Legends
TANSEN
Tansen is considered to be one of the greatest musicians that ever lived. He was the court musician of the famous Mogul Emperor Akbar (16th century). He was so highly valued in the court that he was called one of the “Nine Jewels” in his court (navarathna). The details of Tansen’s life are incomplete. He was born in a Hindu community and had his musical training under the great Swami Haridas. He then went to the court of the Raja Ram Baghela, a great patron of the arts. From there he migrated to the court of Akbar. It is said that Tansen could work miracles with his singing. This is called nada siddha in Sanskrit.
He is supposed to have acquired such supernatural abilities through the association with the saintly Swami Haridas. It is said that on occasion he could create rain by singing the monsoon rag Megh Malhar. It is also said that he could create fire by singing rag Dipak.Many rag are ascribed to Tansen. Such rag as Mian ki Malhar, Mian ki Todi and Darbari Kanada are the most famous. Today his followers are refered to as “Senia Gharana”
Pt V N BHATKHANDE (1860-1936)
Chaturpandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande is considered by many to be the father of modern Hindustani music. He was the most important Hindustani musicologist and composer of the 20th century, a true crusader and a renaisance man.
Born into a cultured Maharastrian family in Balukeshwar, Bombay on December 31st, 1860, Bhatkhande acquired his sweet voice and initial training from his mother. He learnt the flute, Sitar and vocal music from some very eminent gurus like Jairajgir, Raojibua Belbagkar, Ali Husain Khan, Vilayat Hussain Khan and others.
Along with his academic studies, he devoted nearly 15 years to the study of all the available ancient music-treatises in Sanskrit, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu, German, Greek and English with the help of scholars and interpreters. He also became proficient in Sanskrit.
For a brief period after his LLB he served as a successful lawyer at the Karachi High Court. Death of his wife and daughter turned him away from the wordly life to a life devoted to music. His sole objective, as he wrote, “has been to place before my educated, music-loving brothers and sisters, the present condition of the Art”. He started his musical quest by first touring every important music center of India talking to all the great musicians and scholars of the day, going through all the books and manuscripts he could find in various libraries. He had to confront social, intellectual, and finally, professional prejudices. These took shape as positive obstacles, definite active resistance. By his infinite patience, presuasive ways, and utter sincerity of purpose, Bhatkhande was gradually able to break down the opposition and suspicion of some of the great ustads of the day.
Once he had collected enormous amount of information, Bhatkhande set about sifting though it all and publishing all the knowledge he had gained. Then followed a period of prolific publications – in Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi and English such as: Abhinavaragamanjari, Abhinavatalamanjari, Lakshya Sangeetam, the Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati, the Kramik series in 6 volumes, the Swara-malika and Geet Malika series, Grantha sangeetam, Bhavi Sangeetam, A Short Historical Survey of Music, Philosophy of Music, and so on using his pen names, Vushnu Sharma or ChaturPandit. In Kramik series, he published more than 2000 of traditional Dhrupads, Dhamars, Khayals, Sadras, Taraanas, Chaturangs and Thumris he had collected from all the gharana-s. The volumes also had about 250 of his own compositions, mostly khayals and Lakshna Geeth-s using the pen-name Chatura. He also published several ancient music-granthas whose manuscripts he had salvaged during his country-wide tours.
Most important of his works is his treatise on Hindustani music, presented in 4 volumes of his Marathi book Hindustani Sangeetha Padhathi between 1909 – 1932. He described hundred and eighty ragas and classified them into ten basic thaats, or musical scales or frameworks -Bilawal, Kalyan, Khamaj, Bhairav, Poorvi, Marwa, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi and Todi. He also devised musical notation that could be used to write music. That was perhaps the first attempt at writing music in India … where for thousands of years music had been orally transmitted.
He helped to start the first college of music, Sangeeta Maha Vidyalaya in Baroda using his system of music teaching. He trained music teachers. He wrote graded text- books on music. They are known as Kramic Putstaka Malika. With the help of the Maharaja of Baroda, Bhatkhande convened in 1916 the first All-India Music Conference in Baroda, a first of its kind. In the 5th All-India Music Conference in 1925 it was decided to open a College of Music at Lucknow and the following year the Marris College of Hindustani Music was established in the name of Governor of the province. This has been renamed as Bhtakhande University on the centenery year of his birth. Bhatkhande used to supervise the work of this college in its early years.
His efforts continued till he became bedridden and finally passed away in 1933. His dedicated disciples, particularly Pt S N Ratanjankar, continued the great work of Bhatkhande. Govt of India honoured Bhatkhande with a release of a stamp in his name.
USTAD ABDUL KARIM KHAN ( 1872 to 1937 )
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan is perhaps the most important figure in 20th century Hindustani Music. Some consider him to be the founder of Kirana Gharana.
Abdul Karim Khan was born in 1872 in Kirana (Uttar Pradesh, North India) in to the Kirana musical family which traced its roots to musician brothers Ghulam Ali and Ghulam Maula. His father, Kale Khan was the grand son of Ghulam Ali. Karim Khan received training under uncle Abdulla Khan and father Khale Khan. He also received guidance from another uncle Nanhe Khan. Apart from vocals and sarangi, he also learnt Veena (Bin), Sitar and Tabla.
According to a story, he was initially a sarangi player, but decided to switch to vocals because of low status of sarangi players. In early years he used to sing with his brother Abdul Haq. Baroda ruler was impressed by this singing duo and made them the court musicians. This is where he met Tarabai Mane, who was the daughter of Sardar Maruti Rao Mane, a member of the royal family. When they decided to get married, they were ousted from Baroda. The couple settled down in Bombay. In 1922 Tarabai Mane left Abdul Karim Khan, which apparently had a major impact on his music – making it pensive and meditative. Karim Khan’s first wife, Gafooran was the sister of another Kirana master Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan , who was also his cousin.
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan was invited to the Mysore court, where he met famous Carnatic masters, which also influenced his music. In particular, the singing of his Sargam was a direct influence of Carnatic practice. He became a frequent visitor to Mysore Darbar which conferred on him the title Sangeet Ratna .On the way to Mysore, he used to stay with his brother in Dharwad, where he taught his most famous disciple, Sawai Gandharva . In 1913 he founded the Arya Sangeet Vidyalaya in Poona to teach students. He would whole heartedly teach all his students, unlike other family ustads of the era. He finally settled down in Miraj till his death in 1937 when returning from a concert tour of the south. Every year in August, commemorative music concerts are held in Miraj.
The innovations he brought to his vocal style distinguishes Kirana style from others. The slow melodic development of the raga in Vilmabit (slow tempo) was the most characteristic aspect of his music. He worked hard to maintain his voice to be sweet and melodious, which shaped his music. The thumri style he developed was also quite different from the poorab or punjabi ang. His thumari progresses in a leisurely langour with ample abandonment. He was also the first hindustani musician to seriously study Carnatic system and probably the first to be invited to sing all over the south. He has even recorded a Thyagaraja Krithi. He was also influenced by Rehmet Khan of the Gwalior gharana and adopted the direct style of presentation.
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan left a galaxy of disciples, who along with their disciples made Kirana gharana a popular Hindustani gharana. Karim Khan and Tarabai had three daughters: Hirabai Barodekar (Chempakali), Kamalabai Barodekar (Gulab) and Sarswati Rane (Sakina or Chotutai) and two sons: Suresh Babu Mane (Abdul Rehman) and Papa (Abdul Hamid or Krishna Rao Mane). Suresh Babu Mane and Hirabai Barodekar became very famous singers and were partly trained by Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan . Sawai Gandharva and Roshanara Begum were the other two great disciples he had. Sawai Gandharva had numerous disciples who have kept the Kirana name flying high, like Gangubai Hangal and Pt Bhimsen Joshi .
Khan Saheb Abdul Karim Khan was one of the few great masters to record when recording first appreared in India around the turn of 20th century. He recorded some songs again in 1930s. Since the length of those recordings were just 4 or five minutes, we can only get a glimpse of his singing through these records. Those early recordings have been re-released in a two CD set, Chairman’s Choice – Great Memories Abdul Karim Khan, Mohd.Bandi & Achhan Bai ( review ). There are two biographies of Khan Saheb. Balkrishnaboa Kapileshwari published a 900 page Marathi book in 1973, commemorating Khan Saheb’s birth centenary. Michael Kinnear of Bajakhana’s new book is Sangeet Ratna – The Jewel of Music – Khan Sahib Abdul Karim Khan – A Bio-Discography (2003) ( review ).
USTAD BADE GHULAM ALI KHAN (1902-1968)
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan can be described as an artiste who has had the maximum impact on the 20th Century Hindustani Classical Music scenario. Born in 1902 into a great musical lineage from Kasur in the Western Punjab, this great savant amalgamated the best of four traditions; his own Patiala – Kasur style, sculpturesque Behram Khani elements of Dhrupad, the intricate gyrations of Jaipur and finally the robust behlavas (embellishments) of Gwaiior. But what actually characterised Bade Ghulam Ali Khan was an effervescent melodic quality which was concertised in a masterly flow of ideas which were delivered with a unique sense of alacrity, aided by one of the most pliable and dextrous voices ever heard in living memory in this land.
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan had a relatively short career span. He blazed the trails of Calcutta in 1938 and in the 1944 All India Music Conference in Bombay, was virtually anointed Lord of all he surveyed in the field of Indian Music. But 24 years later, he was dead, prematurely at 66, having given the World less of himself than it would have wished to have. The maestro’s approach to khyal was essentially traditional – as seen in the medium pace of his vilambit Khayal presentation and his style of straightforward sthaibharana avoiding permutations. The character of his Gayaki was derived from an inclination towards looking beyond the traditional method of intoning a Swara to discover unchartered facets of beauteous melody, often achieved by very subtle inflexions of notes. This approach was bom of a mind which always strove to find that beauty in Indian Music which went beyond the Raga itself. For Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, ‘Taleem’ was but a means to a greater end where sheer melody and freedom of movement became unified His music was the joyous expression of an unfettered musical psyche.
In ‘Thumri’, Bade Gliulam Ali Khan looked beyond the tradition of bol-banav where verbal and musical expressions are unified. He saw in Thumri an avenue for playing with notes with even greater abandon than was possible in the raga-restrained Khayal. From this perspective was born the now well-established Punjab-ang of Thumri.
SITARA DEVI
Eighty-year old Sitara Devi has dedicated her whole life to the restoration of the real form of kathak which can be traced to Natya Shastra, the ancient Indian treatise of classical dance forms.
Once called the Kathak Queen of India by Pandit Rabindra Nath Tagore, she had received her lessons from her father as well as the legendary kathak maestros of Lucknow gharana – brothers Acchhan Maharaj, Shambhu Maharaj and Lacchhu Maharaj.
A recipient of several awards, she had performed at the Royal Albert and Victoria Hall in 1967 and the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York in 1976. It was also through Sitara Devi (and later Gopi Krishna) that kathak became integral to the film industry since the 1930s.
Their choreography accorded new meaning and relief to the film world. She herself got Best Actress award, at the age of 18, for her performance in Vatan , as also in 1943 for her role in Najma . Currently she is planning to launch her own dance academy.
Pt D V PALUSKAR (1920-1954)
Pt D V Paluskar was the son of the legendary Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. But V D Paluskar died when young Paluskar was just 10. D V Paluskar then got trained from two of his father’s desciples. But later on he evolved his own style of singing. Pt Paluskar is best known for being able to present the essence of a raga in a very short span of time … at a time when concerts used to last for 3 or 4 hours. Poverty and ill health snatched Pt Paluskar from us when he was only 34. Otherwise we would be having another Bhimsen Joshi amidst us today.
USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN (1917-2006)
Ustad Bismillah Khan was the third classical musician after Pt Ravi Shankar and Smt M S Subbulakshmi to be awarded Bharath Rathna, the highest civilian honour in India.
The gentle genius of Bismillah Khan was perhaps single handedly responsible for making Shehnai a famous classical instrument. Traditionally used to play music during marriages, Shehnai is the counterpart of south indian nadaswaram. It is also used to play music in temples.
Born in a small Bihar village in 1917, Ustad Bismillah learned shehnai from his uncle who used to play in the famous Vishwanath temple of Varanasi. He brought Shehnai to the center stage of indian music with his concert in the calcutta All India Music Conference in 1937. There was no looking back.
Bismillah Khan was one of the most respected musicians and well sought after. It retains the old world charm of a Benaras life … his chief mode of transport was the cycle-rikshaw. The great music he played for Kannada film Sanadhi Appanna , where RajKumar played the role of the gentle genius of a Shehnai player.
KISHORI AMONKAR ( b. 1931 )
Kishori Amonkar, widely considered the finest female vocalist of her generation, was bom in 1931, daughter of another great artist, Smt Mogubai Kurdikar . In her early years she absorbed the approach and repertoire of her distinguished mother’s teacher Ustad Alladiya Khan. As her own style developed however she moved away from Alladiya Khan’s “Jaipur gharana” style in some respects, and as a mature artist her approach is usually regarded as an individual, if not unique, varient of the Jaipur model.
Though her public image is sometimes dominated by perceptions of an uncompromising approach and unapproachability, the power and emotional appeal of her music has kept her in the forefront of classical music lovers’ thoughts for many years.
PANDIT RAVI SHANKAR
Pandit Ravi Shankar is easily the most famed Indian musician in the world. Outside of his well known involvement with the Beatles, he has made almostcountless contributions in the Indian classical music world. His careerwhich spans nearly 50 years has been one of ceaseless activity and innovation. Trained by the universally revered Ustad Allaudin Khan of Maihar, Pandit Shankar continued the pioneering spirit of his master. In addition to his Sitar playing,which his has made an institution world-wide, he is equally active as a composer of film, orchestra, chamber and classical dance music.
Panditji is has also been active as a teacher, training a host of instrumentalist of the next generation, including guitarist Visha Mohan Bhatt and santoor player Tarun Bhattacharya.
USTAD VILAYAT KHAN
In the world of the Indian classical music, Ustad Vilayat Khan occupies a pre-eminent place. There are few to equal him in his mastery and creativity on the sitar, and his music has made him a living legend. Born in a family of outstanding musicians that trace their roots to the 16th century, Khansahib learned from his father Ustad Inayat Khan. Ustad Vilayat Khan’s greatest contribution to Indian music is introduction of “Gayaki Ang” or the adaptation of vocal music into in instrumental style, which can be described as lyrical and poetic rather than flashy. He is also known for many film compositions.
USTAD AMJAD ALI KHAN
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is acknowledged throughout India as one of its foremost classical musicians and the maestro of his chosen instrument, the Sarod. Born in 1945 in Gwalior, where his father was a musician to the royal family, he made an early debut giving his first solo recital at the age of 12 in 1958. He represents the sixth generation of his family to inherit a classical tradition that goes back through his father, the late Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan to the era of the court musicians of the Mughal Empire and the original ‘Senia-Beenkar’ Gharana musical ’school’ devoted to the tradition of the legendary Mian Tansen, Ustadji learnt the Sarod from his father.
By visiting Pakistan in 1981, he was the first Indian musician to break the culture silence between the two countries. Ustadji has widely travelled and has played in China, the UK, the USA, Moscow, Germany and Japan. He is devoted to the cause of popularising Indian classical music through his performances over the AIR and T.V.
In 1977, he founded the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Memorial Society which organises concerts and also has an annual Hafiz Ali Khan award bestowed on outstanding classical musicians in India and aboard.
Ustadji is the recipient of many awards and honours – the Padmashree in 1975, the Sangeet Natak Academy award in1989, the Tansen Award in 1989, the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the International Music Forum Award, Unesco in 1970, to name a few.
USTAD ALLAHRAKHA
Once in a great while, there emerges a musician who, through his genius, injects that certain spark necessary to elevate an instrument to another level of expression and appreciation. For tabla, Ustad Allarakha was such an artist, having brought his instrument a stature and respect never before enjoyed. A disciple of Mian Kader Baksh, the great guru of the Punjab gharana, Ustad Allarakha was, in his lifetime, the most celebrated exponent of this style.
Ustad Allarakha was born in 1919 in Phagwal, a small village in Jammu, the eldest son in a family of seven brothers. From his childhood, it was clear that he was special. Though his family were all soldiers and farmers, his interests lay elsewhere. For hours he would watch the travelling natak company perform their dramas, especially interested in the tabla player performing with the company. At other times, he would sit by the river, seeing a face on the water, and a voice inside him would tell him to seek this man out. This inner voice, at the age of eleven, led him to Lahore where he met the man with the face in his dreams. Mian Kader Baksh then became his guru and began his formal training in the art of tabla playing.
Soon the young Allarakha became the toast of every musical gathering in town and was offered a post at All India Radio, Lahore, where he worked for six years, after which he was transferred to Delhi and then to Bombay. Since Allarakha had also received extensive vocal training from the legendary Patiala guru, Ustad Aashiq Ali Khan, he arrived in Bombay prepared in both the rhythmic and melodic aspects of music.
PUNDIT BHIMSEN JOSHI
Bhimsen Joshi, who is riding the crest of popularity and has ridden it for the last several years, is a musical marvel. His singing invariably provides listeners with a divine musical ex- perinea. Many of his rivals admit, though unwillingly, that today there is no other vocalist comparable to him in the entire nation.
Bhimsen, who is now in his 60s, has attained proficiency and fame that astound the musical world. His voice, like that legendary philosopher’s stone,
turns every note into a golden one. Billions of notes that have received the golden touch of his voice have been freely showered by him on the teeming millions of his fans. His unswerving faith in an intense devo- tion to his guru have been his keys to success. Bhimsen was born into a Brahmin family of Gadag in Kar- nataka. His childhood was spent there. Even as a child he was crazy about music, to the chagrin of his father who desired that Bhimsen should get a sound education and qualify as a doctor or an engineer. But Bhimsen, neglecting his studies, pursued music instead. At last he could not control any more his yearning to learn music, and one day he ran away from home. He had heard that Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur in the North were the best places to learn classical music.
USTAD ZAKIR HUSSAIN
Zakir Hussain is today appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his consistently brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but gained him worldwide fame. The favorite accompanist for many of India’s greatest classical musicians and dancers, from Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar to Birju Maharaj and Shivkumar Sharma, he has not let his genius rest there. His playing is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity, founded in formidable knowledge and study.
A child prodigy, Zakir was touring by the age of twelve, the gifted son of his great father, tabla legend Ustad Alla Rakha . Zakir came to the United States in 1970, embarking on an international career which includes no fewer than 150 concert dates a year. He has composed and recorded many albums and soundtracks, and has received widespread recognition as a composer for his many ensembles and historic collaborations. Most recently, he has composed soundtracks for the films In Custody , Ismail Merchant’s directorial debut, Little Buddha by Bernardo Bertolucci, for which Zakir composed, performed and acted as Indian music advisor and Vanaprastham , chosen to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May, 1999.