Tagore: A Renaissance Man
When we think of a Renaissance Man, our minds probably go to great Western thinkers and multi-talented geniuses like Leonardo Da Vinci. But did you know the writer and composer of the Indian National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, was a revolutionary Renaissance Man as well?
That’s right! Rabindranath Tagore was a true Renaissance Man – he was a renowned novelist, playwright, poet, painter, director, educator, social reformer, and of course, musician.
Rabindranath Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature back in 1913 for his collection of poems titled, Gitanjali. He was both the first Indian & first non-European to receive this honor since Theodore Roosevelt. However, that wasn’t the only field he excelled in. Though Tagore is known for his poetry and other works of literature, musicians of India know him for his great contribution to music, known today as Rabindra Sangeet.
Rabindra Sangeet can be most closely compared to the thumri, a sub-genre of Hindustani classical music whose flexibility and fluidity contrasts greatly with that of the traditional khayal style of singing. Just like with thumris, compositions in Rabindra Sangeet use ornamentations like meend (vocal slides) & murkis (a soft, but rapid movement between various notes) to add to its beauty and expression of emotion.
Tagore felt that the existing rhythms of Hindustani music were not able to do justice to what he wanted to express in his writings. As a result, he created six new talas, or rhythms, in which he composed many of his approximately 2200 songs that he wrote in his lifetime. In these songs, he drew inspiration from not only Hindustani music, but Carnatic music, Western music, and also Bengali folk music to lend melodies to poetry that spoke about humanity, emotions, introspection, romance, nature, and so much more.
Example:
Aaj dhaner khete roudro chhayay luko churi khaela re bhai, lukochuri khaela |
Neel akashe keh bhashaleh shada megher bhaela re bhai, lukochuri khaela ||
Translation:
Sun and shadow play a game of hide and seek in the paddy fields.
Who set sail the white rafts of clouds in the blue sky?
His book Gitabitan has all 2233 of his songs, split into 6 sections: Puja (worship), Prem (love), Prakriti (seasons), Swadesh (patriotism), Aanushthanik (occasion-specific), Bichitro (miscellaneous) and Nrityonatya (dance dramas and lyrical plays).
Tagore is credited for writing two national anthems: Jan Gan Man of India and Amar Shonar Bangla of Bangladesh.
Tagore inspired greats like the sitar maestro Vilayat Khansaab, and the great philosopher Swami Vivekananda, who brought Vedic philosophy to the West. Vivekananda has even composed a piece in the style of Rabindra Sangeet, named Gaganer Thale in Raga Jaijaivanti.
