First appeared in www.scroll.in on January 3, 2015. Last week, we heard detailed aalaap expositions by Agra gharana maestro Faiyaz Khan that prefaced his khayal renditions.  They displayed his ease with the intricacies of the dhrupad form, which he learnt in addition to his training in khayal.  The aalaaps demonstrated his ability to manoeuvre a voice that would otherwise be considered inflexible and guttural.  He gracefully nudged individual swaras or notes that shape the essence of the raag, used