Sung poems – Rabindranath Tagore

ISBN : 2-87623-147-6

Presented, translated and adapted by Alain Daniélou,
Preface by Georgette David, Editions Michel de Maule, Paris, January 2005.

Trilingual edition: French, English, Bengali.

Tagore, who considered Daniélou a close friend, invited him several times to come and stay at his school in Shantiniketan, and offered him the post of director of the music section. At the poet’s request, Daniélou took Tagore’s Bengali compositions, translated them into French and English and composed the score for voice and piano.

Rabindranath Tagore often said that his songs would survive in Bengal long after his name and writings had been forgotten. It’s hard to believe that the literary work of the great Bengali poet could ever be forgotten. For while his books are considered “classics”, i.e. as belonging to the past, his melodies, sung by everyone in every region of Bengal, remain as relevant as ever. By the 19th century, Indian classical music had developed extremely refined techniques in Bengal, requiring highly specialized performers and audiences of enlightened amateurs. Tagore invented a new musical language which, while preserving the essential features of Indian art music, made its rare expressive power accessible to all. Tagore was always deeply moved by the spectacle of life; his songs, with their simple, vigorous melodies, gave voice and expression to the feelings of millions of men and women in his homeland. These songs can still be heard everywhere: in the rich homes of cities, in isolated rice paddies, on rivers or in fishermen’s huts, in village alleyways or in university lecture halls.

Their vibrant message knows no differences of religion, race, caste or age. Within a few years, Tagore’s music had conquered the whole of Bengal, giving rhythm to everyday life. Today, Hindu India and Muslim Bangladesh have each chosen a Tagore melody as their national anthem.

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