Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh
Encyclopedia
Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh (1912 – February 18, 1997) was an Indian tabla
player and musicologist.
Kayasth family with musical background in Kolkata
, India
he was the grandson of Dwarik Ghosh, inventor of the Dwarkin harmonium
, popular in West Bengal
, India
. He was first class first on graduation from Calcutta University in the Pali
language. He was keen in sports (he played Soccer, Hockey
, Polo
and Billiards
) and painting, but had to discontinue these due to an eye injury in a Soccer match.
Then he turned to music. He was trained in vocals by Girija Shankar, Mohammed Sagir Khan and Mohammed Dabir Khan. He took tabla lessons from Ustad Masit Khan of the Farukkabad Gharana and Ustad Feroze Khan of the Punjab Gharana.
as a producer of music. He wrote pieces in classical music, light music, modern, orchestral, choral, and percussion styles. He took part in valuable discussions, talks and interviews in Hindi, Bengali and English. He also began the “Ramayangeeti” a fusion of traditional and modern Indian music.
Pandit Ghosh was the founder of Sourav Academy of Music and closely associated with the 'Sangeet Research Academy'. He scored music for many Bengali films, Jadubhatta and Rajlakshmi o Srikanta are worth mentioning. He has composed and directed music to a number of popular gramophone records sung by various artistes. A percussion entitled The Drums of India and a jugalbandi with Pandit V.G. Jog on the harmonium and violin respectively have earned him wide popularity. One of his outstanding compositions was called Chaturang - involving tabla, pakhawaj, kathak and tarana. He would instruct disciples staying with him to practice late into the evenings and it is said that he would correct any errors that reached his ears.
He also provided music for the Academy Award nominated animated short Bead Game
, directed by Ishu Patel
for the National Film Board of Canada
.
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
player and musicologist.
Early life
Born in a HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Kayasth family with musical background 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...
, India
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...
he was the grandson of Dwarik Ghosh, inventor of the Dwarkin harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, popular in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
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...
. He was first class first on graduation from Calcutta University in the Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
language. He was keen in sports (he played Soccer, Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, Polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
and Billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
) and painting, but had to discontinue these due to an eye injury in a Soccer match.
Then he turned to music. He was trained in vocals by Girija Shankar, Mohammed Sagir Khan and Mohammed Dabir Khan. He took tabla lessons from Ustad Masit Khan of the Farukkabad Gharana and Ustad Feroze Khan of the Punjab Gharana.
Career
He worked for 15 years in All India RadioAll India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
as a producer of music. He wrote pieces in classical music, light music, modern, orchestral, choral, and percussion styles. He took part in valuable discussions, talks and interviews in Hindi, Bengali and English. He also began the “Ramayangeeti” a fusion of traditional and modern Indian music.
Pandit Ghosh was the founder of Sourav Academy of Music and closely associated with the 'Sangeet Research Academy'. He scored music for many Bengali films, Jadubhatta and Rajlakshmi o Srikanta are worth mentioning. He has composed and directed music to a number of popular gramophone records sung by various artistes. A percussion entitled The Drums of India and a jugalbandi with Pandit V.G. Jog on the harmonium and violin respectively have earned him wide popularity. One of his outstanding compositions was called Chaturang - involving tabla, pakhawaj, kathak and tarana. He would instruct disciples staying with him to practice late into the evenings and it is said that he would correct any errors that reached his ears.
He also provided music for the Academy Award nominated animated short Bead Game
Bead Game
Bead Game is a 1977 animated short film by Ishu Patel, creating by arranging beads into the shapes of real and mythical creatures, who absorb and devour another, evolving into scenes of modern human warfare...
, directed by Ishu Patel
Ishu Patel
Ishu Patel is an animation film director/producer and educator. Over a period of twenty-five years at the National Film Board of Canada he developed animation techniques and styles to support his themes and vision.-Background:...
for the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
.