Raga CDs of the Months (01/08): JALTARANG – Waves of Sound

Raga CDs of the Months

JALTARANG – Waves of Sound

JalTarang is the name of an antique, Indian instrument. JALTARANG is Hindi and means “waves in the water” (literate forms: Jal Tarang, JalTarang, Jal tarang or Jal Yantra).

date of broadcasting on New Years Day: 1st January 2008 – 09:00 p.m. (METZ)
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The JalTarang had been developed from percussion instruments like Gongs and Gamelans, those played in Java, in Myanmar (earlier Burma) and on Bali. JalTarang dips for the first time in the Middle Ages (17th century) as a term in the Sangeet Parij(a)at, a scientific research work about Indian music written by Ahobal.

The JALTARANG is a percussion instrument, which belongs to the group of the “self sounder“, so called idiophones. The spectrum of this instrument type reaches from the muzzle drum, clip ring to the Chinese bell play.

The Indian JalTarang uses sound bowls for it’s periodic resonance. Depending upon the level of the instrumentalist an ensemble of 15 to maximum 22 bowls is used being made of China porcelain.

The sound is produced by slim sticks made of bamboo hitten on the bowl’s edge shifting the porcelain body in oscillations. Different sizes of bowls are used and filled with water for the accurate tuning of the single tones.

Milind Tulankar on the JalTarang | Dr. Ragnin Trivedi (JalTarang workshop)

Nowadays the JalTarang is played very rarely in India. It almost became extinct. Although it’s elegantly, easily sound is of large popularity amongst the audience. Outstanding Jaltarang players are Seethalakshmi, in India simply known as Seetha (Doraiswamy), Dr. Ragini Trivedi and the Indian maestro Milind Tulankar.