Manohari Singh
Encyclopedia
Manohari Singh was an Indian saxophonist and a key member of Bollywood
film composer Rahul Dev Burman's
team. He died after a cardiac arrest on July 13, 2010 in Mumbai.
In addition to playing the alto saxophone
, Manohari Singh was also the music assistant and arranger for R. D. Burman. He has played the saxophone in many R. D. Burman compositions. He played in the well-known hit "Gaata rahe mera dil", composed by S.D. Burman, from the movie Guide
. He has also played for songs in the recent movies Chalte Chalte (2003) and Veer Zaara (2004).
Born in Kolkata
in a family of musicians, Manohari Singh watched his father - originally from Nepal - and uncle play in music studios for films and in night-clubs. After trying his hand at the English key flute
, the clarinet
and the mandolin
, Manohari Singh finally chose the saxophone as his forte. His first break was in 1958 with Sachin Dev Burman
as a saxophonist for the movie Sitaron se aage. He has also released an album titled Sax appeal containing saxophone renditions of various Hindi movie music tracks
Manohari Singh is said to deeply cherish his gold-plated Selmer
saxophone (bought in New York
in 1969) and tries to avoid getting even his own finger-prints on it .
He was felicitated at Tilak Smarak mandir,pune on 31 st October 2004 at the hands of another noted music personality Shamrao Kamble by Panchammagic group. (www.panchammagic.org)
He was felicitated at the Yashwantrao Chavan
Natyagruha (auditorium) on March 19, 2006, on the occasion of his 75 birthday
He was also awarded with "Memorable Contribution to Music Award" at the Tata Indicom Radio Mirchi Music Awards function held on 27 March 2009.
He also played in a Telugu movie named "Raavoi Chandamama", music composed by Manisharma and Nagarjuna acted in this movie and Jayanth C. Paranjee directed it.
Manohari Singh died on July 13, 2010 in Mumbai.
Music Troupe Musicolor felicitated him a few years ago at a grand function where he played some of his evergreen classics like Gulabi ankhen, Tere mere sapne, Dil tera diwana, O hansini among others.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film composer Rahul Dev Burman's
Rahul Dev Burman
Rahul Dev Burman commonly known as R. D. Burman and nicknamed Pancham da or simply Pancham, was an influential Bollywood music composer. He was the only son of singer and Bollywood music composer Sachin Dev Burman and his wife Meera...
team. He died after a cardiac arrest on July 13, 2010 in Mumbai.
In addition to playing the alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, Manohari Singh was also the music assistant and arranger for R. D. Burman. He has played the saxophone in many R. D. Burman compositions. He played in the well-known hit "Gaata rahe mera dil", composed by S.D. Burman, from the movie Guide
Guide (film)
Guide is a 1965 Hindi film starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. It was directed by Vijay Anand, who also contributed to the screenplay. The film is based on the critically acclaimed novel, The Guide, by R. K. Narayan, and is widely considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Indian film...
. He has also played for songs in the recent movies Chalte Chalte (2003) and Veer Zaara (2004).
Born in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
in a family of musicians, Manohari Singh watched his father - originally from Nepal - and uncle play in music studios for films and in night-clubs. After trying his hand at the English key flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and the mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, Manohari Singh finally chose the saxophone as his forte. His first break was in 1958 with Sachin Dev Burman
Sachin Dev Burman
Sachin Dev Burman , also credited as Burman da, Kumar Sachindra Dev Barman, Sachin karta or S. D. Burman, was one of the most famous music composers for Hindi movies and a Bengali singer and composer. His son Rahul Dev Burman also achieved great success as a Bollywood music director in his own...
as a saxophonist for the movie Sitaron se aage. He has also released an album titled Sax appeal containing saxophone renditions of various Hindi movie music tracks
Manohari Singh is said to deeply cherish his gold-plated Selmer
The Selmer Company
Henri Selmer Paris company is a French family-owned enterprise, manufacturer of musical instruments based in Paris, France in 1885. It is known for its high-quality woodwind and brass instruments, especially saxophones, clarinets and trumpets...
saxophone (bought in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1969) and tries to avoid getting even his own finger-prints on it .
He was felicitated at Tilak Smarak mandir,pune on 31 st October 2004 at the hands of another noted music personality Shamrao Kamble by Panchammagic group. (www.panchammagic.org)
He was felicitated at the Yashwantrao Chavan
Yashwantrao Chavan
Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan was the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra after the division of Bombay State and the fifth Deputy Prime Minister of India. He was a strong Congress leader, Cooperative leader, social activist and writer. He was popularly known as Leader of Common People...
Natyagruha (auditorium) on March 19, 2006, on the occasion of his 75 birthday
He was also awarded with "Memorable Contribution to Music Award" at the Tata Indicom Radio Mirchi Music Awards function held on 27 March 2009.
He also played in a Telugu movie named "Raavoi Chandamama", music composed by Manisharma and Nagarjuna acted in this movie and Jayanth C. Paranjee directed it.
Manohari Singh died on July 13, 2010 in Mumbai.
Music Troupe Musicolor felicitated him a few years ago at a grand function where he played some of his evergreen classics like Gulabi ankhen, Tere mere sapne, Dil tera diwana, O hansini among others.
External links
- An article in Hindi about Manohari Singh on The Bhopal Post web-site
- Article about Manohari Singh on the Indian Express web-site
- IMDB entry on Manohari Singh
- http://www.panchamonline.com/musicians.htm