Bengali music () comprises a long tradition of
religious
Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...
and
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...
song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. Composed with lyrics in the
Bengali language
Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...
, Bengali music spans a wide variety of styles.
History
The earliest music in Bengal was influenced by
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
chants, and evolved under the influence of
Vaishnav poetry such as the 13th-century ''
Gitagovindam'' by
Jayadeva
Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem ''Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the ''gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which presen ...
, whose work continues to be sung in many eastern
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
temples. The Middle Ages saw a mixture of Hindu and Islamic trends when the musical tradition was formalized under the patronage of
Sultan and Nawabs and the powerful landlords ''
baro bhuiyans''.
The earliest record of
Sufism in Bengal goes back to 11th century AD in connection with the continuation of Sufism in northern India. Shah Sultan Rumi was the first Sufi to come to Bengal, when he came to
Mymensingh
Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...
in 1053 AD.Sufism not only helped in the spread of Islam in Bengal, but also contributed to the eventual creation of a Muslim society in Bangladesh. Apart from the religiosity, the influence of the Sufis became attached to popular Bengali culture by the confluence of the murshidi, marfati and baul songs, and gazir gan.
Forms
Kotali Gharana
Kotalipara in the Faridpur Zilla of East Bengal (presently Bangladesh) owes its origin to “Chandraburmankot” erected there, circa 315 AD, the remains of which are still extant. “Kot” stands for fort, “Ali” signifies “wall and area surrounding the fort”, and “para” means a settlement or “a neighbourhood”.
KotaliPara had been a hotbed of intellectual excellence for ages, especially in music, art and scholarship.
Sangeetacharya Tarapada Chakraborty (1909-1975), was the first Pan-Indian Khayaliya from Bengal and the pioneer of Kotali Gharana. He had a journey similar to
Ustad Allauddin Khan’s, coming to Kolkata penniless from Kotalipara ( currently in Bangladesh ) to learn classical music. Kotali Gharana is built on aesthetics. The aesthetics of the raga, expression, lyrics and thoughts. Over the years, the present Kotali style took the shape in the hands of
Pandit Manas Chakraborty, a combination of musical purity and eclecticism, the practice of deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
Vidushi Ruchira Panda, is the global face of Kotali Gharana today.
Bishnupur Gharana
The Bishnupur Gharana is the sole Classical (Drupad) gharana of Bengal. It originated in Bishnupur, Bankura by the court musicians of the Malla Kings. Bahadur Khan of Delhi, a descendant of the Tansen, was the father of Bishnupur Gharana. Bahadur Khan was brought to Bishnupur by Malla King Raghunath Singha II.
Murshidi
Murshidi Gan devotional folk songs that evolved and flourished mainly through sufis. The word 'murshid', derives from the Arabic 'ershad', and means 'to order or give advice'. A murshid gives advice to his disciples and leads them to the spiritual way by means of devotional rites.
Baul
The
Baul
The Baul () are a group of mystic minstrels of mixed elements of Sufism and Vaishnavism from different parts of Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley and Meghalaya. Bauls constitute bot ...
s (meaning "divinely inspired insanity") are a group of mystic minstrels (Muslim Sufis and Hindu Baishnos) from the Bengal region, who sang primarily in the 17th and 18th centuries. They are thought to have been influenced greatly by the Hindu tantric sect of the
Kartabhajas as well as by Muslim
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
philosophers. Bauls traveled and sang in search of the internal ideal, ''
Moner Manush'' (''Man of the Heart'' or the ''inner being''), and described "superfluous" differences between religions.
Lalon Fakir, alternatively known as Lalon Shah, who lived in the 19th century in and around
Kushtia
Kushtia () is a city located on the banks of the Gorai River in Bangladesh. It serves as the headquarters of Kushtia District and is considered the cultural capital of Bangladesh. The city is known for its Tiler Khaja (sesame sweets), kulf ...
, is considered to be the greatest of all bauls.
Ramprasadi
The
Bengali devotional songs written and music composed by eighteenth century
Bengali saint-poet
Ramprasad Sen
( 1723/1718 – c. 1775) was a Hindu Shakta poet and saint of 18th-century Bengal. His '' bhakti'' poems, known as Ramprasadi, are still popular in Bengal—they are usually addressed to the Hindu goddess Kali and written in Bengali ...
are called Ramprasadi. They are usually addressed to Hindu goddess
Kali
Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...
.
Lalon Geeti
The
Bengali songs composed by
Bengali saint, philosopher, and social reformer
Lalon
Lalon (; died 17 October 1890), also known as Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir, Shahji, was a Bengali spiritual leader, philosopher, mystic poet and social reformer. Regarded as an icon of Bengali culture, he inspired and influenced many philosophers, ...
are called Lalon Geeti. Lalon was against religious conflict and many of his songs mock identity politics that divide communities and generate violence. He even rejected nationalism at the apex of the anti-colonial nationalist movements in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
. He did not believe in classes or
castes, the fragmented, hierarchical society and took a stand against racism. Lalon does not fit the "
mystical
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight ...
" or "spiritual" type who denies all worldly affairs in search of the soul: he embodies the socially transformative role of sub-continental
bhakti
''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...
and
sufism
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
. He believed in the power of music to alter the intellectual and emotional state in order to be able to understand and appreciate life itself.
It is estimated that Lalon composed about 2,000–10,000 songs, of which only about 800 songs are generally considered authentic. Lalon left no written copies of his songs, which were transmitted orally and only later transcribed by his followers. Lalon left no written copies of his songs, which were transmitted orally and only later transcribed by his followers.
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...
published some of the Lalon song in the monthly ''
Prabasi'' magazine of Kolkata.
Hasan Raja "s Songs
This songs are composed by legendary Bengali mystic poet, songwriter, and philosopher ,
Hason Raja, from Sylhet, Bangladesh. His songs focus on spiritual awakening, the transient nature of life, and the search for divinity within oneself. These compositions, often referred to as ''Baul songs'', are filled with mysticism, simplicity, and profound truth. Hasan Raja's works have inspired countless folk singers and spiritual enthusiasts.
Rabindra Sangeet
The leading proponent of Bengali music is
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...
(known in Bengali as ''Robi Thakur'' and ''Gurudeb'', the latter meaning "Respected Teacher" (in the Bengal of that time, the suffix 'deb' was an honorific, ascribed to people who enjoyed immense respect, but this title was primarily used by his students at Santiniketan, though many others did use the address/) Tagore was a prolific composer with around 2,230 songs to his credit.
His songs are known as ''
rabindrasangit'' ("Tagore Song"), which merges fluidly into his literature, most of which—poems or parts of novels, stories, or plays alike—were lyricised. Influenced by the ''
thumri'' style of
Hindustani music
Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...
, they ran the entire gamut of human emotion, ranging from his early dirge-like Brahmo devotional hymns to quasi-erotic compositions. They emulated the tonal colour of classical ''
raga
A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...
s'' to varying extents. Some songs mimicked a given raga's melody and rhythm faithfully; others newly blended elements of different ''ragas''.
Yet about nine-tenths of his work was not ''bhanga gaan'', the body of tunes revamped with "fresh value" from select Western, Hindustani, Bengali folk and other regional flavours "external" to Tagore's own ancestral culture.
His music is an exemplary instance of 'kavya-geeti', a style of composition that later found widespread use in the music industries at Bombay and Calcutta.
In 1971, ''
Amar Shonar Bangla'' became the national anthem of Bangladesh. It was written — ironically — to protest the
1905 Partition of Bengal along communal lines: cutting off the Muslim-majority East Bengal from Hindu-dominated West Bengal was to avert a regional bloodbath. Tagore saw the partition as a cunning plan to stop the
independence movement
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of a ...
, and he aimed to rekindle Bengali unity and tar communalism. ''
Jana Gana Mana'' was written in ''
shadhu-bhasha'', a Sanskritised form of Bengali, and is the first of five stanzas of the Brahmo hymn ''
Bharot Bhagyo Bidhata'' that Tagore composed. It was first sung in 1911 at a Calcutta session of the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
and was adopted in 1950 by the Constituent Assembly of the Republic of India as its national anthem.
For Bengalis, the songs' appeal, stemming from the combination of emotive strength and beauty described as surpassing even Tagore's poetry, was such that the ''Modern Review'' observed that "
ere is in Bengal no cultured home where Rabindranath's songs are not sung or at least attempted to be sung... Even illiterate villagers sing his songs". Tagore influenced ''sitar'' maestro
Vilayat Khan and ''
sarodiyas''
Buddhadev Dasgupta and
Amjad Ali Khan.
Most of his musical poems are detailed in two series of books – the ''
Gitabitan'' (that only has the texts of the poems) and the ''Swarabitan'' (that has the poems and their musical notation). However, there exist several poems of his that are set to music, and yet find no mention in either of the above. These are handed down from his students to their students and so on.
Some of the notable exponents of Rabindrasangeet are
Shantideb Ghosh,
Debabrata Biswas,
Pankaj Kumar Mullick,
Kalim Sharafi,
Kanika Bandyopadhyay,
Rajeshwari Datta,
Malati Ghoshal,
Nilima Sen,
Suchitra Mitra,
Aditi Mohsin,
Rezwana Choudhury Bannya,
Subinoy Roy,
Chinmoy Chatterjee,
Hemanta Mukhopadhyay,
Dwijen Mukhopadhyay,
Sagar Sen,
Santosh Thakur,
Purabi Mukhopadhyay,
Kabir Suman,
Banani Ghosh,
Mita Haque,
Indrani Sen,
Srikanto Acharya,
Shreya Guhathakurta Sahana Bajpaie Mohan Singh
Furthermore, it is believed that on December 27, 1931, Dhurjatiprasad Mukhopadhyay wrote an essay titled “রবীন্দ্রনাথের সংগীত” (Rabindranath’s Music) for Tagore’s 70th birth anniversary, in which the term �
Rabindrasangeet�� was used for the first time. In January 1935, Kanak Das’s recording P11792, featuring “মনে রবে কিনা রবে আমারে” (“Whether or not I remain in your recollection”) and “কাছে যবে ছিল পাশে হল না যাওয়া” (“When you were near, I couldn’t reach you”) first used �
Rabindrasangeet�� on the label.
Nazrul Geeti

Nazrul Sangeet (
Bengali: নজরুল সঙ্গীত), also Nazrul Geeti (
Bengali: নজরুল গীতি;
lit. 'music of Nazrul'), refers to the songs written and composed by
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengalis, Bengali poet, short story writer, journalist, lyricist and musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul produced a List of works by Kazi Nazrul Islam, large body of ...
, the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul Geeti incorporate revolutionary notions as well as more spiritual, philosophical and romantic themes. Nazrul wrote and composed nearly 4,000 songs (including gramophone records), which are widely popular in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. Some of the most notable Nazrul Sangeet include ''
Notuner Gaan'', the national
marching song of Bangladesh and ''
O Mon Romzaner Oi Rozar Sheshe,'' a Bengali
Islamic song on the festival of the
Bengali celebration of
Chand Raat and
Eid-ul-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the ...
.
Some of the notable Nazrul Geeti singers from India include Suprova Sarkar, Dhirendra Chandra Mitra,
Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, Dr. Anjali Mukhopadhyay, Dhiren Bose, Adhir Bagchi, Purabi Dutta,
Firoza Begum,
Anup Ghoshal, and, Bangladeshi singer
Sohrab Hossain.
Jasimuddin Songs
Jasimuddin (1903–1976), also known as the Poet of the Village, was a renowned Bengali poet, songwriter, and folklorist. His works often celebrated rural life, nature, and the simplicity of village Bengal. His songs are deeply rooted in folk traditions and are filled with emotional depth and lyrical beauty. A notable singer is
Abbasuddin Ahmed.
Shyama Sangeet
Shyama Sangeet is a genre of Bengali devotional songs dedicated to the Hindu goddess Shyama or
Kali
Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...
which is a form of supreme universal mother-goddess
Durga
Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...
or
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
. It is also known as Shaktagiti or Durgastuti.
Shyama Sangeet appeals to the common man because it is a musical representation of the relationship of eternal and sublime love and care between the mother and her child. It is free of the common rituals of worship and also the esoteric practice of the Tantra. A notable singer is
Pannalal Bhattacharya.
Generally all music dedicated to goddess Mother
Kali
Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...
is called '
Shyama Sangeet' in
Bengali. Two famous singers of this
Bengali Shyama Sangeet are
Pannalal Bhattacharya and
Dhananjay Bhattacharya
Dhananjay Bhattacharya (10 September 1922 – 27 December 1992) was an Indian Bengali singer and composer. He was a versatile Shyama Sangeet singer.
Career
He started his career by singing modern Bengali as well as Hindi songs. His first son ...
.
Pannalal Bhattacharya's elder brother Prafulla Bhattacharya and middle brother
Dhananjay Bhattacharya
Dhananjay Bhattacharya (10 September 1922 – 27 December 1992) was an Indian Bengali singer and composer. He was a versatile Shyama Sangeet singer.
Career
He started his career by singing modern Bengali as well as Hindi songs. His first son ...
were the first music teachers of saint artist
Pannalal Bhattacharya.
Dhananjay Bhattacharya
Dhananjay Bhattacharya (10 September 1922 – 27 December 1992) was an Indian Bengali singer and composer. He was a versatile Shyama Sangeet singer.
Career
He started his career by singing modern Bengali as well as Hindi songs. His first son ...
stopped singing devotional songs after finding devotional spirit in his brother Pannalal. However, after the demise of
Pannalal Bhattacharya, he contributed again in Bengali music with many devotional songs by his sweet, melodious voice.
Dwijendrageeti
Dwijendralal Ray's Dwijendrageeti (the Songs of Dwijendralal), which number over 500, create a separate subgenre of Bengali music. Two of Dwijendralal Ray's most famous compositions are Dhana Dhanya Pushpa Bhara and Banga Amar Janani Amar. Ray is regarded as one of the most important figures in early modern Bengali literature.
Rajjob Geeti
Rajjob Ali Dewan was a legendary Bengali folk singer, poet, and lyricist who made significant contributions to Bengali folk music, particularly in the genres of Baul, Bhatiali, and Marfati (Sufi-inspired) songs. His works reflect rural life, spiritual love, and mysticism. Rajjob Ali Dewan's songs are cherished for their philosophical depth and connection to everyday life. Famaous singers of Rajjob getti are Abdul Alim , Momtaz Begum , Arif Dewan.
Atulprasadi
Atulprasadi, one of the major lyricist and composers of early-modern period, is also widely popular
in Paschimbanga. Atul Prasad is credited with introducing the Thumri style in Bengali music. His songs centred on three broad subjects: patriotism, devotion and love.
Prabhat Samgiita
Prabhát Saḿgiita also known as Songs of a New Dawn and Prabhat Songs, are songs composed by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar. Sarkar composed a total of 5,018 songs including the lyrics and the tune, in a period of eight years from 1982 until his death in 1990, making using of eight different languages: Bengali, Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Urdu, Magahi, Maithili and Angika.
Mujbhandari Songs
Mujbhandari Songs are Islamic devotional songs associated with the Mujbhandari Sufi Order, a renowned Sufi tradition originating in Bengal, particularly linked to the shrine of Hazrat Shah Sufi Syed Ahmad Ullah Mujbhandari of Chittagong, Bangladesh. These songs praise Allah, Muhammad, and Sufi saints while promoting spiritual love, peace, and devotion. Famous Mujbhandari Singers are Sufi Samrat Abdul Gafur Hali, Jalal Uddin, Abdul Latit, Shafi Mondol and Arif Dewan.
Rajanikanta Sen's Songs
Rajanikanta Sen (1865–1910) was a renowned Bengali poet, composer, and lyricist known for his devotional songs, patriotic anthems, and emotional melodies. His songs reflect deep spirituality, patriotism, and love for humanity.
Other
*
Bhatiali
*
Qwali
*
Bhawaiya
Bhawaiya is a musical form or a popular folk music that originated in Northern Bengal, especially the Rangpur Division in Bangladesh, Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, India, and the undivided Goalpara district of Assam, India. It has rec ...
*
Polli Geeti
*
Lokgeeti
*
Fakir Gaan
*
Dhamail
*
Gombhira
*
Kavigan, poems sung with simple music usually presented on stage as a musical battle between poets.
*
Jatra Pala, songs associated exclusively with plays (performed on-stage). Usually involves colourful presentations of historical themes.
Numerous other poets and composers had laid the foundation for the rich repertoire of Bengali music in the 19th century and early 20th century. Some stalwarts of this ear include Ramnidhi Gupta (commonly known as
Nidhu Babu),
Lalon Fakir,
Atulprasad Sen,
Dwijendralal Ray,
Rajanikanta Sen and a large canon of patriotic songs from India's Independence movement.
[Chatterjee, Gita. ''Bengal's Swadeshi Samgīt.'' Published in Banerjee, Jayasri (ed.), ''The Music of Bengal''. Baroda: Indian Musicological Society, 1987.]
Modern Bengali music
Modern Bengali and South Asian music has been enriched by singers like
Jaganmoy Mitra (1918–2003) (who is considered a pioneer of modern song),
Kamal Dasgupta,
Firoza Begum, as well as artists such as
Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay,
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar (born Abhas Kumar Ganguly; ; 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer, musician and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of modern India ...
,
Manabendra Mukhopadhyay,
Sandhya Mukhopadhyay,
Manna Dey
Prabodh Chandra Dey (; 1 May 1919 − 24 October 2013), known by his stage name Manna Dey, was an Indian playback singer, music director, and musician. He had a classical music background, being part of the Bhendibazaar gharana, Bhendibazaar Gh ...
,
Sachin Dev Burman,
Rahul Dev Burman,
Bhupen Hazarika,
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...
,
Asha Bhonsle,
Talat Mehmood,
Aarti Mukherji,
Kabir Suman,
Amit Kumar
Amit Kumar (born 3 July 1952) is an Indian playback singer, actor, music composer. Kumar launched his own music production company, named Kumar Brothers Music. He predominantly worked in Bollywood and regional film songs since the 1970s, ...
,
Shibaji Chatterjee,
Kumar Sanu
Kedarnath Bhattacharya (born 20 October 1957), professionally known as Kumar Sanu, is a leading Indian playback singer who primarily sings in Hindi film songs. He is widely regarded as the Melody King of Bollywood. He holds the record for winn ...
,
Dhananjay Bhattacharya
Dhananjay Bhattacharya (10 September 1922 – 27 December 1992) was an Indian Bengali singer and composer. He was a versatile Shyama Sangeet singer.
Career
He started his career by singing modern Bengali as well as Hindi songs. His first son ...
,
Shyamal Mitra, Mehuli Thakur,
Shreya Ghoshal
Shreya Ghoshal (; born 12 March 1984) is an Indian singer. Noted for her wide vocal range and versatility, she is one of the most prolific and influential singers of India. Often referred to as the "Queen of Dynamics'' for her remarkable voc ...
, Monali Thakur,
Arijit Singh
Arijit Singh (; born 25 April 1987) is an Indian playback singer. A leading figure in contemporary Hindi film music, he is the recipient of several accolades including two National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards. He was conferred the P ...
,
Mitali Mukherjee,
Dwijen Mukhopadhyay,
Manabendra Mukhopadhyay,
Sachin Gupta,
Subir Sen,
Uma Bose,
Kanan Devi,
Utpala Sen,
Alpana Banerjee,
Sabita Chowdhury, and D. L.Roy
Dilip Kumar Roy.
Tapan Chowdhury,
Azam Khan,
Abdul Jabbar,
Ferdousi Rahman
Ferdausi Rahman (; born 28 June 1941) is a Bangladeshi playback singer. She sang some popular film songs for Pakistani films also in the 1960s especially working with the music composer Robin Ghosh in film Chakori released in 1967. She was award ...
,
Khurshid Alam,
Bashir Ahmad,
Syed Abdul Hadi,
Shahnaz Rahmatullah,
Kalim Sharafi,
Abida Sultana,
Kanak Chapa,
Shakila Zafar,
Samina Chowdhury
Samina Chowdhury (born 28 August 1966) is a Bangladeshi singer. She mostly sings modern and classical songs. Her notable songs include ''Jonmo Theke Jolchi Mago'', ''Amar Buker Moddhyekhane'', ''Amar Dui Chokhe Dui Nodi'', ''Ekbar Jodi Keu'', ''K ...
,
Kumar Biswajit
Kumar Bishwajit (born 1 June 1963) is a Bangladeshi singer and composer. He received Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer two times for the films ''Swami Streer Wada'' (2009) and ''Ma Amar Chokher Moni'' (2011). He also g ...
,
Arnob,
Farida Parveen,
Andrew Kishore,
James,
Ayub Bachchu,
Mila,
Anusheh Anadil,
Sabina Yasmin, and
Runa Laila
Runa Laila (born 17 November 1952) is a Bangladeshi playback singer and composer. She started her career in the Pakistani film industry in the late 1960s. Her style of singing is inspired by Pakistani playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and also f ...
all hailing from Bangladesh.
Krishna Chandra Dey and
Pannalal Bhattacharya, were famous for their renditions of devotional songs, while
Abbasuddin Ahmed,
Kiran Chandra Roy,
Amar Pal were stalwarts in singing Bengali folk music.
Bengali music is highly indebted to
Lalon
Lalon (; died 17 October 1890), also known as Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir, Shahji, was a Bengali spiritual leader, philosopher, mystic poet and social reformer. Regarded as an icon of Bengali culture, he inspired and influenced many philosophers, ...
,
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...
,
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengalis, Bengali poet, short story writer, journalist, lyricist and musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul produced a List of works by Kazi Nazrul Islam, large body of ...
,
Ramprasad Sen
( 1723/1718 – c. 1775) was a Hindu Shakta poet and saint of 18th-century Bengal. His '' bhakti'' poems, known as Ramprasadi, are still popular in Bengal—they are usually addressed to the Hindu goddess Kali and written in Bengali ...
and
Jasim Uddin.
All traditional Bengali music is based on classical music or on its variations. Some of the most reputed classical musicians of the sub-continent come from Bengal including
Ustad Allauddin Khan,
Tarapada Chakraborty,
Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh (1909–1987), Pandit
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 Hin ...
, Pandit
Manas Chakraborty, Ustad
Ayet Ali Khan and Ustad
Abed Hossain Khan.
Notable Bengali music composers active in Calcutta (
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
) in the 1930s through the 1980s include
Himangshu Dutta,
Kamal Dasgupta,
Rai Chand Boral,
Pankaj Kumar Mullick,
Anupam Ghatak,
Sachin Dev Burman,
Rahul Dev Burman Nachiketa Ghosh,
Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay,
Salil Chowdhury
Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali, Hindi cinema, Hindi and Malayalam films, Malayalam films. ...
,
Sudhin Dasgupta,
Shyamal Mitra,
Kabir Suman,
Nachiketa Chakraborty,
Ajoy Das, and
Bappi Lahiri
Bappi Aparesh Lahiri (born Alokesh Aparesh Lahiri; 27 November 1952 – 15 February 2022), also known as Bappi Da, was an Indian singer, composer and record producer. He popularised the use of synthesised disco music in Indian music industry and ...
, while
Pranab Roy,
Gouri Prasanna Majumdar,
Kabir Suman and
Pulak Bandyopadhyay
Pulak Bandyopadhyay (; 2 May 1931 – 7 September 1999) was a Bengali people, Bengali Indian lyricist and songwriter of Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali cinema.
Early life
He was born and brought up in Salkia, Howrah. His family had close links w ...
were well-known lyricists.
Jeet Ganguly is a modern music composer of Bengali film songs and
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
songs.
Nachiketa Chakraborty continues his established musical career for decades being a multi-dimensional singer, lyricist and composer with extraordinary class and caliber. An artist who has more than 450 released songs created and sung by him, more than 300 unreleased songs of his own, an artist who drives to develop his next generation. It is hard finding his parallel, probably impossible. The boss of Bengali Music revolution in the 90s, the educator honored as Banga Bhushan, who ignites the moral value in millions in the society, the philosopher who simplify life’s equations in simple language, the avenger who inspires common people to throw away an age-old rotten ruling system from Bengal.He is an idol for numerous people across the world and has inspired many renowned Bengali singers from time to time (Editor: Rajonyo Nandi).
Bengali rock
Bengali rock is a music genre in which the song lyrics are written in the Bengali language. It may refer to:
*
Rock music of Bangladesh
*
Rock music of West Bengal
Western influence has resulted in the emergence of the phenomenon of Bengali bands, both in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
and in
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
, as well as songs reflecting the joys and sorrows of the common man, ''Jibonmukhi Gaan'' (songs from life), which was inspired by
Kabir Suman. Bengali bands became popular with young people in the 1970s, both in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
, and have since become entrenched in modern Bengali culture. Recently, traditional folk-based Bengali songs are also being released by bands.
;Rock music of Bangladesh
Bangladeshi rock or Bangla rock originated in Chittagong with roots in 1960s and 1970s rock and roll. Bangladeshi rock music was influenced by the American and British rock and roll music. In the 1960s, blues rock was introduced by Zinga, The Windy Side of Care, The Lightnings, Rambling Stones etc. From early to mid 1970s pop rock music was introduced by Uchcharon, Souls, Feedback and Miles. In the 1980s number of subgenres such as hard rock and heavy metal was introduced. In the 1990s hard rock and heavy metal broke through the mainstream with bands like LRB, Feelings, Ark and Warfaze, Miles, Maqsood O' Dhaka, Souls etc. music of Bangladesh
;Rock music of West Bengal
Rock music of West Bengal originated in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The first rock band in West Bengal was
Moheener Ghoraguli and also India's first rock band. In modern times, in this type of music distorted electric guitars, bass guitar, and drums are used, and sometimes accompanied with pianos and keyboards and in early times the instruments used in the modern times were also accompanied by saxophone, flute, violin and bass violin. Bhoomi a Bengali rock band formed in 1999 has also been using flute in their music.
Famous bands
;Bangladesh
Some famous Bangladeshi bands are
Nova,
Uccharon,
Spondan,
Souls
The soul is the purported immaterial aspect or essence of a living being. It is typically believed to be immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that describe the relationship between the soul and the bod ...
,
Obscure,
Different Touch,
Feedback
Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause and effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handle ...
,
Ark,
Miles,
LRB,
Warfaze,
Joler Gaan,
Dalchhut,
Avash,
Shironamhin,
Nagar Baul.
;India
Bands like
Moheener Ghoraguli,
Bhoomi,
Chandrabindoo,
Fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
,
Cactus
A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...
,
Lakkhichhara,
Krosswindz,
Kalpurush(
),
Prithibi, etc.
English bands from Kolkata include
Cassini's Division,
Bolepur Bluez,
Insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...
,
Underground Authority,
Pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
,
Chronic Xorn
Chronic Xorn (), is a heavy metal music, metal band, based in Kolkata, India. Chronic Xorn started in 2007, and shot to prominence after being featured in October 2009 in Headbanger's India.
History
Early years (2007–2009)
In 2010, Chroni ...
, are also notable. Singers like
Ajoy Chakraborty and
Kaushiki Chakraborty are working to bring back classical
raga
A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...
influence into Bengali music.
Bengali bands use a wide variety of styles such as
rock,
pop,
folk, and
fusion. Their music is influenced both by popular
American music as well as traditional Bengali folk music such as
Bhatiali,
Bhawaiya
Bhawaiya is a musical form or a popular folk music that originated in Northern Bengal, especially the Rangpur Division in Bangladesh, Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, India, and the undivided Goalpara district of Assam, India. It has rec ...
,
Shyama Sangeet and
Baul
The Baul () are a group of mystic minstrels of mixed elements of Sufism and Vaishnavism from different parts of Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley and Meghalaya. Bauls constitute bot ...
.
Bangladeshi hip hop
Bangladeshi hip hop is a genre of music and culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music developed in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi hip hop is heavily influenced by US hip hop, and started in early 2000.
Notes
Works cited
*
{{Indian Music, expanded=Territory
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
Music of Bangladesh
Culture of West Bengal