Imrat Khan (17 November 1935 – 22 November 2018) was an Indian

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

surbahar ''Surbahar'' (; ) sometimes known as bass sitar, is a plucked string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is closely related to the sitar, but has a lower pitch. Depending on the instrument's size, i ...

player and composer. He was the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan.Farrell, Gerry (2001)
"Khan, Imrat"
''

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''. (subscription required for full text).

Training and early career

Imrat Khan was born in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

on 17 November 1935 into a family of musicians tracing its roots back for several generations, to the court musicians of the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

rulers. The training in music traditionally has been passed down from father to son for nearly 400 years. He belonged to

Etawah gharana The Etawah gharana is a North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music and named after a small town close to Agra where Imdad Khan (1848–1920) lived. It is also known as Imdadkhani gharana in the honour of its founder, Imdad Khan. Imdad K ...

also known as Imdadkhani gharana of classical musicians. Imrat Khan's father was

Enayat Khan Ustad Enayat Khan (; (1894–1938) also known as Nath Singh was one of India's most influential sitar and surbahar players in the first decades of the 20th century. He was the father of Vilayat Khan, one of the top sitariyas (sitar players) of ...

(1895–1938), recognised as a leading sitar and surbahar player of his time, as had been his grandfather,

Imdad Khan Ustad Imdad Khan (1848 – 1920) was a sitar and surbahar player. He was the first sitar player ever to be recorded. Imrat Khan's father died when Imrat was a child, so he was raised by his mother, Bashiran Begum and her father, singer Bande Hassan Khan. In 1944, the family moved with

Vilayat Khan Ustad Vilayat Khan (28 August 1928 – 13 March 2004) was an Indian classical sitar player, considered by many to be the greatest sitarist of his age. Along with Imdad Khan, Enayat Khan, and Imrat Khan, he is credited with the creation a ...

, Imrat's older brother, to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

where both the brothers learned sitar-playing extensively from their uncle

Wahid Khan Wahid Khan (born 1895 died ?) was an Indian surbahar and sitar player. He was the son of Imdad Khan and belonged to the Imdadkhani gharana or '' Etawah gharana'' of classical music. Early life Wahid Khan was born in 1895 at Etawah, Uttar ...

. In 1952, Vilayat and Imrat moved in together in

. They performed together for many years. The two brothers were part of the first cultural delegation to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and Eastern Europe in 1956.

Solo career and legacy

From 1961 onwards, Imrat Khan performed and recorded solo, playing both sitar and surbahar. For decades, Imrat Khan recorded extensively on both his instruments. His full performance practice started with a surbahar alap in

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 ...

''ang'' (embellished with more romantic touches), followed by a shorter alap on the sitar leading into ''gat'' in traditional Imdadkhani style. (Sitar players such as

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 ...

and Nikhil Banerjee added bass strings to their sitars to achieve at least some of the surbahar's lower range on a single instrument). Imrat Khan performed in

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, the

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, the

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and Southeast Asia. He also performed at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

in 1970. He spent a portion of each year teaching classical Indian music and instructing sitar students at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

. Imrat Khan's music has been featured in films made by noted filmmakers like

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

and

James Ivory James Francis Ivory (born Richard Jerome Hazen June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was a principal in Merchant Ivory Productions along with Indian film producer Ismail Merchant (his domestic and professio ...

. "In 1971, he made musical history as the first Indian musician to play at London's Royal Albert Hall for the first ever all night performance of Indian classical music in the BBC Promenade Concert Series"... says the

Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri, United States. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The university has an alumni net ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

website. Imrat Khan was the senior performer of the Imdadkhani gharana, the school of sitar and surbahar performance named after his grandfather

Imdad Khan Ustad Imdad Khan (1848 – 1920) was a sitar and surbahar player. He was the first sitar player ever to be recorded.St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, United States where he had been residing for over two decades prior to his death. He had been ill for some time before his death. Imrat Khan had five sons, Nishat Khan (sitar player),

Irshad Khan Irshad Khan (born ) is an Indian classical surbahar and sitar player based in Canada. He is the second son of Imrat Khan and nephew of Vilayat Khan. Irshad's international debut was at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, UK, when he was only 13; ...

(sitar player), Wajahat Khan (sarod player) and Shafaatullah Khan (tabla player), and Azmat Ali Khan, who were all trained by him, and are all talented musicians themselves.

Awards and recognition

In 1988, Imrat Khan received a

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

from the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

. In 2017, he was awarded the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

; however, he refused to accept the award stating "It is too little and came little too late"; which also sparked pandemonium among his students and members of the fraternity.Padma Shri too little too late
Times of India (newspaper), Published 3 February 2017, Retrieved 14 July 2020 According to ''

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'' of India, "The noted musician was disappointed that the Indian government never recognized his contributions, even as several of his juniors and those who trained under him were presented with Padma awards".

References

External links

An interview with Imrat Khan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Imrat 1935 births 2018 deaths Etawah gharana Hindustani instrumentalists Surbahar players Sitar players Indian multi-instrumentalists Indian music educators Indian Muslims Washington University in St. Louis faculty Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award