Anup Bhattacharya: Rich vocal experience

Anup Bhattacharya needs no introduction to lovers of Bangla songs. Beginning as an exceptional singer of Rabindra Sangeet in the early '60s, he expanded his ambit voicing the songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam, Lalon Shah, Radharaman, Atulprasad Sen, Rajanikanta Sen, and Ramprasad. Radharaman's “Bhromor koiyo gia” got a firm footing in Bangladesh's musical arena after Anup sang it in his earlier album containing songs of the traditional Baul singers. Thus, swimming across all of the major streams in the world of our music, he realised that melody and clarity in the throwing of textual contents are the essential elements that make a Bangla song appealing to the audience. With this rich vocal experience from traditional songs, bolstered with the practice of classical music, Anup lastly appeared as an immensely talented composer and music director for modern songs and modernistic Baul songs. 

His composition is characterised by a blending of modernity with traditional elements of music, especially of the Kirtan Gharana. The famous English poet T.S. Eliot opined in his “Tradition and individualism” that newness in art and literature is like the development of limbs or branches in a living being essentially based on their original structures. Both Rabindranath Tagore and Budhhadev Basu held the same belief. Anup's musical pursuit is a bright example of this truth. 

He has used many prominent singers to present the songs with his music composition. The first two pieces that heralded his brilliance as a music composer and director are: "Shuk pakhi re pinjira tur khule dilem aj” in the voice of Mitali Mukherjee and “Boishakhi megher kachhe jol cheye tumi kandbe ami chai na” sung by Mohammad Rafiqul Alam. The lyrics of the former song are written by Mohammad Rafiquzzaman and that of the latter by Abul Hayat Mohammad Kamal. Those who are aware must admit that it's only his own tonality that can adhere to the full details of his creation as a composer. Others' voices seemed not to reproduce the full essence of his art.    

With the above realisation, three albums titled “Ek Janala Akash”, “Rhidoy Namok Jontrona”, and “Aamar Harano Din” have been produced recently where Anup himself is the singer. Recording was done in India, with instrumental support led by Durbadal Chatterjee that conform to a marvelous synchronisation with the textual contents.

Another aspect that adds brilliance to the songs is the use of lyrics enriched with figurative (poetic) expressions and rhetoric ranging from alliteration and allegory to symbols and imageries. The songs in “Ek Janala Akash” and “Rhidoy Namok Jontrona” have been written by Mohammad Rafiquzzaman alone, the best lyricist of our time. Albeit dominated by Mohammad Rafiquzzaman, the third album “Aamar Harano Din” uses the lyrics of others too. They are: Abu Zafar, Ridwanul Haq, Abul Hayat Mohammad Kamal, Anwarul Abedin, Abid Anwar, and Ferdous Hossain Bhuiya. 

In the fourth album “Moromia”, Anup chose Shabnam Abedi, a young lady now studying in the United States, as the singer. Charmed at her excellent tonality, both Anup Bhattacharya and Mohammad Rafiquzzaman rate her as one of the best singers Bangladesh has seen in recent years. She is well-known and recognised with many prestigious awards in North America as the best singer in that region. She is also well known in India. The lyrics for her album have been written by Mohammad Rafiquzzaman, Abu Zafar, Zahidul Huq, Abid Anwar, Shahedur Rahman, and Ferdous Hossain Bhuiya. 

Laser Vision Ltd is the distributor of all the four albums. If exposed to these songs, the audience will undoubtedly rediscover Anup Bhattacharya both as a singer and music composer in the first three albums and will newly discover an exceptional vocalist--Shabnam Abedi--in the fourth one to conclude that the contents in the four albums are rare additions to the world of our Bangla songs.