Famous Music Gharanas

Benaras Gharana – Pandit Gopal Mishra initiated this gharana which has given us impressive names like Girija Devi, famous duo of Rajan and Sajan Mishra and many more who have kept the tradition high and fly. Wonderful Khayal singing is particularly associated with this gharana. The historical culture of Benaras has also influenced the rich tradition of this gharana.

Jaipur - Atrauli Gharana: - Ustad Alladiya Khan founded this gharana and produced magnificent singers like Kesarbhai Kerkar, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Alladiya Khan, Shruti Sadolikar, Padma Talwalkar, Kishori Amonkar, and Mallikarjun Mansur. Jaipur gharana distinguishes itself on the basis of its practice of compound and tuneful form of notes.

Patiala Gharana - Founded by Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and Ustad Ali Baksh, Patiala gharana is known for giving us world class classical singers. Names like Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Parveen Sultana, Begum Akhtar, Raza Ali Khan, Nirmala Deni, Ajoy Chakravarti, Naina Devi inspire awe and respect. This gharana focuses on usage of Bols. Bol-tans and Layakari aling with emphasis on rhythm are special attributes of this gharana.

Rampur Sahaswan Gharana- singers like Ustad Rashid Khan, Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Brihaspati, Sulochana and Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan have been major exponents of this form of tradition. The founder was Ustad Inayat Khan and he tried to focus upon clarity of swara. Progression is very important in this gharana.

Bhendi Bazaar Gharana - Ustad Chajju Khan initiated this rich traditional gharana and gave us singers like Shashikala Koratkar, Anjanibai Malpekar and Ustad Aman Ali Khan etc. The emphasis is on presentation of Khayal.

Introducing Music Gharanas

Kirana Gharana – the founders of this gharana were Abdul Wahid Khan and Abdul Karim Khan. Glitterati of music personalities belong to this prod gharana. The names include, Bhimsen Joshi, Prabha Atre, Hirabhai Barodekar, Begum Akhtar and Gangubai Hangal to name a few. The origin of this gharana can be traced to birthplace of its founder, Abdul Kharim Khan who was born in a place called Kirana in Kurukshetra. The main element of this Gharanas is the way notes are sung. Emotional elemnt is focused upon by interesting usage of swara through elongation and use of Kana-s.

Gwalior Gharana uses Khayal Gayaki styles. One of the oldest gharanas, the style of singing focuses more on simplicity of the art. Ustad Nathu Khan, Ustad Hassu Khan, and Ustad Haddu Khan were founders of this famous gharana. Famous artists belonging to this gharanas are, Bal Krishna BaIchal Karanjikar, Malini Rajurkar, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, and Veena Sahasrabuddhe etc.

Delhi Gharana - Ustad Mamman Khan created this gharana and proudly represented by classical names like Shabbu khan and Tanras Khan. Names like Krishna Bisht, Nasir Ahmed Khan, Iqbal Ahmed Khan, Chand Khan and Usman Khan etc have represented this gharana. The singing style of this tradition is known because of delicate symphony and gratifying vistaar.

Agra Gharana- Founded by Ustad Ghagghe Khuda Baksh and Haji Sujan Khan, this gharana has given us exponents like Latafat Hussein Khan, Dinkar Kakini and Faiyyaz Khan. The specialty about the singing style of the gharana was emphasis on potent and reverberating notes and deepness in the voice.

Hindustani Music Gharanas

Music knows no boundaries, no religions and no lands. As mentioned earlier, this blog will try to discover as many musical gems as possible from various parts of the world. Let’s know a bit about Indian music. One term many music lovers keep coming across is Hindustani music Gharanas. The term reflects rich tradition of Indian music. These Gharanas denote style and culture embossed in rich Indian heritage. There are several Gharanas in India and each one of them has their base in the long-established mode of musical education and learning. No gharana is similar to other one. They all are distinct and hold on their own when it comes to features, attributes and specialties. The concept of Gharanas has taken forward on the basis of Guru- Shishya culture. Every new generation of musicians have taken the mantle of carrying forward rich legacy left by their Gurus.

Talking about difference in Gharanas, the basic difference is the method in which the notes are sung. The rise of Gharanas can be attributed to ingenious approach of a genius or the guru, who gives presented composition an entirely new approach, structure and elucidation. These new structures and approach expands to every element related to music including tone, intonations, voice, pitch and other nuances. That way, a distinctly new approach is generated and which also helps in distinguishing different gharanas from one another. We will have a look at few of the Hindustani music gharans in coming articles.

The Magic of Music

Music! The word itself creates a kind of rhythm and beautiful sensation felt by our sensory nerves. Often wondered, why it’s so difficult to find a person who has no interest in music? I have yet to come across a person with such inclinations. Music moves all. No one can escape the charm and magic generated by music. Go to any part of the world and one will find everyone has his favorite music list. Music has such charm, such beauty!

It’s hard to imagine about the origin of music. But music is a permanent fixture in all the religions and cultures. Music is one common element among all the cultures. Even if we look through Roman culture or ancient Greek civilization, Hinduism and other native cultures, music is everywhere. Music is said to be originated from sounds of nature. The sound of animals, the sound of peacock, sound of raindrops, etc have been found to be the original inspiration. Music is the food of the soul that can help us express our innermost feelings.

This blog will strive to find various songs scattered all across the globe. From Indian point of view, this land is culturally rich and that includes music. Whether it’s our classical music (Hindustani or south Indian), or folks songs of different states or religious songs or tribal songs, one can find almost all forms of music in Indian Territory. We will continue to unearth and discover such forms of music through this blog. Needless to say, it will be a musical journey!