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PANDIT RADHAVALLABH CHATURVEDI

Pandit Radha Vallabh Chaturvedi’s work & contribution in the field of classical as well as folk music is still relevant despite his death in 1974. His contribution still applauded equally by music lovers students of music even today.

Pt. Radha Vallabh Chaturvedi

Date of Birth – 12th January, 1917

Place of Birth – Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh

Date of Death – 10th June, 1974

Place of Death – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Pt. Radha Vallabh Chaturvedi was a singer & music composer of great reputation. He completed his Sangeet Visharad in 1940 from Bhatkhande Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Lucknow.

He joined All India Radio, Lucknow as a music composer in 1942 and served till 1974.

Through his path breaking work in All India Radio, Lucknow he achieved immense success & popularity.

He collected folk songs from interiors of rural Uttar Pradesh. He is credited to have collected about 5000 rare folk songs and made notations for preserving then for the future generations.

Considering the cruel fact that due to the absence of notations, many Indian Languages have lost their treasure of folk songs over the years, Pt. Radha Vallabh Chaturvedi because the savior of folk music of UTTAR PRADESH.

Apart from being a singer of great repute Radhavallabh jiwas also an impromptu composer. Such was his expertise on the art of listening a song & immediately preparing it's notation. This quality came handy when he travelled in the interiors of rural areas. Going door to door, listening & collecting rare original folk songs sung by villagers, of all age groups, cast ,creed, sex & religion. Thus, he collected a true Khazana of LokSangeet from farmers working in the fields to Alha & Birha in chaupal. From Kahra dance & song to Nirgun & Bhajan. You name it and he had it in his collection; different folk songs sung on various occasions & rituals be it marriage, child birth, annaprashan etc. He captured an amalgamation of moods and languages of rural life including Awadhi, Brijbhasha, Bhojpuri and Bundeli etc. Such is his immense contribution in preservation of folk songs that he became a saviour & a bridge between the past & future generations of music lovers that people still remember him for this research. He devoted himself selflessly, never cared about the money or the finances involved, means, time & the suffering he had to face. He had this junoonof preserving the Indian music. In this quest he not only preserved the traditional Indian music but also chiselled rural singers & trained them for auditions & gave the less fortunatesan opportunity to showcase their talent in front of a mass audience platform.

Besides he had written a very illuminating book titled 'OONCHI ATARIA RANGBHARI' (published by U.P. Sangeet Natak Academy in 1977) incorporating a number of songs in choicest tunes of Braj, Avadh, Bhojpur & Bundelkhand.

He also wrote a book titled 'Saa Re Ga ma'- an introduction of classical music incorporating details of Sangeet Shastra and specialty of Indian classical instruments in a very simple way. U.P. Govt. also approved it for the syllabus of Intermediate classes in 1952.

Both the books have been republished by the Sangeet Natak Akademi New Delhi.