Gwalior gharana

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The Gwalior Gharana is one of the oldest Khayal Gharanas and one to which most classical Indian musicians can trace the origins of their style to this Gharana. The rise of the Gwalior Gharana started with the reign of the great Mughal emperor Akbar (1542-1605). The favorite singers of this patron of the arts, such as Miyan Tansen, first amongst the vocalists at the court, came from the town of Gwalior.

[edit] History

Some sources believe that Nathan Khan and Peer Baksh settled in Gwalior and evolved the style features that led to this Gharana. Others claim that individuals named Nathan Peer Baksh and Nathe Khan founded the Gharana. The accepted version is that Nathan Peer Baksh left Lucknow,in Uttar Pradesh, to escape the professional rivalry with Shakkar Khan that had taken an ugly turn. He arrived in Gwalior with his grandsons Haddu Khan and Hassu Khan.

Another great Khayal singer, also originally from Lucknow, was Bade Mohammed Khan who brought the Taan into Khayal singing. Haddu Khan and Hassu Khan further enhanced the style of the Gwalior Gharana as we recognize it today. Haddu Khan's son, Rahimat Khan (1852-1922) was a widely acclaimed singer who liberated the Gwalior style from the methodical form it followed to the emotional style that he preferred.

[edit] Singing Style

Apart from the emphasis Swara, another distinguishing feature of the Gharana is its simplicity because through simplicity alone can the singer and the listener arrive at the full beauty and impact of the Raga. One means to this is of course the selection of well-known Ragas so that the listener is saved the effort of trying to identify the raga. Attention can be focussed on the Raga and the presentation of it. While the khayal singer does include "Raga Vistar" (Melody Expansion) and "Raga Alankaar" (Melodic Ornamentation) to enhance the beauty and meaning of the Raga, there is no attempt to include the Tirobhava (using melodic phrases to obscure the identity of the raga) feature in the interest of adding interest or mystery to the listener's experience.

The singing itself places Bandish (the composition) at the heart of the presentation because of the Gharana's belief that the full melody of the Raga and guidance on its singing is provided by the Bandish. The Sthaayi section is sung twice before the Antaraa, to be followed by the slow tempo of the Swara Vistar (note expansion). This slow rendition of the notes is known as the Behlava, and is sung from Ma in the lower register to Pa in the higher register, following the pattern of the Aaroha (ascent) and Avaroha (descent) of the Raga.

The Behlava is divided into the Sthaayi (from Ma to Sa) and Antaraa (from Ma, Pa, or Dha to Pa of the higher register). The Dugun-Ka-Alap follows in which groups of two or four note combinations are sung in quicker succession but the basic tempo remains the same. Thus the Tabla Theka is left unaltered.

The Bol-Alap is next in which the different words of the text are sung in different ways, to be followed by Murkis in which notes are sung with ornamentation to a faster pace. Bol-Taans entail the formation of melodic sequences with the words of the song. The other Taans, including the Gamak, follow.

The Sapat Taan is important to the Gwalior style and refers to the singing of notes in a straight sequence and at a Vilambit pace. Both Dhrupad and Khayal singing evolved in Gwalior and there are many overlaps. In the Khayal style there is one form, Mundi Dhrupad, that incorporates all the features of Dhrupad singing but without the Mukhda. The Gwalior Gharana usually prefers to begin Ragas in the medium tempo Madhyalaya rather than the slow tempo Vilambit as is the same with other Gharanas.

The chosen ragas include Alhaiya Bilawal, Yaman, Bhairav, Sarang, Shree, Hamir, Gaud Malhar, and Miya Ki Malhar.

[edit] Major Artists

  • Pandit D. V. Paluskar (although he created his own style and included aesthetic elements of other gharanas)
  • Pandit Kumar Gandharva
  • Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar
  • Ustad Pyare Khan
  • Ustad sendhay khan
  • Ustad umeed ali khan
  • Ustad manzoor ali khan
  • Ustad Ghulam Rasul khan
  • Ustad Fateh Ali Khan
  • Rajab Ali
  • Pandit Balkrishnabua Ichalkaranjikar
  • Eknath Pandit
  • Pandit Jal Balporia
  • Krishnarao Shankar Pandit
  • Laxman Krishnarao Pandit
  • Meeta Pandit
  • Smt. Malini Rajurkar
  • M. Venkatesh Kumar
  • Pandit Narayanrao Vyas
  • Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan
  • Pandit Omkarnath Thakur
  • Pandit Balwant Rai Bhatt
  • Pandit Putturaj Gawai
  • Rajubhaya Poochwale
  • Pandit Ram Marathe
  • Pandit Damodar Hota
  • Shankarrao Pandit
  • Sharat Chandra Arolkar
  • Sunanda Patnaik
  • Pandit Shyam Rao Kulkarni
  • Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar
  • Pandit V.R. Athavale
  • Pandit Vinaychandra Maudgalaya
  • Pandit Vinayakrao Parwardhan
  • Pandit Vidyadhar Vyas
  • Smt. Vasundhara Komkali
  • Mukul Shivputra
  • Smt. Kalapini Komkali
  • Satyasheel Deshpande
  • Pandit Vishnu Annaji Kashalkar

—Ustad Amjad Ali Khan -Amanat Ali Bangash -Ayaan Ali Bangash