Dhrupad is the oldest and most profound form of Hindustani classical vocal music. Dhrupad is popular in both its form be it vocal or instrumental music. Dhrupad developed in India in medieval times. It was the contemporaneous form of music at the time of the construction of the Mughal gardens and was performed regularly in the courts of the Mughal emperors. The examples of distinct compositions of dhrupad are attributed to the legendary Tansen, who as both an instrumentalist and a vocalist was popular for practicing this genre of Indian classical music. In the latter part of the twentieth century, vocal Dhrupad was promoted and popularized by the members of Dagar family. While Dagar gharana is often attributed as one of the major gharanas, here are various schools of this style which gained prominence as Dhrupad Gharanas.
Dagar Gharana
The Dagar Gharana took firm roots under the adept supervision of Ustad Behram Khan (1753-1878), who was associated with the royal court of Jaipur. The Dagarbani dhrupad rendition is characterized by meditative and leisurely development of alap. The purity of a raga is usually maintained all through and in spite of intricate rhythmic patterns, there is a profound sense of devotion. The main representatives of the present-day Dagar gharana are the descendants of Ustad Zakiruddin Khan as well as of Ustad Allabande Khan’s four sons, Nasiruddin, Rahimuddin, Imamuddin and Husseinuddin: all of them extremely gifted and highly respected Dhrupad musicians. Major contributions to the upkeep of this tradition also came from the sons of Rahimuddin and Husseinuddin, Rahim Fahimuddin (b. 1927) and Hussein Sayeeduddin respectively, as well as the grandsons of Zakiruddin Khan, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin (1929-1990 who revived the majestic Rudra Veena as a concert instrument) and Zia Fariduddin. The rich heritage of the Dagar tradition lives on in the remaining Dagar brothers and their sons and well-groomed disciples from outside the family.
Darbhanga Gharana
The Mallik Family is the leading representative of the court music tradition of Darbhanga, a former state in the north-eastern corner of India, close to the Nepalese border. They retrace their line to the singers Late Pt. Radhakrishna and Kartaram, who arrived at the Court of Darbhanga in the 18th century after having studied over twenty-five years with Lt. Ustad Bhupat Khan, a descendant of the famous Mughal court singer Tansen. The Malliks are famous all over the World for a very rhythmically elaborated interpretation of Dhrupad. Along with an expertise in old Dhrupad and Dhamar compositions (of which they possess an unparalleled stock) they are also known for their exposition of Khyal, Taranas, Ghazals, Bhajans and songs of the medieval poet Vidyapati in Thumri style. The long-lived tradition of the Dhrupad lineage of Darbhanga tradition is embodied in the stunning force of Alapa, the incessant flow of laya joined with the finest literature. The performance of the Darbhanga Gharana of dhrupad singers can be distinguished mainly by the way compositions are sung after the alap. The distinctive feature of the gharana is powerful and expressive vocal delivery, combined with a lively style of performance. The famous musicians of Darbhanga gharana in the Past were Pt. Dharmlal Mallick, Pt. Bhim Mallick (Pakhawaj), Pt. Kchitpal Mallick, Pt. Nehal Mallick (Veena), Pt. Rajitram Mallick, Pt. Vishnudev Pathak, Pt. Sukhdev Mallick, Padmashree Pt. Ramchatur Mallick, Pt. Mahavir & Yaduvir Mallick, Padmashree Pt.Siyaram Tiwari & the Dhrupad maestro Pt.Bidur Mallick. At present Pt. Abhay Narayan Mallick, Dr. Pt. Prem Kumar Mallick and Pt. Ram Kumar Mallick are the prominent Singers whereas Pt. Ramashish Pathak, Sri Ramesh Mallick and Sri Anand Kumar Mallick are the Pakhawaj players of Darbhanga Tradition. The 13th generation of young musicians have already started giving their performances and are the rising star of future classical music, namely Sri Prashant Kumar Mallick, Sri Samit Kumar Mallick, Ms. Priyanka Mallick (Hindustani Classical Music) Sri Nishant Kumar Mallick, Shri Vibhu Shankar Mishra (Hindustani Classical Music) and Sri Kaushik Mallick (Pakhawaj).
Betia Gharana
The Betia gharana is associated with the erstwhile royal court of Betia in Bihar which flourished during the 19th century. Stylistically, the gharana’s influence extended over entire eastern India. It became particularly strong in Bengal because of the close links of the Vishnupur gharana in Bengal with Betia. The genesis of Dhrupad in the Betia tradition is associated with the arrival in Betia of Pandit Shivdayal Mishra, a prominent disciple of famous musicians, Rahimsen and Karimsen of the Nepal court. Dhrupad in Betia style is signified by the apparent simplicity of vocal delivery coupled with emphasis on the composition. Betia Gharana has compositions available from all the Banis, though more emphasis is placed on Gaurhar and Khandar Banis. As a result, the ornamentations and rhythmic variations are strictly applied during a rendition. Compositions of the Betia gharana are based on the poetry of the maharaja-poet-dhrupadiyas, Anand and Nawal Kishore. Eminent musicians such as Hasan Ali Khan (father of sarodiya, Fida Hussain), beenkar Sadique Ali Khan and Kale Khan frequented the Betia court and learnt compositions of this gharana. After the demise of royal patronage, the Betia tradition continued in Varanasi in the hands of stalwarts such as Shivrahal Mishra, Guruprasad Mishra, Jaykaran Mishra, Bholanath Pathak, beenkar Shivendra Nath Basu and Shib Mitra. It is claimed that Jaykaran Mishra, who had an excellent repertoire of dhamars and khayals, had committed to memory over nearly 2000 dhrupads in different banis. He passed on this cherished legacy to his deserving disciples, the most prominent among them being Bholanath Pathak.
Talwandi Gharana
The Talwandi tradition is associated with north-western India specifically Punjab. Presently, the tradition has very few singers, all living in Pakistan. Prominent singers of the tradition claim that the Talwandi gharana represents Khandar Vani. It is claimed that Nayak Chand Khan and Suraj Khan were the founders of Talwandi Gharana. The Talwandi Gharana evolved independently of and remained unaffected by the Hindu tradition of devotional music. In fact the entire performance is regarded as an offering to Allah. Nevertheless the Talwani repertoire includes compositions on both Muslim and Hindu themes. The gharana style appears to have similarities to the Darbhanga Gharana. A few recordings exist that show extremely fast concluding portions of the alap. The compositions display highly complex rhythmic variations.
Sources: itcsra.org, Premkumarmallik.com
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }