312.744.6630 or visit www.chicagoculturalcenter.org.

This performance is part of Chicago Cultural Center Presents, an ongoing showcase series that highlights critically acclaimed national and international musicians who are rarely seen by Chicago audiences in mainstream venues.

Public programs at the Chicago Cultural Center are presented by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

World Music Central
http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/20051031201722551