Category: Indian

Bismillah & Party of Benares
HMV N. 14560 OMD 3681
Shehanai solo
Thumri

This beautiful classical raga by Talim Hossein features the meditative drone of a shehnai with a sruti box drone (inaccurately referred to at the time of issue as “Indian Bagpipes”) with drums. The title “Bhairobi Thoomri” includes the raga name (Bharavi) and type of song (thumri).

Released as HMV P. 64 (Mx 17756) in 1916.

“In late 1915, the best selling titles in Indian repertoire of The Gramophone Co., Ltd., were issued with the His Master’s Voice (HMV) label, including the words and picture. The HMV label introduced a new double-face number series that began with P-1 for 10″ discs. With the first release of the P-series of January 1916, were some one thousand three hundred double-sided discs that had been previously issued.”
from “Reading Indian Record Labels” by Michael S. Kinnear

This song from the soundtrack of the Hindi film Anarkali (1953) is a duet written by C Ramachandra and sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar.

Anarkali is the tragic story of star-crossed lovers Prince Salim and court dancer Anarkali, who fall in love but are forbidden to marry by the Prince’s father, the Emperor.

Released as The Twin FT. 17504 in 1953.

Wonderful Indian harmonium playing by Govindrao Tembe on British label “The Twin” circa 1930.

Twin F.T. 2283
Matrix BD 8268

Wonderful harmonium playing by Govindrao Tembe on British label produced in Calcutta circa 1930.

The Twin F.T. 2283
Matrix BD 8265