Imdadkhani gharana
Encyclopedia
The Imdadkhani gharana is a North India
n school of sitar
and surbahar
music, stemming from the very ancient Gwalior gharana
. It was created by Imdad Khan
(1848–1920), and is also known as the Etawah
gharana, after a village outside Agra
where Imdad lived. Many direct descendants of Imdad Khan continue the tradition today.
, the gharana was later moved to Etawah
on the outskirts of Agra before finally branching out to Calcutta with Enayat Khan
and Hyderabad, Indore
and Mumbai
with Wahid Khan
.
The gharana's major achievements include the development of the Surbahar, major structural changes to both the sitar and surbahar and the creation and development of the instrumental style known as the gayaki ang (vocal style performed on sitar).
Living performers of the family include Imrat Khan
, Rais Khan
, Shahid Parvez
, Shujaat Khan, Nishat Khan
, Irshad Khan
, Wajahat Khan
, and Hidayat Khan
.
The musical tradition includes many notable musicians who studied with the family and perform in their musical style. All of these musicians are known collectively as the Etawah gharana, or the Imdadkhani gharana after Imdad Khan
, it is one of the oldest, most illustrious gharana
s of Indian classical music
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n school of sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
and surbahar
Surbahar
Surbahar , sometimes known as bass sitar, is a plucked string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music of North India. It is closely related to sitar, but it has a lower tone. Depending on the instrument's size, it is usually pitched two to five whole steps below the standard sitar, but...
music, stemming from the very ancient Gwalior gharana
Gwalior gharana
The Gwalior Gharana is one of the oldest Khyal Gharanas. The rise of the Gwalior Gharana started with the reign of the great Mughal emperor Akbar...
. It was created by Imdad Khan
Imdad Khan
Ustad Imdad Khan was a sitar and surbahar player. His two sons Enayat Khan and Wahid Khan, his grandsons Vilayat Khan and Imrat Khan, and great-grandsons Shahid Parvez, Shujaat Khan, Nishat Khan, Irshad Khan, Wajahat Khan, Shafaatullah Khan and Hidayat Khan have all upheld his musical tradition,...
(1848–1920), and is also known as the Etawah
Etawah
Etawah is a city on the Yamuna River in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Etawah District. The city was an important center for the Revolt of 1857 . Also is the place of sangam or confluence between Yamuna and Chambal...
gharana, after a village outside Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
where Imdad lived. Many direct descendants of Imdad Khan continue the tradition today.
The Khan Family
The Khan family is one of the most renowned musical families from India. It traces its origins back through an unbroken line of celebrated musicians to the 16th Century where music has been passed down from father to son for almost 400 years. With its roots in AgraAgra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
, the gharana was later moved to Etawah
Etawah
Etawah is a city on the Yamuna River in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Etawah District. The city was an important center for the Revolt of 1857 . Also is the place of sangam or confluence between Yamuna and Chambal...
on the outskirts of Agra before finally branching out to Calcutta with Enayat Khan
Enayat Khan
Enayat Khan was one of India's most influential sitar and surbahar players in the first decades of the 20th Century. He was the father of Vilayat Khan, one of the topmost sitariyas of the postwar period....
and Hyderabad, Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
with Wahid Khan
Wahid Khan
- Childhood and training :When Wahid Khan was still quite young, Imdad Khan moved into Kolkata from Etawah with his family. There they used to stay at the house of noted connoisseur Sri. Taraprasad Ghosh, where Imdad Khan rigorously trained his two talented sons Enayat Khan and Wahid Khan. Wahid...
.
The gharana's major achievements include the development of the Surbahar, major structural changes to both the sitar and surbahar and the creation and development of the instrumental style known as the gayaki ang (vocal style performed on sitar).
Living performers of the family include Imrat Khan
Imrat Khan
Imrat Khan is a leading sitar and surbahar player. He is the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan.-Training and early career:...
, Rais Khan
Rais Khan
Ustad Rais Khan is a legendary sitarist born in Indore, India. In the different lines of "gayaki ang" Ustad Rais Khansaheb is the torchbearer of the Mewat or Mewati Gharana , which is connected to Indore and the "beenkar baj gayaki ang" Ustad Rais Khan (born 25 November 1939) is a legendary...
, Shahid Parvez
Shahid Parvez
Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan is a sitar player of Hindustani classical music. He carries on a legacy of sitar playing that goes back several generations in his family. He belongs to the famous Etawah Gharana and belongs to the seventh generation of this musical lineage...
, Shujaat Khan, Nishat Khan
Nishat Khan
Nishat Khan is an Indian sitar player and son of surbahar player Imrat Khan.Khan was born in the mid-1960s in Kolkata. He performed with musicians of the genres jazz, Gregorian chant, flamenco and Western classical music. In August 2002, Khan performed for the Diet of Japan in Tokyo and played in...
, Irshad Khan
Irshad Khan
Irshad Khan is a surbahar and sitar player based in Canada. He is the second son of Ustad Imrat KhanAs one of the foremost representatives of the Imdadkhani Etawa Gharana, Irshad Khan is internationally recognized as one a leading sitar players and as the leading surbahar exponent of his generation...
, Wajahat Khan
Wajahat Khan
Wajahat Khan is an Indian sarod player who has earned international acclaim since 1977. He is the third son of Imrat Khan, nephew of Vilayat Khan and a member of the multi-generational musical Khan family which founded the Imdadkhani Gharana...
, and Hidayat Khan
Hidayat Khan
Hidayat Hussain Khan a sitar virtuoso, classical singer is the son of the legend Ustad Vilayat Khan...
.
The musical tradition includes many notable musicians who studied with the family and perform in their musical style. All of these musicians are known collectively as the Etawah gharana, or the Imdadkhani gharana after Imdad Khan
Imdad Khan
Ustad Imdad Khan was a sitar and surbahar player. His two sons Enayat Khan and Wahid Khan, his grandsons Vilayat Khan and Imrat Khan, and great-grandsons Shahid Parvez, Shujaat Khan, Nishat Khan, Irshad Khan, Wajahat Khan, Shafaatullah Khan and Hidayat Khan have all upheld his musical tradition,...
, it is one of the oldest, most illustrious gharana
Gharana
In Hindustani music, a gharānā is a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. A gharana also indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology. This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one...
s of Indian classical music
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
.
Exponents of the gharana
- Sarojan Singh
- Turab Khan
- Sahabdad Khan
- Imdad KhanImdad KhanUstad Imdad Khan was a sitar and surbahar player. His two sons Enayat Khan and Wahid Khan, his grandsons Vilayat Khan and Imrat Khan, and great-grandsons Shahid Parvez, Shujaat Khan, Nishat Khan, Irshad Khan, Wajahat Khan, Shafaatullah Khan and Hidayat Khan have all upheld his musical tradition,...
- Enayat KhanEnayat KhanEnayat Khan was one of India's most influential sitar and surbahar players in the first decades of the 20th Century. He was the father of Vilayat Khan, one of the topmost sitariyas of the postwar period....
- Wahid KhanWahid Khan- Childhood and training :When Wahid Khan was still quite young, Imdad Khan moved into Kolkata from Etawah with his family. There they used to stay at the house of noted connoisseur Sri. Taraprasad Ghosh, where Imdad Khan rigorously trained his two talented sons Enayat Khan and Wahid Khan. Wahid...
- Hafeez Khan
- Aziz Khan
- Vilayat KhanVilayat KhanUstad Vilayat Khan was one of India's well known sitar maestros, born in Gauripur in Mymensingh, Bengal...
- Imrat KhanImrat KhanImrat Khan is a leading sitar and surbahar player. He is the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan.-Training and early career:...
- Rais KhanRais KhanUstad Rais Khan is a legendary sitarist born in Indore, India. In the different lines of "gayaki ang" Ustad Rais Khansaheb is the torchbearer of the Mewat or Mewati Gharana , which is connected to Indore and the "beenkar baj gayaki ang" Ustad Rais Khan (born 25 November 1939) is a legendary...
- Shahid Parvez Khan
- Budhaditya MukherjeeBudhaditya MukherjeeBudhaditya Mukherjee is a Hindustani classical sitar and surbahar player of the Imdadkhani Gharana .He was taught by his father Bimalendu Mukherjee from the age of 5, and started making a name for himself at a young age...
- Shujaat Khan
- Nishat KhanNishat KhanNishat Khan is an Indian sitar player and son of surbahar player Imrat Khan.Khan was born in the mid-1960s in Kolkata. He performed with musicians of the genres jazz, Gregorian chant, flamenco and Western classical music. In August 2002, Khan performed for the Diet of Japan in Tokyo and played in...
- Irshad KhanIrshad KhanIrshad Khan is a surbahar and sitar player based in Canada. He is the second son of Ustad Imrat KhanAs one of the foremost representatives of the Imdadkhani Etawa Gharana, Irshad Khan is internationally recognized as one a leading sitar players and as the leading surbahar exponent of his generation...
- Wajahat KhanWajahat KhanWajahat Khan is an Indian sarod player who has earned international acclaim since 1977. He is the third son of Imrat Khan, nephew of Vilayat Khan and a member of the multi-generational musical Khan family which founded the Imdadkhani Gharana...
(Sarod) - Shafaatullah KhanShafaatullah KhanShafaatullah Khan is a tabla, sitar and surbahar player. He is the fourth son of Imrat Khan.-External links:*...
- Hidayat KhanHidayat KhanHidayat Hussain Khan a sitar virtuoso, classical singer is the son of the legend Ustad Vilayat Khan...
- Zila KhanZila KhanZila Hussain Khan is an Indian sufi singer. She sings classical and semi-classical musical forms She performs in the tradition of Imdadkhani gharana.-Early life:...
- Humza Khan
Other representatives
- Anupama BhagwatAnupama Bhagwat-Early life and education:Bhagwat was born 1974 in Bhilai, India. She was introduced to playing sitar at the age of nine by her uncle. Bhagwat trained under R. N. Verma of the Maihar gharana and traveled to Bhilai at the age of 13 to train under Bimalendu Mukherjee of the Imdadkhani gharana...
- Amiya Kanti Bhattacharya
- Ramprapanna Bhattacharya
- Vinayak Chittar
- Birendra Kishore Roy Choudhury
- Rajeev JanardanRajeev JanardanRajeev Janardan , is a Hindustani classical sitar player of the Imdadkhani gharana , taught by Bimalendu Mukherjee. He is married to guitarist Kamala Shankar, with whom he performs. They live in New Delhi....
- Hidayat KhanHidayat KhanHidayat Hussain Khan a sitar virtuoso, classical singer is the son of the legend Ustad Vilayat Khan...
- Sameep Kulkarni
- Brigitte Menon
- Abhik Mukherjee
- Bimalendu MukherjeeBimalendu MukherjeeBimalendu Mukherjee is world-renowned Hindustani classical sitar player, and a teacher of the Imdadkhani gharana ,...
- Kashinath MukherjeeKashinath MukherjeeKashinath Mukherjee is a Hindustani classical musician and sitar player of Etawah Gharana.Kashinath Mukherjee was born in Kolkata into an aristocratic family having a rich cultural heritage. His father Shital Chandra Mukherjee was a scientist specialized in chemistry, as well as a learned dhrupad...
- Arvind ParikhArvind Parikh-Early life:Arvind parikh was born in Ahmedabad into a Gujrati Business Family with cultural and spiritual influences. His father was a businessman and mother was a painter. His primary and secondary education continued in a nationalist school. At home he was taught Indian music by musicians when...
- Kalyani Roy
- Kamala ShankarKamala ShankarKamala Shankar , is a Hindustani classical guitar player. She is married to sitar player Rajeev Janardan, with whom she performs...
- Bijoyaditya Mukherjee
- Manu Kumar Seen
- Jaspreet SinghJaspreet SinghJaspreet Singh is a Canadian writer.He grew up in India and moved to Canada in 1990. Singh is the author of the novel Chef , and Seventeen Tomatoes: Tales from Kashmir, a collection of linked stories. He is a former research scientist who holds a PhD in chemical engineering from McGill University...