First appeared in www.scroll.in on August 9, 2014. Before the days of public support, Hindustani music was patronised by the feudal aristocracy. But even before ticketed performances became the convention, it was the commercial and industrial elite in cities that engaged musicians to entertain select audiences. Recreating the last days of feudal patronage and the brashness of the new urban elite, Satyajit Ray’s film Jalsaghar showcases beautiful concert sequences held in a Bengali zamindar’s palatial home. The music for this film