Jaipur-Atrauli gharana

The Jaipur-Atrauli gharana (also known as the Jaipur Gharana, Atrauli-Jaipur Gharana, and Alladiyakhani Gharana) is a Khayal-based stylized singing family-hood (Gharana), founded by Utd. Alladiya Khan (1855–1946) in the late 19th century. An offshoot of the Agra Gharana, the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana acquired its name and status as a Gharana in the early half of the 20th century as a result of the growing popularity of stalwarts of this Gharana, like Smt. Kesarbai Kerkar, Smt. Mogubai Kurdikar and Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur.

The Gharana is unique in that it was the first Gharana to be founded in Khayal Gayaki, whereas other major Gharanas were previously founded as Dhrupad-Dhamar Gayakis and eventually adopted or revived into the Khayal Gayaki.

The founder of this gharana, Utd. Alladiya Khan initially developed the unique Gayaki of this Gharana following the loss of his voice which prompted him to develop an adjusted singing style to accommodate his ailment. This thrust Alladiya Khan to explore the various qualities which he chose fittingly to progress a new singing style in. As a result of his exploration, he raised the level of musical and vocal artistry to such heights that he was acclaimed as the 'High Priest of Khayal Gayaki.' Barrister Jayakar, a connoisseur of classical music, was moved to call him the 'Mount Everest of music'.

Signature and specialty Raags of this Gharana (some revived or created by Utd. Alladiya Khan) include Sampoorna Malkauns, Basanti Kedar, Basant Bahar, Kaunshi Kanada, and Nat Kamod among others.

Contents

History

Four major Gharanas are recognized in Hindustani Classical Khayal music: Gwalior, Agra, Kirana and Jaipur-Atrauli. Others are less pervasive, but no less enchanting, such as Indore, Rampur, Mewati, Patiala, and Bhendi-Bazar.

The Jaipur-Atrauli gharana acquired its name and status as a Gharana from the time of Alladiya Khan in the early half of the 20th century. He raised the level of artistry to such heights that he was acclaimed as the high priest of khayal gayaki. Barrister Jayakar, a connoisseur of classical music, was moved to call him "Gaan Samraat" — "The Mount Everest of music".

Gharana Ancestry

The ancestral origin of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana was said to be from Nath Vishwambhar, noted for setting to Raags the tunes of the shlokas in his puja. The great musician composer Swami Haridas was also born in this family and the great Tansen and Baiju were his pupils.

Religious Ancestry

Somewhere along the next generations following Swami Haridas, the religious affiliation of the Gharana's musical ancestors seems to have changed, where these Gaud Brahmins became Muslims. Natthu Khan and Mantol Khan were two stalwarts of this Gharana, four to five generations down the line. They imbibed the practices of both Hindu and Muslim traditions. Alladiya Khan, for instance, wore the Janva (sacred Hindu thread) all his life, dressed like a Maharashtrian, complete with the Kolhapuri turban, yet did not skip a day of his Namaaz (Muslim prayer). His compositions praise Mahadev (Shiva) and Allah with equal fervor.

Many of the Raags and compositions sung in the Jaipur gharana come from the tradition of Haveli Sangeet, like the compositions "Deva Deva Satsang" in Raag Savani Kalyan, "Aadidata Ant" in Raag Malkauns, "Anahat Aadi Naad" in Raag Savani Nat, "Devta Aadi Sab" in Raag Kukubh Bilawal, "Devi Durge" in Raag Sukhiya Bilawal, and a host of others in which Hindu devotional themes were used by Utd. Alladiya Khan.

Name

Scholars say the hyphenated moniker of this Gharana recognizes that Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana musicians originally came from Atrauli near Aligarh (in Uttar Pradesh) and migrated to the court of the Maharaja of Jaipur, their principal patron.

Others say they came to the Jaipur Maharaja's court and then dispersed to various other courts in the area, like Jodhpur, Uniyara, Bundi, Atrauli etc. After establishing himself in the north, Utd. Alladiya Khan migrated to the court of Shahu Maharaj in Kolhapur and became his court musician.

Founder

Utd. Ghulam Ahmad "Alladiya" Khan was initiated into music by his father, Khwaja Ahmad Khan and his uncle, Jehangir Khan in both the Dhrupad and Khayal styles. He also had the privilege of being guided by two famous composers of the time, Ramzan Khan "Rangeele" (Faiyaz Khan's paternal grandfather) and Mehboob Khan "Darasapiya" (Vilayat Hussein Khan's maternal uncle). The young Alladiya Khan was closely associated with Wazir Khan "binkar" at Indore and Bombay. The Meend of his gayaki can be traced to this influence. Today, only the Khayal tradition remains. He was known to have been greatly influenced by Utd. Mubarak Khan's (Gwalior gharana) style that blended the Swar and Taal aspects of khayal singing for the first time.

Overview

Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana Gayaki (Style & Trends)

Most gharanas apply notes in simple succession in aalap and taan, whereas in the Jaipur gayaki, notes are applied in an oblique manner with filigree involving immediately neighboring notes. Instead of the flat taan, gamak (taan sung with double notes with a delicate force behind each of the component double-notes of the taan) makes the taan spiral into seemingly never-ending cycles. Meend in aalap and gamak in taan are the hallmark of this gayaki. To his immense credit, the great exponent of Kirana gharana, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi is one of the very few singers outside the Jaipur gharana, who has adopted the gamak taan to an extent, complete with long, uninterrupted patterns clearly showing an amazing breath capacity much like the old masters of Jaipur gharana, but he has not quite achieved the intricacy and grace of gamak that is the signature of Jaipur. Sharp edged harkats and murkis (crisp, quick phrases to ornament the alaap) are relatively uncommon. Not only are the notes sung in rhythm with the taal but progress between the matras (beats) is in fractions of quarters and one-eighths. While being mindful of so many factors, musicians of this gharana still have a graceful way of arriving at the sam without having matras to spare! This is particularly evident in the way bol-alaap or bol-taan is sung, where meticulous attention is given to the short and long vowels in the words of the bandish that are being pronounced, and the strict discipline of avoiding unnatural breaks in the words and in the meaning of the lyrics. No other gharana has paid so much attention to the esthetics and laykaari in singing bol-alaaps and bol-taans.

Specialty & Jod Raags

A highlight of Jaipur gayaki is the mastery over Jod Raags (mixed or hybrid Raags; a blend of multiple Raags that form one Raag). Singers from other Gharanas tend to sing one Raag in Aaroh (ascent) and the other in Avaroh (descent). Some others sing one Raag in the lower half of the octave and then switch to the other Raag in the upper half. Alternatively, they may sing alternate phrases of the two component Raags. In Jaipur Gayaki, there is such perfect fusion of the two raags that it sounds like a homogeneous Raag in its own right, giving the feel of both component raags, not as a heterogeneous mixture cobbled together. The listener hears an amalgam of both raags without losing their distinctive identity. Alladiya Khan introduced many lesser-known or obscure raags in his repertoire like Raag Basanti Kedar, Raag Jait Kalyan, Raag Kafi Kanada, Raisa Kanada, Raag Basanti Kanada, Raag Savani Nat, Raag Savani Kalyan, Raag Bhoop Nat, Raag Nat Kamod, Raag Bihari, Raag Khat, Raag Khokar, Raag Sampoorna Malkauns, and many others. Trying to imbibe all these characteristics without losing the aesthetics is a tall order for any musician. Hence this Gayaki is called a thinking listener's or connoisseur's Gayaki. However, it gives equal pleasure to the uninitiated listener who may not understand the technical intricacies, but responds to the layakari and the melodic content of the presentation.

Gharana Purity

The Gharana purity of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana has been an avid discussion among connoisseurs and scholars alike, as a result of Utd. Alladiya Khan purposefully teaching students to approach the same musical content differently, causing internal quarrels within the Gharana itself, as well. For instance, the approach to certain Raags conflict between branches of the Gharana, as certain elements of a Raag are neglected, emphasized, de-emphasized or treated differently.

As a result, scholars feel the purity of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana can be traced from Utd. Alladiya Khan to his brother Utd. Haider Ali Khan, to his sons Utd. Manji Khan and Utd. Bhurji Khan, as well as Utd. Gulubhai Jasdanwalla, the only purist outside of the Utd. Alladiya Khan family. Today, the Gharana remains with Utd. Alladiya Khan's grandson and biographer, "Baba" Azizuddin Khan.

Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana Lineage

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Utd. Alladiya Khan (Founder)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Utd. Natthan Khan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Utd. Haider Khan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Utd. Gulubhai Jasdanwalla
 
 
 
 Utd. Abdul Majid Khan (Sarangiya)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Govindrao Tembe (Harmonium)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Shankarrao Sarnaik
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Utd. Nasiruddin "Badeji" Khan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Shri. Tribhuvandas Jariwala Smt. Sushilrani Patel
 
 
 
 
 Utd. Shamsuddin "Bhurji" Khan
 
 Utd. Badruddin "Manji" Khan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Smt. Leelabai Shirgaonkar
 
 
 
 Govindbuwa Shaligram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smt. Mogubai Kurdikar
 
 Smt. Laxmibai Jadhav-Badodekar
 
 Smt. Kesarbai Kerkar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Wamanrao Sadolikar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smt. Dhondutai Kulkarni
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Madhusudhan Kanetkar Pt. Gajananrao Joshi
 
 
 Utd. Azizuddin "Baba" Khan Pt. Mohanrao Palekar
 
 
 Madhukar Sadolikar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Ratnakar Pai Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale
 
 
 Smt. Kishori Amonkar Smt. Kausalya Manjeshwar Smt. Kamal Tambe Wamanrao Deshpande
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Nivruttibuwa Sarnaik
 
 
 Pt. Ganesh T. Tilak (टिळक मास्तर)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smt. Manik Bhide
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Dr. Babanrao Haldankar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Dr. Milind Malshe
 
 
 Dr. Arun Dravid
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smt. Padma Talwalkar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar
 
 
 Smt. Jayashree Patanekar
 
 
 
 Siddharam Jambaldinni
 
 
 Shri. Shripad Bhirdikar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Smt. Shalmali Joshi
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smt. Vijaya Jadhav-Gatlewar
 
 
 Pt. Rajshekhar Mansur
 
 Shri. Panchakshariswami Mattigati
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Bhalchandra G. Tilak
 
 Smt. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande Smt. Geetika Varde-Qureshi Smt. Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smt. Shruti Sadolikar-Katkar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smt. Namita Devidayal
 
 
 Smt. Manjiri Kavre-Alegaonkar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smt. Geeta Javadekar
 
 Nagaraja Rao Havaldar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Shri. Raghunandan Panshikar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Smt. Manjiri Asnare-Kelkar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Shri. Milind Raikar (Violin)
 
 
 Shri. Aditya Khandwe Smt. Saniya Kulkarni-Patankar Dhanashree Ghaisas Dr. Revati Kamat
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Exponents of the Gharana

External links