Program Notes
This piece is in a Hindustani raag called Hamsadhwani (‘hamsa’ means swan in Hindi, hence the title). I love the warmth and intimacy of this raag, and I love being able to introduce it into a western classical setting.
NOTE: This piece was written specifically for the ABRSM syllabus, so it was written specifically with young musicians in mind. When I was a piano teacher (while I was doing my schooling in New York), I had many piano students who played pieces out of the ABRSM literature — it was such an honor to contribute a bespoke piece to this collection.
Performance Notes
Though the music is written simply on the page, you can use a lot of rubato in this melody. Indian classical musicians tend to dance around the rhythm, rather than to play it exactly with the beat.
Also, if you are a Hindustani musician, you might notice that this melody more prominently features the Ga (the 3rd) than Re (the 2nd) – this is a little outside of the typical rendering of the raag, but was a musical choice I made.
Recording
see video above