The Street Performance

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM4mSHnVGbA )

The Dancing Pair (Instrumental | Fusion Music)

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHapU3QmLTo )

Last year, I wrote some pieces for Kalpavigyan, a Bangla documentary on science fiction. Although it was not used in the documentary at the end, the Dancing Pair is one of those. So I thought that I would publish it independently. (I have plans to publish the other pieces too, but more on it later.) Since then, I have revisited it a few times, wanting it to sound somewhat orchestral without giving up the Indian feel. The task is actually quite challenging, given that I don't have access to any live instruments (or any real training, for that matter). With only a few tabla samples at hand, the entire piece is written in Garageband. Those who have some idea about midi music would know how difficult it is to get the sound of good orchestral strings. I was apprehensive about the sound without any professional gadget or editor, but I did what I could. I think it has turned out quite well; I am happy with the music. It flows at a medium pace with gentle tones, reminding me of a world far less crazy than ours. Illusion!

A few days back, when the piece was more or less ready, Kavita said that the patterns felt intertwined, just like the threads in a braid. She started thinking about the video. Then came Srishti with a beautiful drawing of two fishes. Kavita said that she would capture the 'intertwined-ness' with them. Srishti drew a few more fish and some water. And behold, we have our first animation! We are super happy. They surely deserve a pat for the artwork and the animation. It opens up a lot of possibilities for the future. Stay tuned.

I dedicate this piece to Maa, who should have been here to appreciate it.

- Subhadip

All rights reserved.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Credits
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Music Composed & Arranged by Subhadip Mitra
Video by Kavita Mitra

Artwork by Srishti Mitra

Thanks to Sandip Kar for his comments and suggestions. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

January 2021. Hyderabad. HoiChoi 

All rights reserved.

#theHoiChoi #theOriginalHoiChoi #HoiChoiAtYouTube #HoiChoiChannel #theHoiChoiChannel #হৈচৈ #होइचोइ #HoiChoiMusic #theHoiChoiStory #HoiChoiBlog #होईचोई #হইচই

The Thirsty Crow Song (Remembrance Edition)

                        ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17ElTfMMVx4 )

Looking back, 2017 brings a lot of fond memories. It was a happening year for us. Subhadip's family from Kolkata visited us in Hyderabad in March. And thus began "HoiChoi", our music channel. We made "The Thirsty Crow Song" (Blog page) to keep the kids (Shoumodip and Srishti) away from the TV and phones. 

Subhadip and his father kept the kids busy. They wrote the song and practised singing. But slowly, all other family members pitched in. Subhadip's mother, uncle, aunt and grandmother too! And me, of course. What a wonderful time we had!

But, happy times don't last long. This year, we lost Subhadip's mother. Never imagined this day would come so suddenly, so soon. 

Maa, we miss you.

(All rights reserved. Not to be copied/shared.)

- Kavita

#theHoiChoi #theOriginalHoiChoi #HoiChoiAtYouTube #HoiChoiChannel #theHoiChoiChannel #হৈচৈ #होइचोइ #HoiChoiMusic #theHoiChoiStory #HoiChoiBlog #होईचोई #হইচই

Medieval - A Musical Fantasy (Instrumental)

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EjbqzbUHX0 )

‘Medieval’ - the word brings images of extensive wars, brutality, famine, plague, superstitions, and difficult times to mind. But this piece tells a story of happiness - people singing, dancing, merry-making, and old times. I was at a loss about how to make a video that captured these contradictory moods. Of course, as life went on, people must have found joy and happiness in those times, as we do now. After all, that is the essence of being human.

With these in mind, we started to search for what was available in the public domain. There were a lot of photos of medieval structures, but we wanted some glimpses of life in the olden days. As you would have it, most of the images were either religious or of a dark mood. Then, after some digging, we came across the beautiful paintings by Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, especially the “Children’s Games,” and we knew we had finally got it. Even though these may not be strictly “medieval” (we are not creating a history lesson after all!), they captured ordinary people doing everyday things. Exploring more, we learned about Pieter Bruegel the Younger, David Teniers the Younger, and many more. Thanks to the digital collection of the New York Public Library and Wikimedia Commons, we found some beautiful paintings of the common man. I chose the works that depict music and dancing by the peasants on social occasions like weddings, their daily chores, and children playing. If I may, I tried to spin a fantasy tale of my own with these beautiful works (notice the dragon flying on the left-top side of the Field of the Cloth of Gold). 

We would love to hear from you. Please comment. Also, please help us spread the word by sharing the link to our video.

- Kavita

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Credits
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Music Composed & Arranged by Subhadip Mitra
Video by Kavita Mitra
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Image Credits (in the sequence they appear)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

All images are in the public domain.

Tarantella Dancers 
Artist unknown 
From the New York Public Library’s Public Domain Archive 
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6dfa2c20-07cd-0133-dab7-58d385a7b928 

Spanish Dancing 
Jacques Grasset de Saint-Sauveur 
From the New York Public Library’s Public Domain Archive 
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7da84450-07c6-0133-c679-58d385a7b928 

Celebrating Peasants 
Artist unknown 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unbekannter_Meister_18-19_Jh_Feiernde_Bauern.jpg 

The Wedding Dance 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_de_Oude_-_De_bruiloft_dans_(Detroit).jpg

Peasant Wedding Dance 
Pieter Bruegel the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Brueghel_the_Younger_-_Peasant_Wedding_Dance_(Paris,_Louvre).jpg 

The Peasant Wedding 
Pieter Bruegel the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Brueghel_the_Younger_-_The_Peasant_Wedding_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg 

Peasants Merry-making 
David Teniers the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Teniers_(II)_-_Peasants_Merry-making_-_WGA22096.jpg 

The Harvesters 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder-_The_Harvesters_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg 

The Hay Harvest 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Die_Heuernte.jpg 

A Barn Interior 
David Teniers the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Teniers_(II)_-_A_Barn_Interior_-_WGA22062.jpg 

The Ham Dinner 
David Teniers the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Teniers_II_-_Le_dejeuner_jambon.jpg 

The Peasant Dance 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_The_Peasant_Dance.jpg 

Peasant Wedding 
David Teniers the Younger 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Teniers_de_Jonge_-_Peasant_Wedding_(1650).jpg 

The Peasant Wedding 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_Peasant_Wedding_-_Google_Art_Project_2.jpg 

Field of the Cloth of Gold 
Artist unknown 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_-_Field_of_the_Cloth_of_Gold_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg 

Woodcut of Buda (Budapest) from the Nuremberg Chronicle 
Michel Wolgemut, Wilhelm Pleydenwurff 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nuremberg_chronicles_-_BVJA.png 

Children’s Games 
Pieter Bruegel the Elder 
Wikimedia Commons 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_Children%E2%80%99s_Games_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

#theHoiChoi #theOriginalHoiChoi #HoiChoiAtYouTube #HoiChoiChannel #theHoiChoiChannel #হৈচৈ #होइचोइ #HoiChoiMusic #theHoiChoiStory #HoiChoiBlog #होईचोई #হইচই

Ek Nazam - A Romantic Ghazal | एक नज़म | ایک نظم

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjBjk7Q9e1M )

विश्वास नहीं होता डेढ़ साल लग गए इस ग़ज़ल को बनाने में ! शुरुआत की मूल वजह, साथी गुरशरणजीत का ग़ज़ल-प्रेम। साथ ही शुभदीप का 'हट के संगीत' बनाने की चाह। लाल्टू-दा ने भी उनके कहने पर कलम उठाई। और सबके उत्साह से ग़ज़ल का ढांचा बन कर तैयार हो गया। इस बार गुरशरणजीत के सहकर्मी श्रीनिवास सुनचु जी ने तबले की बाग़-डोर संभाली। पर चाहे-अनचाहे, अन्य कारणों से रिकॉर्डिंग नहीं हो पा रही थी। लाल्टू-दा भी निराश हो रहे थे। आखिरकार, सभी अड़चनों को पार कर, 'एक नज़म' आप के लिए।

— कविता

(All rights reserved)

———————————————————————
लाल्टू की कलम से:  

होई-चोई के लिए इसके पहले दो गीत मैंने लिखे थे, जिनमें वैचारिक आग्रह हैं। साथी गुरशरण का कहना था कि रूमानी मिजाज़ का कुछ लिखा जाना चाहिए। इसलिए एक नज़्म। कोशिश तो ग़ज़ल की है, पर मुझे इस कला में महारत नहीं है। इसलिए ग़ज़लनुमा कुछ। हिंदुस्तानी ज़ुबान में ग़ज़ल में अरबी-फारसी के लफ्ज़ हों तो आम तौर पर उसे उर्दू ग़ज़ल कहते हैं। मैं उर्दू-हिंदी-हिंदुस्तानी को एक ज़ुबान मानता हूँ, इसलिए जो प्रचलित मुहावरे हैं, उन्हीं का इस्तेमाल है। इसे एक सहज प्रेम-गीत की कोशिश भर मानना चाहिए । खुशकिस्मती यह कि उम्दा मौसिकी और गायन का साथ मिल गया। इस वजह से यह गीत हर किसी को पसंद आएगा।

इक नज़म चाँद को पैगाम लिखनी है
इक नज़म आज तेरे नाम लिखनी है।
A message to the moon as a poem I must write
For you today a poem I must write

कही अनकही होंठों पर जो रुक गई
वो कहानी आज फिर बेनाम लिखनी है।
What was said and what wasn't
Anonymous that tale I must write

तिश्नगी है कि ये बावरा है ये मन
ग़ज़ल बा-बहर जाने जां लिखनी है।
Is it just a desire or is my heart crazy
A ghazal in meter I must write

बेइंतहा मैं रोया तुझे याद कर कर
इबारत कोहे-ग़म ऐ गुलफ़ाम लिखनी है।
Endlessly I cried thinking of you
A story of those mounting pains I must write

शबे-ग़म की ख़लिश और कब तक सहें
इक नज्म़ विसाले-यार ऐ जां लिखनी है।
How long do I live this night without you
A poem on being with you I must write

(English translation by Laltu).
[Laltu blogs @ http://laltu.blogspot.com/]

(All rights reserved)

———————————————————————
Credits
———————————————————————
Music: Subhadip Mitra 
Lyrics: Laltu 
Voice: Gursharanjit Singh 
Tabla: Srinivas Sunchu 
Camera: Subhadip Mitra, Kavita Mitra 
Titles designed by Srishti Mitra 
Video: Kavita Mitra 

———————————————————————
Image/Footage Courtesy 

———————————————————————

The following video clips and images, available under Pixabay license (https://pixabay.com/service/license/), were used.

https://pixabay.com/videos/bee-flowers-insect-bloom-nature-26668/

https://pixabay.com/videos/bird-fly-the-nature-of-the-meis-8875/ 

https://pixabay.com/videos/dove-bird-feather-flying-3728/ 

https://pixabay.com/videos/girl-thinking-resting-person-woman-369/

https://pixabay.com/videos/hands-girl-people-young-female-31654/

https://pixabay.com/videos/monarch-butterfly-butterfly-flower-8907/

https://pixabay.com/videos/nature-hd-flower-plants-gardening-20205/

https://pixabay.com/videos/rose-flower-blossom-garden-nature-21371/

https://pixabay.com/photos/wedding-women-girls-eyes-cry-1736957/

https://pixabay.com/photos/black-white-girl-woman-model-4197961/

———————————————————————
April 2020. Hyderabad. HoiChoi 
All rights reserved. 

#theHoiChoi #theOriginalHoiChoi #HoiChoiAtYouTube #HoiChoiChannel #theHoiChoiChannel #হৈচৈ #होइचोइ #HoiChoiMusic #theHoiChoiStory #HoiChoiBlog #होईचोई #হইচই