Digitization Of Over 15,000 Rare Recordings Has Been Completed
In a mammoth effort to preserve century-old live music performances, Saptak has readied the firstever digitalized classical music library in the state. The library will be open to the public from January 2012. The library contains many hidden gems including the musical renditions of Lt Mongubai Kurdiker, an undiscovered music maestro and mother of renowned vocalist Kishori Amonkar. Her renditions are seldom available on the shelves of music shops.
With Saptak launching a digital music library Saptak Archives which has 50 hours recording of Mongubai’s performances – music lovers can now listen to her live performances – which took place decades ago. This is just one example from the 15,000 rare recordings of live unedited performances by iconic music maestros that Saptak Archives – the digital music library will house.
Praful Anubhai of Saptak, said, “The work of digitizing these rare recordings has been going on for the last 6 or 7 years. Another much needed feature we have tried to incorporate is the profiles of performers, details of ragas rendered, history of music lineage the artist belongs to and the details of the performance noting the names of accompanists, place and year. With a few clicks the listener can not only re-live a decades-old concert but is also aware of these vital details.
Classical music, which is timeless in its appeal, has indeed become timeless with the institute’s use of technology to preserve musical heritage. An interesting fact is that most of these recordings are directly done by Saptak institute or have been donated by disciples of music maestros to make them available to wider audiences. “Mongubai’s disciple Manjeshwar from Mumbai donated her private collection to the institute,” added Anubhai.
Photo exhibition Unveiled
On Friday, Saptak unveiled the Nandan Mehta Saptak Gallery housing a collection of 150 rare photos of 31 Saptak Music Festival concerts and 25 poster photos with inscriptions on the history of Saptak from its inception to the present day.
“With over 150 photos, the gallery becomes perhaps the first-of-its-kind visual ensemble dedicated to classical music in the country,” Praful Anubhai of Saptak. Picture of living legends like Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Ravi Shankar, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia and legends of the past like Ut Sultan Khan, Pt Bhimsen Joshi are displayed at the gallery.
