Rabindra Sangget: A Tradition of History in Music by R. K. Chakravarty

Rabindra Sangeet ; pronounced [robindɾo ʃoŋɡit]), also known as Tagore Songs, are songs from the Indian subcontinent written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Indian and also the first non-European to receive such recognition. Tagore was a prolific composer with approximately 2,232 songs to his credit. The songs have distinctive characteristics in the music of Bengal, popular in India and Bangladesh. Dance accompanied by Rabindra Sangeet, at Science City auditorium in Kolkata. It is characterised by its distinctive rendition while singing which, includes a significant amount of ornamentation like meend, murki, etc. and is filled with expressions of romanticism. The music is mostly based on Hindustani classical music, Carnatic music, Western tunes and the traditional folk music of Bengal and inherently possess within them, a perfect balance, an endearing economy of poetry and musicality.[peacock prose] Lyrics and music both hold almost equal importance in Rabindra Sangeet. Tagore created some six new taals, inspired by Carnatic talas, because he felt the traditional taals existing at the time could not do justice and were coming in the way of the seamless narrative of the lyrics. The Rabindrasangeet contains various sections or 'parjay' such as 'prem', 'prakriti', 'bhanusingher podaboli', etc. The Bhanushingher Podaboli songs are based on his own life experiences and happenstance.