Rampur-Sahaswan gharana
Encyclopedia
Rampur-Sahaswan gharana is a gharana
(musical heritage) of Hindustani classical music
centered in the North-Uttar Pradesh
towns of Rampur
and Sahaswan
. Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan
(1849–1919) was the founder of this gharana.
, and took talim (training) from Ustad Bahadur Hussain Khan, a descendant of Mian Tansen
himself. The style has influences of the Dhrupad
singing typical of the Gwalior gharana, and the Rampur-Shahaswan style is sometimes regarded as an off-shoot of the Gwalior gharana.
, which features medium-slow tempos, a full-throated voice and intricate rhythmic play. The gharana style is also known for the diversity and intricacy of the taan
s (rapidfire elaborations), as well as tarana
singing.
The renowned singers of this gharana include the first and, perhaps the foremost disciple of Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan, Ustad Hyder Khan sahab. In fact, Ustad Hyder Khan and his family plays a vital role in upbringing the legacy of this illustrious family as, not only him but, after his demise, his son Ustad Fida Hussain Khan and his grandson, the renowned maestro Padma Bhushan Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan made sure that the legacy carries forward to the next generation.
Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan was not just a singer but a great teacher who has given the gharana what it has in the modern era. Also, another legendary singer of this gharana is Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan, who was a disciple of first, Ustad Hyder Khan and later on, groomed by Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan sahab. He was the recipient of the forst Padma Bhushan award in singing.
Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan gave some of the best exponents in the field of Indian Classical Music (Hindustani/ North Indian Style) such as Ustad Hafeez Ahmed Khan (ex Deputy Chief Producer Of A.I.R, ex Vice Chancellor of the Indira Kala Vishwa Vidyalaya, the only musical university of India and a recipient of Padma Shree Award), Ustad Sarfaraz Hussain Khan (ex Producer of A.I.R and the eldest son of Nissar Hussain Khan), Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan (recipient of Padma Bhushan Award), Ustad Iftikhar Hussain Khan Ustad Ghulam Akbar Khan, Zulfiqar Hussain Khan, Ustad Rashid Khan (one of the leading vocalists of the modern era and recipient of Padmashri award), Ustad Mujahid Hussain Khan, Mushahid Hussain Khan and Wajahat Hussain Khan and Ghulam Niyaz Khan.
Also belonging to the same lineage are Ustad Aftab Ahmed Khan (disciple and son of Ustad Waris Hussain Khan and brother of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan), Ghulam Qadir Khan, Ghulam Murtuza Khan, Nadeem Khan, Danish Hussain Khan, Azeem Khan, Shazeb Hasan, Arshad Khan, Rizwan Khan and Shahbaaz Hussain.
Belonging to the other family of the same gharana are the disciples and relatives of Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan Sahab, one of the other pioneers of the gharana. His family consists of his sons, Ustad Ishtiyaaq Hussain Khan, Ustad Ghulam Hussain Khan, Ustad Ghulam Taqi Khan, son-in-law Ustad Ghulam Sadiq Khan (recipient of Padma Shree),Ustad Salman Khan Niyazi(vocalist of astitva band),Ustad Afzal Hussain Khan, Ustad Wajid Hussain Khan, Ghulam Fariduddin Khan, Shujaat Hussain Khan, Sakhawat Hussain Khan, Ghulam Abbas Khan, Shakeel Ahmed Khan, Ghulam Siraj Khan, Ustad Maqbool Hussain Khan, Zeeshaan Khan and Ghulam Hasan Khan.
Apparently, there were artists who came in and learned under the able guidance of these legends of Rampur Sahaswan Gharana such as Chajju Khan and Nazir Khan (founder of Bhendi Bazaar Gharana and disciple of Inayat Hussain Khan Sahab), Pandit Ganpat Rao (considered to be the godfather of Harmonium playing in Sub continent territories), Ustad Hafeez Khan of Gudiyani (Gurgaon).
Some other famous names in the same category of musicians who came from elsewhere and learned in Rampur Sahaswan Gharana are Shanno Khurana (recipient of Padma Bhushan Award), Sulochana Brihaspati (recipient of Padma Shree Award), Arun Bhaduri, Deepak Chatterjee, Pradeep Chatterjee, Pranab Biswas, Prasad Kharpade, Chandan Das, A.Hariharan, Sonu Nigam and Shaan, to name a few.
Dr Sakuntala Narasimhan, who is herself a disciple of Ustad Hafeez Ahmed Khan, has written a book on the Rampur-Sahaswan 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...
(musical heritage) of Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
centered in the North-Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
towns of Rampur
Rampur, Uttar Pradesh
Rampur is a city and a municipality located in Rampur District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Rampur district is located at Longitude 78-0-54 to 69-0-28 East and Latitude 28-25 to 29-10 North and spans an area of 2,367 km².It also gave its name to a former princely state of British...
and Sahaswan
Sahaswan
Sahaswan is a city and a municipal board in Badaun district in the Indian state of western Uttar Pradesh. Till 1853 Sahaswan was the headquarters of Budaun District-Neighbourhoods:Sahaswan has 20 localities including:Qazi Mohlla...
. Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan
Inayat Hussain Khan
Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan was an Indian classical vocalist, and the founder of Rampur-Sahaswan gharana.-Early life:Born in Sahaswan, Badaun district to Ustad Mehboob Khan, a khayal singer and Veena player of the Rampur court. He was taught traditional khayals and the exquisite taranas created by...
(1849–1919) was the founder of this gharana.
History
Inayat Khan was a child prodigy, and he married the daughter of Haddu Khan of the Gwalior gharanaGwalior 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...
, and took talim (training) from Ustad Bahadur Hussain Khan, a descendant of Mian Tansen
Tansen
Mia Tansen is considered among the greatest composer-musicians in Hindustani classical music. He was an extraordinarily gifted vocalist, known for a large number of compositions, and also an instrumentalist who popularized and improved the rabab .He was among the Navaratnas at the court of the...
himself. The style has influences of the Dhrupad
Dhrupad
Dhrupad is a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition. Its name is derived from the words "dhruva" and "pada"...
singing typical of the Gwalior gharana, and the Rampur-Shahaswan style is sometimes regarded as an off-shoot of the Gwalior gharana.
Singing style
The Rampur-Sahaswan gayaki (style of singing) is closely related to the Gwalior GharanaGwalior 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...
, which features medium-slow tempos, a full-throated voice and intricate rhythmic play. The gharana style is also known for the diversity and intricacy of the taan
Taan (music)
Taan is a virtuoso technique used in the vocal performance of a raga in Hindustani classical music. It involves the singing of very rapid melodic passages using vowels, often the long "a" as in the word "far", and it targets at improvising and to expand weaving together the notes in a fast tempo...
s (rapidfire elaborations), as well as tarana
Tarana
Tarana is a type of composition in Hindustani classical vocal music in which certain words and syllables based on Persian and Arabic phenomes are used in a medium-paced or fast rendition...
singing.
The renowned singers of this gharana include the first and, perhaps the foremost disciple of Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan, Ustad Hyder Khan sahab. In fact, Ustad Hyder Khan and his family plays a vital role in upbringing the legacy of this illustrious family as, not only him but, after his demise, his son Ustad Fida Hussain Khan and his grandson, the renowned maestro Padma Bhushan Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan made sure that the legacy carries forward to the next generation.
Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan was not just a singer but a great teacher who has given the gharana what it has in the modern era. Also, another legendary singer of this gharana is Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan, who was a disciple of first, Ustad Hyder Khan and later on, groomed by Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan sahab. He was the recipient of the forst Padma Bhushan award in singing.
Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan gave some of the best exponents in the field of Indian Classical Music (Hindustani/ North Indian Style) such as Ustad Hafeez Ahmed Khan (ex Deputy Chief Producer Of A.I.R, ex Vice Chancellor of the Indira Kala Vishwa Vidyalaya, the only musical university of India and a recipient of Padma Shree Award), Ustad Sarfaraz Hussain Khan (ex Producer of A.I.R and the eldest son of Nissar Hussain Khan), Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan (recipient of Padma Bhushan Award), Ustad Iftikhar Hussain Khan Ustad Ghulam Akbar Khan, Zulfiqar Hussain Khan, Ustad Rashid Khan (one of the leading vocalists of the modern era and recipient of Padmashri award), Ustad Mujahid Hussain Khan, Mushahid Hussain Khan and Wajahat Hussain Khan and Ghulam Niyaz Khan.
Also belonging to the same lineage are Ustad Aftab Ahmed Khan (disciple and son of Ustad Waris Hussain Khan and brother of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan), Ghulam Qadir Khan, Ghulam Murtuza Khan, Nadeem Khan, Danish Hussain Khan, Azeem Khan, Shazeb Hasan, Arshad Khan, Rizwan Khan and Shahbaaz Hussain.
Belonging to the other family of the same gharana are the disciples and relatives of Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan Sahab, one of the other pioneers of the gharana. His family consists of his sons, Ustad Ishtiyaaq Hussain Khan, Ustad Ghulam Hussain Khan, Ustad Ghulam Taqi Khan, son-in-law Ustad Ghulam Sadiq Khan (recipient of Padma Shree),Ustad Salman Khan Niyazi(vocalist of astitva band),Ustad Afzal Hussain Khan, Ustad Wajid Hussain Khan, Ghulam Fariduddin Khan, Shujaat Hussain Khan, Sakhawat Hussain Khan, Ghulam Abbas Khan, Shakeel Ahmed Khan, Ghulam Siraj Khan, Ustad Maqbool Hussain Khan, Zeeshaan Khan and Ghulam Hasan Khan.
Apparently, there were artists who came in and learned under the able guidance of these legends of Rampur Sahaswan Gharana such as Chajju Khan and Nazir Khan (founder of Bhendi Bazaar Gharana and disciple of Inayat Hussain Khan Sahab), Pandit Ganpat Rao (considered to be the godfather of Harmonium playing in Sub continent territories), Ustad Hafeez Khan of Gudiyani (Gurgaon).
Some other famous names in the same category of musicians who came from elsewhere and learned in Rampur Sahaswan Gharana are Shanno Khurana (recipient of Padma Bhushan Award), Sulochana Brihaspati (recipient of Padma Shree Award), Arun Bhaduri, Deepak Chatterjee, Pradeep Chatterjee, Pranab Biswas, Prasad Kharpade, Chandan Das, A.Hariharan, Sonu Nigam and Shaan, to name a few.
Dr Sakuntala Narasimhan, who is herself a disciple of Ustad Hafeez Ahmed Khan, has written a book on the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana.