Gagan Chandra Chatterjee was a North Indian classical

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist of the Senia Gharana who is known for inventing the ''gatkari'' style of North Indian classical violin.

Early life and training

Gagan Chandra Chatterjee was born in

Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

in 1890. He learned Hindustani classical music on the

sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...

from the Senia gharana master Ustad Keramatullah Khan. However, he chose a different instrument for expressing the music he learned. He could accurately play the ''gatkari'' styles of

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

and sarod on the violin and spent the rest of his life with this instrument. He also learned from Lachhmandas Munimji, a well-known harmonium player, and Pran Krishna Chattopadhyay, a well-known

dhrupad Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music (for example in the Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampradaya), and is als ...

singer.

Career

Gagan Chandra Chatterjee played extensively in music conferences of his time. He recorded a few classical tracks accompanied by piano, where he is credited as 'G.C. Chatterjee'.

Style

Prior to him, Hindustani classical violinists used to play by mimicking vocal Hindustani classical music. However, Hindustani classical music uses many techniques that are unique to sitar and sarod. Gagan Chandra Chatterjee was the first person to bring those techniques over to the violin. He would play the complete ''alaap-jor-jhala'' of Hindustani classical music, which, before him, was heard only on sitar and sarod.

Students

Although Gagan Chandra Chatterjee inspired many musicians across instruments, he did not leave behind many students. His most well-known students were Sriram Srivastava and his younger brother Joi Srivastava.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatterjee, Gagan Chandra 1890 births 1949 deaths Hindustani instrumentalists Hindustani violinists Indian violinists 20th-century violinists 20th-century Indian musicians