"Women on Record" is a celebration of and a tribute to women who sang in the Gramophone Record era. In this project CMAC will create a production that combines different art practices including video/film, photography, music, theatre and dance with the idea of recreating an environment and mood of the gramophone era. The production will include a strong visual element to enhance the significance of this world of music rather than merely providing an abstract background to this project, for instance only through the vocal recital. The idea of reviving interest in the immense contributions made by these artists in the late 19th and early 20th century lends itself to immense visual possibilities given that their lives were about music, theatre, film and overall entertainment.
This project focuses on the lesser known community of musicians and performers, the “Gaanewali”, loosely translated as the “singing ladies” many of whom became celebrities during their time with the advent of the technological wonder – the 78rpm gramophone record. Women in this time have made a significant contribution to Hindustani music, and literature, especially Urdu prose and poetry, and later by their involvement in theatre and film. They have had a profound influence on subsequent music. Finishing a ghazal or a khayal in less than three minutes while still leaving time to announce one’s name was no easy job; the best musicians lost their nerve when they had to do it! Look for the first event - a series of radio programs for World Space Radio to be aired through December 08 and January 09.
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