English BAND enthralls audience

ENARADA, Mysore, Octber 10, 2013:

The famous Police Bands of Mysore, once an integral part of the Maharaja’s court, stands top in the country, and has been giving top most performances particularly during the famous Dasara festivities.

Over 1500 police personnel with their band troupes mesmerized the large crowed  in  the palace premises.

The police band programme was a regular feature of the dasara festivities and it was an eye catching event. The band programme commenced with Nadageethe which enthralled the crowd gathered in front of palace  last night.

People and tourists who come here to watch a resplendent palace with a million bulbs aglow besides to hear the famous police band, better known as Karnataka band. Home Minister K J George was the chief guest. District in-charge minister V.Srinivasa Prasad was also present on the occasion.

The Band renders music based on the compositions of Mysore Vasudevachar, Muthaiah Bhagavatar, Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshithar, Shyamashastri, Swati Tirunal, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa. They also play renditions by Hindustani stalwarts like Faiyaz Khan, Barkhat Ali Khan and Rafi Khan.

The Wadiyars has known for their province a bastion of music, learning and art. Many members of the royal family were themselves well-versed in Karnataka and Western music. As such, they felt the need to establish a regimental and courtly Band based on the patterns of the English.

In 1868, the then Maharaja of Mysore, Chamaraja Wadiyar, along with his visionary Dewans, constituted a 150-strong Palace Band meant exclusively for royal ceremonies. A Frenchman by name J.T. D’Fries headed the Band. Drawn from the very best music schools, the Palace orchestra was bifurcated into two units — English Band (Western music) and Karnataka orchestra (Karnataka classical music).

Directors of music and scholars were hired to bring out the innate talents of these musicians. The Palace Band underwent a subtle transformation of sorts when it was amalgamated into the Police Band during the 1950s. In 1958, they were brought under the offices of the Mounted Police Company of Karnataka.

Boasting an initial strength of nearly 150 musicians, the Bands were downsized and renamed as Karnataka Govt. Band (English) and Karnataka Govt. Orchestra (Karnataka). Then, they were put into serving the Police Department at all govt. functions in and out of Mysore.

Situated in one corner of Mounted Police head-quarters, the English Band seems like any other ordinary Police unit. Little would people guess that this is the same obscure Band that enthralls audience from across the world year after year during the grand Dasara. The English Police Band has to its credit a rich 140-year-old legacy of vibrant Western musical compositions. The present strength of the Band stands at 50-odd members though it can swell up to 352 musicians during the nine-day Dasara fiesta!

Recruitments are strictly based upon merit and a majority of the musicians here have cleared Trinity College of Music (London) exams with flying colours. Some are also adept at playing more than three instruments when the need arises. The English Band of Mysore is considered to be the State’s sole training centre for martial music wherein all budding District Police Bandsmen are fine-tuned to be become experts in their respective fields. Keeping pace with the changing times, they also play modern pop and contemporary compositions.

The Band possesses a sizeable number of clarinets, piccolos, flutes, oboes, bassoons, saxophones, trumpets, French horns, circle basses, tubas, euphoniums, trombones and a variety of drums. The Band also owns a magnificent collection of grand pianos (both Baby and Concert versions), violins, violas, cellos, double-bass strings, harps and bass-saxophones.

Housed in their ‘out-of-bounds’ museum are several other extremely rare instruments like the horn cello, the tubular-bells, a pair of Deagan organ pipes (also known as the tubular organ among the cognoscenti) accordions, glockenspiel and the xylophone.

Both the English and Karnataka Bands deck them-selves in two sorts of uniforms depending on the occasion and season. They have a green ceremonial dress worn while they play for visiting dignitaries and during Dasara. They also wear a white uniform during summer. Since both units have the same uniforms, the best way of distinguishing them would be based on their instruments!

The English Band has to its credit the honour of being a special invitee for the Republic Day parade in 2006. They regularly play for all important ceremonies at Vidhana Soudha. They are an integral part of all customary celebrations at the Mysore Palace. The English Band lends their good offices to the Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi when directed to do so. Some of the dynamic former Band Masters of this unit include musical geniuses like J.T D’Fries, M. Pereira, J.M Pereira, J. Francis Xavier, Felix M. Joseph and Arogyaswamy.

Some of the popular compositions played by the band include Colonel Bogey, Queen’s Colours, Where the cafe lights are gleaming, My regiment, Gladiators farewell, Amparito Roca, Sol a Seville, In the Persian market, Hoch Hiedeksberg!, May blossom, The sound of music, Sare jahan se acha, Sher-e-jawan and the Vienna Waltz. Alla Figaro, Sealed with a kiss, El-bimbo, every breath you take, Beethoven’s fifth and Mozart’s Symphony No.40 are some other all-time favorites.

The Karnataka Government Orchestra, popularly known as Karnataka Police Band, owes its birth to a visionary genius called Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Formed in 1918 as an indigenous unit specializing strictly in Indian classical music, the Karnataka Band has to its credit many notable Vidwats of national eminence wielding the Conductor’s baton. In 1951, both the Bands were placed under the Govt.’s pinion.

Apart from usual Indian style instruments, the Band also boasts of a few extremely rare Hindustani instruments like Sarangi, Navagot, Sitar, Dilruba, Issar, Balakokila and Sorabhat. Sadly, there is a dearth of musicians who are skilled in playing these instruments.

All musicians have passed their senior-grade music exams and are eligible to take up lectureship at govt. junior colleges. Many of the Band’s musicians are acclaimed TV artistes. They regularly appear on Door-darshan and AIR, Mysore.

‘In the early 20’s, a separate ‘Band House’ on Mirza Road was constructed to house the band and orchestra. Separate enclosures such as the Instruments’ room, music library and an exclusive concert hall apart from other rooms were part of this magnificent structure. This building is presently used as the office of the Commissioner of Police of Mysore city.