The Indian Classical Music Schools - Page 4

Bhendi Bazar Gharana (vocal)

Profile

A lesser-known but influential gharana, the Bhendi Bazar school was founded by Ustad Chhajju Khan, Ustad Nazir Khan and Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan in the late nineteenth century and is a branch of the Gwalior gharana. They trained under their father Dilawar Hussain Khan, and Inayat Hussain Khan of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. If the aspect of the compositions and presentation of the rag does not really differ from the Gwalior school, the singing techniques used in their development are very original. The akar sung in an open voice, the prevalence of merkhand (intricate singing of the sargam), and a clear articulation and intonation are the characteristic features of this gharana. Stringent practice of breath control permits the singer to sing a long stretch of the raga without pausing. The concert is generally divided in two parts : the khyal features a presentation of the poem, without accompaniment, then one, two or three poems developed on improvised phrases. Renowned singers of this gharana include Ustad Aman Ali Khan (who specialized in complex sargams without sidelining swara and laya, and taught Lata Mangeshwar). An exceptional musician, Aman Ali Khan was one of the most celebrated musicians in the 1940's Bombay. The last student of Aman Ali Khan still alive : Pandit TD Janorikar, and the great lady singer, student of Pandit TD Janorikar, Suhasini Koratkar. Another important artist was Anjanibai Malpekar (who taught Kishori Amonkar).

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Ustad Aman Ali Khan Anjanibai Malpekar Suhasini Koratkar
• Pt TD Janorikar

Dagar Vani (dhrupad)

The Dagar Family

Profile

Dagar Vani (or Bani) is the most well known and the only thriving dhrupad gharana of the 20th century. Other Dhrupad gharanas (bani-s) are near extinction. Dagar Bani claims a lineage of 20 unbroken generations of dhrupad singers, all the way to Swami Haridas. Recorded history of Dagar family starts with Baba Gopal Das Pandey. The family story says that Baba Gopal Das was a musician in the court of Mughal Emperor Mohammed Shah Rangile. He was ostracised by fellow brahmins because he accepted the paan given by the emperor, pleased with his singing. Thus he converted to Islam and took the name Imam Bhaksh Dagar. Behram Khan was the son of Baba Gopal Das and the real founder of Dagar gayaki. He was settled in the state of Jaipur and according to legend for more than 120 years. He had a great many disciples and taught his son Saddu Khan and nephews. He also taught musicians from outside the family - Alibaksh Fateh ali (Allya-Fattu), Gohki Bai, Kale Khan and Abdullah Khan who later established their own Khayal gharanas. Behram Khan also taught his grand son Pt. Enayet Khan and his nephews' sons Zakiruddin Khan and Allabande Khan. He died in 1877. Pt. Enayet Khan was known as a great singer, composer and scholar. Ustad Zakiruddin Khan and Ustad Allabande Khan were great jugalbandhi singers and were at the court of Udaipur and Alwar. Their great singing in the music conference of 1916 organized by V N Bhatkhande has been mentioned in the records. All of four sons of Allabande Khan trained in Dhrupad and became great musicians. Ustad Nasiruddin Khan was a great vocalist and served in the Indore court. His brother Rahimuddin Khan was well known for his superb Alaap and also taught several Dagar musicians, including the senior Dagar Brothers. He was also a great scholar and was awarded Padma Bhushan by Govt of India. His son Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar is a great scholar well versed in theoretical and practical aspects of Dhrupad and lives in Delhi. Post independence was a tough time for all dhrupadiya-s as khayal completely replaced Dhrupad as the classical music of choice in north India. Reviving it was the hard work of four famous sons of Ustad Nasiruddin Khan, the Dagar Brothers (senior and younger). Nasir Moinuddin Dagar and Ustad Aminuddin Dagar are now known as the Senior Dagar Brothers. Their jugalbandhi captivated audiences all over India and even in Europe bringing the focus back on the dying art of Dhrupad. Their younger brothers Ustad Nasir Zaheeruddin and Nasir Fayyazuddin became famous as the Dagar Brother after the untimely death of Nasir Moinuddin Dagar. Wasifuddin Dagar, the son of Fayyazuddin, is the inheritor of Dagar Brothers legacy. Ziauddin Khan Dagar was the from the other side of the family, being the grandson of Mohammad Jan Khan. His two sons became very famous and had a great impact on the dhrupad music of the 20th century. Zia Mohiuddin Dagar is known as the most important Beenkar (Rudra Veena) player of 20th century. Popularly known as Z M Dagar, he was instrumental in introducing Dhrupad in US, as a visiting professor, at Wesleyan, University of Washington. His younger brother Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar was equally instrumental in popularizing Dhrupad. He is the director of Dhrupad Kenda in Bhopal and has trained numerous good musicians including the popular Gundecha Brothers and the son of Z M Dagar, Bahauddin Dagar who plays the Rudra Veena like his father. All the Dagar musicians are profient in both Veena and Vocals, though they usually take up one of the two for concerts. Ustad Hussain Saiduddin Dagar is another grandson of Ustad Allabande Khan. He lives in Pune and is an expert vocalist. His sons Aneesuddin and Nafeesuddin Dagar are trained well are have started to give concerts together, carrying forward the torch of great vocal duos that Dagar Bani has produced.

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Alaka Nandi and Ashoka Dhar (Nandi Sisters) Aneesuddin and Nafeesuddin Dagar Baha-ud-din Dagar (Rudra Veena) Ustad Behram Khan (1753-1877, founder) Senior Dagar Brothers - Ustads Nasir Moinuddin Dagar and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar Dagar Brothers - Ustads Nasir Zahiruddin and Nasir Faiyazuddin Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar Baba Gopal Das Pandey (Ustad Imam Khan - founder) Gundecha Brothers Uday Bhawalkar Ustad Nasiruddin Khan Ustad Riazuddin Khan Ustad Hussain Saiduddin Dagar Ustads Zakiruddin Khan and Allabande Khan Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (Rudra Veena)
• Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar

Delhi Gharana (vocal)

Profile

The Delhi gharana was founded in the XIVth century by Amir Khusro, famous musician and poet in Persia, whose descendants were court musicians of the Great Moghol until the end of the empire in the XIXth century.

There are many different influences on the style of this gharana: Qawwali, as the Delhi gharana invented it, dhrupad, which is part of the training there, vocal khyal, ghazals and sarangi. Just as in dhrupad, the rules of the raga are very well respected in the Delhi gharana, and there is a wealth of beautiful compositions from previous masters. From this school comes the Patiala. Tanras Khan the khalifa of the Delhi gharana during the XIXth century gave his vast poem and composition patrimony to the young virtuosos Ali Baksh et Fateh Ali. Those singers, known later under the common name of "Aliya-Fattu"became the most famous duo of their time and settled as court musicians to the very rich Patiala Maharaja. Two branches of this school are existing today, one in India, the other in Afghanistan. The concert generally consists of a first khyal called "great" khyal, including a long alap (improvisation without tabla), a poem sung slowly and developed, and a second shorter poem. The second khyal or "small" khyal, starts on a shorter alap, followed by a composition on a fast and accelerating tempo. In Pakinstan, the Delhi Gharana is represented by Ustad Nasiruddin Saami. The actual Khalifa of the Khyal Delhi gharana is Ustad Iqbal Ahmad Khan. His student is the excellent ghazal singer Indira Misra. The actual Khalifa of the Qawwal bacche of the Delhi gharana is Me'raj Nizami Qawwal.

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Chand Khan Iqbal Ahmed Khan Krishna Bisht Nasir Ahmed Khan Ustad Nasiruddin Saami

Usman Khan

Delhi Tabla Gharana

Inam Ali Khan (1924-19??)

Profile

The first gharana to establish norms for improvisation is also the oldest of the tabla gharanas - Delhi gharana. Founded in the early eighteenth century by Siddhar Khan, the playing style (baj) of this gharana is also known as the bandh baj. This style has a clarity of sound that is a result of the initial role of the tabla as an accompaniment to vocal and instrumental music. This sharpness is achieved by playing on the chati or kinar, and has led to the baj being called the chati-ka-baj. Pakhwaj (the predecessor of the tabla) bols are no longer part of the gharana's repertoire, despite Siddhar Khan having been a pakhawaj player. The tempo most frequently encountered is the barabar (basic) of the ad (fractions and multiples of one-and-a half), while the items are predominantly kayada-rela, peshkar, and the mohra/mukhda. The kayada repertoire of the Delhi gharana is the model for the kayada items of the other gharanas as well. In the 20th century most important tabla player of Delhi gharana was Gamay Khan (1883-1958). His son Inam Ali Khan (1924-90) was an important tabla player of later part of 20th century. His son Ghulam Haider Khan represents the gharana now. Natthu Khan (1875-1940) is from anoher branch of the gharana and was one of the great tabla players of his time. He was also the father-in-law of Gamay Khan. Latif Ahmed Khan (1941-90) one of the greatest tabla players of 20th century was a disciple of both Gamay Khan and Inam Ali Khan. Shafaat Ahmed Khan the renowned tabla accompanist of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was the son and disciple of Chamma Khan from another branch of the gharana. Pandit Chatur Lal was the disciple of Haji Mohammad Khan.

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Gamay Khan Inam Ali Khan Latif Ahmed Khan Natthu Khan Pandit Chaturlal Shafat Ahmad Ali
• Siddhar Khan (founder)

Farrukhabad Tabla Gharana

Munir Khan (1863-1938)

Ahmedjan Thirakwa (1892-1976)

Profile

This gharana, usually spoken if in connection with the Awadh Court, was founded by Vilayet Ali, in the late eighteenth century. Vilayet Ali was the son-in-law and disciple of Mian Bakshi, the founder of the Lucknow gharana. After the deposing of Wajid Ali Shah, many of the gharana's musicians shifted to the Rampur court. The Nawab of Rampur's death led to another shift, in 1927, this time to Calcutta where later Keramatullah Khan and his son, Sabir Khan based themselves. Keramatullah Khan personally reverted to playing on the kinar section of the tabla to create the sharpness of the Delhi style, but his son remained with the Farrukhabad style. The playing style of this gharana belongs to the Purab baj (or the khula baj) and has maintained its affinities of the pakhwaj (a predecessor of the tabla) tradition. The richness of the Lucknowi gharana playing is found here as well. The Farrukhabad technique emphasizes playing on the sur and shyahi (when playing the right hand drum, the dayan), avoiding the kinar. Performing in barabar laya (basic tempo) and ad (fractions and multiples of one-and--half) laya are the norm. At the turn of the last century the the leading players of the gharana were Nanne Khan (1863-1937) and Munir Khan (1863-1938) out. Masit Khan(1882?-19??) took over from Munir Khan. Keramatullah Khan (1918-1977) son of Masit Khan trained his son Sabir Khan (b. 1959), who is the current head of the gharana. The legendary Ahmedjan Thirakwa (1892-1976) was a disciple of Munir Khan. Ahmedjan Thirakwa was in the court of Rampur for a long time and even after that was very active with Bhatkhande institute training a lot of students. Jnan Prakash Ghosh, a very influential musical personality of Calcutta, was a disciple of Masit Khan and an active tabla player in 50s and 60s. He trained three generation of tabla players many of whom turned out to be great masters of Tabla - Nikhil Ghosh, Kanai Dutta, Anindo Chatterjee, Bikram Ghosh. Many students of these players have become maestros themselves - Nayan Ghosh, Tanmoy Bose, Amalesh Chatterjee.

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Ahmedjan Thirakwa (1892-1976) Amalesh Chatterjee Anindo Chatterjee Bikram Ghosh Jnan Prakash Ghosh Kanai Dutta Keramatullah Khan (1918-1977) Masit Khan Munir Khan (1863-1938) Nanne Khan (1863-1937) Nayan Ghosh Nikhil Ghosh Sabir Khan Tanmoy Bose
• Vilayet Ali(founder)

Ghulam Ali Gharana (sarod)

Hafiz Ali Khan (1888-1972)

Mohemmad Amir Khan (1873-1934)

Profile

Also known as the Bangash gharana, this gharana has delineated into two branches, both descended from Ghulam Bandegi Khan Bangash, the Afghan rabab player and claimed to be the inventor of Sarod. He made several modifications to rebab and called it Sarod, meaning melody in Persian. His son, Ghulam Ali, was the founder of this gharana. He perfected the technique of playing Indian classical music on this new instrument, Sarod. This got him the royal patronage of Maharaja of Rewa and then that of Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior, which became his new home. Ghulam Ali's sons Nanhe Khan, Asghar Ali Khan and Murad Ali carried forward the Sarod tradition. The three brothers along with their disciples spread Sarod thoughout North India and Bengal. Nanhe Khan's son, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan (1888-1972) was the creator of the ekhara tn and the father of sarod maestor Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Hafiz Ali Khan became a disciple of Senia gharana maestro Ustad Mohammad Wazir Khan (who was also the guru of Ustad Allaudin Khan who started the Maihar gharana) and even learnt under Dhrupad vocalists eventually evolving a Gayaki ang. He finally moved to Delhi. Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan also introduced the feature of ending with a tihai (a thrice-repeated phrase) rather than with a sam for the commencement of the gat mukhda. Amjad Ali in the 50s went further, incorporating strong vocal elements that while already present, were not as developed. The use of the fast ekhara tn was introduced by him. Murad Ali's adopted son Abdullah Khan was the father of another sarod maestro Mohammed Amir Khan (1873-1934), who settled down in Shahjahanpur and popularize Murad Ali branch of Bangash Gharana . This branch has maintained the traditions of sarod playing, with vocal and sitar-playing elements noticeably in second-place. The gats are those from the repertoire of rabab playing, although these may well have been based on the gats of the Masitkhani gats for the sitar. The famed sarodiya Radhika Mohan Moitra (1917-1981) was a disciple of Mohammed Amir Khan and Ustad Dabir Khan of the Rampur Senia gharana. Pt Buddhadev Das Gupta is among the many disciples of Radhika Mohan Moitra and represents a branch of Bangash Gharana, also known as Seniya Shahjehanpur Sarod Gharana. Complex bols are a distinctive feature of sarod playing as are the diri-diri tns. The alap section consists of the alap, the jod and the jhala, the last sometimes replaced by the Iadant (a technique in which the first two strings are played, the second of which is tuned to Sa). The ladant is peculiar to the sarod. The gat section is usually in madhya laya, but occasionally the first part may be in vilambit laya thereby allowing for the ath-guni-toda (eight strokes per beat) to be played. Free-floating behlavas succeed the gat, and are succeeded by bols. While the tempo may increase through the performance, it is the medium tempo (madhya laya) that is taken to specific points approaching drut laya. This last is a relatively new feature and does not exist in the traditional repertoire. Amjad Ali Khan's two sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, are the future torch bearers of this Gharana.

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Ustad Abdullah Khan Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Pt Buddhadev Das Gupta Ustad Ghulam Ali Bangash Ustad Mohammed Amir Khan Ustad Nanhe Khan Ustad Murad Ali Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan
• Pt. Radhika Mohan Moitra

Gwalior Gharana (vocal)

Nissar Husain Khan

Krishnarao Shankar Pandit

Profile

The oldest of the khyal gharanas and one to which most others can and do trace the origins of their style is the Gwalior gharana. The rise of the Gwalior gharana started with the reign of the great Mughal emperor Akbar (1542-1605). The favourite singers of this patron of the arts, such as Miyan Tansen, first amongst the vocalists at the court, came from the town of Gwalior.

Some sources believe that Nathan Khan and Peer Baksh settled in Gwalior and evolved the style features that led to this gharana. Others claim that individuals named Nathan Peer Baksh and Nathe Khan founded the gharana. The accepted version is that Nathan Peer Baksh left Lucknow (in Uttar Pradesh) to escape the professional rivalry with Shakkar Khan that had taken an ugly turn. He arrived in Gwalior with his grandsons Haddu Khan and Hassu Khan. Another great khayal singer, also originally from Lucknow, was Bade Mohammed Khan who brought the tn into khayal singing. Haddu and Hassu Khan further enhanced the style into the Gwalior gharana as we recognize it today. Haddu Khan's son, Rehmet Khan (1852-1922) was a widely acclaimed singer who liberated the Gwalior style from the methodical form it followed to the emotional style that he preferred. Apart from the emphasis on notes (swara), another distinguishing feature of the gharana is its simplicity because through simplicity alone can the singer and the listener arrive at the full beauty and impact of the raga. One means to this is of course the selection of well-known ragas so that the listener is saved the effort of trying to identify the raga. Attention can be focussed on the raga and the presentation of it. While the khayal singer does include raga vistar (melody expansion) and raga alankara (melody ornamentation to enhance the beauty and meaning of the raga), there is no attempt to include the tirobhava feature i.e. using melodic phrases to obscure the identity of the raga in the interest of adding interest or mystery to the listener's experience. The singing itself places bandish (the composition) at the heart of the presentation because of the gharana's belief that the full melody of the raga and guidance on its singing is provided by the bandish. The sthayi section is sung twice before the antara, to be followed by the slow tempo of the swara vistar (note expansion). This slow rendition of the notes is known as the behlava, and is sung from Ma in the lower register to Pa in the higher register, following the pattern of the aroha (ascent) and avaroha (descent) of the raga. The behlava is divided into the sthayi (from Ma to Sa) and antara (from Ma, Pa, or Dha to Pa of the higher register). The dugun-ka-alap follows in which groups of two or four note combinations are sung in quicker succession but the basic tempo remains the same. Thus the drumming pattern of the table (i.e. tabla theka) is left unaltered. The bol-alap is next in which the different words of the text are sung in different ways, to be followed by murkis in which notes are sung with ornamentation to a faster pace. Bol-tns entail the formation of melodic sequences with the words of the song. The other tns, including the gamak, follow. The sapat tn is important to the Gwalior style and refers to the singing of notes in a straight sequence and at a slow pace. Both dhrupad and khayal singing evolved in Gwalior and there are many overlaps. In the khayal style there is one form, mundi dhrupad, that incorporates all the features of dhrupad singing but without the mukhda. The Gwalior gharana usually prefers to begin ragas in the medium tempo (madhya laya) rather then the slow tempo (vilambit laya) as is the norm with other gharanas. The chosen ragas include Alahya-Bilawal, Yaman, Bhairav, Sarang, Shri, Hamir, Gaud-Malhar, Miya-ki-Malhar.

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Balkrishnabua Ichalkaranjikar D V Paluskar Eknath Pandit Pandit Jal Balporia Krishnarao Shankar Pandit Laxman Krishnarao Pandit Malini Rajurkar Meeta Pandit Narayanrao Vyas Nissar Hussain Khan Omkarnath Thakur Rajubhaya Poochwale Ram Marathe Shankarrao Pandit Sharat Chandra Arolkar Sunanda Patnaik Ulhas Kashalkar V D Paluskar Pandit V.R. Athavale Pandit Vinaychandra Maudgalaya
• Pandit Vinayakrao Parwardhan
  

Imdadkhani Gharana (Instrumental)

Imdad Khan (1848-1920)

Inayat Khan (1895-1938)

Profile

The style created by Ustad Imdad Khan (1848-1920), comes from of the most ancient school, the Gwalior gharana. It is also known as the Etawah gharana after Sahebdad Khan, the father of Ustad Imdad Khan. Sahebdad Khan was trained and influenced by Haddu and Hassu Khan of the Gwalior gharana, and thus dhrupad and khayal vocal genres can be glimpsed in the playing style and in the choice of ragas. To the techniques of Been and Rebab many new techniques have been added. Ustad Imdad Khan and his son Ustad Inayat Khan (1895-1938) made this gharana famous and the latter's son, Ustad Vilayat Hussein Khan, left his impression on the gharana's style. Vilayat Khan perfected his father's handling of midh and murki. Also, he further modified Sitar, and preferred the baj string over the others which were played for rhythm or for filling gaps. Noticeable, too, in Ustad Vilayat Khan's style was the chikari strings that were played in a capacity comparable to the tanpura in vocal genres. He coloured his style with the one of the gayaki ang (vocal) of Eastern India. Based on the classical structure of the raga, this gharana includes alap, jor and jhala (slow then accelerating improvisation) without percussion as it is played in dhrupad, followed by the khyal composition called Gat, with the tabla, developed in numerous improvisations on rhythm and note like tans and layakaris. Lighter ragas like Kafi, Bhairavi, and Khamaj are usual to the gat. Other artistes who have brought acclaim to the gharana are Vilayat Khan's brother Ustad Imrat Khan, his sons Shujat Khan and Hidayat Khan, Nephews Ustad Rais Khan and Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pt. Arvind Parekh and Pt. Budhaditya Mukherjee. Imrat Khan's four young sons, Nishad Khan, Irshad Khan, Wajahat Khan and Shafaatullah Khan are the new generation representing the gharana.

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Ustad Aziz Khan Pt Budhaditya Mukherjee Ustad Hidayat Khan Ustad Imdad Khan Ustad Imrat Khan Ustad Inayat Khan Irshad Khan Nishad Khan Ustad Rais Khan Ustad Sahebdad Khan Shafaatullah Khan Ustad Shahid Parvez Shujat Khan Ustad Vilayat Khan Wajahat Khan
• Ustad Wahid Khan

Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana (vocal)

Profile

The Jaipur gharana is a dissident branch of the Agra gharana , founded by the illustrious Alladiya Khan.

Adding to the fluidity and complexity of the compositions, Alladiya Khan has developped a special kind of tans, the improvised melodic phrases, totally flabbergasting and requiring exceptionnal vocal control (very few young singers try it today). Born in Atrauli and singing at the Jaipur court, Alladiya Khan (1855-1943) made both cities famous through the gharana he founded. His training in both dhrupad and khayal genres enabled him to bring the complexities of both into his style that can be best described as filigree. The variation of note patterns serves to enhance the rendition of notes that are linked in a characteristic manner. This in no way impinges on the individual quality of the notes. The tempo is consistently slow (but not as slow as in the Kirana style), with the varying note patterns providing the rhythm. Many feel that the gharana follows an intellectual approach, and this does not lend itself to layakari (the development and play of tempo). However, the intellectual nature of presentation in no way precludes laya. It is very much in existence through the changing pitch and volume and the note patterns themselves: these factors comprise what Deshpande terms 'functional rhythm'. The time factor permeates every performance. The attention to every beat and half-beat is a vital feature of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and requires both singer and musician to co-ordinate on the sam. The sam is the most emphatic beat of the tabla (a drum) and is usually played at the beginning of the rhythm cycle and at other specific moments. The singer maintains this rhythm by coinciding the singing with the sam. In khayal singing, the sam may occur at the end of the mukhada (first melodic phrase) and the singer and musician do not consistently coincide their emphases. The Jaipur-Atraul gharana has elevated this to an art form by arriving at the emphatic beat in a specific but unexpected manner. By remaining aware of every beat and fraction of a beat even at the slow tempo, the singer can impart a great aesthetic value to the experience. Alladiya Khan was a master at this technique. The bandishes are always the traditional ones, and no new compositions are present in the repertoire. The text itself comes second to the melodic movements and tempo of the bandish, the gharana preferring to emphasize the meaning and emotion through note combinations. Thus the musical element dominates. The akar (singing a part of the raga through the vowels 'aa') is not traditionally used (the singer Kishori Amonkar is an exception). The bols (words) are sung, and ornamented with tns and murkis, the ornamentation being in drut laya (fast tempo). The bada khayal is sung spanning all three registers and the antara section is omitted. While vakra tns (spiralling notes to embellish the raga) are to be found in the presentation, there is a rarity of other tns like kanas (grace notes) and sargam tns (sargam - a term comprised of the solfege names of the first four notes, and denoting all seven notes). The choice of ragas reflects the school's selectivity of manner and presentation: acchob (rare) ragas and jod (compound) ragas like Sampurna-Malkauns, Basant-Kedar, Basant-Bahar, Kaunsi-Kanada and Nat-Kamod. The concert is generally divided in two parts : the khyal features a short alap, a quick presentation of the raga, then one or two poems developed on improvised phrases; then a thumri ends the concert.

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Alladiya Khan Ashwini Bhide Arati Ankalikar Kesarbai Kerkar Kishori Amonkar Mallikarjun Mansur Mogubai Kurdikar Padma Tralwalkar Padmavati Shaligram Gokhale Shruti Sadolikar Katkar V R Kadnekar
• Vinayakrao Kulkarni

Jaipur-Mewati (vocal)

Profile

The music of this gharana, also called just Mewati gharana, founded by Ghagge Nazir Khan avoids the accepted norm of elongating words for the sake of rhythm. Sargams and tns (such as sapat-tns) are employed to provide the versatile link that is needed. The literary context and the emotional appeal of the raga are stressed, and expressed through the use of techniques such as the murchhana technique (enhancing the raga by changing the tonic).

This last is important because of the emphasis on the mood (rasa, bhava) of the raga. This school can be said to be bhava-pradhan (pradhan: of great importance, superior), and as such the ornamentations and the structure of the performance are geared to ensuring a continuity. This, the akar is conspicuous by its absence (as in the Kirana gharana). The bandish section is characterised by the notes and the raga itself that span all three octaves; the mukhda of both sthayi and antara sections is developed through bol alap. This part closes with the mukhda of the sthayi section, to be followed by layakari and ornamental devices particularly the gamak and sapat tns. The bhajan quality of the performances is a feature unique to this gharana, and reveals a religious influence. The gharana is represented by Pandit Jasraj and his two disciples Sanjeev Abhyankar and Rattan Sharma. This is reminiscent of Ghagge Nazir Khan and his two disciples, Nathulal and Chamanlal. Nathulal's nephew Pandit Motiram continued the tradition through his sons Pandit Maniram and Pandit Jasraj.

Artists

Major artists in alphabetical order

Pt Jasraj Pt Maniram Pt Motiram Pratap Narayan Kala Ramnath Sanjeev Abhyankar
• Rattan Sharma