khyal
Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian/Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with romantic poetry, and allows the perfo ...
gharanas, and is concerned foremost with perfect intonation of notes (
swara
Svara or swara (Devanagari: स्वर, generally pronounced as ''swar'') is a Sanskrit word that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave or '' ...
).
Singing style
The central concern of the Kirana style is
swara
Svara or swara (Devanagari: स्वर, generally pronounced as ''swar'') is a Sanskrit word that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave or '' ...
, or individual notes, in particular precise tuning and expression of notes. In the Kirana Gayaki (singing style), the individual notes (swaras) of the raga are not just random points in the scale, but independent realms of music capable of horizontal expansion. Emotional ''pukars'' in the higher octaves form a part of the musical experience. Another unique feature of this gharana is the intricate and ornate use of the ''sargam taan'' (weaving patterns with the notations themselves) introduced by Abdul Karim Khan under influence from the Carnatic classical style.
In the late nineteenth century Abdul Karim Khan and
Abdul Wahid Khan
Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan (1871–1949) was an Indian subcontinental singer from the Kirana gharana. He died in 1949 in Saharanpur, India.vilambit
''Vilambit'' ( Hindi: ; also called ''vilambit laya'') is an introductory slow tempo, or ''laya'', between 10 and 40 beats per minute, used in the performance of a raga in Hindustani classical music. For major ragas, the vilambit portion generally ...
(a slow tempo section) to delineate the structure of the raga note by note.
Frequently performed ragas by musicians of the gharana include Todi, Lalit, Multani, Patdeep, Puriya, Marwa, Shuddha Kalyan, Darbari Kanhara, and Komal-Rishabh Asavari. Marathi thespian Pula Deshpande has pointed out that performers from the Kirana gharana are particularly fond of the Komal Re/Rishabh (or
minor second
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically.
It is defined as the interval between two adjacent no ...
in the western system) note of the classical music scale, a frequent feature of these commonly performed ragas.
History
In the 19th-century the Kirana gharana coalesced around Miyan Bande Ali Khan, a player of the
rudra veena
The ''Rudra veena'' ( sa, रुद्र वीणा) (also spelled ''Rudraveena'' or ''Rudra vina'')—also called ''Bīn'' in North India—is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani Music, especially dhrupad. It is one of the m ...
. The gharana's style was further developed, and established as one of the prominent styles in modern Indian classical music in the late 19th / early 20th centuries by the musicians Abdul Karim Khan and
Abdul Wahid Khan
Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan (1871–1949) was an Indian subcontinental singer from the Kirana gharana. He died in 1949 in Saharanpur, India.Abdul Karim Khan was an extremely popular musician, and was thus highly influential in popularizing the gharana. Some trace the gharana's roots back farther to the 13th-century musician Gopal Nayak, a Hindu musician (of the dhrupad style) who later converted to Islamic Sufism and in the process assimilated the predominantly Muslim
khyal
Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian/Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with romantic poetry, and allows the perfo ...
musical style.
The name of this school of music derives from Kirana or Kairana, a town and tehsil of
Shamli District
Shamli is a district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district was carved out from Muzaffarnagar District on 28 September 2011 as Prabudh Nagar and renamed Shamli in July 2012. Shamli is the headquarters of the district. Shamli is loc ...
in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. It is the birthplace of 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. A frequent visitor to the Court of
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
, Abdul Karim Khan was also influenced by
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is ...
, and roots of the tradition can also be traced back to his great-grandfather Ghulam Ali and Ghulam Maula, the brother of Ghulam Ali.
Owing to the popularity of Abdul Karim Khan, most contemporary Hindustani musicians from
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
are exponents of Kirana gharana, and Kirana gharana in turn has absorbed many of the features of the Carnatic tradition. The border region between
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
and Maharashtra is particularly associated with the gharana.
The other primary master of the gharana, in the early 20th century, was Abdul Karim Khan's cousin
Abdul Wahid Khan
Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan (1871–1949) was an Indian subcontinental singer from the Kirana gharana. He died in 1949 in Saharanpur, India.Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
after the 1947
Partition of British India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...
.
Ancestral pedagogy of Kirana Gharana
This tree details the hereditary lineage of the Kirana Gharana based on several documented accounts.
Abdul Wahid Khan
Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan (1871–1949) was an Indian subcontinental singer from the Kirana gharana. He died in 1949 in Saharanpur, India.Ashique Ali Khan (1948–1999)
* "Proudh Gandharva" Pandit Vishwanathbuwa Jadhav (1885−1964), direct disciple of Abdul Karim Khan.
* Sawai Gandharva (1886–1952), disciple of Abdul Karim Khan.
* Sureshbabu Mane (1902–1953), son and disciple of Abdul Karim Khan, also learned from Abdul Wahid Khan.
* Hirabai Barodekar (1905–1989), daughter of Abdul Karim Khan, also learned from Abdul Wahid Khan.
* Saraswati Rane (1913-2006), sibling and disciple of Sureshbabu Mane and Hirabai Badodekar.
*
Gangubai Hangal
Gangubai Hangal (5 March 1913 – 21 July 2009) was an Indian singer of the ''khayal'' genre of Hindustani classical music from Karnataka, who was known for her deep and powerful voice. Hangal belonged to the Kirana gharana.
Early life
G ...
(1913-2009), disciple of Sawai Gandharva.
* Pandit Baburao Vishwanathbuwa Jadhav (1915-1976) son and direct disciple of Pandit Vishwanathbuwa jadhav and also a direct disciple of Ustad Abdul karim khan.
*
Roshan Ara Begum
Roshan Ara Begum ( ur, ) (1917 – 6 December 1982) was a vocalist belonging to the Kirana gharana (singing style) of Hindustani classical music. She is also known by her honorific title ''Malika-e-Mauseeqi'' (The Queen of Music) and ''T ...
(1917-1982), was also a disciple and relative of Abdul Karim Khan
*
Firoz Dastur
Firoz Dastur (also spelled Feroze Dastur) (30 September 1919 – 9 May 2008) was an Indian actor and an Indian classical vocalist from the Kirana gharana (singing style).
Career
Dastur worked in the Indian film industry in 1930s, acting in a f ...
(1919-2008), disciple of Sawai Gandharva
* Pandit Rajaram Vishwanathbuwa Jadhav (1921-1976) son and direct disciple of Pandit Vishwanathbuwa jadhav and also a direct disciple of Ustad Abdul karim khan.
* Pandit Vishwanath, 1957 - present , disciple of Pt. Mani prasad ji & Brother of Pt. Jagannath ji, Shehnai Vadak from Meerut Shehnai Gharana
* Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011), disciple of Sawai Gandharva
* Smt. Shakuntalaraje Rajaram Jadhav (1923-2004) wife and disciple of Pandit Rajaram Vishwanathbuwa Jadhav and also a direct disciple of har father- in-law "Proudh Gandharva" Pandit Vishwanathbuwa Jadhav
* Prof Tej Bahadur Sahney (1936-2012) disciple of B N Dutta Lahorwale
* Basavaraj Rajguru (1917-1991), disciple of Panchakshara Gawai, Sureshbabu Mane and Abdul Wahid Khan
* Madhava Gudi (1941-2011), disciple of Bhimsen Joshi
* Mashkoor Ali Khan (1957-Present), disciple of Shakoor Khan
* Nagaraj Rao Havaldar, disciple of Madhava Gudi
* Jayateerth Mevundi, disciple of Sripathi Padigar
* Manik Varma (1920-1996), disciple of Sureshbabu Mane and Hirabai Barodekar, also learned in other gharanas
*
Milind Chittal
Milind Chittal is an Indian classical vocalist. Chittal is the son of Kannada writer Yashwant Chittal. He trained under Firoz Dastur of the Kirana Gharana. He is also a qualified chartered accountant.
Career
Chittal's devotional album ''Enc ...
, disciple of Firoz Dastur
*
Prabha Atre
Prabha Atre (born 13 September 1932) is an Indian classical vocalist from the Kirana gharana. She has been awarded all three of the Padma Awards by the Government of India.
Early life and education
Atre was born to Abasaheb and Indirabai At ...
(born 13 September 1932), disciple of Sureshbabu Mane and Hirabai Barodekar
*
Sanhita Nandi
Sanhita Nandi is a prominent Hindustani classical vocalist of the Kirana Gharana. The central motif of her style is slow tempo ''raga'' development (voice culture, voice throw, and tonal application) and ornamented '' sargams''. She is getting gui ...
, disciple of Mashkoor Ali Khan
* Sandip Bhattacharjee, disciple of Mashkoor Ali Khan and Mubarak Ali Khan
*
Sumitra Guha
Vidushi Sumitra Guha is an Indian classical vocalist, known for her expertise in the Carnatic and Hindustani schools of classical music. The Government of India honored her in 2010, with the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri.
Biogr ...
Pandit Pran Nath
Pandit Pran Nath (Devanagari: पंडित प्राणनाथ) (3 November 1918 – 13 June 1996) was an Indian classical singer and master of the Kirana gharana singing style. Promoting traditional raga principles, Nath exerted a ...
Chhannulal Mishra
Pandit Chhannulal Mishra (born 3 August 1936) is a celebrated Hindustani classical singer from Banaras, a noted exponent of the Kirana gharana (school) of the Hindustani classical music and especially the Khayal and the 'Purab Ang' – Thumri.
...
* Pandit Harish Tiwari
* Pandit Arun Bhaduri, disciple of Pandit A.Kanan and Abu Daud khan
* Shirin Sengupta Nath, disciple of Pandit A.Kanan and Pandit Arun Bhaduri
* Pandit Balkrishnabuwa Kapileshwari (1896-1982), senior disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan
* Pandit Chandrakant Kapileshwari (1935 - Present), disciple of Pandit BalKrishnabuwa Kapileshwari
* Shree Rani Madalsa (1957 - Present), Canadian disciple of Pandit Chandrakant Kapileshwari
21st Century
saqib ali khan
Sanjay Singh Patel
Dr Naveen Sharma 1985-2021