Lalmani Misra

Lalmani Misra (August 11, 1924 – July 17, 1979) was an Indian musician, musicologist, and innovator in Hindustani classical music. Misra studied musicology and played the sitar and the vichitra veena. Misra contributed to the preservation and development of Indian classical music. He innovated Vichitra veena playing techniques and developed new systems for musical notation.

Early career

Lalmani Misra received training in Dhrupad and Dhamar under Shankar Bhatt and Munshi Bhrigunath Lal. He also studied Khayal singing with Ustad Mehndi Hussain Khan, a disciple of Ustad Vazir Khan of the Rampur Seni Gharana. In addition to these vocal styles, Misra trained in various instruments, including the sitar under Shri Shukdev Roy and the tabla under Swami Pramodanand.

At the age of twelve, Misra was appointed as the assistant music director at Shehanshahi Recording Company in Calcutta. He worked on several films during the next two years, which led him to develop an interest in orchestration due to his interactions with cast and film crew members.

Adult career

Misra returned to Kanpur in 1940 after his father's death. In Kanpur, he led educational initiatives to teach music to children. He opened several "Bal Sangeet Vidyalaya" – music schools for children. He established the institution "Bharatiya Sangeet Parishad," and a music college known as "Gandhi Sangeet Mahavidyalaya." He also modified syllabi on an individual student basis, in both academic and informal situations. Around this time, he also started an orchestra society.

Creating Raga-s

Dr. Pushpa Basu documented the following Raga-s in her book:

1. Madhu Bhairava: Hexatonic Raga of Bhairava Ang performed in early morning
2. Shyam Bihag: Penta-heptatonic Raga of Kalyan Thaat and Ang, performed in late evening
3. Madhukali: Penta-heptatonic Raga blending Madhuvanti, Multani and Ramkali, played in early evening
4. Sameshwari: Penta-heptatonic Raga blending Rageshri and Kalavati, played in early evening
5. Baleshwari: Hexa-hexatonic Raga blending Bageshwari and Bilaskhani Todi, played before noon
6. Jog Todi: Hexa-heptatonic Raga blending Jog and Todi, played any time due its light nature
7. Anand Bhairavai: Revived through research. Kind of Bhairavi called Madhyam-Pradhan (subdominant centric), which shuns Rishabh (supertonic)

Sources and links

1. Nada Rupa, Sharma, Dr. (Miss) Premlata, Ed. College of Fine Arts, B.H.U., Varanasi: 1961. Special Issue with Supplement, Vol I, No. 1, January 1961
2. Sangeetendu Pandit Lalmani Ji Misra: Ek Pratibhavan Sangeetagya, Tewari, Laxmi Ganesh. Swar Sadhana, California, 1996.
3. Shruti Aur Smriti: Mahan Sangeetagya Pandit Lalmani Misra, Chourasiya, Omprakash, Ed. Madhukali Prakashan, Bhopal, August 1999.
4. Sangeetendu Acharya Lalmani Misra. Vidushi Premlata Sharma
5. Ethnomusicologist Dr. Laxmi Ganesh Tewari
6. Sindura on Vichitra Veena, a short movie clip on Online Music Education
7. Celestial Music of Pandit Lalmani Misra. DVD. Santa Rosa, California: Svar Sadhana, 2007.
8. Raga-Rupanjali. Ratna Publications: Varanasi. 2007. A collection of Compositions of Sangeetendu Dr. Lalmani Misra by Dr. Pushpa Basu.
9. Raga Vibodh: Misrabani. Dr. Ragini Trivedi. Hindi Madhyam Karyanvaya Nideshalaya: Delhi. 2010.
10. Sitar Compositions in Ome Swarlipi. Dr. Ragini Trivedi. 2010.
11. Links to musical pieces
12. Madhukali – Organization in memory of Sangeetendu Dr. Lalmani Misra