opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
written by
Agha Hasan Amanat
Agha Hasan Amanat ("آغا حسن "امانت, b. 1815, d. 1858) was an Urdu poet, writer and playwright of the nineteenth century from the Indian city of Lucknow. He was affiliated with the court of Wajid Ali Shah, the princely ruler of Awadh. ...
, and first staged in 1853. It is regarded as the first complete Urdu stage play ever written. The play was translated into
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
in the 1880s as a doctoral thesis at the University of Leipzig by
Friedrich Rosen
Friedrich Rosen or Fritz Rosen (Leipzig, August 30, 1856 – November 27, 1935, Beijing) was a German Orientalist, diplomat and politician. From May to October 1921 he was the Foreign Minister of Germany.
Background
Friedrich Rosen's grand ...
, and published to positive critical reception in 1892.Friedrich Rosen. "Die Indarsabhā des Amānat : neuindisches Singspiel in lithographischem Originaltext." Leipzig: Brockhaus Verlag, 1892. A film, ''Indrasabha'', based on the play was released by Madan Theatre in 1932.
The play
The opera is set in the celestial court of
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
, the king of the gods (devas) in
Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and ...
. The play is written entirely in verse, and the central theme is a romance between a prince and a fairy. Operatic devices such as fireworks and masks are employed in enacting the play. Although the play was initially intended to be performed in royal court, songs from the play influenced the ''geet'' tradition in Urdu and quickly transitioned into popular culture, where "''for at least two generations after that, actors and musicians of Oudh sang the songs of Inder Sabha''." The play included "''31
ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
s, 9
thumri
Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dr ...
of gaya and
Benares gharana
Benares gharānā (Hindi: बनारस घराना) is one of the six most common styles of playing of the Indian tabla.
History
The Benares tabla gharana was developed a little over 200 years ago by Pandit Ram Sahai (1780–1826). At ...
, 4 holis, 15 songs and two
chaubola Chaubola ( Hindustani: चौबोला or چوبولا) is a quatrain meter in the poetry of North India and Pakistan, often employed in folk songs.
Example
In one sequence in the Urdu opera '' Inder Sabha'', Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इ ...
s and five
chhand
''Chhand'' ( pa, ਛੰਦ , ur, چھند, hi, छंद) is a quatrain used in the poetic traditions of North India and Pakistan.
Chhands in culture
In the culture of the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, it is customary for ''chha ...
s with enough scope for dances as well''."
The play is considered a seminal work that directly influenced several important nineteenth and early-twentieth century Urdu plays that followed it, including Khadim Husain Afsos's ''Bazm-e-Suleman'' (1862), Bahiron Singh Asmat's ''Jashn-e-Parastan'' and Taj Mahal Farrukh's ''Nigaristan-e-Farrukh'' (1911).
Commissioning
Although it is widely regarded as the first Urdu stage play, there is dispute on how the play came to be created. While some historians have contended that Agha Hasan Amanat was commissioned by Wajid Ali Shah to write it, others (such as Abdul Halim Sharar) have disputed this claim and asserted that it was written entirely independently by Amanat.
Adaptations
Manilal Joshi made, ''Indrasabha'', an Indian silent film based on the play in 1925. Another film ''Indrasabha'', released in 1932, was one of the earliest
sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...
s made in India, the very next year after ''
Alam Ara
''Alam Ara'' () is a 1931 Indian Hindustani-language historical fantasy film directed and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It revolves on a king and his two wives, Navbahaar and Dilbahaar, who are childless; soon, a ''fakir'' (Muhammad Wazir Khan) ...
'', which was the first Indian talkie. It featured over seventy songs and was 211 minutes long. The film was made by
Jamshedji Framji Madan
Jamshedji Framji Madan (27 April 1857, Bombay – 28 June 1923), professionally known as J. F. Madan, was an Indian theatre and film magnate who was one of the pioneers of film production in India, an early exhibitor, distributor and producer of ...
Jehanara Kajjan
Jahanara Kajjan (15 February 1915 – December 1945), or "Miss Kajjan", was an Indian singer and actress active during the 1920s and 1930s, often referred to as the "Nightingale of Bengal".Orsini 2006: 272
The reigning queen of early talkie ...
among others. ''Indrasabha'' holds the world record for the most songs (72) in any
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...
ever made. A. Narayanan, R. S. Prakash followed Madan's
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
film adaptation with ''Indrasabha'' (1936), another sound film this time in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...