''Sangeet Natak'' in

Marathi language Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state o ...

literally means Musical Drama. As the name suggests, this form of

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

combines

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the fo ...

as well as

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...

in form of

songs A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

to convey the

story Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

. In a manner, they are very much similar to

Musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

. ''Sangeet Natakas'' played a vital role in the development of Marathi theater and thus the

Marathi cinema Marathi cinema is an Indian film industry of Marathi-language motion pictures. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Based in old Mumbai, it is the oldest film industry of Indian cinema. The first Marathi film to be released in India was ...

as well as

Indian film industry The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

. Sangeet Natak start with praise of Lord Natraja which is called as ''Naandi'' or ''Mangalaacharan'' or ''Suchakpad'' usually the famous one "Panchatunda Nararundamaldhar" from ''Sangeet Shakuntal''. They are popular for use of

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

. The "Dramatic Music" is called Natya Sangeet, one of the two popular forms of vocal arts in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

and surrounding states. The other is Bhavageet.

History

The beginning

Vishnudas Bhave is considered the founder of Marathi theater. In 1843, his group staged the first public performance of Marathi play ''Seeta Swayamvar'' (सीता स्वयं‍वर). The integration of music in the dramas took place quite late in 1879 when play writer and producer Trilokekar presented his musical play Nal-Damayanti (नल-दमयंती). It was the first musical play on Marathi stage. But only when Balwant Pandurang Kirloskar (popularly known as Annasaheb Kirloskar) staged his first musical play ''Shaakuntal'', based on Kalidas's play

Abhijñānaśākuntalam ''Abhijnanashakuntalam'' (Devanagari: अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तलम्, IAST: ''Abhijñānaśākuntalam''), also known as ''Shakuntala'', ''The Recognition of Shakuntala'', ''The Sign of Shakuntala'', and many other variant ...

, on October 31, 1880 in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

did the trend of Sangeet Natak really start. Kirloskar included 209 musical pieces in his ''Shaakuntal'' of 7 acts. They consisted of a mix of Hindustani and

Carnatic classical music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is o ...

, and lighter music. During its early period, Sangeet natak was dominated by religious plays like ''Sangeet Saubhdra'', which is legend in Marathi sangeet natak. The trend changed with coming of sangeet Manapman, which depicts bravery of its hero Dheryadhar and his love with Bhamini which was written by

Krushnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar Krushnaji Prabhakar Khadilkar (Devanagari: कृष्णाजी प्रभाकर खाडिलकर) (25 November 1872 – 26 August 1948) was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India. George calls him "a prominent lieutenant of Lok ...

Golden age

The new trend of ''Sangeet Natakas'' caught up with the popularity quite quickly. With

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

then existing in India, ''Sangeet Natakas'' were compared with the

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s and thus local Marathi Indians found synonymous recreation. In the blooming times, Sangeet Natakas were mainly based on mythological stories of

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

which would hence easily connect with the masses. They did not cover the complete epics but were limited to only small stories in them. With popularity & success, experimentation started on stage with abandoning mythological themes and bringing social issues to audiences. ''

Sangeet Sharada ''Sangeet Sharada'' is an 1899 Marathi Sangeet Natak (Musical play), written and directed by playwright Govind Ballal Deval. The play is considered as the first play in Marathi to showcase the social problems and broke the norms by dealing with ...

'', for example, by portraying the feelings of a teenage girl to be married to a widower in his late seventies, brought out a social message. Few dramas, like '' Kichak Vadh'', even agitated the British rulers to the extent that they were banned. ''Kichak Vadh'' compared the Britishers with ''Kichak'', an evil character from ''Mahabharata'' who tried to dishonour ''

Draupadi Draupadi ( sa, द्रौपदी, draupadī, Daughter of Drupada), also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yagyaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata,'' and the common consort of the five Pandava brothe ...

''. ''Draupadi'' was then synonymous with the oppressed common Indian masses. During the 1960s, another turn came in natya sangeet with the emergence of

Jitendra Abhisheki Ganesh Balawant Nawathe, better known as Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki (21 September 1929 – 7 November 1998), was an Indian vocalist, composer and scholar of Indian classical, semi-classical, and devotional music. While he distinguished himself i ...

, who was credited with applying simplicity to the complex composition of Natya Sangeet.

Plays

The recent play Katyar Kaljat Ghusli by Zee studios opened up a new era of musical cinemas. This movie was based on the legendary play bearing the same name. Its music was composed by Jitendra Abhisekhi and sung by Vasantrao Deshpande.

Notable contributions

* Annasaheb Kirloskar who founded the Sangeet Natakas also offered other famous plays like ''Sangeet Saubhadra'' and ''Ramrajyaviyog''. Bal Gandharva's ''Gandharva Natak Mandali''; Vasudeorao Dongre's ''Dongre Mandali''; Pandoba Gurav Yavateshwarkar's ''Waikar Sangeet Mandali''; Janubhau Nimkar and Keshavrao Bhosale's ''Swadesh-Hita-Chintak Mandali'', which evolved into ''Lalit-Kaladarsha Mandali''; and Master Dinanath's ''Balwant Natak Mandali'' were the other main performing companies which were formed in Maharashtra. * Jaymala Shiledar (1926-2013) - Jaymala, her husband

Jayaram Shiledar Jayaram Shiledar (1915–1992) was an actor and singer in Marathi films and on Marathi musical stage. Early life and family Jayaram Shildar was born in 1915 in the city of Belgaum, in the present day Indian state of Karnataka. He had three daughte ...

and daughters, Kirti and Lata kept Sangeet natak alive during the lean period of 1960s to 1990s. They staged 25 new musicals, including 'Ekhadyacha Nashib', Mumbaichi Manasa', 'Anantphandi', and Abhogi through their company, Marathi Rangabhoomi. She was a protege of Bal Gandharva.

Natya Sangeet Maestro

Bal Gandharva Narayan Shripad Rajhans, popularly known as Bal Gandharva, (26 June 1888 – 15 July 1967) was a famous Marathi singer and a stage actor. He was known for his roles in female characters in Marathi plays, since women were not allowed to act on ...

Keshavrao Bhosale Keshavrao Sonawane (1925–2006) was an Indian politician, who served four terms in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, and was a Co-operative minister in Yashwantrao Chavan's cabinet and later Vasantrao Naik's cabinet during 1962–1967. He ...

Deenanath Mangeshkar Deenanath Mangeshkar (; 29 December 1900 – 24 April 1942) was a well-known Marathi theatre actor, a Natya Sangeet musician and a Hindustani classical vocalist. He is also the father of well-known singers Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Meena Kh ...

* Master Krishnarao * Pandit Ram Marathe * Saudagar Nagnath Gore * Prasad Sawkar *

Bhalchandra Pendharkar Bhalchandra Pendharkar (25 November 1921 – 11 August 2015) was a Marathi stage actor, singer and drama producer. Career Bhalchandra Pendharkar was affectionately known as Anna and gained immense popularity through his play Duritanche Timir Ja ...

* Ramdas Kamat *

Vasantrao Deshpande Vasantrao Deshpande (2 May 1920 – 30 July 1983) was a Hindustani classical vocalist renowned for his contribution to Natya Sangeet (musical dramas). Early life Vasantrao Deshpande was born into a Deshastha Brahmin family in Murtizapur, Akol ...

* Jaymala Shiledar *

Jyotsna Bhole Jyotsna Keshav Bhole also known as Jyotsnabai Bhole ( mr, ज्योत्स्ना केशव भोळे) (11 May 1914 – 5 August 2001), was a veteran Marathi stage artist and a Hindustani classical singer. Along with Padmabai ...

Manik Varma Manik Varma (16 May 1926 – 10 November 1996) was an Indian classical singer from the Kirana and Agra gharanas (singing styles). Career Besides the pure classical khyal, she also sang semi-classical and light music like thumri, Marathi Nat ...

List of famous ''Sangeet Natak''s

To attract the audiences, many of the ''Sangeet Natak''s used to prefix the word ''Sangeet'' before their actual name. * ''Sita Swayamvar'' * ''Shaakuntal'' * ''Sangeet Saubhadra'' * ''Sangeet Maanaapmaan'' * ''Matsyagandha'' * ''Sanyastkhadga'' * '' Kichak Vadh'' * ''Ramrajyaviyog'' * ''Mruchhakatik (1889)'' * ''Sangeet Sanshaykallol'' * '' Katyar Kaljat Ghusli (1967)'' * ''Shapsambhram (1893)'' * ''

(1899)'' * ''Sangeet Swayamvar (1916)'' * ''

Ghashiram Kotwal '' Kotwal'' is a Marathi play written by playwright Vijay Tendulkar in 1972 as a response to the rise of a local political party, in Maharashtra. The play is a political satire, written as historical drama. It is based on the life of Nana Phadnav ...

'' * ''Devmaanus'' * ''He Bandha Reshmache'' * ''Moruchi Mavshi'' * ''Mandarmala'' * ''Geeta Gati Dnyaneshwar'' * ''Suwarnatula'' * ''Sangeet Vidyaharan'' * ''Ekach Pyaala'' * ''Bhavbandhan'' * ''Madanachi Manjiri'' * ''Punya Prabhav''

References

Reading list

* * Book in Marathi by Govindrao Tembe "माझा संगीत व्यासंग" (My Study of Music) 1939

External links

Kamat.com - Marathi Natya Sangeet
{{Hindustani Classical Music page end Theatre in India Musical theatre Marathi music Culture of Maharashtra Marathi theatre Hindustani music