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Rais Khan
Ustad Rais Khan (‎; 25 November 19396 May 2017) was a Pakistani sitarist. At his peak he was regarded as one of the greatest sitar players of all time. He continued performing till his last days. He moved from India to Pakistan in 1986, where he took up Pakistani citizenship. In 2017, Khan was awarded Pakistan's third highest civilian honour, the Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) Award by the Government of Pakistan. Personal life Rais Khan was born on 25 November 1939 in Indore, Indore State, British India, to an Urdu-speaking family. He grew up in Bombay. His training began at a very young age, on a small coconut shell sitar. In 1986 he moved to Pakistan, seven years after marrying his fourth wife – a Pakistani singer named Bilqees Khanum. In 1979, the two met for the first time at an event by the Sabri Brothers in Karachi. Rais Khan had four sons: Sohail Khan, Cezanne Khan, Farhan Khan and Huzoor Hasnain Khan. Career Rais Khan belonged to the Mewati gharana ...
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Ustad
Ustad, ustadh, ustaz or ustadz (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian language, Persian ''ustād'') is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages, including Persian, Arabic (as ''’ustāḏ''), Azerbaijani language, Azerbaijani, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali language, Bengali, Marathi language, Marathi, Maldivian language, Dhivehi, Punjabi language, Punjabi, Pashto language, Pashto, Turkish language, Turkish, Kazakh language, Kazakh, Uzbek language, Uzbek, Indonesian language, Indonesian, Malay language, Malay and Kurdish languages, Kurdish. Etymology The Persian language, Persian word () is from Middle Persian (, 'master, craftsman'). Usage The title precedes the name and was historically usually used for well-regarded teachers and Islamic art, artists. It can be used for any sort of master of an art or occupation; for example, an acknowledged master motorcycle mechanic would be address ...
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Urdu-speaking
Native speakers of Urdu are spread across South Asia. The vast majority of them are Muslims of the Hindi Belt, Hindi–Urdu Belt of northern India, followed by the Deccanis, Deccani people of the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in south-central India (who speak Deccani language, Deccani Urdu), and most of the Muhajir (Pakistan), Muhajir people of Pakistan. The historical centres of Urdu speakers include Delhi and Lucknow. Another defunct variety of the language was historically spoken in Lahore for centuries before the name "Urdu" first began to appear. However, little is known about this defunct Lahori variety as it has not been spoken for centuries. The term "Urdu-speakers" does not encompass culturally non-native speakers who may use Urdu as a first or second language, which would additionally account for a much larger number of total speakers in South Asia. History From the early Muslim kingdoms developed Indian Muslim clan-groups who were well-rooted social groups that acted ...
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Alap
The Alap (; ) is the opening section of a typical North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga. In dhrupad singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccompanied (except for the tanpura drone), and started at a slow tempo. For people unfamiliar with the raga form, it introduces the thaat to the listener. It defines the raga, its mood, and the emphasized notes and notes with a secondary role. Instead of wholly free improvisation, many musicians perform alap schematically, for example by way of ''vistar'', where the notes of the raga are introduced one at a time, so that phrases never travel further than one note above or below what has been covered before. In such cases, the first reach into a new octave can be a powerful event. In instrumental music, when a steady pulse is introduced into the alap, it is called jor; when the tempo has been greatly increased, or when the rhythmic element o ...
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Swara
Swara () or svara is an Indian classical music term that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, a note, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave, or ''saptanka''. More comprehensively, it is the ancient Indian concept of the complete dimension of musical pitch. At its most basic comparison to western music, a ''swara'' is, essentially, a "note" of a given scale. However, that is but a loose interpretation of the word, as a ''swara'' is identified as both a musical note and tone; a "tone" is a precise substitute for sur, relating to "tunefulness". Traditionally, Indian musicians have just seven ''swara''s/notes with short names: sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, which they collectively refer to as ''saptank'' or ''saptaka''. This is one of the reasons why ''swara'' is considered a symbolic expression for the number seven. In another loose comparison to western music, ''saptak'' (as an octave or scale) may be interpreted as s ...
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Meend
In Hindustani music, ''meend'' (Hindi: , ) refers to a glide from one note to another. It is an essential performance practice, and is used often in vocal and instrumental music. On the veena, sitar, sarangi and other plucked stringed instruments, it is usually done by pushing the strings across the frets to vary their effective length and tension; compare portamento and finger vibrato. This can be done on wind instruments like the bansuri by using the fingers to cover the holes in a manner that the changes between discrete pitches are imperceptible. It is considered a sort of '' alankar'', or ornament. ''Meend'' is an important part of any classical performance; however, it is a technique not possible on a hand-held harmonium often used in musical concerts (or on the santoor). For this reason, traditionalists singing khyal prefer an accompaniment on an instrument such as a sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional musi ...
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Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hindustani classical music, Indian classical music in the second half of the 20th century, and influenced many musicians in India and throughout the world. Shankar was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999. He is also the father of American singer Norah Jones and British-American musician and sitar player Anoushka Shankar. Shankar was born to a Bengalis, Bengali family in India, and spent his youth as a dancer touring India and Europe with the dance group of his brother Uday Shankar. At age 18, he gave up dancing to pursue a career in music, studying the sitar for seven years under court musician Allauddin Khan. After finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar worked as a composer, creating the music for the ''Apu Tr ...
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Rudra Veena
The ''rudra veena'' () (also spelled ''rudraveena'' or ''rudra vīnā'') — also called the ''bīn'' in North India — is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music, especially dhrupad. It is one of the major types of '' veena'' played in Indian classical music, notable for its deep bass resonance. Oral tradition ascribes the instrument to Shiva, the principal deity within Hinduism. The rudra veena is seen in temple architecture predating the Mughals. It is also mentioned in court records as early as the reign of Zain-ul Abidin (1418–1470), and attained particular importance among Mughal court musicians. Before Independence, rudra veena players, as dhrupad practitioners, were supported by the princely states; after Independence and the political integration of India, this traditional patronage system ended. With the end of this traditional support, dhrupad's popularity in India declined, as did the popularity of the rudra veena. However, in recent year ...
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Indore Gharana
Indore gharana is one of the vocal gharanas of Indian classical music. It was founded by Amir Khan, who studied the styles of Abdul Wahid Khan, Aman Ali Khan, Rajab Ali Khan and Abdul Karim Khan and amalgamated their style. Amir Khan grew up in Indore, India but he did not like the factionalism inherent in the gharana tradition. In an interview to Akashvani, Indore, he said: Performances in the Indore gharana are noted by the vilambit tempo in the style of Abdul Wahid Khan, and the taans reminiscent of Rajab Ali Khan. The merukhand structure is similar to that practiced by Aman Ali Khan of the Bhendibazaar gharana. The khayal gayaki in the 'Indore gharana' retains the slow development and restraint from frills as in the dhrupad. Mohan Nadkarni says of Amir Khan's music that whereas Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's music was extroverted and exuberant, Amir Khan's music was an introverted, dignified 'darbar' style Amir Khan's conviction about the importance of poetry in khyal co ...
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Mewati Gharana
The Mewati gharana is a musical apprenticeship tribe of Hindustani classical music. Known for being Pandit Jasraj's musical lineage, the gharana was founded by brothers Ghagge Nazir Khan and Wahid Khan (beenkar) of Indore in the late 19th century at the Holkar Court. Members of this gharana have had an active influence in Indian cinema for over half a century. With its own distinct aesthetics, stylings, practices, and repertoire, the gharana emerged as an offshoot of the Khandarbani Dhrupad, and Qawwal Bacchon musical traditions. The gharana gained visibility in the late-20th century after Pt. Jasraj popularized the gayaki. History Ghagge Nazir Khan and Wahid Khan are regarded as fountainheads of the Mewati gharana. They were descendants of the Qawwal Bacchon gharana (Qawwal Bacchon Ka Gharana). Etymology The Mewati Gharana takes its name from the region between Delhi, Jaipur, and Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in ...
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Cezanne Khan
Cezanne Khan is an Indian television actor. He is best known for his role of Anurag Basu in ''Kasautii Zindagii Kay (2001 TV series), Kasautii Zindagi Kay'', that aired on Star Plus. He is also known for his role of Harman Singh and Nikhil Jaisingh in ''Shakti – Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki'', that aired on Colors TV and ''Appnapan – Badalte Rishton Ka Bandhan'' that aired on Sony Entertainment Television, respectively. He has also worked in Pakistani television series. Early life Khan was born into a Muslim family in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. His father was Ustad Rais Khan, a famous sitarist in Pakistan. His mother, Tasnim Khan, is an interior designer, whose family also resides in Karachi, Pakistan. His brother, Suhail Khan, is a singer, composer and sitar player. He was named after the famous French painter Paul Cézanne. Khan went to boarding school at Barnes School, Barnes in Deolali. He earned his Bachelor of Commerce from M.M.K. College of Commerce & Economics in Bandra, ...
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Sabri Brothers
The Sabri Brothers (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) were a musical band from Pakistan who were performers of Sufi qawwali music and were closely connected to the Chishti Order. They are considered one of the greatest Sufi qawwali singers of all times. The Sabri Brothers were led by Ghulam Farid Sabri and his brother Maqbool Ahmed Sabri. They are often referred to as ''Shahenshah-e-Qawwali'' (the King of Kings of Qawwali) and are also known as ''the roving ambassadors of Pakistan''. The band was initially founded by Maqbool Ahmed Sabri at the age of 11 years and was known as the Bacha Qawwal Party. His elder brother Ghulam Farid Sabri joined after insistence from their father. He became the leader of the group, and the band soon became known as the Sabri Brothers. They were the first-ever Qawwali artists to perform qawwali in the United States and other Western countries; they were also the first-ever Asian artists to perform at New York City, New York's Carnegie Hall in 1975. Orig ...
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