Jait
Michael Robinson
About this work:
Jait (pronounced Jet) is a lesser known evening raga, composed of swaras similar to Bhoop, with the dramatic exception of komal rishab which creates an entirely different sound canvas. One day it had flashed through my mind to write a piece with three parts representing the Cosmological Trinity of Hindu Polytheism: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, portrayed by kawala, trumpet and harpsichord. The Cosmological Trinity may also be expressed as the Three Fundamental Qualities: rajas, sattva and tamas, or circular movement, cohesion and disintegration. (By chance, this recording turns out to be replete with groups of three, including three compositions and cover art made from three colors.) Around the time this idea came to me, I had been mesmerized by Hariprasad Chaurasia's recording of Jait, which seemed a perfect raga to realize my conception. (Both Patdeep and Megh were inspired by Nikhil Banerjee recordings.) At several places during the harpsichord music, I spontaneously included groups of three eleven-swara phrases, which are repeated faster and faster. This represents my birthday, March 11.
Year composed: 2000
Duration: 00:21:25
Ensemble type: Electronic Instruments and Sound Sources:Live Electronic Sound Sources
Instrumentation: ,1 Turntable(s) soloist(s), ,1 Sampler (Keyboard/Other) soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: A computer and sound module are programmed to perform the fully notated composition in real time. Jait is voiced with samples of the following acoustical timbres using Indian tunings: kawala, trumpet, harpsichord, tabla, dholak, dhol and two tanpuras.