Ustad Amir Khan

Ustad Amir Khan (Hindi: अमीर ख़ान, Urdu: امیر اقبال خان, pronounced [əˈmiːr ˈxaːn]; August 15, 1912 – February 13, 1974) was a well-known Indian classical vocalist. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Hindustani classical music, and the founder of the Indore Gharana.

Early life and background

Amir Khan was born in a family of musicians in Indore, India. His father, Shahmir Khan, a sarangi and veena player of the Bhendibazaar gharana, served at the court of the Holkars of Indore. His grandfather, Change Khan, was a singer in the court of Bahadurshah Zafar. Amir Ali's mother died when he was nine years old. He had a younger brother, Bashir, who became a sarangi player at the Indore station of All India Radio.
He was initially trained in the sarangi by his father. However, seeing his interest in vocal music, his father gradually devoted more time to vocal training, focusing on the Merukhand technique. Amir Ali was exposed at an early age to many different styles, since just about every musician who visited Indore would come to their house, and there would be mehfils at their place on a regular basis. Also, he learnt the basics of tabla playing from one of his maternal uncles, who was a tabla player.
Amir Khan moved to Bombay in 1934, and there he gave a few concerts and cut about half a dozen 78-rpm records. Following his father's advice, in 1936 he joined the services of Maharaj Chakradhar Singh of Raigadh Sansthan in Madhya Pradesh, but he stayed only about a year. Amir Ali's father died in 1937. Later, Khansahib lived for some time in Delhi and Calcutta, but after the partition of India he moved back to Bombay.

Singing career

Amir Khan developed his own singing style, incorporating the styles of Abdul Waheed Khan (vilambit tempo), Rajab Ali Khan (taans) and Aman Ali Khan (merukhand). This unique style, known as the Indore Gharana, blends the spiritual flavor and grandeur of dhrupad with the ornate vividness of khyal. He presented an aesthetically detailed badhat (progression) in ati-vilambit laya (very slow tempo), followed by sargams, taans and bol-taans, including Merukhandi patterns, and finally a madhyalaya or drut laya (medium or fast tempo) chhota khyal or a rubaidaar tarana. His performances had an understated elegance, reverence, restrained passion and an utter lack of showmanship that both moved and awed listeners. He believed that poetry was important in khyal compositions, and with his pen name, Sur Rang ("colored in swara"), he has left several compositions.
He helped popularize the tarana, as well as khyalnuma compositions in Persian. He often used the Jhoomra and Ektaal taals, and generally preferred a simple 'theka' from the tabla accompanist. As in the case of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Amir Khan's initial sarangi training was important in establishing him as a great singer. Even though he had been trained in the sarangi, he generally performed khayals and taranas with only a tanpura and tabla for accompaniment. Sometimes he had a subdued harmonium accompaniment, but he almost never used the sarangi.

Characteristics of his style include:

* slow-tempo raga development
* improvisation mostly in lower and middle octaves
* tendency towards serious and expansive ragas
* emphasis on melody
* judicious use of pause between improvisations
* bol alap and sargam using merukhand patterns
* sparing application of murki
* use of kan swaras in all parts of performance
* controlled use of embellishments to preserve introspective quality
* rare use of tihai
* careful enunciation of text of bandish
* actual bandish as sung may or may not include antara
* use of multiple laya jatis in a single taan
* mixture of taan types in a single taan
* use of ruba'idar tarana (considered similar to chhota khyal)

Besides singing in concerts, Amir Khan also sang film songs in ragas, most notably for the films Baiju Bawra, Kshudhita Pashan, Shabaab, and Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje. He also sang a ghazal Rahiye Ab Aisi Jagah for a documentary on Ghalib.
His disciples include Pandit Amarnath, A. Kanan, Srikant Bakre, Singh Brothers, Mukund Goswami, Gajendra Bakshi, Kankana Banerjee, Pradyumna Kumud Mukherjee and Poorabi Mukherjee, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Akhtar Sadmani, Amarjeet Kaur, Ajit Singh Paintal, Bhimsen Sharma, Munir Khan, and Kamal Bose. His style has also influenced many other singers and instrumentalists, including Prabha Atre, Rashid Khan, Mahendra Toke, Shanti Sharma, Gokulotsavji Maharaj, Nikhil Banerjee and the Imdadkhani gharana. Although he referred to his style as the Indore Gharana, he was a firm believer of absorbing elements from various gharanas.
Amir Khan was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1967 and the Padma Bhushan in 1971.

Personal life

Amir Khan's first marriage was to Zeenat, sister of the sitar player, Ustad Vilayat Khan. From this marriage, which eventually failed and ended in separation, he had a daughter, Farida. His second marriage was to Munni Bai, who gave birth to a son, Ekram Ahmed. Around 1965, Khansaheb married Raisa Begum, daughter of the thumri singer, Mushtari Begum of Agra. He had expected that Munni Begum would accept the third wife; however, Munni disappeared and it is rumored that she committed suicide. With Raisa he had a son, Haider Amir, later called Shahbaz Khan.
Khansahib died a premature death in a car accident in Calcutta.

Discography
Movies

* Baiju Bawra (Music director: Naushad)
o 'Tori Jai Jai Kartar' (raga Puriya Dhanashree; alternate version here)
o 'Sargam' (raga Darbari)
o 'Langar Kankariya Ji Na Maro' (raga Todi, with D. V. Paluskar)
o 'Aaj Gaawat Man Mero Jhoomke' (raga Desi, with D. V. Paluskar)
o 'Ghanana Ghanana Ghana Garjo Re' (raga Megh)
* Kshudhita Pashan (Music director: Ali Akbar Khan)
o 'Kaise Kate Rajni' (raga Bageshree, with Protima Banerjee)
o 'Piya Ke Aavan Ki' (thumri in raga Khamaj)
o 'Dheemta Dheemta Derena' (tarana in raga Megh)
* Shabaab (Music director: Naushad)
o 'Daya Kar He Giridhar Gopal' (raga Multani)
* Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (Music director: Vasant Desai)
o Title song 'Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje' (raga Adana)
* Goonj Uthi Shehnai (ragamala with Bismillah Khan)
o Bhatiyar
o Ramkali
o Desi
o Shuddh Sarang
o Multani
o Yaman
o Bageshree
o Chandrakauns
* Ragini
o 'Jogiya Mere Ghar Aaye' (raga Lalit)

Public and private recordings

* Abhogi - two versions
* Adana - longer performance of 'Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje' title song, two other versions
* Ahir Bhairav - three versions
* Amirkhani
* Bageshree
* Bageshree Kanada
* Bahar
* Bairagi - two versions
* Barwa
* Basant Bahar
* Bhatiyar - three versions
* Bhimpalasi
* Bihag
* Bilaskhani Todi - two versions
* Chandni Kedar
* Chandrakauns
* Chandramadhu
* Charukeshi
* Darbari - nine versions
* Deshkar
* Gaud Malhar
* Gujari Todi - three versions
* Hansadhwani - two versions
* Harikauns
* Hem Kalyan
* Hijaz Bhairav (a.k.a. Basant Mukhari)
* Hindol Basant
* Hindol Kalyan
* Jaijaiwanti
* Janasanmohini - three versions
* Jog - three versions
* Kafi Kanada
* Kalavati
* Kausi Kanada
* Kedar
* Komal Rishabh Asavari - two versions
* Lalit - seven versions
* Madhukauns
* Malkauns - three versions
* 'Maru Kalyan'
* Marwa - two versions
* Megh - three versions
* Miya Malhar
* Multani
* Nand
* Nat Bhairav
* Poorvi
* Puriya - three versions
* Puriya Kalyan
* Rageshree
* Ramdasi Malhar - two versions
* Ramkali - two versions
* Ram Kalyan (a.k.a. Priya Kalyan or Anarkali)
* Shahana - three versions
* Shree
* Shuddh Kalyan - two versions
* Shuddh Sarang (with drut section in Suha)
* Todi - three versions
* Yaman
* Yaman Kalyan - three versions

Awards and recognitions

* Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1967
* Presidential Award in 1971
* Padma Bhushan in 1971
* Swar Vilas from Sur Singar Sansad in 1971

Gangubai Hangal

Gangubai Hangal (5 March 1913 – 21 July 2009) was an Indian singer of the khyal genre of Hindustani classical music, who was known for her deep and powerful voice. Hangal belonged to the Kirana gharana.

Early life

Gangubai Hangal was born in Dharwad to Chikkurao Nadiger, an agriculturist and Ambabai, a vocalist of Carnatic music.Hangal received only elementary education and her family shifted to Hubli in 1928. She began to train formally aged 13 at the music school of Krishna Acharya, studying Hindustani classical music instead of Carnatic music. She also learned from Dattopant Desai before studying under Sawai Gandharva, a respected guru. Hangal could only study sporadically under Gandharva when he returned to his home, but she received an intensive training of three years after he relocated permanently to Hubli.


Musical career

Raga Durga
Play sound
1935 performance of Raga Durga, recorded on a 78 rpm gramophone record before Hangal started learning from Sawai Gandharva, several years before a throat operation radically altered her voice


Hangal's family was considered to be of low social status and for women of her generation singing was not considered appropriate employment; Hangal struggled against this prejudice and made a career. She performed all over India and for All India Radio stations until 1945. Hangal had initially performed light classical genres, including bhajan and thumri, but concentrated on khyal. Later, however, she refused to sing light classical, saying she sang only ragas.[8] Hangal served as honorary music professor of the Karnatak University. She gave her last concert in March 2006 to mark her 75th career year. She had overcome bone marrow cancer in 2003, and died of cardiac arrest at the age of 96, on 21 July 2009, in Hubli, where she resided. She had her eyes donated to increase awareness for organ donation.


Personal life

Hangal married at age 16 to Gururao Kaulgi, a Brahmin lawyer. They had two sons, Narayan Rao and Babu Rao, and one daughter, Krishna, who died from cancer in 2004, aged 75.

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan





Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (Devanagari: बड़े ग़ुलाम अली ख़ान, Shahmukhi: بڑے غلام علی خان, Urdu: بڑے غلام علی خان) (c. 1902 – 25 April 1968) was an Indian classical singer. He belonged to the Patiala Gharana of Hindustani classical music.,[1] and is considered to be an important representative of the Hindustani music tradition in the early and mid 20th century.


Early life and background

Bade Ghulam Ali was born in Kasur, Punjab, British India. His father was a famous singer, Ali Baksh Khan, in a West Punjabi family of musical heritage.

At the age of seven, he learned sarangi and vocal from his paternal uncle Kale Khan, who was a singer, and after his death he trained under his father.


Singing career

Khan started his career by playing sarangi. He became popular after his debut concert in Kolkata.

Khan amalgamated the best of four traditions: his own Patiala-Kasur style, the Behram Khani elements of Dhrupad, the gyrations of Jaipur, and the behlavas (embellishments) of Gwalior. His voice had a wide range, spanning three octaves, effortless production, sweetness, flexibility and ease of movement in all tempi.

After the partition of India in 1947, Khan returned to his home in Pakistan, but returned to India later to permanently reside there. He did not approve of the partition, stating: "If in every home one child was taught Hindustani classical music this country would never have been partitioned." In 1957, he acquired Indian citizenship and lived at various times in Lahore, Bombay, Calcutta, and Hyderabad.

He was reluctant to sing for films, but sang two songs based on ragas Sohni and Rageshree for the 1960 film Mughal-e-Azam, in which his voice was represented as Tansen's by the music director Naushad. To dissuade Naushad, he demanded a high price, reportedly Rs. 25,000/- per song, when the rate for popular playback singers such as Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi was below Rs. 500/- per song.

Khan was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan in 1962.

Khan was married to Ali Jiwai, who died in 1932. Khan's son, Munawar Ali Khan (1930–1989), was a classical singer. His grandson, Raza Ali Khan, is also a Hindustani classical singer.

Khan died in Hyderabad at Basheerbagh Palace in 1968, after a prolonged illness which left him partially paralyzed in his last years. He continued to sing and perform in public with the support of his son Munawar until his death.


The legacy

Today, the Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Yaadgar Sabha, founded by his disciple Malti Gilani, keeps his music and memory alive. It aims to promote Hindustani classical music and organises many concerts to this end. Its primary aim, however, is to provide medical aid to ailing musicians. The Sabha organises a Sabrang Utsav every year in the memory of the maestro. Under his pen name, Sabrang, Khan left numerous compositions.


Discography

* Mehfil - Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan - Times Music
* Golden Milestones - Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
* Classical Vocal - Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
* Sab Rang


Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Aye Na Baalam & Yaad Piya Ki Aye

Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki

Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki




Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki (Devanagari: पंडित जितेंद्र अभिषेकी; 21 September 1929 – 7 November 1998) was an Indian vocalist, composer and scholar of classical, semi-classical, and devotional music. While he distinguished himself in Hindustani music, he was singlehandedly responsible for the revival of the Marathi musical theatre in the 1960s with his beautiful compositions.


Early life and background

Abhisheki was born in a priestly Padye brahmin family in Mangeshi, Goa. His family was traditionally attached to the Mangeshi Shrine of Lord Shiva in Goa. His father, Balawantrao aka Bikambhat, was a nephew and a disciple of Master Deenanath Mangeshkar, and the temple priest and a Kirtankar. Balawantrao taught Jitendra the basic principles of Hindustani classical music.

Abhisheki then went to Mumbai and sought advanced training in vocal music from Pandit Jagannathbua Purohit and Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan of Agra Gharana, and Gulubhai Jasdanwala of Jaipur Gharana.

He developed a distinct style of rendering khayal, and was also well-known for his renditions of Marathi Natyasangeet and devotional songs.


Career

After a degree in Sanskrit literature, Abhisheki joined All India Radio (AIR) at Mumbai for a brief period, when he came in contact with several musicians and also got an opportunity to display his musical talents by composing several pieces for some radio programs.

Around this time, Abhisheki received a scholarship from the Indian Government for advanced training in Hindustani classical music under Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan.

He composed vocal as well as background scores for 25 Marathi plays. After receiving a Homi Bhabha fellowship in the late sixties, he taught at a music school run in the USA by sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.

Abhisheki maintained his ties to his homeland of Goa through his association with the Kala Academy, counseling and guiding students from that state.


Legacy

Besides son Shounak Abhisheki, the following are Pandit Abhisheki's well-known musical disciples:

* Asha Khadilkar
* Devaki Pandit
* Shubha Mudgal
* Ajit Kadkade
* Hemant Pendse
* Mahesh Kale
* Dr Mohankumar Darekar
* Prabhakar Karekar
* Raja Kale
* Ramdas Kamat
* Sameer Dublay
* Vasant Marathe
* Vijay Koparkar
* Sumedha Desai
* Makarand Hingne
* Shekhar Kumbhojkar
* Sudhakar Deoley


Discography

* Hymns from the Vedas and Upanishads, Vedic Chants (1996)


Awards and recognitions

* Homi Bhabha Fellowship (1969)
* Natyadarpan Award (1978)
* Padma Shri (1988)
* Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1989)
* Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar (1990)
* Gomantak Marathi Academy Award (1992)
* Balgandharva Puraskar (1995)
* Surashree Kesarbai Kerkar Award (1996)
* Master Deenanath Smriti Puraskar (1996)
* Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar (1996)
* Balgandharva Puraskar (Natyaparishad, (1997)
* Puraskar(Kailas Math Nasik, 1997)


jitendra abhisheki-sarvatmka sarveshwara