Kirana gharana
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Kirana Gharana is one of the most prolific Hindustani khyal gharanas.[1]
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[edit] History
The name of this school of music derives from Kirana or Kairana, a town and tehsil of prabuddh nagar District in Uttar Pradesh [2]. It is the birthplace of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (1872–1937), who was one of the most important musicians of this gharana and of Hindustani music in general in the twentieth century, and considered by some to be the real founder of the Kirana Gharana, while the roots of the tradition can be traced back to his great-grandfather Ghulam Ali and Ghulam Maula, the brother of Ghulam Ali. A frequent visitor to the Court of Mysore, Ustad Abdul Karim Khan was influenced by Carnatic music.
[edit] Singing style
Much to the credit of Abdul Karim Khan, today most Hindustani musicians from Karnataka are exponents of Kirana Gharana and Kirana Gharana has imbibed many of the features of the Carnatic tradition. Particularly the culturally fecund border region between Karnataka and Maharashtra is famous for its tradition of the Kirana school of singing.
Another towering figure of this gharana in the early 20th century was Abdul Karim Khan’s cousin Abdul Wahid Khan (1871?-1949). Bhimsen Joshi and Prabha Atre are considered to be the foremost representatives of the Kirana school of music today.
It was late in the nineteenth century that the two ustads Abdul Karim Khansahab and Abdul Waheed Khansahab revolutionized the very concept of khayal gayaki by introducing the vilambit or the slow tempo method to delineate the raga note by note.
In the Kirana Gayaki, the individual swaras (notes) of the raga are considered not just random points in the scale but independent realms of music capable of horizontal expansion. Mind blowing, emotion drenched Pukars in the higher octaves form a part of the musical experience. Another unique feature of this gharana is the highly intricate and ornate use of the Sargam Taan (weaving patterns with the notations themselves) which was improvised by Ustad Abdul Karim Khansahab as a direct influence of the Carnatic Classical style.
Performers from this gharana have established their indelible mark on certain Ragas so much so that both the audience and the performer desire the Ragas time and again. Ragas like Todi, Lalit, Multani, Patdeep, Puriya, Marwa, Shuddha Kalyan, Darbari Kanhara, Komal-Rishabh Asavari and many others have acquired new dimensions under the Kirana Gayaki.
Noted Marathi thespian PuLa Deshpande has pointed out that performers from the Kirana gharana have had a "soft corner" for the Komal Rishabh note of the Indian Classical Music scale. The ragas mentioned above as Kirana favorites support this observation.
[edit] Lineage
[edit] Prominent exponents
- Utd. Abdul Karim Khan (1872–1937), Gharana founder.
- Bande Ali Khan - Supposed to be one of the pioneers of Gharana.
- Utd. Abdul Wahid Khan(1885–1949), nephew of Utd. Abdul Karim Khan.
- Pt. Vishwanathbuwa Jadhav(1885–1964), foremost disciple of Utd. Abdul Karim Khan,also associated with his guru for the longest duration (1909-1937)
- Pt. Sawai Gandharva (1886–1952), foremost disciple of Utd. Abdul Karim Khan.
- Pt. Sureshbabu Mane (1902–1953), son and disciple of Abdul Karim Khan, also learned from Utd. Abdul Wahid Khan.
- Smt. Hirabai Badodekar (1905–1989), daughter of Abdul Karim Khan, also learned from Utd. Abdul Wahid Khan.
- Pt. Bhimsen Joshi
- Gangubai Hangal
- Dr. Prabha Atre
- Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan
- Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande (born 1920),disciple of Pt. Sureshbabu Mane, Learned Music of Other Gharanas including Gwalior, Patiala, Lucknow.
- Smt. Manik Varma, a mix of styles, disciple of Hirabai Barodekar [3]
- Kaivalya Gurav
- Vinayak Torvi
- Smt Sanhita Nandi
- Jayateerth Mevundi
[edit] Further reading
- Kirana, by Roshan Ara Begum. Published by Gramophone Co. of India, 1994.
[edit] References
- ^ "Torch-bearers of kirana gharana, and their followers". Times of India. Jan 26, 2011. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubli/Torch-bearers-of-kirana-gharana-and-their-followers/articleshow/7356191.cms.
- ^ Kirana Gharana at indoclassical.com.
- ^ "A tribute to legendary singer Manik Varma". Indian Express. November 10, 2005. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=156498.
[edit] External links
