Bangladeshi Folk Tune: An Anthology of Bangladeshi Folk Music in Standard Notation is a musical anthology that compiles 204 carefully selected Bangladeshi folk songs dating back to the 16th century. Iftekhar Anwar led a team that compiled and edited the songs. The team presented the songs in staff notation with an international audience in mind. The Alliance Française of Dhaka distributed the anthology as part of its 65 years of cultural cooperation between Bangladesh and France.

The dream began in 2004. Iftekhar was an undergraduate music student at Arizona State University in the United States. He had two desires: first, how could he spread Western classical music in Bangladesh? Second, how was he able to spread Bangladeshi ethnic music to an international audience?

Iftekhar returned to Bangladesh in 2009. The following year, he established the Dhaka Academy of Classical Music. Over time, his second desire grew stronger. The scene for Bangladeshi folk melody The action took place in 2014. However, the journey required epic teamwork to compile an anthology for an international audience.

The anthology begins with testimonials, a preface, an introduction, acknowledgments and a pronunciation guide. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to different schools of Bangladeshi folk music, instruments and stylistic conventions. The section on instruments describes folk instruments well enough that a person from another culture could identify which of their instruments could replace them. For example, the dotara could replace an oud in Arabia. Chapters 2 through 7 feature regionally based folk songs. Chapter 8 includes a popular song whose origin and creator could not be confirmed. However, local sources admitted him to Harashnath Ganguly. At the end there are Bengali lyrics, a glossary and a bibliography. Some parts are presented in Bengali, while others in English and French.

For the writer, the first hurdle was to identify the genres of folk music in Bangladesh. The team used the demarcation that AKM Shahnawaz and Masud Imran identified based on ancient localities in their territory. Manchitre Banglar Itihas (first published in 2011).

The second obstacle was the oral tradition through which tunes and melodies were passed down from generation to generation. Over time and space, pronunciations and dialects, word choice, lyrics and melodies have changed, so it was very difficult to verify the authenticity of many folk songs today. To meet this challenge, the editorial staff chose popular songs whose tunes and melodies have become canonical over time.

Based on the above, the anthology includes songs from giants like Fakir Lalon Shah, Hason Raja, Jasimuddin, Abdul Latif, Sheikh Bhanu and Hemanga Biswas. The anthology also includes songs from little giants. This made the anthology broad in its perspective.

The third obstacle was identifying a reference melody. Where possible, the team relied on official records. This included recordings by Abbasuddin Ahmed, Sachin Dev Burman, Abdul Alim, Amar Paul, Hemanga Biswas, Nirmalendu Chowdhury, Farida Parveen, Rathindranath Roy, Chandana Majumder, Kiran Chandra Roy, Momtaz Begum, Nina Hamid, Sayeem Rana, Shamarin Dewan and others. . In other cases, the team visited different shrines and places where popular tunes have been preserved over generations.

The fourth obstacle was presenting the songs to an international audience. Standard staff notation can express notes, pitch, and tempo. It can also tell the reader how to interpret a melody. Bangladeshi folk songs evolve around four (or five) popular taals. These taals, presented in the form of time signatures, were: 3/4 (Dadra, Jhumur), 4/4 (Kaharba), 5/4 (Jhaptal) and 7/4 (Teora). Tempo (loy) was presented via BMP (beats per minute) or via Prestissimo (fast tempo).

The second obstacle was the oral tradition through which tunes and melodies were passed down from generation to generation. Over time and space, pronunciations and dialects, word choice, lyrics and melodies have changed, so it was very difficult to verify the authenticity of many folk songs today.

The next hurdle was determining the notes and their duration in each measure. It took time. The team listened repeatedly to identify the correct notes and their durations within each measure in reference to the chosen signature melody.

Span ratings were presented on a single layer. They are suitable for vocals and instruments that emphasize single notes like that of a bansuri. For stringed (guitar) and reed (piano) instruments, additional layers can be added by musicians.

Where possible, each staff notation presentation included the name of the composer and/or lyricist, with their birth and death years, and which region of Bangladesh they hail from. The team also mentioned the source of the recordings with a brief description of each song.

The next challenge was the language. The team used the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The IPA broke down each word, syllable by syllable, to bring out the nuances of the language. This was synced with the notes.

The final question: How could the team be sure that non-Bangla speakers would be able to pronounce Bangla with relative accuracy? A group of musicians from Columbia University performed two songs in vocal and instrumental orchestration. Their performance gave the team confidence that a non-Bangla speaking audience can pronounce and perform Bangla folk tunes using the anthology.

The presentation of Bangladeshi folk songs in staff notation is not unique. Khandaker Nurul Alam traveled to what was then West Pakistan to learn notation music and compiled some folk songs in staff notation. However, they lacked academic depth. The notation was not suitable for orchestration performance. It’s here Bangladeshi folk melody stands out.

For the first time, Bangladeshi folk melody presents an anthology of Bangladeshi folk music in standard notation with IPA. It will now be possible for people who do not speak Bangla to sing the lyrics and play with instruments in orchestration. It can be an academic exercise, as well as a journey into a rich cultural heritage. The anthology is also a starting point for others interested in bringing Bangladeshi folk tunes to a global audience.

The book’s author, Iftekhar Anwar, is the founder and director of the Dhaka Academy of Classical Music; the academy has its chamber orchestra.

Asrar Chowdhury is a professor of economics at Jahangirnagar University. He is passionate about music and a freelance contributor to the Daily Star. Email: (email protected).