Maulabux

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Excerpted from Eriko Kobayahsie's dissertation Hindustani Classical Music Reform Movement and the writing of History 1900's to 1940's

[1]

Local history at the university of Baroda states that the late 19th century reformer Maula Bux avoided “inferior compositions” and chose to use poetries of Kabir, Sur Das, Mira Bai, Narsingh Mehta, and Prem Anand( Thakkar 1992:18). They were all poets of the bhakti movement, or Hindu devotionalism that swept medieval India (These poets’ lives are variously dated from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century). Apparently, their poems are religious and devotional in content, and Maula Baksh set their poems to music with the intention of using them to teach classical music to the general public. Historical narrative passed on at the Faculty of Performing Arts of the University of Baroda ( i.e., the successor of Maula Baksh’s school) follows the general pattern of reformist discourses.

“The Late Prof. Maula Bux, (who) was a Dhrupad singer and (most) probably influenced by the religious texts of Dhrupad-Dhamar ( compositions), must not have approved the erotic Khyal songs for the students of his School. He (set) to musical compositions a number of devotional songs and solved in his own way the problem of (compositions). This was a step in the right direction to win over the public who (did) not approve their songs singing songs of unacceptable sentiments (M.S. University of Baroda, Faculty of Performing Arts 1992. xx). Maula Baksh’s contemporary and rival, Faiz Mohamed Khan, similarly set polite and literary texts to music when he was appointed to lead a music school under Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwar’s patronage. A scholar attached to the Baroda Court selected verses for him from famous works of Sanskrit and Marathi literature(Rosse 1995: 133). * Thus students at the music schools in Baroda learnt classical music through non-erotic, literary and devotional, somber and religious lyrics.

  • Though Baroda is located in the Gujrati-speaking area, the Maharaja’s family hails from Maharashtra and thus speaks Marathi. Court documents are therefore written in Marathis and not Gujarati. Also, the city had a significant size of Marathi speaking population. These must be the reasons why the court scholar chose verses from Marathis literature, instead of Gujarati literature.