Pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...

Pran Nath (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: पंडित प्राणनाथ) (3 November 1918 – 13 June 1996) was an Indian classical singer and master of the Kirana gharana singing style. Promoting traditional

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 ...

principles, Nath exerted an influence on notable American

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musicians, including

La Monte Young La Monte Thornton Young (born October 14, 1935) is an American composer, musician, and performance artist recognized as one of the first American minimalist composers and a central figure in Fluxus and post-war avant-garde music. He is best k ...

Terry Riley Terrence Mitchell Riley (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist music, minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his work became notab ...

, and Don Cherry. He began performing in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the 1970s, and established the Kirana Center for Indian Classical Music in 1972; he subsequently taught in various universities across the US and Europe.

Early life

Pran Nath was born into a wealthy family in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

in present-day

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. While they were avid devotees of music, inviting musicians into the house to perform nightly, his family did not approve of his desire to become a musician, so he left home at the age of 13 and took up residence with the reclusive singer Abdul Wahid Khan of the Kirana gharana, cousin of the more widely known

Abdul Karim Khan Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (Devanagari: उस्ताद अब्दुल करीम ख़ान, Persian: ) (11 November 1872 – 27 October 1937)Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, to

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 ...

; and Nath, a

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 ...

, to a

Shaivite Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...

sect in Dehra Dun. It is said that Nath lived in a cave near the Tapkeswhar temple to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

for five years, serving his guru intermittently.Lavezzoli, Peter.
The dawn of Indian music in the West
'. United Kingdom, Bloomsbury Academic, 2006. He eventually married and reentered the world at the request (guru dakshana) of his guru, in order to ensure the preservation of the Kirana style. In 1937, he became a staff artist with

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

. However, Nath stuck to Abdul Wahid Khan's extra-methodical and austere singing style, with a heavy emphasis on

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 unaccomp ...

and slow tempo, which suited his voice well but was not very popular. Like his teacher, Pran Nath's singing emphasized precise intonation and the gradual, note-by-note exposition of tone and mood in the alap section of the music. Nath supported himself as a music teacher, and worked at the

University of Delhi The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...

from 1960 to 1970.

Life in the United States

In 1970, Pran Nath travelled to New York to visit the American composer

and visual artist

Marian Zazeela Marian Zazeela (April 15, 1940 – March 28, 2024) was an American light artist, designer, calligrapher, painter, and musician based in New York City. She was a member of the 1960s experimental music collective Theatre of Eternal Music, and was ...

, who heard his first issued recording, ''Earth Groove: The Voice of Cosmic India'' (1968). In 1972, he established the Kirana Center for Indian Classical Music in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and lived in the US for the rest of his life. He was a visiting professor of music at

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...

, teaching one semester a year from 1973 to 1984. In 1985, he moved to the San Francisco area, and he continued to teach privately in the United States, Canada, Europe, and India. His album ''Ragas of Morning and Night'' was released by Gramavision Records in 1986 and he appeared with the Kronos Quartet on their album ''Short Stories'', released by

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Nonesuch ...

in 1993.

Death

Pandit Pran Nath died of heart failure at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley on 13 June, 1996. He was survived by his wife, Rani Budhiraja Nath; by a son, Bhuwanneshwar; three daughters, Shashi Maini, Kiran Arora and Uma Maini; and by seven grandchildren.

Influence

Pran Nath attracted a strong following among the American

composers, including

Rhys Chatham Rhys Chatham (born September 19, 1952) is an American composer, guitarist, trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist (flutes in C, alto and bass, keyboard), primarily active in avant-garde and minimalist music. He is best known for his "guitar orche ...

Jon Hassell Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937 – June 26, 2021) was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various w ...

, Catherine Christer Hennix,

Charlemagne Palestine Chaim Moshe Tzadik Palestine (born August 15, 1947), known professionally as Charlemagne Palestine, is an American visual artist and musician. He has been described as being one of the founders of New York school of minimalist music, first initia ...

, Shabda Kahn, Jon Gibson, Michael Harrison, Yoshi Wada, Henry Flynt, and many others. Jazz musicians such as Don Cherry and

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

also drew influence from his teaching. Artists such as

Simone Forti Simone Forti (born March 25, 1935) is an American postmodern artist, dancer, choreographer, and writer. Since the 1950s, she has exhibited, performed, and taught workshops all over the world. Her innovations in Postmodern dance, including her se ...

and David Weinrib were also students of Pran Nath.

Notable students

Discography

* ''Earth Groove'' (1968),

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 Bhupali and

Asavari Asavari () is a minor character from the Stri Parva in Mahabharata, the love life of Karna but due to her father's arrogance, the marriage did not take place. She belongs to the Asavari (thaat), Asavari thaat kingdom. In pre-Bhatkhande days As ...

* ''India's Master Vocalist'' (1972), Ragas Yaman Kalyan and Punjabi Berva * ''Ragas of Morning and Night'' (1986), Ragas Miya ki Todi and Darbari Kanada, two ragas for which Pran Nath was particularly noted * ''Midnight'' (2003), Raga Malkauns, two separate recordings made in 1971 and 1976 * ''The Raga Cycle'' (2006), Ragas Shudh Sarang and Kut Todi, recorded in 1972

Unreleased recordings

Like his teacher Abdul Wahid Khan, Pran Nath did not emphasize recording or the releasing of records, preferring live performance. While only three recordings of Pran Nath were released during his lifetime, a large number of recordings exist under the care of

. In Pran Nath's will, Young, as executor of his estate, was instructed to begin releasing recordings.

Films

*1986 – ''In Between the Notes: A Portrait of Pandit Pran Nath''.''In Between the Notes: A Portrait of Pandit Pran Nath''
Produced by Other Minds. Directed by William Farley. *1995 – ''Musical Outsiders: An American Legacy - Harry Partch, Lou Harrison, and Terry Riley''. Directed by Michael Blackwood.

References

External links

MELA Foundation: Pandit Pran Nath
* ttp://www.henryflynt.org/aesthetics/on_pandit_pran_nath.htm On Pandit Pran Nathby Henry Flynt
Other Minds: Pran Nath
By Marcus Boon
Pandit Pran Nath: A Short Biography
By Joan Allekotte
Lord of the Drone: Pandit Pran Nath and the American Underground
By Alexander Keefe {{DEFAULTSORT:Nath, Pran 1918 births 1996 deaths Hindustani singers Singers from Lahore Mills College faculty Academic staff of Delhi University 20th-century Indian male classical singers Kirana gharana 20th-century Khyal singers Indian emigrants to the United States People from Punjab Province (British India)