By Vidya Shah - Delhi Newsline - ExpressIndia, India
Sunday, February 18, 2007
How much of a gharana is the Dilli Gharana? Vidya Shah -a musician and a rights activist- finds the answers in Mausiqi Manzil in Daryaganj
Central to khayal gayaki, the art music of northern India is the guiding principle of the gharana, a school of music possessing certain stylistic characteristics. The one question that has been raised by many scholars and ethnomusicologists is how much of a gharana is the Dilli Gharana! The reason behind the question: because it did not have a distinct style; because it is associated with tabla and sarangi players as well; “a gharana in familial terms, without a coherent and recognised style of performing khayal.’’
Perhaps the Mausiqi Manzil tucked away in the winding lanes of Daryaganj in old Delhi could put in perspective some of these questions. This is the mansion where music has lived and continues to do so for over 200 years now. The names attached to this institution are many and overwhelming. Mamman Khan (great-grandfather of the current Ustad) taught his many disciples who included legends like Mian Ali Bux Khan (veteran sarangi maestro whose son was the legend Bade Ghulam Ali Khan), and Mohammad Hussain Khan (who was the first Ustad of Begum Akhtar).
It is in this historical space that the current khalifa, or leader, of the Delhi gharana Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was adopted by his maternal grandfather Chand Khan as a child and brought up to head this family of hereditary musicians. Mausiqui Manzil, has thus been his home and classroom for more than four decades.
“Humare yahaan aadmiyon ke naam ghar nahin kiya jaata tha—kahin us chakkar mein gaana bajana band na ho jaaye, ladkiyon ke naam kiya jaata tha, mausiqi ke liye aisi lagan thi!” (In our family tradition, properties were named after the daughters, lest the lure of it takes us away from our music; such was the dedication to music).
Khan Saheb claims that the foundation of his gharana was laid by Hazrat Amir Khusro (1251-1326). ‘‘Hazrat Amir Khusro ne iski buniyad rakhi’’, he says, explaining that his Ustad Chand Khan was related to Mian Saamti Qawwal, a contemporary of Hazrat Amir Khusro. Tracing his ancestry he recalls the names of Mian Hassan Sawant and Mian Buda Kalawant, two brothers among his ancestors who were the court musicians, or darbaaree gavaiyaas, of the emperor Shamsuddin Iltutmish.
While Buda Kalawant continued to serve in the royal courts, Mian Hassan Sawant, whose temperament was inclined towards Sufism, became a disciple of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (1142-1236 AD) and began singing qawwali, a genre of Indian Muslim religious culture. Khan Saheb says that this has given both creative and spiritual inputs to his own music.
But times have changed now. The grandeur is gone. There are no daawats. The Manzil itself has been split into three properties, and he gets a small one third of it. The focus now, says Khan Saheb , is to see how the gharana can be furthered. The two traditional ways of doing so —one through the family lineage and the other through a battery of students are very much a reality. His sons and nephews, he says, don’t know of any other way to live but through their music. He says he has recorded over 200 rare bandishes of the Gharana for the ITC Sangeet Research Academy and the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Delhi has historically played an important role in the evolution of khayal gayaki. It was in a sense a nodal place from where several other centres developed their repertoire. It is said Haddu and Hassu Khan who went on to develop the Gwalior Gharana, learnt ‘‘secretly’’ from the Qavval Bacchas; Tanras Khan returned to Delhi where he taught Aliya-Fattu who taught Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
It is ironic then that this seat of art music and cultural revival through the rise and fall of kingdoms and emperors, today seeks to consolidate its identity and position in this tradition.
Monday, February 19, 2007
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Monday, February 19, 2007
On Sufi music: something behind, and beyond.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
How much of a gharana is the Dilli Gharana? Vidya Shah -a musician and a rights activist- finds the answers in Mausiqi Manzil in Daryaganj
Central to khayal gayaki, the art music of northern India is the guiding principle of the gharana, a school of music possessing certain stylistic characteristics. The one question that has been raised by many scholars and ethnomusicologists is how much of a gharana is the Dilli Gharana! The reason behind the question: because it did not have a distinct style; because it is associated with tabla and sarangi players as well; “a gharana in familial terms, without a coherent and recognised style of performing khayal.’’
Perhaps the Mausiqi Manzil tucked away in the winding lanes of Daryaganj in old Delhi could put in perspective some of these questions. This is the mansion where music has lived and continues to do so for over 200 years now. The names attached to this institution are many and overwhelming. Mamman Khan (great-grandfather of the current Ustad) taught his many disciples who included legends like Mian Ali Bux Khan (veteran sarangi maestro whose son was the legend Bade Ghulam Ali Khan), and Mohammad Hussain Khan (who was the first Ustad of Begum Akhtar).
It is in this historical space that the current khalifa, or leader, of the Delhi gharana Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was adopted by his maternal grandfather Chand Khan as a child and brought up to head this family of hereditary musicians. Mausiqui Manzil, has thus been his home and classroom for more than four decades.
“Humare yahaan aadmiyon ke naam ghar nahin kiya jaata tha—kahin us chakkar mein gaana bajana band na ho jaaye, ladkiyon ke naam kiya jaata tha, mausiqi ke liye aisi lagan thi!” (In our family tradition, properties were named after the daughters, lest the lure of it takes us away from our music; such was the dedication to music).
Khan Saheb claims that the foundation of his gharana was laid by Hazrat Amir Khusro (1251-1326). ‘‘Hazrat Amir Khusro ne iski buniyad rakhi’’, he says, explaining that his Ustad Chand Khan was related to Mian Saamti Qawwal, a contemporary of Hazrat Amir Khusro. Tracing his ancestry he recalls the names of Mian Hassan Sawant and Mian Buda Kalawant, two brothers among his ancestors who were the court musicians, or darbaaree gavaiyaas, of the emperor Shamsuddin Iltutmish.
While Buda Kalawant continued to serve in the royal courts, Mian Hassan Sawant, whose temperament was inclined towards Sufism, became a disciple of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (1142-1236 AD) and began singing qawwali, a genre of Indian Muslim religious culture. Khan Saheb says that this has given both creative and spiritual inputs to his own music.
But times have changed now. The grandeur is gone. There are no daawats. The Manzil itself has been split into three properties, and he gets a small one third of it. The focus now, says Khan Saheb , is to see how the gharana can be furthered. The two traditional ways of doing so —one through the family lineage and the other through a battery of students are very much a reality. His sons and nephews, he says, don’t know of any other way to live but through their music. He says he has recorded over 200 rare bandishes of the Gharana for the ITC Sangeet Research Academy and the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Delhi has historically played an important role in the evolution of khayal gayaki. It was in a sense a nodal place from where several other centres developed their repertoire. It is said Haddu and Hassu Khan who went on to develop the Gwalior Gharana, learnt ‘‘secretly’’ from the Qavval Bacchas; Tanras Khan returned to Delhi where he taught Aliya-Fattu who taught Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
It is ironic then that this seat of art music and cultural revival through the rise and fall of kingdoms and emperors, today seeks to consolidate its identity and position in this tradition.
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By Vidya Shah - Delhi Newsline - ExpressIndia, IndiaSunday, February 18, 2007
How much of a gharana is the Dilli Gharana? Vidya Shah -a musician and a rights activist- finds the answers in Mausiqi Manzil in Daryaganj
Central to khayal gayaki, the art music of northern India is the guiding principle of the gharana, a school of music possessing certain stylistic characteristics. The one question that has been raised by many scholars and ethnomusicologists is how much of a gharana is the Dilli Gharana! The reason behind the question: because it did not have a distinct style; because it is associated with tabla and sarangi players as well; “a gharana in familial terms, without a coherent and recognised style of performing khayal.’’
Perhaps the Mausiqi Manzil tucked away in the winding lanes of Daryaganj in old Delhi could put in perspective some of these questions. This is the mansion where music has lived and continues to do so for over 200 years now. The names attached to this institution are many and overwhelming. Mamman Khan (great-grandfather of the current Ustad) taught his many disciples who included legends like Mian Ali Bux Khan (veteran sarangi maestro whose son was the legend Bade Ghulam Ali Khan), and Mohammad Hussain Khan (who was the first Ustad of Begum Akhtar).
It is in this historical space that the current khalifa, or leader, of the Delhi gharana Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was adopted by his maternal grandfather Chand Khan as a child and brought up to head this family of hereditary musicians. Mausiqui Manzil, has thus been his home and classroom for more than four decades.
“Humare yahaan aadmiyon ke naam ghar nahin kiya jaata tha—kahin us chakkar mein gaana bajana band na ho jaaye, ladkiyon ke naam kiya jaata tha, mausiqi ke liye aisi lagan thi!” (In our family tradition, properties were named after the daughters, lest the lure of it takes us away from our music; such was the dedication to music).
Khan Saheb claims that the foundation of his gharana was laid by Hazrat Amir Khusro (1251-1326). ‘‘Hazrat Amir Khusro ne iski buniyad rakhi’’, he says, explaining that his Ustad Chand Khan was related to Mian Saamti Qawwal, a contemporary of Hazrat Amir Khusro. Tracing his ancestry he recalls the names of Mian Hassan Sawant and Mian Buda Kalawant, two brothers among his ancestors who were the court musicians, or darbaaree gavaiyaas, of the emperor Shamsuddin Iltutmish.
While Buda Kalawant continued to serve in the royal courts, Mian Hassan Sawant, whose temperament was inclined towards Sufism, became a disciple of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (1142-1236 AD) and began singing qawwali, a genre of Indian Muslim religious culture. Khan Saheb says that this has given both creative and spiritual inputs to his own music.
But times have changed now. The grandeur is gone. There are no daawats. The Manzil itself has been split into three properties, and he gets a small one third of it. The focus now, says Khan Saheb , is to see how the gharana can be furthered. The two traditional ways of doing so —one through the family lineage and the other through a battery of students are very much a reality. His sons and nephews, he says, don’t know of any other way to live but through their music. He says he has recorded over 200 rare bandishes of the Gharana for the ITC Sangeet Research Academy and the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Delhi has historically played an important role in the evolution of khayal gayaki. It was in a sense a nodal place from where several other centres developed their repertoire. It is said Haddu and Hassu Khan who went on to develop the Gwalior Gharana, learnt ‘‘secretly’’ from the Qavval Bacchas; Tanras Khan returned to Delhi where he taught Aliya-Fattu who taught Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
It is ironic then that this seat of art music and cultural revival through the rise and fall of kingdoms and emperors, today seeks to consolidate its identity and position in this tradition.
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